The book of Numbers has developed a bad reputation over the years (second only to Leviticus) as being comprised of pure boredom (and affectionately called "The Sleep Aid") but it's actually a very interesting book once you get below the surface. And so I really hope that this book comes alive to you (It has for me!). In my efforts to revive your appreciation for Numbers, let me take you on a journey to the depths of the book.
At its most basic level, the book of Numbers provides a prequel to the military blitz in the book of Joshua that ultimately secures the promised land for Israel. But there's more to the book than this. Think about this. Why is this book even needed? Why not just get to the action? SIMPLE. The people needed modern day reassurances that God would NOT leave them (even despite their proclivity toward rebellion). They simply needed to be reminded that the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-3) were still in effect for them and that God would battle on their behalf. So how does the author accomplish this? He patterns His book after the book of Genesis to communicate, "If God did not abandon His promises back THEN, He will not abandon His promises NOW." And so the depths of Numbers are found in the structural relationship it has with the book of Genesis.
THE THREE CYCLES OF REBELLION
With this in mind, the structure of the book of Numbers is the key to properly understanding its message. So how is the book structured? While there has been lots of disagreement, the presence of two censuses (Numbers 1 & 26) makes it fairly obvious that the book of Numbers divides into at least two parts. Most scholars agree that the first half of the book (chapters 1-21) alternates between the giving of laws (which help create and maintain God's order) and the telling of Israel's rebellious behavior. This happens in three cycles making the pattern of chapters 1-21 look like this:
1-10 Laws of order ("they did as the Lord commanded Moses")
11-14 Stories of rebellion (complaining; questioning; lack of faith)
15 Laws of order (instructions for various sacrifice)
16-17 Stories of rebellion (questioning of Aaron's priesthood)
18-19 Laws of order (duties of priests and levites; purification water)
20-21 Stories of rebellion (lack of faith; complaining)
But where's the excitement in this? Well, this pattern matches the structure of Genesis 1-11. How do I know this? Just like Numbers 1-21, Genesis 1-11 consists of three cycles of rebellion. In Genesis 1-2, God creates a harmonious world but then Genesis 3-4 records how humanity's rebellion brings chaos to God's creation order (CYCLE 1). God then reestablishes order by replacing Abel (who had died at the hands of his brother Cain) with the godly line of Seth (Genesis 5). However, we see in Genesis 6-8 that even Seth's line spirals out of control through its rebellious behavior (CYCLE 2). In Genesis 9, God steps in once again to restore order by sending a flood that wipes out all of humanity (with the exception of Noah and his family). But right on cue, Genesis 10-11 shows that Noah and his descendants are no different than anybody else from the past (CYCLE 3).
STRUCTURAL PARALLELS
With Leviticus
So what does all of this tells us? God has always given Israel laws with the purpose to create and maintain order (He didn't just pull the laws out of a hat!) BUT humans have an instinct to rebel against God's harmonious order. And so, when Israel rebels, God is forced to give further laws to reestablish order so that humanity's relationship with Him can continue. We have already seen the law play this type of role before in the book of Leviticus when God gave the ceremonial laws (for the sacrificial system). And in fact, the book of Numbers is in many ways the rewriting of Leviticus but in story form. Check out these comparisons:
Numbers 15 & Leviticus 1-7 (sacrifices)
Numbers 18 & Leviticus 8-9 (the priests)
Numbers 19 & Leviticus 10-16 (purity laws)
Numbers 28-29 & Leviticus 23 (festivals)
Numbers 30 & Leviticus 27 (vows)
With the Flood
Even despite these parallels, the book of Numbers still shows a closer relationship with the book of Genesis than with Leviticus. In fact, the three cycles of rebellion are not all that the books of Numbers and Genesis have in common. Just like in Genesis 9 when God cleansed the earth of evil by sending a flood, in Numbers 14 we see that God plans to cleanse His people by killing off the current, corrupt generation through wars and plagues before He lets Israel enter the promised land. In Genesis, the flood lasted 40 days and in Numbers, the process of killing off the older generation lasted 40 years. It is the census taken in Numbers 26 which confirms the completion of the cleansing process.
With the Abrahamic Covenant
But one other parallel between the books of Genesis and Numbers needs to be noted. The story about Balaam (Numbers 22-25) stands directly in-between the two censuses and therefore many agree that this narrative serves as the CENTERPIECE of the entire book of Numbers. It is also commonly recognized that this narrative brings to mind the covenant made with Abraham in Genesis 12-17 (which also serves as the CENTERPIECE of Genesis). Why is this? Well, the major feature of the Abrahamic covenant is that "God will bless those who bless Abraham and curse those who curse Abraham." This also seems to be the central feature of the story of Balaam in that Balak is making a request (to curse God's people) that would violate the Abrahamic Covenant. And as we see, Balaam is unable to honor such a request because God will not breach His promise with Abraham.
Now if the Balaam story parallels the Abraham narratives (Genesis 12-17) as suggested this further elucidates the similarities between the books of Numbers and Genesis in that not only do both books begin with three cycles of rebellion but they both resolve these cycles with reaffirmations regarding God's commitment to His people and creation (the Abrahamic covenant on the one hand and the Balaam story on the other). This is not by accident. God wants us to know that He will always stand true to His promises.
THE BOTTOM LINE
This is precisely where the book of Numbers intersects with our lives. God stays true to His words. He has promised to completely restore His creation and He will not abandon His plan. BUT we can choose to either join Him in His plan or rebel against His plan. As we see in the book of Numbers, those who rebel against God do not experience the benefits of His promises. This is true of us as well. If we choose to live in rebellion then we should expect to experience God's discipline NOT His promises. So may you live faithfully for God and join Him in the goodness of His plan and promises.
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