Introduction
Some of your
favourite Bible stories and characters are found in this book. Yet it also
serves as a solemn warning about the perils of disobeying God. In all cases it
is folly and madness to say ‘No’ to Him.
Welcome to
the Book of Numbers, the fourth of the five books of Moses, known as the
Pentateuch or Torah (the Law). The stories are great and the lessons even
greater.
The name in
the original Hebrew is wayyedabber or ‘and he said.’ The reason
for the name ‘Numbers’ is that it has to do with two censuses. The first is of
the ‘generation of the exodus’ (Chapter 1), namely the children of Israel who
miraculously departed from Egypt. The second census or numbering was of the ‘generation
of the wilderness,’ the generation of Israelites born in the wilderness
(chapter 26) to the ‘generation of the exodus.’ Though the exodus generation
was headed towards the promised land of Canaan, they never reached it. Numbers
will explain the dire reason why.
Key
Characters:
1.
Moses the lawgiver;
2.
Aaron the high priest;
3.
Joshua the good spy, successor to Moses;
4.
Caleb, the other good spy, who survived the
wilderness like Joshua
5.
Balaam, the prophet/seer who tried to curse
Israel and inadvertently blessed them instead.
Christ in Numbers:
The reason
that Numbers is in the Christian Bible is that it points the way to the coming
Messiah, Jesus Christ. Here are some types of Christ found in this book:
Star out of
Jacob: One
of the most beautiful Messianic description is the ‘star out of Jacob’ (24:17);
City of
Refuge: Christ
is also our ‘city of refuge,’ where we can flee and be protected from the ‘avenger
of blood;’
Brazen
serpent: When
Israel murmured in the wilderness against God and Moses, the Lord judged them
by sending fiery serpents who had a fatal bite. When Moses appealed to the LORD
for deliverance, the solution was the ‘brazen serpent’ which was used to
bringing healing and deliverance from judgment (21:8). In other words, God took
the problem, namely the serpent, and turned it into the solution. Whoever
looked on the brazen serpent would live. Jesus uses the serpent analogy to
speak of Himself (John 3:14); He, the sinless One, took our sins upon Himself,
so that all who look on Christ shall live. II Corinthians 5:21 ‘For
he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.’ See also Romans 8:3-4.
The Rock: When Israel
lacked water at Rephidim, God commanded Moses to strike the rock and water
would proceed (Exodus 17:6). Another incident of running out of water was at
Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin; this time God commanded Moses to ‘speak to the
rock’ in order to obtain water. Unfortunately, Moses did not listen to the
LORD. Instead, he struck the rock, like he did at Rephidim. Water came anyway
but at a dreadful price. God told Moses that because of this sin Moses would
not enter the promised land. Why was this judgment so severe? Because Christ is
the Rock (I Corinthians 10:4) and He only needs to be struck once (crucified)
for our sins; afterward, you speak to the Risen Saviour, not strike out again.
Manna: Like the
manna, the bread from heaven, fed Israel in the wilderness (Numbers 11:6-9) for
40 years, Christ is the true Bread of Heaven (John 6:31-33). Whoever eats this
bread lives for ever.
Theme
The high
price of doubt and unbelief. This includes wandering, wilderness, unfulfilled
divine promises, and death. So we see that they could not enter in because
of unbelief - Hebrews 3:19
Key Verses
14:22-23: ‘Because
all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in
the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not
heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to
their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected me see it."
Key Events
in Numbers:
Chapter 01: The first
census is taken of all Israelite men of military age 20 years or older who were
born in Egypt and part of the exodus; the total was 603,550 (1:46). If every
one of them had a wife and child, that would be 1.8 million. Sadly, this
generation would not inherit the land. This is the ‘Generation of the Exodus.’
Chapter 13: The 12 spies
explored Canaan for 40 days. They discovered its fertility but also the might
of the local inhabitants.
Chapter 14: After 10 of
the 12 spies gave an evil report of the land, the people rebel. God said this
was the 10th time the generation of the exodus tempted God and therefore they
would not enter the promised land. The sole exception would be Joshua and
Caleb. Unbelief leads to rebellion.
Chapters
22-24:
Balaam the seer was hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse Israel. Despite his
attempts, the curses turned to blessing.
Chapter 26: The second
census was of the ‘generation of the wilderness,’ who were the children of the ‘generation
of the exodus.’ The latter generation had died due to their unbelief so it was
now time for a new stocktake.
Simple
Outline of Numbers:
1-12 Generation of the Exodus
13-20 Wanderings in the Wilderness
21-36 Generation of the Wilderness; forward-march
to Canaan
Lesson for
Life:
Joshua and
Caleb provide a sterling template of how to enter into the land of promise. Why
did they succeed while the other 10 spies failed (and killed soon thereafter)?
First, they followed God with a whole heart (14:24). Second, they did not have
a religious spirit but a spirit of faith (13:30). While the 10 spies complained
about the challenges, Caleb spoke words of faith: ‘Let us go up at once, and
possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.’ (13:30). Confession
activates faith. Third, they gave a good report of the land (13:27; 30). It is
easy to focus on circumstances and problems, but the faithful, whole-hearted
believer focuses on the ‘good report.’ Proverbs 15:30 says a good report makes
the bones fat and Paul exhorts us to focus on the good report (Philippians
4:8).
Follow these
three steps, straight out of Numbers, and you will leave the wilderness behind
as you make tracks to the promised land.
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