Numbers 1-4

According to the Open Bible Expanded Edition, The title of Numbers comes from the fist word in the Hebrew text, Wayyedabber (And He Said). Jewish writings however usually refer to it by the fifth Hebrew word in 1:1, Bemidbar (In the Wilderness). This more nearly indicates the content of the book. The Greek title in the Septuagint is Arithmoi (Numbers). The Latin Vulgate followed this title and translated it Liber Numeri (Book of Numbers). These titles are based on the two numberings: the generation of Exodus (Numbers 1) and the generation that grew up in the wilderness and conquered Canaan (Numbers 26). Numbers has also been called the "Book of Journeyings," "the Book of the Murmurings," and the "Fourth Book of Moses."

I like to call it a book that contains one of the greatest sentiments of all of Scripture, found in verse 54 of chapter one, "The Israelites did everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses." These few short words reveal to us two of the foundational keys to a life well lived: obedience to God and a healthy reliance on spiritual leaders. We have such a domineering drive for independence in our western culture that we are often at odds with these two necessities of anchoring in the depths of eternal life.

I celebrate our American ideal of "don't tread on me" that is immortalized on the famous Gadsden Flag, but I celebrate it politically. We must never yield to any political ideal that threatens our freedom, our freedom to willfully and prudently submit to the authority of God and those He has graciously given to us to lead us in our spiritual, eternal pursuits. From the first day I became a fully devoted follower of Jesus, I vowed submission to God and to the leaders of my church family. Too many followers of Jesus espouse that the former is only necessary and a close examination of their lives will always reveal a trail of broken relationships and unresolved conflict. Their hope of heaven may be in tact but their promised heaven on earth will always elude them. That which God set forth in the forging of a new nation, Israel, is a timeless principle for us all.

May the sentiment of Numbers 1:54 accurately depict the posturing of your life!

Pastor Fred