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Sunday 25 December 2022

Numbers 1:1-3 - Take a census

1:1

The Israelites are now in their second year of release from Egypt. The book starts by saying that God spoke to Moses. Indeed, an emphasis in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers is that God spoke to Moses, and Moses spoke to the people. In John’s gospel a key theme (one of many!) is that God sent the Son, and Jesus revealed to us what He had seen the Father do and heard the Father say. The book of Numbers covers a period of just under thirty nine years.


1:2,3

Then we are right into lists. God commands Moses to take a census. Now David was severely rebuked for taking a census. So taking a census or not taking a census is neither right nor wrong. Following God’s command is the issue. The purpose of the census was to get a list of all the men able to fight in the army, so a census of all the men twenty years or older was to be taken. The people had been released from slavery and were now being prepared for battle.


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