im currently reading Numbers and can’t imagine anything that will do anything For me, today.
Look at Numbers 1 (the first chapter). Ignore the details of the specific numbers of individuals for a moment and just look at the broad structure. From earlier books we know that the Covenant Promise (a special blessing and a promise of a special relationship) passed from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob. Then Jacob was renamed by God and called by a new name “Israel”. We know that the promise passed from Israel to his 12 sons so that forever after, the nation of Israel will have 12 tribes comprising the one chosen nation.
Now take a look at the list of the tribes taken in the census.
First observation: Benjamin was the last child born to Jacob, but it is not listed last in the census. Our order of birth is not what God cares about. God assigns position for each person and group as God chooses.
Second observation: Levi is not to be counted. God has chosen people out of the “nation” to be HIS POSSESSION. God has special things to say about the people that God claimed for himself. One thing is that they were not called to RULE the others but to SERVE the others. They were God’s special workers set apart to do the special work of God for the people. Second, the things of the world were not their inheritance, God Himself was their portion. They had been called to trade the world for God.
(In case you didn’t see the foreshadowing, this is talking about us. When Jesus came he called US (you and me) out of the world to be His possession and God is OUR inheritance.). Way back in Numbers, God was offering a hint of what He was going to do in the future.
Setting aside the Levites, whom God claimed out of the nation for Himself, God still made provision for Israel to have 12 tribes by splitting Joseph into two half-tribes. Think back to the story of Joseph in Genesis. God marked Joseph early on for a special purpose. Without spending too much time on it: Joseph started out with more blessings, Joseph suffered more trouble, Joseph trusted God through it all, God used Joseph to heal both the hatred within Jacob’s household and to save two peoples (Egypt and Israel). In Numbers we see that the blessings of serving God well can carry on to our children’s grandchildren and beyond. Joseph became not one but two tribes in the chosen nation of Israel.
From what we have seen and learned in Numbers 1 … how will we live our lives? … How will we view being chosen as a people “set apart” for service to the Lord? … does it matter that God is your portion and your inheritance? … will your life impact your children’s grandchildren for the better or for the worse?
That is what I see in Numbers 1.
It makes me want to shout for joy, and it makes me want to weep in humility.
