EXPLORE THE BIBLE:
God will lead us through
life--if we will follow
___
Numbers 1:1-10:10
___By Mark Bumpus
___First Baptist Church, Mineral Wells
___F.B. Huey, Old Testament professor at Southwestern Seminary, writes that after well-intentioned Bible students find initial joy in reading Genesis, they may get "exhausted by Exodus, lost in Leviticus, numbed by Numbers, and done in by Deuteronomy!" He says if we will study these first five books of Moses, we will be "rewarded by understanding and spiritual growth."
___Huey summarizes Numbers by telling us that it is "the major source for the 
experiences of the Israelites during their journey from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land. It explains why a journey that should have taken two weeks at the most required 40 years to complete." Furthermore, he states that Numbers tells us "God acts for the ultimate good of his people, demands obedience at all times and is able to accomplish his purposes in spite of human sins."
___This lesson tells us that God leads us through:
___ Self-awareness (Numbers 1:1-3). The Lord commanded Moses to take a census to determine the military strength of the children of Israel. The result: 603,550 fighting men (1:46). With women, children and Levites, the total number traveling through the wilderness to the Promised Land is estimated to have been approximately 2 million. Each person served an important function.
___Baptists are notoriously number-conscious. This is good! As Rick Warren says, "We count people because people count!" Jesus was number-conscious (Luke 15:3-32). We must be. God is in the details.
___Do you know the individual attendance trends of your Sunday School class members? It will tell you who needs encouragement, who has "slipped through the cracks," who can be counted on, who needs a contact. Blessed is the church that has an effective minister of education or dedicated Sunday School director who can give diagnostic evaluation of preschool, children, youth and adult education in a positive, visionary way. Individuals and churches must possess self-awareness and implement it if the church is going to enter the Promised Land.
___ Other people (Numbers 3:5-7). The Levites assisted the priests (3:6), had a security function (1:53) and were responsible for disassembling, transporting and reassembling the tabernacle when moving from one encampment to another (1:50-51). God ministers through other people. Each person has a task to perform for God and others.
___ Purified preparation (Numbers 8:20-22). The Levites prepared themselves for service to God--they "purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes" (8:21). Then, and only then, did they "perform their service in the tent of meeting" (8:22). The "tent of meeting" is where God met and spoke with Moses and the sons of Israel. We must prepare ourselves prior to meeting God in worship. J.B. Tidwell, Baylor Bible professor, reminded preachers to always pray before entering the pulpit. That is just the tip of the iceberg for preachers and laymen alike.
___ Divine guidance (Numbers 9:15-17). James Philip says the pillar that led the Israelites by day and by night was symbolic of five things: (1) God's daily presence (Exodus 13:21); (2) God's shelter and protection (Psalm 105:39; Exodus 14:24); (3) divine guidance--where to go, when to go (Numbers 9:17); God's revelation of himself (Exodus 34:5); and (5) personal communion with God (Exodus 33:9-11).
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