Math again...really???

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! We made it through the third book of the Bible and God has blessed us with some WONDERFUL insights to a notoriously difficult book!! I know several of you feel the same way, but I have a whole new outlook on Leviticus now - We are to be holy as God is holy and God CANNOT, by His very nature, accept ANY sin. So, how are you doing with keeping up? I know I say this every week, but PLEASE do NOT give up! Stay focused and if you are behind, it is NOT too late to catch up! God will bless you beyond measure and speak to you daily as you continue to progress through the Bible.

We are surrounded by numbers everyday of our lives, especially in this "age of information" - statistical information, clocks, gas prices, coupons (Jaybrena :) ), phone numbers, medical numbers, and the list goes on and on. They are a very important part of our daily lives. So how can we incorporate this book CALLED Numbers into our daily lives? It would be helpful first to take a look at some background information on this important book. The book of Numbers is the fourth book of the five books of the Torah or "the Law", as referred to by the Jewish people. These five books are also called the "Pentateuch" or "The Five Books of Moses", as referred to by Christians. Essentially, these five books are a biography of Moses. The book of Numbers makes three important contributions to this biography. First, is shows Moses' unique role as the mediator between God and Israel. Second, it makes some astounding claims about Moses' character (see chapter 12:3). Lastly, it gives the explanation as to why Moses never gets to enter the Promised Land. This book also journals the history of the Israelites' journey from Mount Sinai to Canaan. As we progress through Scripture, you will see many quotes from the book of Numbers, which further validates its importance. (Summarized from notes out of the ESV Study Bible.)

The first chapter of Numbers records the census of the Israelite people. There are two main reasons for taking this census: First, to show through an actual count the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that his descendants would be more numerous than the sands on the seashore (Genesis 22:17). Second, it counts the number of men that were over 20 years old who could fight. This large number would aid in giving them confidence in their ability to fight in order to take over the land of Canaan. These numbers were NOT to include the Levites though, as they were to strictly concentrate on their priestly duties, not fighting.

Chapter two sets forth the guidelines for how the camp was to be laid out and the order they were to march in when God told them it was time to move. Interestingly, (and I just LOVE it when God does this kind of stuff), the picture I found of this layout is in the form of...A CROSS! That's is what is so amazing about the Bible - it ALL is about the Cross and about Jesus, from the very beginning!

This got me thinking a little bit about the "layout" of my heart. Is my heart in the layout of a cross? Do people see the cross when they see me? What about at home where we are most comfortable? Do our children, spouses, siblings, or parents see our heart in the layout of a cross? Welcome to the book of Numbers!!!

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P.S. I am so sorry for the lateness of my posts recently, but I have had so much going on! I am still in under the 4:00 deadline though! :) Thanks for your patience!!