Hey, welcome to another episode of the Small Group Toolbox. And we're part of this series where I'm kind of just trying to teach a little bit about the books of the Bible. Because I think leading a small group, I find leaders are sometimes aren't too sure about their Bible knowledge and with a bit more knowledge they might find a bit more confidence. So it's just a little thing but I'm trying to do an episode on each book of the Bible and we're in the now in the Pentateuch in the Torah up to the fourth episode on this mini series now at the book of Numbers which I'm excited to share about.
Before we get there though I was thinking after the last episode on Leviticus just this feeling that I've missed something and which is pretty likely but yes I had missed something about Leviticus that I did want to share with you and that is just the theme of holiness in the book. When you want to think about holiness in the Bible you really you got to go through Leviticus it's heaps important. A key verse is Leviticus 11:44-45 which says, “I am the Lord your God, consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. I'm the Lord your God who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God. Therefore be holy because I am holy”. That just captures in a couple of verses this so important that God is holy. He's distinct, he's glorious, he's mighty, he's different, he's pure. And so his people, the Israelites need to be holy themselves. And that's expressed in Leviticus through all these laws and ethical conduct and everything like that. And that principle of being holy because of God is holy carries through into the New Testament as picked up in 1 Peter 1:16 for example and so holiness now for us doesn't look like keeping food laws but it does mean purity distinction following God imitating God it's the way of the Christian life's holiness as he of course has made us holy through the blood of Jesus anyway I don't want go on big talk about holiness but I felt like I missed just sharing that from Leviticus, another reason why I should read Leviticus to learn about the holiness of God.
So, but today is about numbers. So numbers is the fourth book in the Bible, the fourth book of the Pentateuch. And it's a great read. There is some slow moving parts, I have to admit, but there are also some very lively narratives, lots of drama and conflict. But basically it's called numbers because there are a lot of numbers in the book. You'll notice that as you read it, it starts with a census at the beginning, like a count of people and a census at the end. So it's kind of book ended by these two census, lots of numbers. That's why it's called numbers. And it starts once like Leviticus there in the desert of Sinai, around the Mount Sinai. Really, we've had a lot of chapters in the Bible, but the people haven't moved anywhere. They're still where they are. So I'll read Numbers, first few verses. Chapter one, the Lord spoke to Moses in the desert of meeting, in the desert of Sinai.
There we are, still in Sinai, on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said, take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families listing every man by name, one by one, you and Aaron are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are 20 years old or more and able to serve in the army.
So there you go, starts with, at Sinai's, with a census. And this is significant because remember in the sort of unfolding story of the Bible, the idea is that God would make from Abraham's descendants a great nation, he'd bless them and he'd give them the land. And so at this point, they are a nation, they've been blessed, they've grown, but they haven't got the land. So this is about them heading towards that promised land in fulfillment of God's promises. And so they're going to take that through conquest and therefore we need a military census here, we need a count of the number of men who can hold a sword. That seems to be the idea as we head up this start of this book. And so then chapters 1 to 10, there's a lot about the camp set up, how the camp is arranged, the different tribes around the tabernacle, and some of the different roles of Levites, people involved in that maintenance, how that's all gonna work. So a fair bit of logistical stuff there, but painting a picture of an organized community.
And then in chapter 10:11, they finally set out from Sinai. I'll just read that. Chapter 10:11. says, “the 20th day of the second month of the second year, the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle of the covenant law. Then the Israelites set out from the desert of Sinai and travelled from place to place until the cloud came to rest in the desert of Paran”.
They set out this first time at the Lord's command through Moses. So finally they're on the move, this mobile, this tent, the tabernacle, we've learned about that. The people around it arranged according to their setup, their move following the cloud of God's presence. And we're on our way towards the promised land. And then in chapters 11 to 14, we arrive at the promised land, but we have a failed attempt to go in and conquer. The spies ascend. They explore, but people's confidence is shaken. They're not trusting God and they back out and then they change their minds. It's all a disaster. And so God is there faithful, but the people lack trust in him and they fail to enter the promised land. And that means, what are they gonna do? We're not gonna be obliterated entirely, but they are gonna spend 40 years in the wilderness, wandering around before they can enter back in again.
And that leads us to chapter 15 to 21 where we read about the Israelites in the desert. And this is kind of, it's very lively reading, but it's pretty grim that Israelites tend to grumble a lot. That's picked up in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, grumbling. They grumble and complain, they fail to trust God, and that leads to more punishments, more death. you just, always reading about people dying in the desert.
In that section, we have a few extra laws. God's continuing to give legal materials to how they are to live. But that's kind of how it works in this middle section. A couple of New Testament references, kind go back to this. The snake in the desert, that's referred to in John 3:14. Moses lifted up a bronze snake to help heal people from snake bites. Also water coming out of the rock, that's referred to in 1 Corinthians 10. So God just providing water through the rock there.
Anyway, that's 15 to 21, then you get to Chapter 22 and they finally arrive on the edge of the promised land. Maybe I'll read that one. Yeah, they're really coming up close now. And so that's 22:1.
They come to, the Israelites travel to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho. And this starts a really interesting engagement with the people of Moab and Midian. They're a bit connected, but there's a King Baelic there of Moab and he does not want the Israelites to come through. He wants to fight against them. And he hires Baelim, who's kind of like a wizard really, or sorcerer. He's referred to in Jude, I think, but to try and curse God's people and use kind of spiritual warfare to defeat them. But it's really entertaining, it's fantastic. In the end, Balaam is compelled to bless Israel rather than curse them. There's a great scene. God is in control the whole time. There's a great scene with the speaking donkey rebuking Balaam and all sorts of interactions.
But however, even though that's a failure, the Balak and the Moabites do have success by actually enticing Israel to sin. That's much more effective through idolatry and sexual immorality that involves a whole lot more judgment. But in the end, Moabs have defeated and they come through at the edge of the promised land. Then Chapter 26, we have another census. That's the second census. And what we noticed there is that all the adults who had failed to trust God and enter the promised land at the beginning, they have all died during their time in the wilderness. And we have a new generation here that have been born into the wilderness or grown up in the wilderness. And they seem to have a different quality, they've seen a lot in their time. And then from 26 to 36, we just get, there are some more laws and this account of coming to the very edge of the promised land. And the book finishes in Chapter 36.
Chapter 36, just on the very edge there. Read that. Where there's some more laws and stuff given. says, these are the commands and regulations the Lord gave through Moses to the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. And we'll come to Jericho in the book of Joshua. numbers, what do we do with it? Well, I think as we read numbers, what we see firstly is a picture of an ordered community. There's an order here. There's the census, the tribes, the tribal leaders, there's the Tabernacle, there's the arrangement of the camps there, there's more laws on how this community is to conduct themselves, there's more stuff on calendar and festivals, things like that. This is an ordered community that God is bringing together and leading through.
Secondly though, we see that this is a rebellious community. They're always grumbling, they're always complaining against God, they're always disobeying Him, they're not trusting Him. It's a rebellious community really. And as we read it, I think we often come see in the Israelites themselves our own sin, our own tendency to grumble and not trust God. This sort of thing is picked up in 1 Corinthians 10. But we also read about and see here just how forbearing and patient and kind God is. He is committed to keeping his promises made to Abraham. He is committed to sustaining this community despite all their sin and rebellion. And we just see a very gracious, forbearing, loving God. He disciplines his people for sure, but he loves them and he brings them to the edge of the promised land. And of course, God's forbearance, love, grace, mercy, that is all fulfilled in Christ. We see that in Christ as he dies for us and we continue to keep going back to God for his love and patience. So I think overall it's a very uplifting book because it draws our eyes away from ourselves and to God. So that's the book of numbers. I think it's worth reading and enjoying. Some bits you might want to move a bit faster than others but either way read it and that'll just enrich your love of God's Word and your love of God. That's all for now. Thanks guys.