Discover His heart: He has promised victory to all who serve in His army
Numbers! Math was my least favorite subject in school, and I must admit that I approach an entire book entitled Numbers with fear and trepidation. While the book opens with the numbering, or census, of the Israelites, Numbers is really not so much about math at all but is more so a story about a group of people at the threshold of incredible promise, their response to that promise and God’s undeniable patience with them through it.
@ Numbers 1
At the opening of Numbers, the Israelites had escaped from Egypt, traveled south to the area around Mt. Sinai and were camped there for almost eleven months. During that time, through His spokesman, God built a nation and established the nation’s purpose by renewing His Abrahamic covenant with Moses. He set up the nation’s constitution by providing the laws needed to govern. And most importantly, He gave the guidelines for the construction of the Tabernacle, providing the means He would use to fellowship with His people. When we think about the time spent in Sinai in light of this agenda, a great deal was accomplished in a very short time.
Now at the beginning of Numbers, God is ready to advance His people to their new home. He directed Moses to count the men, “A year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses in the Tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai. On the first day of the second month of that year he said, ‘From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their clans and families. List all the men twenty years old or older who are able to go to war.’” (1-3) This directive from the Lord alone must have served as an indication to the Israelites that war was ahead for them. Moses needed to know how many troops he had for the battles that were ahead, and we should note that this directive did not ask for volunteers. It was all men over 20, all hands on deck, stand up and be counted and be all that you can be! The army was formed and ready to possess the land!
Similarly, when we give our hearts to the Lord, we automatically become a part of His army, and there isn’t a separate sign-up sheet for active duty. Just as the enemy of God’s chosen people fought them on every front even before they entered their land, our enemy will fight to keep us from entering the territory God has for us. If this isn’t the case, why has God provided all our tools for battle in Ephesians 6:13-17?
The Israelite army totaled 603,550, a strong military by any standards, but by the time they reached the battleground, only 2 had survived the journey. As we read their story over the next several weeks, we will learn how they became casualties on the way to the Promised Land.
We, however, need not be dismayed or discouraged by their outcome because we have reinforcements they did not have in the way that we do, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness… Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity…No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” (Romans 8:26,35,37) And my personal favorite is, “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4 KJV)
Numbers is more than a census, more than a page in Jewish history. It paints a picture of God’s patience with us, and on occasion, it also portrays how not to serve in the army of the Lord. Sometimes He just needs to draw a picture for us…
Moving Forward: Suited up according to Ephesians 6 and ready to rumble!
Tomorrow @ 1 Chronicles 5-9
Phyllis Benigas 