Read this article in French here.
Hey there,
The book of Numbers gets its name from the two main censuses which open and close it, recording the Israelites who left Egypt, and the ones who got into the promised land at the end of their forty-year-long journey. This was important because the people who left Egypt, and the ones who made it to the promise land were two different generations, and you will understand why in the upcoming paragraphs.
After exiting Egypt in Exodus, and receiving instructions in Leviticus, the Israelites were now set to move into the promised land, and the book of Numbers depicts this journey.
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The first census of the Book of Numbers
As preparation for their new lives in Canaan, the promised land, the Israelites received instructions about who was to do what in the community. For that, they were counted, and according to tribes, were assigned posts and duties. They were told by God where to settle geographically in the camp, and even in what order to match whenever they travelled.
The departure from Sinai
Whenever the Israelite camp was settled, God dwelled in the midst (middle) of them. But whenever they were on the move, God preceded them with the Arc of the Covenant positioned and moving ahead (in front) of them. In other words, God was set to be with and protect all along. With all these put together, the trip to Canaan was set to be a marvellous one.
Yet, several rebellions tainted it.
The journey
The sweet journey on paper turned into a nightmare in reality.
The Israelites constantly grumbled for food and water (Numbers 11). Some Levites badmouthed Moses (Numbers 12), just as did Aaron and Miriam (Numbers 16:1-21), Moses’ own siblings. There was even a mutiny against God because of their strong desire to go back to Egypt (Numbers 14:1-19) after spying on the inhabitants of Canaan (Numbers 13).
Nothing went smoothly on this voyage. Eventually, faded by all these uproars, Moses himself ended up dishonouring God (Numbers 20:12). It was a big mess!
Consequently, God swore that no one among this rebellious generation was going to get into Canaan except Caleb and Joshua, who kept their faith in Him through it all. Also, all those born in the wilderness, that is along the way, were considered innocent of such rioting and were allowed to join Caleb and Joshua in Canaan (Numbers 14:19-35).
The rest were not going to see the promised land partly because of their sins, yes, but partly because God respected their choice of refusing to go into Canaan, a wish they expressed many times. Therefore, they all had to pass away before Israel ever stepped foot on that field. Hence instead of 2 weeks to get to Canaan from Mount Sinai, they wandered 40 extra years just so that they all died in the desert, either by the sword, by illnesses, snake bites… Others were in fact literally swallowed by the ground (Numbers 16:33).
It may seem like God didn’t show Mercy to them, but I will ask you to consider this below.
God’s compassion at work
Strangely enough, just when a curse from Balaam, a diviner, sent by Balak, the king of Moab who was very afraid of Israel, could annihilate them all at once (Numbers 22), God was the one battling for Israel’s prosperity and countering their foes. He converted the prophet Balaam’s original purpose from curses , to blessings for Israel, saying He found no wrong in the Israelites (Numbers 23:21), whereas just two chapters before He was bent on destroying them all. If that isn’t blind love, then I do no know what that is!
The second census of the Book of Numbers
Fast forwarding to 40 years later, at the border of Canaan, the people from the sinful generation had all perished in the wilderness. Therefore, a second count, this time of their children, was taken to mark the beginning of a new era.
Another important change was that Eleazar became the high priest after his father Aaron had passed and Joshua was preparing to replace Moses as the leader of Israel. He was going to be the one to take Israel into the promised land since Moses too had failed God.
Hence the next book, Deuteronomy, is Moses’ farewell speech to these people he cared so much about and consecrated his life for.
Takeaway
-God brought judgement on the Israelites. Yes. But He never stopped showing them Mercy. The Israelites found Grace in that while they were down the valley grumbling and sinning against God (Numbers 25:1-3), God was uphill protecting them from Balak and Balaam and blessing them (Numbers 22 and 23). They didn’t ever realise something like that was happening. Surely our God is merciful and gracious. And while you read this article, you have no idea of the battles He is currently fighting for you.
-Let us not be like the Israelites who always complained about God despite all the wonders He performed for them on a constant basis. The Manna they ate preserved them physically, so much so that even their shoes and clothes didn’t wear out in 40 years, yet, they were never assured that God would see them through their thirst, hunger, or comfort. Even though He proved to be faithful, they tested and doubted Him. So they simply faced the consequences of their actions (Deuteronomy 29:5-6, Nehemiah 9:21).
When we doubt God, we behave exactly like them. Every day, in varied situations in our past, God has done great deeds for us. I am certain of that. He may have blessed you with that child or that job you prayed for. He may have brought you through that pain, that strange situation, or brought you into that beautiful relationship… Yet, when we face another tough time, we grumble just like the Israelites. Forgetting, He has already proven Himself to us.
-Another principle we learn in the Book of Numbers is to give the best to the Church and the church leaders. Everything set apart to the Lord was, of course, the choicest, and a good portion of it was reserved for the priest and temple workers, the Levites, whose life was dedicated to serving the Lord. We live in a world today in which pastors and other ministers of the Gospel, are constantly being criticised, especially when they are somewhat wealthy, forgetting to pray for them and bless them, and undermining their purpose in our lives. We need to be more careful at checking out the log of wood in our eyes than the grain of sand in theirs.
Thank you for reading, and let me know what you have to say about the Book of Numbers below.
Cheers!!!
