The Word to the World
The opening chapters of Numbers record how Moses organised Israel for the march from Sinai to the Promised Land. The text makes it clear that this was a militant march. In the opening chapter, we consider the initial preparation for the march. Each Israelite was
2020 was a year of numbers—significant numbers. Numbers are significant. Often, numbers represent people and therefore matter. They matter to God and should matter to us. Perhaps no other book of the Bible makes this point more clearly than one of the most neglected books:
Andy Williams famously sang about Christmas being “the most wonderful time of the year.” At Christmastime, he sang, we can hear “kids jingle belling and everyone telling you be of good cheer.” He sang of “holiday greetings” and “happy meetings when friends come to call.”
Sometimes obedience to the commands of Christ can seem like the most complicated thing in the world. Genesis, and the account of Adam’s fall, shed some light on why this is and they present Christians with hope for holiness and simple obedience.