Numbers - Introduction

Introduction

Numbers is not one of the most popular books in the Bible! There are a number of lists, and if you have followed these blogs for any length of time you will know that I am not overly enamoured with lists. It is also a record of a number of failures. The whole nation, with a couple of honourable exceptions, failed to enter the Promised Land and so the nation was subjected to forty years in the wilderness. Moses failed to honour God as holy before the people, and so was not allowed to enter the Promised Land, while still having to lead them through the wilderness for many years. There is the incident with Balak, and several rebellions of the people. 

The book is traditionally ascribed to Moses (e.g. Num 33:1,2). It may be that some parts were edited by later scribes, but the account is based on what Moses said and wrote. E.g. Num 12:3 was probably written by someone other than Moses! (Look it up.)

The Israelites do a lot of complaining, and suffer for it. So there is a whole lot of human failure contained within this book. There are two key things we learn about human failure. The first is that it matters. Being God’s chosen people does not take away responsibility from the people. The same lesson applies to us. The second is that God’s plans will still be fulfilled, despite human sin. God’s plans are fulfilled on God’s terms. 

Questions are raised about the numbers in Numbers. Taken at face value the numbers imply a population of about two million, which is very big for the time. Various attempts have been made to answer the supposed problem, most saying, one way or another, that the numbers do not mean exactly what they say. None of the answers are particularly satisfactory, and we do know that God made the people fruitful. So until such time as a better solution is arrived at, we will take the numbers at face value.