5 Reasons You Should Think Twice Before Skipping the Book of Numbers

The fourth book of the Bible gets a bad rap. First, there’s the title. The word “numbers” scares away math phobic people to begin with. And even if you’re not afraid of arithmetic, who would want to read an entire book called Numbers?

Jazmin Quaynor

For those brave enough to crack open its pages, many still will turn away after realizing what it’s all about: a census. Imagine downloading the US Census data and reading the names of every person with the last name Smith. Yeah, it’s kind of like that. At least that’s how Numbers begins. Even for someone like me who happens to love the book, all those names often leave me dizzy or comatose. But if you can muscle through the censuses and genealogies, you’ll be rewarded by one of the richest and most bizarre narratives in the entire Bible. From talking donkeys to spontaneous serpent outbreaks, here are five reasons you should think twice before skipping the book of Numbers.

How Reading the Bible Can Make You Spiritually Sick

I have a son who won't eat anything.

He'll only eat four things consistently: pancakes, pepperoni pizza, eggs (scrambled), and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Darwin Bell (CC)

He doesn't like ice cream (even though he thinks he does). He doesn't like french fries. What he will eat one day, he may turn his nose up at the next.

Sometimes our approach to the Word is just like a 6-year-old’s eating habits.

Retire at 50

Angelina Litvin

How would you like to retire at age fifty? God thought it was a good idea for the Levites:

Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer.

Numbers 8:24-25

So not only did they get to retire at fifty, but also they did not begin service until age twenty-five. That’s a sweet deal. Notice God says that “they must retire from their regular service.” This means they can still help in some capacity (see verse 26). I imagine this is the equivalent of the Wal-Mart greeters. Once you turn fifty, you have to be a tent of meeting greeter.

Maybe they put those yellow smiley face stickers on the bulls as people came in to sacrifice.

Don't forget to grab the Old Testament reading guide I created for you. This is a chronological survey of the first stanza of the Bible with notes by yours truly. I think you'll find it valuable. Just click here to get it for free: How to Read the Old Testament.