INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS
Numbers is the fourth book of the five books of Moses. The book gets its English name from the two censuses recorded in it (Ch 1, 26). The Hebrew name for Numbers is "In the Wilderness." Numbers begins in the wilderness, thirteen months after the Israelites come out of Egypt. God commands a census be taken to build an army for the taking of Canaan. However, Numbers ends forty years later with the Israelites still in the wilderness, again preparing to take Canaan. The book may feel inconclusive on the surface, but it is rich in spiritual lessons. We can learn much about God and the life of faith that can be applied today.
Numbers covers two generations of Israelites as they wander in the wilderness for forty years. The first generation experienced God's deliverance from slavery in Egypt firsthand as well as many other miracles. But they perished in the wilderness because of unbelief. The second generation knew only the wilderness and had to depend on God for everything. God allowed them to take Canaan because of their faith.
As God set the Israelites free from slavery and promised to give them Canaan, Jesus has set us free from sin and has promised us eternal life and the kingdom of God. Like the Israelites, we Christians can feel as though we are wandering in the wilderness of this world. Numbers shows us how to-and not to-respond in this wilderness. As God leads his people through the wilderness, he leads our Christian journey until we reach God's kingdom. May God enrich our faith in him as we study Numbers.

Thirteen months after the LORD miraculously delivered the Israelites from bondage to the Egyptians, he commanded Moses and Aaron to take a census of the people. God had already given them the Law, established the priesthood, provided their daily needs, and revealed himself as holy and merciful. The time had come for his people to form an army and take the Promised Land.

The LORD appointed tribal leaders to help in this huge task. People registered by their clans and families. Excluding the Levites, 603,550 were counted to serve in Israel's army, all physical and spiritual descendants of Jacob and Abraham. The census revealed how God was both fulfilling his promises to Abraham (Gn 15:5) and also looking forward to even greater fulfillment (Gn 22:17-18). How has God been fulfilling his promises to you? Are you trusting God to fulfill his promises to you in even greater ways?

Large or small, every tribe was counted and contributed to the army. There were no bystander tribes. The people served side-by-side for the LORD and for each other. Can you be counted upon to serve the LORD? May we each, by faith, also be "registered" and "counted" in our churches and fellowships in active service to the LORD.


Application: Father, thank you for fulfilling your promises. Count me among those who serve you.
One Word: Be counted