Bible in a Year: Numbers
Monday: Please read Numbers 1-10
I love things that are in its proper place and order. I organize my sock drawer and color-code my shirts. Maybe that’s why I appreciate the book of Numbers. It starts with a census and it ends with a census. Thus the name, “Numbers.” The first census was done in order to determine how many fighting men there were in order to invade the Holy Land. But when they get to the borders, they get scared and end up spending another 38 years in the desert. The last census was to determine how to divide up the land. It also served to show that even though they had been cursed for 40 years to wander the desert, the nation of Israel still had roughly the same “number” of people as when they first started.
Tuesday: Please read Numbers 11-20
What is going on here! God leads the people all the way through the wilderness up to the border of the Promised Land. Some scouts go out to check it out and now all of a sudden, the Israelites are scared! So they decide not to go in. In response, God says that for every day they scouted (40) they will be in the wilderness for a year. Then we see some more laws being handed out. Until we get to the part where the people start rebelling against God’s law.
People like Korah, a priest, thought he could run things better and didn’t need all these rules and regulations that God wanted the people to live by. So they took complaining (which seemed to be their national past-time) to the next level - out right rebellion and sin.
Wednesday: Please read Numbers 21-25
Snakes, warlocks and talking donkeys. Throw in a plague or two and some pretty serious sinning and you’ll find that the Book of Numbers ain’t all about numbers. This section of Numbers is about how God is continually blessing and working good in the Hebrews lives even though they turn away from God’s goodness. The stories about Baalam the prophet are a poignant illustration about how God was working for the Hebrews even when they didn’t know it. This story illustrates how God will use everyone and everything to bring about goodness in the lives of those who follow God. All the while God is doing these miraculous things, the Hebrews are back in their tents doing things they shouldn’t be doing.
Thursday: Please read Numbers 26-30
We’re getting close. Forty years are just about over. You can imagine the excitement of the Hebrews as they spied the Land of Milk and Honey. In order to get ready, another census was called. The numbers are close to the same as 40 years ago. But now, they are a hardened, battle ready people willing to find their own place and settle down. But the real key to a successful conquest of the land promised to them was a continual walk with God. So Moses shared with them the daily, weekly and monthly sacrifices the people should make. This was to remind them of their sinful nature and to remember the goodness of God. And to show them the importance of keeping promises. . . especially to God.
Friday: Please read Numbers 31-36
All that has come before has been to this moment. The Hebrews who left Egypt as slaves, are now poised to be a conquering army. Our narrative shifts now. Instead of stories about sinfulness and commandments, we start to see the horrors of war. One constant we see in these stories of war is that it is not military might that conquered the battles, it was the supernatural hand of God. From the walls of Jericho to Gideon’s band of men, it was not the Hebrews military prowess, but instead the power of faith that won the day. But, before they get to the stories of military bravery, they are first reminded of who they were and where they came from
