Bamidbar (בְּמִדְבַּר) “in the wilderness”#4057

Numbers 1:1-4:20
Hosea 2:1-22

1 Samuel 20:18-42
Romans 9:22-33

The book of Bamidbar starts with the LORD telling Moshe to count all the men of Israel who can go to war. It is said that the LORD counted the children of Israel ten times. (1) when they went down to Egypt, (2) when they went up out of Egypt, (3) at the first census in Numbers, (4) at the second census in Numbers, (5) once for the banners, (6) once in the time of Joshua for the division of the land of Israel, (7) once by Saul, (8) a second time by Saul,(9) once by David, and (10) once in the time of Ezra. It is explained that he counted them because they were precious to Him. A parable tells of a merchant who had a bundle of glass beads that he set out and put away without counting them because they were just glass. The same merchant had a bundle of precious pearls that he numbered as he set them out and counted as he put them away.

In the same way that the LORD counted the children of Israel, He also had Moshe record the exact day, month, and year, as well as the location when He made decrees and mitzvoth for Israel. Explained in another parable were a king took a wife and did not give her a marriage contract, and he put her away without a bill of divorce. He then did the same with his second and third wife. Then this king found an orphaned girl of a noble family who was modest in her heart and worthy in the eyes of the king and he told his servant to draw up a marriage contract and mark the year, the month, and the day of the month. (as in Esther chapter 2)

And so we can see from passages where the people are listed and numbered and the exact dates where He speaks with them are recorded that B’nai Israel was precious in the eyes of the LORD.

Naso (נָשֹׂא) “Elevate” #5375

Numbers 4:21-7:89
Judges 13:2-25
John 12:20-36