7 Lessons from Numbers

Every book of the Bible has lessons for the follower of Jesus. Numbers is no different! But can you get past the numbers in Numbers? Here are seven lessons I learned.

Nick Hillier

One – The Census – Numbers 1-2

The first thing that happens in the book is the numbering of the people. Scholars have debated the meaning of the numbers for hundreds of years so it is easy to get bogged down in them.

However, when you read these chapters, you see how God takes care to carefully arrange his people and give order to their lives even as they are travelling from Egypt to the promised land.

Lesson – God is a God of order. He is not the author of confusion and discord. Following Jesus brings order, not discord. When we follow together, he brings order to our camp as well!

Two – Blessing the People – Numbers 6:24-26

This blessing has been declared over God’s people for thousands of years:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

This blessing was to put God’s name on his people, to remind them of his goodness and grace, in order to make them receptive to all the blessings he wanted to give them.

Lesson – God wants to bless his people. His desire is for his people to experience all the good he has for them.

Three – Elders and the Spirit of God – Numbers 11:16-30

It is unimaginable how difficult it must have been for Moses to lead these people. The burden for them was squarely on his shoulders and he needed help. God provided help by putting his Spirit on 70 elders of the people. When they were filled with his Spirit, they prophesied – a very normal response to being Spirit filled.

Joshua was concerned that the Spirit of God had come upon two of the Elders who had not assembled with the others for the ‘ceremony.’

Moses, on the other hand, expressed his desire that all of God’s people would experience the filling of the Spirit! What a prophetic word!

Lesson – When the Spirit of God fills his people, we hear prophetic words and we are filled with joy because God has visited his people with his presence and power.

Four – Mission of the Spies – Numbers 13-14

Moses sent twelve men to spy out the promised land. They came back with a rather pessimistic report. They confirmed that the land was good but also reported that it was well fortified and filled with ‘giants.’

Joshua and Caleb, two of the twelve, tried to overcome the people’s fear by reminding them of the power of God. They believed that if the people would exercise their faith, they could overcome the enemy no matter how big and strong they were.

Sadly, fear ruled the day and the people embraced pessimism and doom!

When Moses announced that God decided to exile them to 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, they suddenly repented and armed themselves to go and take possession of the land. God was not in this decision and they failed miserably and began their prolonged wilderness experience.

Lesson – When fear rules, failure follows. Sometimes, even when we repent, we cannot escape the consequences of our fear. So, feed your faith, use your faith, keep your eyes on Jesus and see what faith can truly do!

Five – Challenges to Moses’ Leadership – Numbers 16-17

The rebellion of the people against Moses and his leadership is a recurring theme in the book. It reaches it crescendo in these two chapters.

The rebellion lead by Dathan, Abiram and Korah was dramatic and a very divisive stand against Moses. God acted decisively in quelling the rebels, destroying the leaders and the rebellious people. He confirmed Moses and Aaron as his chosen men to lead the people.

Lesson – God has appointed and anointed men and women for special work in his kingdom. Challenging the anointed of the Lord is a dangerous proposition because it sets us up against God and his program for his people!

Six – The Talking Donkey – Numbers 22

I won’t try to tell the whole story here, so read it in Numbers. That humble donkey saw the danger to Balaam and served his master well in keeping him from destruction. Balaam was blinded by his hasty actions and greedy attitude.

After beating his donkey for being ‘uncooperative’ his donkey responded with a mild rebuke. Amazingly, Balaam wasn’t at all overwhelmed with the fact that his donkey spoke!

Lesson – God sometimes speaks to us in amazing ways. You might be surprised at when, where and how God speaks, so keep listening for his voice.

Seven – You Can’t Defy God – Numbers 22-24

The reason Balaam was riding his donkey was to go meet Balak, the king of Moab. Balak has summoned him to come curse the Israelites for him. Balaam agreed to go but to say only what God told him to.

Balak took him to see the people. Balaam used his pagan ritual to discern what God wanted him to say. Remarkably, God answered him! Balaam then blessed the people.

Of course, this made Balak furious. He took him to another vantage point, the process was repeated and another blessing declared. Four times Balaam blessed the people of Israel.

Lesson – You cannot defy God. While he allows you to live in rebellion if that is your choice, your rebellion against him does not negate his blessing on his people! When you are following Jesus, you can know that God’s blessing continues to rest on you no matter what people say or do against you!

Your Turn!

What are your favorite stories from Numbers. Share them in the comments section on the blog or on our Facebook page!

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