Numbers is part of the storyline of the Pentateuch. Its big theme is God’s determination to give his people a home. The drama is driven by the LORD’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12. There, the LORD promises to make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation (12:2); to give them a great land (12:1); and to bless them and the world through them (12:2–3).
In the rest of Genesis, the LORD keeps the ‘people’ part of this promise, making Abraham and Sarah’s descendants into a great nation. Then, in the first half of Exodus, he frees them from slavery in Egypt and brings them out to Mount Sinai, and then in the second half of Exodus and all of Leviticus he gives them his law and ‘moves in’ with them in the tabernacle (a tent in the middle of their camp). Doing this—showing the Israelites how to live through his law, and moving in with them in the tabernacle—is God’s way of blessing them. The ‘blessing’ part of his promise (or, at least, a large part of it) has now been kept.
Numbers starts shortly after these events:
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. (Num 1:1)
But the Israelites are still missing one part of God’s promise: a new land. They now need to go and enter it. What Numbers covers is the Israelites’ journey from Mount Sinai to the border of this land.
Sermon 1: Numbers 1:1–10:10
The book opens with Israel in camp, waiting to leave for Canaan. This first sections gives a detailed description of the camp. It starts with a census, in which all the men eligible to fight in the invasion of Canaan are counted (1:2–46). The camp’s shape is described: the tabernacle is in the middle with the Levites in tents around it (1:53); the tents of the other tribes are around the Levites, radiating out in four ‘arms’ of three tribes each (chaps. 2).
Chapters 3–4 discuss the subgroups within the Levites who live nearest to God. 5:1–9:14 details a series of rules about purity, religious figures (Nazarites; priests), and the dedication of the tabernacle. This is all about how to survive when you’ve got a holy God living in your midst. The end of this section (9:15–10:10) describes when and how the camp is to move: when God says so, and in exactly the way he says.
The LORD is to be the centre of his people’s life. He is literally at the centre of their life, living in the centre of their camp. And he is figuratively at the centre of their life, dictating when they can and can’t move and the conditions under which they can approach him.
A sermon on this section can then show that Jesus, God living among us (‘tabernacling,’ Jn 1:14), is equally demanding about being the centre of our lives. This is where all of history is headed, as seen in the throne room scenes in Revelation. Christ’s atoning work on the cross, applied to our lives by the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to have God at the centre of our lives.
Sermon 2: Numbers 10:11–12:16
This is the story of the Israelites setting out from their camp at Sinai and heading towards the border of Canaan. Famously, it contains a lot of Israelite grumbling: firstly, about their conditions generally (11:1–2); then about their food (11:3–35) and their leaders (12).
One way to apply this to the church is in contrasting grumbling with the life of gratitude God enables and calls us to in Christ (for e.g. Php 2:12–18). Another way would be by showing the parallels between Numbers and John 6. Jesus feeds people in the desert just like God does in Numbers but then people grumble when he says he is the bread of life (Jn 6:41–43). God the Father cares for us in Jesus, not just now, but into eternity. We need to gratefully accept that help.
Sermon 3: Numbers 13:1–15:31
The Israelites finally arrive at their destination and prepare to enter the promised land. But at the last minute they lose their courage and refuse. This is a refusal to trust the LORD’s promise, so it is rebellion (14:9). God punishes them by making them wander in the desert for forty years until that generation dies out. Then their descendants can enter the land.
The letter to the Hebrews picks up on this episode as a warning to Christians. Just as the Israelites refused to enter the land because they didn’t trust God, and so missed out on their new home, so also anyone who refuses God’s offer of a heavenly home through Jesus will also miss out. We mustn’t refuse God’s offer of eternal life in Jesus (Heb 3:7–4:11).
It’s important at this point to note who in Numbers are the analogue for Christians. This first generation is not analogous to Christians, so we shouldn’t compare them to us. Rather, according to the New Testament, this first generation is analogous to people who have fallen away, so we should contrast them to us, by way of warning.
Sermon 4: Numbers 15:32–19:22
The Israelites now have to wander forty years in the desert until the rebellious generation dies out and the new generation can enter the land. While they wander they continue to sin. In particular, they rebel against Aaron as priest—they don’t see why they need someone special to mediate between them and God, as ‘the whole community is holy’ (Num 16:3). The LORD punishes them for this rebellion (16:4–50), visibly shows his support for Aaron (17), and reinforces how important the priesthood is (18–19). People need a God-appointed mediator.
The New Testament makes the same point: because we are sinful we need a God-appointed mediator, we can’t successfully represent ourselves before God. Thankfully, God has chosen Jesus to be our perfect mediator (Heb 5:1–10).
Sermon 5: Numbers 20–25
The forty years of desert wandering are finally over and the next generation of Israelites can now head back towards Canaan. They face a number of threats along the way. The biggest threat is a pagan wizard called Balaam who is hired by a local king to curse the Israelites so the king can then defeat them in battle. However Balaam is prohibited by God from cursing the Israelites, and is instead forced to bless them. Tellingly, in his third attempt at cursing, Balaam repeats verbatim part of the LORD’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12! No matter what threats God’s people face, God will keep his promise to protect them and bring them home.
Unlike the rebellious generation of Israelites, this generation is analogous to Christians and so can be compared to us. This is therefore an opportunity to talk about the perseverance of the saints.
Sermon 6: Numbers 26–36
The new generation is now back at the border and these final chapters tell them what their life there will be like in the promised land. They will be a new generation in a new land with new leaders and a new rhythm of life dictated to them by festivals to remind them of God’s salvation. Numbers ends with hope: the Israelites will get the inheritance the LORD promised Abraham.
This theme of inheritance is important in the New Testament too. Christians get the even better eternal inheritance towards which Canaan pointed (1 Pet 1:3–12).
