OT Fire Starters – Day 57: Numbers 1-2

READ: Numbers 1-2

THINK: What’s at the center of your life? What’s your top priority? What gets your most focused attention and fondest affections? It’s the thing you think about the most-the thing that all other things will shift to accommodate. Does your relationship with God hold this top spot? Does your time with Him take precedence over everything? Are His purposes your purposes? If you’re not sure, or if something else occupies that spot, or if your life is so scattered that it doesn’t seem to have a center, then it’s time to reorganize your life according to God’s plan.

RESPOND: What does the fact that “the Lord spoke to Moses” (1:1) tell us about Moses’ writings as recorded in Scripture? (See 1:1 first note.) Why do you think this fact is emphasized as often as it is throughout the book? What time period does the book of Numbers cover? (See 1:1 second note.) What was the purpose of the Israelite census? (See 1:2 note.) What did the census mean for the people of Israel collectively (i.e., as a group or country), individually, and as followers of God? (See 1:2 note.) Approximately how many people were part of the nation of Israel at that time? (See 1:46 note.) What do we know about God from the way He sustained this many people in the desert for several decades? (See 1:46 note.) How was the Israelite camp organized and why? (See 1:52 note.) In what way was the positioning of the tribe of Levi different from the other tribes, and what were the Levites’ responsibilities (1:47-53)? Why does the Bible emphasize this sort of organization? What was the significance of the tabernacle being at the center of the camp (2:1-2)? (See 1:52 note.)

PRAY: Give God thanks for speaking clearly to us through His powerful Word. Thank Him for caring for you as an individual and for preparing you for a specific purpose.

ACT: Take your Bible with you today (and every day) and read it whenever you have spare time. Consider reading through the Proverbs or one of the gospels. Also, examine your life and take inventory of your priorities. You might even make a list of the top 7 to 10 things that get most of your time, attention and resources. If your priorities are out of sync, reorder them so that they center around your relationship with Christ and serving His purposes.