Numbers 1 Devotional
by Pastor Lawrence Bowlin
As one might expect, the book of Numbers does contain some counting but not an excessive amount. There is actually a lot more complaining than there is counting going on in this third book of Moses, for it records how the people continually complained against Moses and against God while in the wilderness. The Hebrew title for the work is actually called In the Wilderness for those are the first three words spoken in the first verse of the first chapter. It is from the Greek translation of the book that we get the title Numbers, for there are two pivotal chapters in the work that shows a census in which Moses and Aaron are counting all the men in each tribe that are old enough to go into battle.
The first census is recorded in the first chapter and the second is recorded in chapter twenty-six.
The original census, which took place at the foot of Mt. Sinai, recorded all the men of fighting age in the first generation who out of fear of failure refused to fight against the giants of Canaan and instead wanted to return to Egypt. The Lord was displeased with that generation, and every man over twenty years of age, other than Joshua and Caleb, died in the wilderness because of their lack of faith. The Lord ordered them all to be counted in the beginning that they might employed in a holy war, but as a result of their disobedience, the Lord caused them to wander in the desert for forty years.
The second census is then recorded in chapter twenty-six recording roughly the same number of men in the second generation as there were in the first, showing that God had not changed His mind in terms of troop strength. He also had not changed his mind in terms of his covenant with Abraham and with Moses. Even though that first generation had rebelled against the Lord, God would show great mercy to their sons and enable them to carry out what their fathers had refused to do. He would also continue to bless them and protect them as His people merely because of his sovereign mercy and free choice keeping Balaam from cursing them and keeping King Og and King Sihon from destroying them.
By the end of the book, the Israelites finally made it across the wilderness to the Plains of Moab just east of the Jordan River and were organized once again into fighting unites in order to carry out the Lord’s will. A journey that ordinarily should have taken only two weeks lasted forty years, and through that journey we learn a good bit about human nature and of sin and a great bit about the Lord’s discipline and His tender mercy.
A key verse that describes the main reason for Israel’s disobedience is Numbers 14:11 where the Lord says, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?” Do we not struggle loving and trusting the Lord today as they did then in the wilderness? In 1 Corinthians 10:11-12 Paul says, “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.” Surely, we are no different than they were, which is why we need a savior to cover our many sins and a Lord who can enable us to stand when we are sure to fall by our own doubt and disobedience. Even though there is much sin put on display in these chapters, there are also a number of signs pointing us to the Christ to come. So keep your eyes open that you might see Jesus. Where Israel failed in the wilderness Christ, the New Israel, succeeded and gained salvation for us all.