Ok…so be honest. Do you really read every word in Numbers, or do you kind of let your eyes glaze over and skim down through the list of the “begats” – the family trees for the nation of Israel? It’s not riveting reading as we struggle with unfamiliar names and the head count for each tribe.
I have a friend who, as a brand new Christian, decided she would read through the Bible, beginning in Genesis. She was almost throughLeviticus when one night she had a dream. In her dream, she finished the last page of Leviticus with a great sense of relief only to turn the page and find 2 Leviticus. My response to her was, “But then you woke up and found instead…there was Numbers.”
Numbers is actually an important part of the history of God’s people. The “begats” have their purpose, but we find other wonderful truths tucked away in this book. Let me share one of my favorites, and it has to do with names.
In the beginning of Numbers, God instructs Moses that he is to take a count of the people – no minor undertaking. And so God tells him to enlist the help of one man from each tribe, and then goes on to give Moses the name of each one. I love that! These were not just God’s “people” – a massive group meandering through the dessert. These were God’s people – known by Him individually. He knew each one by name.
Isn’t that an amazing and wonderful truth! Those long lists of names – the boring “begats” – are all names known to God and so are we. And, thankfully, He’s not bored by that at all.
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