Wow, we did it......we made it through Leviticus. If you can do that, this Bible in 2011will be a breeze for you. Thanks for toughing it out with me. That is 3 books down 63 to go. Numbers begins the story of Israel's journey across the desert on their way to the promised land. If you are into this sort of thing, we are about 13 months into the journey since they left Egypt. In another 7 months they will be sending spies into Canaan and about to make a big, big mistake. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.
The census taken in Chapter 1 of Numbers is in preparation for battle, it is to enumerate the number of men capable of war. The total number comes to 603,550. Remember when they left Egypt the number was 600,000. Desert living must agree with Israel. God is preparing them to take the land. Later, we will read of a time when David takes a census in violation of God's will and Israel is punished. Watch for it!
Just a couple of other thoughts; the placement of the Tent of Meeting in the center of the camp with the 12 tribes arranged around it is symbolic of where God wants to be in relation to his people.....right in the middle, in the heart of it all. Putting God off to the right or the left, on the coffee table or in the back room; picking him up on Sunday.....all of that is asking for trouble with a capital T. We need to arrange our lives so that God is at the center and we can constantly be reminded that we are created beings, created with a plan and a purpose and anything that violates God's purpose cannot be part of our purpose. Whatever distracts us for being fully aware of God keeps us from honoring God with all of our heart, soul and might. Think about that as you chose your music, your books, your movies, you entertainment; is it God honoring or does it divert us from God's purposes?
Numbers begins with God speaking to Moses and a couple of times including at the end of Chapter 2 we are told that Israel did everything that the Lord commanded them to do.....in just a very short time as we read these next chapters, we will see Israel begin to lose faith and begin to become disobedient in their minds, their hearts, their words and then their actions. All of this will lead to a generation lost in the wilderness. Obedience is a key discipline for the Christian. Watch as the Israelites fail to be obedient. Think about how we can become more faithful to God's call on our lives. How can we become more obedient.
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