Numbers

Numbers seems to be a strange title for a book. Officials do count the people. But that is only in a small part of the book. Yet it is hard to suggest another title. And there is a reason for this. It is because there are so many subjects. The subjects are very different. And the writer presents them in different ways too.

Some chapters give details about laws. They were laws for the Jews to obey. There were religious laws. And there were laws for their social life. Other parts of the book are history. They tell the story of a journey. It was the journey of the Jews. They left Egypt. And they travelled to the Land that God promised to give them. Often, it is a terrible story. Their behaviour was very bad. They did not obey God. And they often resisted God.

We can divide the book into three main ideas.

Instructions (Chapters 1-10)

These chapters are a record. They are a series of laws and instructions.

Positions for the 12 Tribes (1-2)

Organisation of the Priests’ Helpers (3-4)

They belonged to the family of Levi. And their job was special. God appointed the tribe of Levi for religious service. Read the notes about Leviticus again.

The Community Becoming Holy (5)

There are regulations in this chapter. Some regulations were to preserve health (5:1-4). There were rules about those who did something bad to other people (5:5-10. Compare Leviticus 6:1-7). And there were rules about relationships that went wrong (5:11-31).

The Nazirites’ Promise (6)

[Note: The name is from a Hebrew word. It means ‘to separate from’. A Nazirite made a special promise to God.]

The promise was for a certain time (6:13).

And it required three things. The person must not drink alcohol. He must not cut his hair. And he must not touch a dead body. Each rule had a meaning.

First, there was the ‘no alcohol’ rule. Someone who follows God is on a journey. He is a traveller. He is on his way to heaven. And the rule may emphasise this. To make alcohol, someone must first grow the fruit. So, he must stay in one place. Therefore, this rule was a sign.

Then there was the second rule. It was about hair. If someone did not cut it, everyone could see this. It also taught people about the Nazirites. It was an external sign. But it showed the internal spiritual promise.

The last rule was about dead bodies. A Nazirite must not touch them. There was a reason for this. It was because dead bodies are ‘not clean’. So, this rule emphasised a need. It was the need to be holy. This means to choose what is right. And it means to do what is right. So, it is an attitude. But it is also actions. Read Psalms 24:4,5; 51:10; Matthew 5:8; Philippians 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:5.

The Nazirites’ special promise declared the need for three things. They were travelling life's journey. And they should travel it with God. That should be their ambition. Next, as God's people, they should be different. And other people should be able to see the difference. God's people should also be holy. In fact, these three things are the main subjects in the book of Numbers. And these three things are still important for us today.

Read 6:24-26. This is a very special blessing. It says many things. It asks God for many things too. Perhaps it says more than any other prayer in the Bible.

Regulations for Priests (7-9:14)

These rules provided details. There were several important matters. First, there were offerings of the leaders of the tribes (7). There were rules about the care of lamps. They were the special Tabernacle lamps (8:1-4). Next, there were rules about the Levites. They must be pure for service (8:5-26). And, last, there were rules about Passover. This was a special time. The people remembered that God had been good to them in the past (9:1-14).

Information for Travel (9:15-10:36)

This was about how to organize a crowd. One thing was vital. It was communication. They had no modern methods then. There was no radio. So they must use other ways.

  • The guiding cloud (9:15-23). God was good to the people. He led them.
  • The silver trumpets (10:1-10). The trumpet is loud. It is a musical instrument. And the priests used them for communication. They blew the trumpets. There were long and short sounds. And each sound had a meaning.
  • Orders for marching (10:11-28). This crowd did not decide for itself. Each group knew when to move. They knew which person they had to obey.

Resistance Against God (Chapters 11-25)

This is a depressing story. It tells us that the people were not loyal. They were not content. They had no confidence. And they were not brave.

The story is also a warning. It warns all God's people. Our behaviour causes results. We might stop doing what God wants. We want our own pleasure. But if we are like this, we can be sure of three things. We will not be happy. We will have disappointment. And there will be defeat. The Israelites (Jews) complained about three things:

  • The food that God provided for them (11).
  • The leader that God appointed over them (12).
  • The land that God offered to them (13).

Life has many experiences. There are bad things and there are good things. There are difficulties. And they could seem like giant problems (13:33). But there are good things too. And they are like good fruit (13:23-24). God appointed the leaders. But, once again, there was trouble (14:2-6). Now God spoke to the crowd. He told them something sad. They would not enter the land. It would belong to their children instead (14:23, 29).

God gave some rules. There were rules about offerings. There were rules about the Sabbath (15). Then, there was more resistance against God (16). There were three leaders. Their names were Korah, Dathan and Abiram. (Compare Jude 11 and 2 Peter 2:10.) God showed who the leaders of his choice were. He did this by a special sign. Only God could have done it (17). The New Testament says much about this matter. There are people who have a problem with authority. They just cannot submit to it. (Read 13:7, 17; 1 Corinthians 1:28: ‘it is God that appoints’.)

There is a serious message here. It is for our own time. People laugh at authority. The leaders may be good. They may want to do the best things. But people will still refuse to do what the leaders say. Christians should be different. They should not have this attitude. A good society needs two things. It needs people who will lead it. It needs people who will organize it. And this includes the church. Every group needs good leaders. But people must respect them. If they do not, the group cannot work well.

Think about church leaders. There are dangers for them. They have authority. But their use of it might be wrong. They might have wrong ideas. They might think that people should obey them. They might even try to force people to obey them. Leaders should listen to church members. But they may stop doing this. So, the New Testament speaks about it. There is a need. And it is very important. People should ‘serve each other’. They should ‘be willing to obey each other.’ (Read Romans 12:10; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 5:21; Philippians 2:3-4.)

The next chapters have two main subjects. Chapter 18 is about priests’ payment. Chapter 19 is about how to keep holy. Then, there was more resistance against God (20). This time, it was about a lack of water. It was usual for Moses to be humble (12:3). He wanted to learn. However, something happened. God gave an exact command. But Moses did not obey it. (Compare 20:8 and 1.) He struck the rock twice. This might show that he was impatient with the people. Or it might show that he was not obeying God. The Bible does not tell us. But we do know that it was a sin. It showed a lack of trust in God (20:12).

So, Moses did not obey God. The people were not content either. These two things caused bad results. The people were not confident. They lacked courage. And a serious sin followed. They spoke ‘against God’ (21:5). Something awful happened. There were poisonous snakes. And they bit the people (21:6). After this, the people repented. Then, God saved them. This event has a wonderful meaning. It shows how God saves us today (John 3:14-15).

Next, there is a story of interest. It is about two men. They were Balaam and Balak (22-24). There is an important lesson here. It teaches us about God. It shows that God is in control. There was an enemy king. And he hired a foreign prophet called Balaam. The king wanted Balaam to curse God's people. And he tried to do this several times. But he failed every time. Instead, God made Balaam bless the Jews.

This incident shows something. It was early in the Jews’ history. They knew that God's care was not only for them. He cared for other people too. God rules the world. A nation might not accept his rule. But it is still true. This story has a terrible result. Balak's plan was to curse the Jews. This plan did not succeed. So, he spoiled them in another way. He tempted them with wrong sex (25:1-3).

Intention (Chapters 26-36)

The last chapters are about God's plans. God had plans for his people's future. God had promised to give a land to the Jews. They called it the Promised Land.

The parents had sinned against God. So, his plans were for their children. They would settle in that land.

These chapters deal with various things. God told Moses to count the number of people who were in the tribes (26). There was the matter of what happened when someone died. God said who should receive that person's property. God gave legal rights to daughters too (27). These chapters deal with offerings. They also deal with feasts. There was the subject about making special promises. There was also the subject of battles (31). There were rules about soldiers returning from war. There were rules about prisoners of that war. And there was the matter of what happened after a battle. There were rules about things that they could take for themselves (28-31).

Two tribes had a special request. They were Reuben and Gad. They asked for a particular part of the land. They wanted the land that was east of the river Jordan (32).

Then there are the final chapters. They tell us about the:

  • journey in the desert (33)
  • division of the land (34)
  • demand for special cities of safety (35)
  • discussion about what daughters should receive (36)

A Little Note

Numbers is unusual in many ways. But it has important things for us today. It makes three things clear.

It expresses the fact that sin is serious (20:12; 25:3; 32:23).

It explains that God is in control. (23:19-20; 23:8, 21)

It examines examples of certain people. They gave themselves to God.

They followed God completely (6:2-12; 14:24; 32:11-12).