Preparing for the March (Chapters 1 and 2)

The book of Numbers starts out with a numbering of the men of fighting age and instructions for the layout of the camp. It is easy to forget that the plan was never to spend years in the wilderness. Israel was saved from Egypt to return to their home, the land that they had left. The land that had been promised to Abraham. As Israel leaves Mount Sinai, they are headed to a war of conquest.

This is the reason for the census and for the careful instructions concerning the camp’s layout. The nation is headed to war. Their success depends on God. They cannot hope to succeed without divine intervention. They need to be prepared to do things exactly as God wants. His presence and blessing is vital to their success and to their survival. Sadly, we know how things are going to turn out. This generation that was saved from Egypt is not going to prove faithful. They are not going to see success.

One curious thing that jumps out to a lot of readers in Numbers is the surprising size of the numbers. Israel went from an extended family of 70 men, their families, and servants, to a huge nation with over 600,000 men of fighting age. While this is a huge growth, it is not impossible. Especially when we consider God’s blessing and provision throughout the centuries in Egypt. Especially when we remember that Egypt became so sever in their oppression against the Israelites due to a fear of how much they had grown.