The laws of human physiology and biology, the laws of time and physics do not apply. God can command life to come and to go. He can make time. He can move a whole universe the opposite direction without causing chaos. All for one man – one of Israel’s better kings, Hezekiah.

Is anything too difficult for God?

The living, the living, he thanks you, as I do this day; the father makes known to the children your faithfulness. (Isaiah 38:19 ESV)

As I do this day.
And I will make your faithfulness known.

The Lord will save me, and we will play my music on stringed instruments all the days of our lives, at the house of the Lord. (Isaiah 38:20 ESV)

Numbers… here we go.

We could take a lesson here on Organization setup. Moses had the task of mobilizing an army from the ground up. By the end of their consensus there were more than 600 thousand men! Did Moses have experience in group dynamics or in organizing large groups of people before this? Probably not. Most of his organizing experience probably were with sheep rather than people. So for this assignment, just like Moses’ previous assignments, God gives the instructions (according to Moses’ ability) and Moses’ part was to obey in faith. This setup works really well.

The names listed here were not chosen by man, but were given by God personally to Moses. This shows that God knows us by name. He knows our background – our ancestry – as well as our capability.

12 leaders from each of the 12 tribes (except Levi). Even Jesus picked 12 disciples. There must be wisdom here with regards to the optimal group size.

The tribe of Levi were not included in the consensus. Why? Because they were set apart by God, designated for a particular purpose, and therefore could not be part of the army headcount. That doesn’t mean they won’t go to battle, quite the opposite. The Levites were usually in the forefront – in the direct line of fire.

I have to admit, I was not expecting Numbers to be this interesting. Thank you Lord. Your Word is amazing in the way that even something like a list of names and numbers and rules, can be a source of wonderful insight.

Who does God help? Only those who deserve it? No, what amazing grace it is that He helps even those who don’t deserve it! Sometimes we truly are victims, but there are times when we are just reaping the consequences of our own bad decisions (or indecisions). The Bible is filled with stories of both. God helps those who truly sets their heart, mind and body to Him.

And how great is our Shield and Protector! All powerful, all knowing. He cares for us 24/7.

This chapter paints a clear and practical picture of how a Christian should live:

As imitators of God, that is, living with love – even sacrificial love – the giving of ourselves for those of eternal value. To be dispensers of grace, pointing to the One who is the source of grace. Concerned about the eternal soul of man more than temporal things of this world.

To be pure, in body as well as in the mind. Covetousness – stemming from ungratefulness and lack of trust in God – is something that easily surfaces from our sinful human nature. There should be none of this for God’s children. I am guilty of this many times. The counter for this is closely walking with God, being grateful for all the many ways God has provided. There are so many. And to trust that He is Good! That He loves us. That He is able, and wants to bless us.

Therefore we must live with integrity:
To walk in the light and not in darkness.
To be wise and not unwise.
To make the best use of our time.
To consider of the effects of our actions.
To live with joy, to be an encouragement.
And to be thankful at all times.

Once again, God has shown to me that He speaks to us through his Word. Sometimes God calms the storm, but He always calms his child.

I don’t think I’ll ever understand how it feels to be in King Hezekiah’s situation. Famine, war, death and destruction looming – an entire nation’s fate in your hands. Another nation – whose beliefs goes against yours – offering help. The nation attacking – who has conquered many other nations before yours – claiming to be sent by God. You have to make a choice. What would you do?

What did he do? He humbled himself and approached God.

Once again, my God reminds me about the bigger picture. That I should not be so worried about what man can do to me. Instead, I should live in faith as a testimony of what God can do.

In a word God created everything. He commands the winds and the waves. He causes rocks to produce water. He sends 1 angel to effortlessly destroy 185 thousand.

This great and awesome power is still available today. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Do not be dismayed. God loves you and cares for you. Trust in Him.