Numbers
You will have heard the saying, “Never judge a book by its cover”, but maybe we could add to that, “Never judge a book by its title”, at least not this book, for unless you are a number nerd you might be tempted to skip or at least fast forward through a piece of literature with the ironic title of “Numbers”.
The title we use for the fourth book of the Old Testament comes from the old Greek translation where it is called Arithmoi. Whoever coined the title perhaps liked the numbers of the census material in chapter 1 and chapter 26, lists of fighting men twenty years and over. The first list a warning not to be faithless like those who came out of Egypt mumbling and grumbling against the Lord. The second list, those born in the wilderness, a challenge to be faithful and experience the Lord’s blessing in victory.
The two Hebrew titles of the book, taken from the opening verse, are much more helpful, informative and draw us in wanting to know more. “In the wilderness” fitly summarises all that transpires in the thirty-six chapters as Moses records the events of forty years from Sinai to journey’s end in the Promised Land. The other Hebrew title “And the LORD spoke” oozes with the grace and faithfulness of God, never leaving his people despite all their failures. Numbers is therefore an exciting account of the faithful speaking God engaging with his covenant people as they journeyed to the Promised Land. So, already you should be saying, “I need some of that for my journey through this wilderness like world”.
If you are keener on geography than numbers your eye will catch the frequent “Google map” like location markers of Sinai (chapters 1-12); Kadesh Barnea (chapters 13-21); and Moab (chapters 22-36). But don’t be too keen on trying to find precise co-ordinates for many of the place names or you will get very lost because some Bible time places no longer exist and to make it even more confusing some places had the same name.
Rather than numbers or settlements as your study framework a Christocentric reading is always a much more heart-warming and life changing way to read the Scripture. Like every other book he is there in Numbers on every page, and not in a “Where’s Wally” scratch your head way but right in front of your eyes. At the big picture level, he is there as the Lord preserves his people and brings them to the Promised Land that the Messiah will come as promised from the seed of Abraham. But as you hit the zoom button you will see him too. He is there in contrast as the faithful Israel through whom all the world will be blessed. He is there as the greater Moses interceding for God’s people when all seems to be up for them. He is there in the pictures of the bronze snake, the water providing rock and the red heifer. He is there in the prophecies of the belligerent Balaam, as the star out of Jacob and the sceptre rising out of Israel.
When you have “seen him” as Balaam says you will not want to make the same mistakes as a generation that died in the wilderness, grumbling and groaning against the Lord. When you have “seen him” you will be ready to be counted as a faithful soldier advancing into battle. When you have “seen him” you will want to heed Paul’s application of Numbers in I Corinthians 10 avoiding idolatry, sexual immorality, testing the Lord and being careful that you don’t stumble on the way. When you have “seen him” you will take great hope that he goes with you all the way to the Promised Land. When you have “seen him” every young woman will be saying, “Make me like Mahlah, Noah, Milcah and Tirzah ready to do whatever it takes to enjoy all the blessings that I have been allotted because of Jesus Christ”. When you have “seen him” every young man will be saying, “Make me a Joshua, full of confidence in the Lord and ready and willing to lead God’s people to the Promised Land”. When you have “seen him” every not so young man will be saying, “Don’t let me be like Moses and Aaron and miss out on any of God’s blessings by botching up near the end”.
To borrow insight from Iain Duguid’s helpful comments, this book is designed to help you see Christ and to keep you in the grace fuelled groove of faithfulness as you journey through the wilderness to the Promised land, from salvation accomplished to salvation completed.
Recommended books (both used in the writing of this article)
Numbers, Iain M. Duguid, Preaching the Word series
Teaching Numbers, Adrian Reynolds, Christian Focus
Recommended listening:
Edward Donnelly’s sermons on Sermonaudio
Ian Duguid sermons on Monergism
Auido Reading of Numbers
16 Day Reading Plan
Day 1: Numbers 1 - 2: The Census
Day 2: Numbers 3 - 4: The Levites
Day 3: Numbers 5 - 6: The Purity of the Camp
Day 4: Numbers 7: The Tabernacle
Day 5: Numbers 8 - 10: The Passover
Day 6: Numbers 11 - 13: Fire from the LORD
Day 7: Numbers 14 - 15: The People Rebel
Day 8: Numbers 16 - 17: The Budding of Aaron’s Staff
Day 9: Numbers 18 - 20: Water from the Rock
Day 10: Numbers 21 - 22: The Bronze Snake
Day 11: Numbers 23 - 25: Balaam’s Message
Day 12: Numbers 26 - 27: Joshua to Succeed Moses
Day 13: Numbers 28 - 30: Vows
Day 14: Numbers 31 - 32: Vengeance on the Midianites
Day 15: Numbers 33 - 34: Israel’s Journey
Day 16: Numbers 35 - 36: Zelophehad’s Daughters
