Joel M Bradshaw

44These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. 45All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel’s army were counted according to their families. 46The total number was 603,550. 47The ancestral tribe of the Levites, however, was not counted along with the others.–Numbers 1

I would imagine many of you might have read the first chapter of Numbers and immediately been turned off. Who would read this stuff? Why would the title of today’s blog by the word “exciting?” Shouldn’t I have written “boring?”

For those of you who were married, was the early honeymoon season boring? Think of Exodus as God claiming Israel as His unique bride and delivering her to Himself. Think of Leviticus as the marriage vows. This makes Numbers the early marriage in the wilderness.

God wasn’t going to just make a home for Israel, but lead them to take it by military conquest. An ancient reader would have been excited by the numbers and thrilled by the repetition. They would have loved God’s military alignment with His tabernacle and presence at the center. They would have been interested in how the Tabernacle, God’s mobile home, was going to travel with them. And they would have been proud of the Levites who got to specifically care for the things of God.

They had been redeemed from slavery and given a new purpose in God. This was God now leading them on a great adventure. Would they trust Him? Would they honor Him? Would they obey Him? The enemies would be many, but God counted his warriors and led them on a mission together. As a man, I find this exciting. God was at work and was leading His people.

1. Is God at the center of your life as you journey? If so, are you excited to follow His will as your story unfolds?
2. Is God’s word the Bible guiding you and directing you?
3. Do you find your purpose and identity centered in God and His plan for you?–JMB