HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 490
Numbers
Y O U A R E A B O U T T O G I V E your child the gift of a lifetime.
Perhaps it is a brand-new car, promised to your teen as soon as he or
she graduates from high school. Patiently, with great anticipation, you
wait for the day.
What you will be
Then the day comes. Just as you always dreamed,
reading about
you drive up with the brand-new car. Your teen
runs out of the house. But you can’t believe your
1:1– 4:49
Israel takes a census and
eyes. Instead of looking into a happy face, you
gets organized
stare into a face of anger and bitterness. Instead
5:1–10:10
of being thankful, your teen gripes and comDedication of the Tabernacle
plains: It’s not the right color. It’s not the right
and the Levites
size. It’s not the right model. Your teen goes on
10:11–12:16
to say what a terrible person you are and how
The Israelites leave Mount
unfair you have been!
Sinai and head for the
Promised Land
That’s the essence of the book of Numbers.
God had offered a Promised Land to the people
13:1–17:13
The people rebel against God
of Israel—a beautiful land “flowing with milk
and honey,” a land they could call their very
18:1–19:22
Duties of the priests and
own after 400 years in bondage. Instead of being
Levites
slaves, the people would be free. Instead of working to build Pharaoh’s land, they would work to
20:1– 21:35
Moses disobeys God;
build a land for themselves and their children.
journey to Moab
As a parent giving the gift of a new car, you
22:1– 31:54
would expect thankfulness, joy, and diligence
The story of Balaam
from your teen in preparing to receive it and take
32:1– 36:13
care of it. You would be disappointed, shocked,
Preparation to enter the
and deeply hurt at the complaints, grumbling,
Promised Land
and dissatisfaction.
This is exactly how the people of Israel treated God. Instead of being excited,
they were afraid. Instead of being grateful, they felt put out. Instead of thanking
God, they complained to him. Instead of accepting the gift, they ran away from
it. They refused to believe that God would take them into the land and give it to
them. They refused to believe that God could take them into the Promised Land.
Numbers tells us much about giving—a gracious God offering an extraordinary gift to his beloved people. Numbers also tells us a lot about receiving—
a selfish people who refused to accept a gift that could have literally changed
their lives forever for the better. What gift is God holding out to you right now
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