One month after the close of the book of Exodus, Moses commands a census of all the Jews. He finds that an Israelite army would number 603,550 fighting men. A generation later (Nu 26) he will commission a new count. These human inventories—the numbering of God's people—provide the title of the Pentateuch's fourth book.

But the ancients had another name for this account: they called it "In the Wilderness." That title is a fitting one for the story of a wandering people caught in transition between slavery and freedom. Having fled Pharaoh's tyranny in Egypt, God's people seek the permanent homeland of their dreams. But reality interferes with their dreams; they face the crises and trials of nomadic life.

Along with its colorful and gripping narrative, Numbers offers a metaphor for the wilderness experience every human must encounter. We experience life as a pilgrimage like that of Moses and his people, with past struggles behind us and dreams yet to fulfill. Along the way, there is heartbreak and disappointment. But the voice of God is consistent, calling on us to face every challenge with steadfast obedience. Like the Israelites, we discover that the hardest times produce the strongest lessons, and that at the other end of the wilderness journey we find ourselves wiser and more capable. To obey God is to move forward in life with direction and purpose.

But disobedience has consequences. When God's people rebel against his command to enter Canaan, the results are painful and far-reaching. We learn that our own failures have implications for generations yet unborn. There is nowhere in the Bible a more graphic picture of the social consequences of sin.

Numbers begins with the exodus generation. It ends thirty-nine years later with the story of their children fighting to solidify their place in Canaan. It begins shortly after the Israelites receive the Law from Mount Sinai. It ends as they struggle to live by that Law in a world of hostile neighbors. It begins with a leader, Moses, at the peak of his power. It ends as Moses, forbidden from entering the Promised Land, gives way to a new leader. These are thirty-nine pivotal years in the spiritual history of a nation.

As you study Numbers, watch for these themes: obedience, purity, leadership, guidance, discouragement, deliverance. What can you learn and apply from the lessons of Moses' people? As those themes play out in the book of Numbers, so will they be repeated in the wilderness experiences of our own lives.