Numbers: In the Wilderness
"And the LORD said to Moses, 'How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?'"(14:11)
The book of Numbers recounts the journey of the Israelites, who were graciously delivered from Egpyt by God and received His law at Mount Sinai. They then spent a long period of time in the wilderness, led by God's ongoing grace, until they reached the plains of Moab across from Canaan, the land of promise. As the title suggests, Numbers records the number of Israelites. First, it counts the number of Israelites who left Egypt in the first chapter, and second, as Israel's journey comes to an end, it counts them again in chapter 26. The title of the book in the Hebrew Bible is "In the Wilderness," which is the very first word in the book, indicating that Numbers deals with the life of Israel in the wilderness.The book shows Israel's disobedience in the wilderness over and over again. Even Aaron and Miriam slandered Moses, and Moses, the representative of the law, himself disobeyed God's command and eventually could not enter the land of Canaan. Nevertheless, God faithfully fulfilled the covenant He made with their ancestors. Although all the generation that came out of Egypt, except for Joshua and Caleb, were punished by God and died in the wilderness due to their rebellion, God, who is slow to anger and abounding in love, did not forsake His people, but blessed and guided them until they reached the promised land.
Their lives in the barren wilderness are a picture for the lives of all human beings in this world. In particular, Israel, who had been delivered from Egypt but had not yet entered Canaan and had been walking in the wilderness, is similar to God's people who have been saved from the slavery of sin and Satan but have not yet entered the eternal paradise. Thus, Israel in the Old Testament serves as a mirror for believers today. Through their stories in Numbers, God exhorts us not to test, distrust, and complain against God like them, but to trust in God's promise to the end and overcome the test.
However, can we ourselves endure to the end and become victors? Israel failed, but are we by nature different from them? No. Israel did not fall into temptation just once. It is not because they did not have life experience that they failed. During the 40 years in the wilderness, they repeatedly disobeyed God. Moses prayed on behalf of Israel as their mediator, but he also failed because of his own disobedience. God wants His people to look forward to a perfect mediator. As they suffered and died from venomous serpents, God commanded them to look to the bronze serpent hanging high on a pole. We ourselves deserve to perish in the wrath of God, but God lifted up Jesus Christ on the cross for His people. Salvation is promised to those who do not rely on themselves but look to and rely on Jesus Christ alone for their salvation.
Why does God bless Israel rather than curse them? Balaam intended to curse Israel, but instead, God turned it into a blessing for Israel. His prophecies included the promise of Jesus Christ, who is the true blessing to God's people. We cannot rely on our conduct for our blessings, but we have Jesus Christ, who became the true Nazarite and lived fully faithful to God in this world. Curses are turned into blessings for all who believe in Christ because He bore God's curse on the cross for us, and He overcame every test for our failures in the wilderness.
Israel did not walk through the wilderness alone. Just as the tabernacle of God led before them during their march, Jesus Christ, the true temple, leads us in our walk in this life. Just as the tabernacle was in the midst of Israel when they encamped, and God guided and protected them with the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, so Jesus Christ dwells among us, always guiding us by his word and Spirit until we finally enter the heaven that God promised His people.
