SUNDAY SCHOOL LADY
What’s the 4th book of the Bible?
Genesis… Exodus… Leviticus… Numbers! Numbers? Why would they name a book “Numbers?” Well, because it starts out with a big list of numbers. If you remember, Leviticus is a big book of laws and regulations given to Moses at Mt. Sinai. Well, as Numbers starts, its time to head for the promised land so what do they do first?
They count everybody and write it all down! Hence the name, “Numbers.” Most of the book actually involves the Israelites wandering around in the desert, which is why the Hebrew name for the book is “Bemidbar,” meaning “in the desert.” That makes a lot more sense, but “Bemidbar” isn’t very catchy. Neither is Haggai, but that’s beside the point.
So Numbers is a book about a big number of Israelites who wander around in the desert for 40 years instead of going to the Promised Land. Why were they stuck in the desert? Pastor Paul?
PASTOR PAUL
They were on time-out. God saved them from Pharaoh’s army and brought them across the Red Sea and what did they do? Started complaining!
