Fourth book of Old Testament that teaches the identity of the people of God, God’s provision for authority over His people, and God’s plan for their fulfillment as a nation. It answers the questions: “Who are the people of God?” “Who is in charge here?” and, “What are we doing?”
Title
The book title is “Numbers” in our English Bibles based upon the Vulgate (Latin translation) title, Numeri, and the Septuagint (Greek translation) title, Arithmoi. This title is based on the “numbering” of people (1:19; 1:45; 2:33; 3:42; 4:49; 26:4). The Hebrew bible uses the first word in the book, Bemidhbar (“in the wilderness”), as the title. This is a helpful description giving the setting for much more that happens to God’s people than taking censuses. In fact, most commentators use a geographical outline to summarize the book. This outline is simply stated:
1:1-10:10 What happened at Sinai;
10:11-20:13 What happened in the wilderness; and
20:14-36:13 What happened from Kadesh to Moab.
Contents
It seems most productive to consider the contents of the book in the light of the three questions asked above. The following outline should illuminate this.
Book Outline
- Who are the People of God?
- Those who are ready to defend the camp through military means (chs. 1; 26);
- Those who dwell in a camp with provision for God’s presence in their midst (ch. 2);
- Those who participate in a religious system under the authority of the Aaronite priesthood and ministry of the Levites (chs. 3; 4);
- Those who uphold the laws of ritual purity to keep the camp from becoming physically or morally contaminated or are willing to undertake appropriate rituals to restore wholeness (chs. 5; 6; 19);
- Those who furnish the tabernacle of God’s presence with appropriate furnishings and utensils (chs. 7-8);
- Those who worship according to sacred rituals established by God (chs. 9; 28-30);
- Those who are willing to migrate according to God’s instructions (ch. 10);
- Those who depend upon the priesthood to mediate the awesome presence of God (ch. 18);
- Those who recognize that secular authority is dependent on religious authority (ch. 27);
- Those who have an allegiance to justice beyond the idea of a family-blood feud (ch. 35).
- Who is in charge of the People of God?
- Moses is prime authority under God’s direction and through God’s intervention in vindicating him after rebellions (chs. 11-12; 14; 16);
- Aaron is a prime spiritual authority due to God’s active support (ch. 17);
- Even Moses and Aaron are inadequate without God’s support (ch. 20);
- God Himself is final authority (ch. 21);
- God will guide the priesthood in directing Israel away from apostasy and toward Him (ch. 25).
- What are the People of God to accomplish?
- They are to examine and investigate the land of promise (chs. 13-14);
- They are to be victorious over God’s enemies through ritualized “holy war” (ch. 21);
- They are to recognize that no rival religious authority can spoil God’s plan regarding the land of promise (chs. 22-24);
- They are to keep the land of promise within the tribes and people it was promised to (in spite of extraordinary circumstances) (ch. 27);
- They are to provide for “bonus” land beyond the initial promise (ch. 32);
- They are to provide for keeping the land of promise secure (ch. 36).
In this way, the reader is able to see that every aspect of life during the wilderness wandering was permeated with the centrality of God. Under God’s instructions Israel conscripted an army; God’s presence radiated both a sense of awe and well-being in the center of the camp; God’s promise of a landed inheritance gave them a goal to strive for and an identity; and God was the ultimate authority and spoke both indirectly through His human representatives and directly through His miraculous power. The rebellion narratives (11:1-12:16; 14; 16; 17; 20; 21:4-9; and 25:1-18), as well as the account of Balaam the wizard (22-24), serve to show how God’s plan and provision cannot be thwarted by any rival possibility or power. Israel needed to stay on God’s side to find success.
Johnny L. Wilson
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