COUNTED

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Lord spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Desert of 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 number by their divisions all the men in Israel twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army. One man from each tribe, each the head of his family, is to help you. These are the names of the men who are to assist you: from Reuben, Elizur, son of Shedeur; from Simeon, Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai; from Judah, Nahshon, son of Amminadab; from Issachar, Nethanel, son of Zuar; from Zebulun, Eliab, son of Helon; from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama, son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur; from Benjamin, Abidan, son of Gideoni; from Dan, Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai; from Asher, Pagiel, son of Ocran; from Gad, Eliasaph, son of Deuel; from Naphtali, Ahira, son of Enan."

These were the men appointed from the community, the leaders of their ancestral tribes. They were the heads of the clans of Israel. Moses and Aaron took these men whose names had been given, and they called the whole community together on the first day of the second month. The people indicated their ancestry by their clans and families, and the men twenty years old or more were listed by name, one by one, as the Lord commanded Moses.

And so he counted them in the Desert of Sinai: From the descendants of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Reuben was 46,500.

From the descendants of Simeon: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were counted and listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300.

From the descendants of Gad: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Gad was 45,650.

From the descendants of Judah: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Judah was 74,600.

From the descendants of Issachar: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Issachar was 54,400.

From the descendants of Zebulun: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400.

From the sons of Joseph: From the descendants of Ephraim: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Ephraim was 40,500.

From the descendants of Manasseh: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200.

From the descendants of Benjamin: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Benjamin was 35,400.

From the descendants of Dan: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Dan was 62,700.

From the descendants of Asher: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Asher was 41,500.

From the descendants of Naphtali: All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Naphtali was 53,400.

These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel's army were counted according to their families. The total number was 603,550.

The families of the tribe of Levi, however, were not counted along with the others. The Lord had said to Moses:

"You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony—over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it. Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it. Anyone else who goes near it shall be put to death. The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each man in his own camp under his own standard. The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle of the Testimony so that wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the Testimony."

The Israelites did all this just as the Lord commanded Moses.

Numbers 1

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In regard to the historical timeline of the Israelite people, the Book of Numbers begins thirteen months after their deliverance from Egypt and their exodus toward the Promised Land. As they approach that land, we see where God wants to make sure His people are organized for any battle that might occur on the way and definitely for the conflicts that would happen as they faced resisting forces while taking custody of Canaan.

So in Numbers, chapter 1, we find the Lord commanding Moses and Aaron to take a census, counting all men who were age 20 or older. This population of Israelite men was established as Israel’s army.

Imagine what a task it must have been to count every man who was twenty years or older, particularly as we read the final count, minus the tribe of Levi, was a whopping 603,550. Truly, it had to have been a daunting task even though it had been broken down by tribe to make it more manageable, but God commanded it and thus Moses, Aaron, and the people of Israel responded in obedience.

We should notice that the Levites were excluded from the census count. This is because they had special, significant spiritual duties connected with the tabernacle that exempted them from combat. They were in the business of spiritual, not physical, warfare.

Now all of this tabulating of Israelite men might seem a bit dry and mundane. After all, the book is titled Numbers and with that, we should expect lots of statistics but I feel there is a relative message for all of us in this chapter. For this first chapter of Numbers shows us that God values the people He created. They mean a great deal to Him and that’s why they were counted. Whether the men were to fight to protect and preserve the Israelite nation or provide for the spiritual worship of the people, they were equally important to God.

As we move through the scriptures, it’s obvious that the Lord never ceases to be concerned about numbers and although the context of why the numbers are important might change, the fundamental responsibilities of those counted don’t.

Let me explain.

For as the Bible continues to be concerned about numbers, we see ever more that the figures refer to those who believed and trusted in the Gospel message preached by Jesus’ disciples and apostles, those who became disciples themselves. Those new believers, who were now members of God’s family, did indeed count a great deal to Him, just as much as the Israelite men counted in today’s passage from Numbers.

These new believers in Christ Jesus were added to God’s spiritual warriors, unafraid to step out onto the battlefield in His full armor to lead more and more people to believe and trust in His Son themselves. And we should know that many of these spiritual warriors were not only carrying out the Great Commission command to evangelize but caring for the spiritual needs of others just like the Levites of old.

So the main point here is that people count to God. He cherishes every person He creates and yearns for them to come to Him through His Son Jesus who He freely gave up His life as a sin offering upon Calvary’s cross to purchase the pardon of those who would choose to believe in Him.

If you’re a Christian, you are among the Lord’s counted and your name is already written in His Book of Life. Because of this, make sure you put on your spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:11-17) for you’re already enlisted in the Lord’s army. It’s time to fulfill your duties to go out into the mission field and help bring come to know and believe in Jesus, adding to the number of His army of saints.

Conversely, if you aren’t among the counted, you can become counted, right here and now. All you need to do is profess with your lips and believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins, becoming your personal Savior, and you too can join the Lord’s army. But that’s not all you gain for you get the promise of eternal life once the battle is done in this earthly life, all because your name is in God’s Book of Life, showing that you are counted.

Friends, thanks be to God for His mercy, grace, and love which were displayed in no greater way than when He offered up His Son Jesus, bringing all Christ believers the hope and promise that comes with everlasting life, a forever life with Him in Heaven as He continues to show us that we count.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.