Bamidbar
Numbers 1:1 - 4:20
This
week we begin the book of Numbers. Bamidbar,
as it is known in Hebrew, is the history book of the Torah. It recounts the
beginning and the end of the wilderness journey of the Jewish people.
In this book we see the consequences of faithfulness as well as the
consequences of faithlessness. It serves as a good illustration of how we
should conduct our lives as we walk through the wilderness of this world. As
it says in the Brit Chadashah: Now
these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our
instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have
come. (1 Cor.10:11). The beginning of the book recounts a census taken of
all of the families of the Israelites. According
to tradition, the people are counted because of God’s love for the people.
In addition, there are other reasons. it was
important to know who was available for military service and in the context of
the passage, it was important to place people by tribe because each tribe
fulfilled a particular function in the journey.
It
is interesting that at the beginning of the journey an emphasis is placed on
“family”. "Take a census of
all the congregation of the sons of
Each
of us is part of a family. Just as family identification
was important for the Israelites so family identification is important for us
today. In fact the fifth commandment is a family oriented commandment.
Exodus 20:12 says
"Honor your father and your mother”.
In Lev. 19, this command is stated immediately after we read that we
are to be “Holy
for the Lord your God is Holy”. Throughout
the entire Bible there are many verses that implore us to treat our families
with respect and care. Sometimes
the most difficult relationships that we have are with close family members.
We must guard our families from influences that tear down relationships
and that do not produce healthy children. Given all of the influences that can
come into our homes this is a full time job.
Strong families build strong communities.
One
of the metaphors in the New Covenant for a group of believers is a family.
Just as is the case with our own families, so we must guard our
congregational family against influences that are destructive to the unity of
the congregation. These influences come in the form of false doctrine and
wrong attitudes.
Three
hallmark characteristics of a strong family are loyalty, safety and
unconditional acceptance. When
the world comes against you, it is your family who sticks with you and it is
the family that provides a safe place to be when the storms of life come your
way. In the presence of your family you can be yourself. You do not have to
put on an act to be accepted. Hopefully
this is true of your family and hopefully it is true in the family here at
Beth Messiah. But there is one more family unit that we are a part of when we
know the Messiah as our Lord. We are part of the family of God. God is our
Father and we are His children. He shows supreme loyalty toward us and in His
presence is a safe place. He accepts us just the way we are. The Bible says,
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Messiah died for us, (