What is the book of Numbers all about? 

“God is not a human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil?” (Numbers 23:19)

After Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus comes Numbers. Granted, the title doesn’t leap out at you! But in the original Hebrew it was called, “In the wilderness”. And it’s the story of God’s people in their wilderness wanderings, inching closer to the destination of the land God had promised them through Abraham all those years before.


What do we need to know to read Numbers?

In the book of Numbers we return to how God will keep His promises to Abraham (people, place, rule and blessing). Once again, one of the key features was the presence of God in the midst of His people. So, for example, in the early chapters we read detailed descriptions of how the various tribes were meant to be arranged in their camp, all circling around the Tabernacle (the “Temple tent”), the visual symbol of God’s presence with them.

But at the same time we have that new element that was added in Leviticus: the question of how God could keep His promises to a people who were absolutely lousy at living His way! So the book of Numbers includes further laws given by God through Moses, at three different wilderness locations: Mount Sinai (chapters 1-10), Kadesh (chapters 13-19) and the plains of Moab opposite the Promised Land (chapters 22-36). In between these chapters are the stories of their adventures and exploits on the journey through the desert. These three locations give the book its shape and structure, and hopefully help us to “get our bearings” a bit better when we open it.

Now let’s see a few key events in the storyline, that show us something of God’s character:
 

The two censuses (chapters 1 and 26)

Although at first glance these chapters make our eyes glaze over with their lists of names and numbers, they are a vital part of the storyline. They stand as a reminder that God is keeping His promise to make Abraham’s family into a great nation. Despite all that goes on in the middle of the story in terms of people’s rebellion, these markers stand as bookends that remind us of God’s continuing faithfulness.
 

The people’s repeated rebellion (chapters 11-14, 16, 20-21, 25)

Despite God’s incredible goodness to them, the people continue to rebel against Him. It starts with moaning and groaning about food (chapter 11), followed by Aaron and Miriam being jealous of Moses apparently stealing all the leadership limelight (chapter 12). But it gets much worse in chapter 14, when the people refuse to enter the Promised Land because they’ve heard about the scary big people there. After all that God has done for them in fighting against Pharaoh and sustaining them in the desert, it seems incredible that the people would stop trusting Him and even consider going back to slavery in Egypt (14:4)! Because of that rebellion God condemned the people to stay in the desert for a further 40 years, so that the whole generation of adults would die in the wilderness and not enter the Promised Land. As the rebellions continue, even Moses is barred from entering the Promised Land after taking matters into his own hands in chapter 20. And there are some quite powerful stories of people’s rebellion and God’s response in chapters 16 and 21 too.
 

God’s perfect justice meeting His perfect mercy (chapters 14, 21, 22-24)

As God’s people continue to rebel again and again, we begin to see that He would have every right to wipe them all out and start again (in fact, He mentioned that this was what they deserved back in Exodus 32:9-10). And God does indeed act in judgement against the people, sending plagues in response to their grumbling (chapters 11-12), condemning them to 40 years in the desert (chapter 14), swallowing up the rebels in an earthquake (chapter 16) and sending venomous snakes among them (chapter 21). But He also shows His great mercy in not wiping them all out. Furthermore, He continues to be with them, and He even continues to work both openly and behind-the-scenes to bless them. In one incredible story in chapter 21, God instructs Moses to make a bronze statue of a snake, and He says that anyone who is bitten by a snake could just look up to the statue and God would heal them. Later on, in the New Testament, Jesus uses that as an illustration of the salvation He will bring by being lifted up in death Himself, such that anyone who looks to Him will be brought from death to life (see John 3:14-16). And while the people are busy rebelling in chapters 20, 21 and 25, God is at work blessing them through the unlikeliest of allies: a pagan sorcerer called Balaam (see chapters 22-24). This sorcerer was hired by an enemy king to pronounce curses on God’s people, but God uses him to pronounce blessing instead. What amazing grace!

So don’t be afraid of diving into the book of Numbers: it’s a vital part of the story of God and His people – that is, our story. It’s a part that shows how God continues to be at work fulfilling His promises of people, place, rule and blessing, despite our continued failure to live for Him. What a good and generous God we have!