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In the Septuagint, the earliest Greek translation of the Old Testament, the word “arithmoi” or “numbers” (we get “arithmetic” from this word) was used to title the book of Numbers.
However, the original Hebrew title of the book used a word translated as. . .
In the Wilderness.
This phrase came from Numbers 1:1. . .
The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt (ESV).
The title “In the Wilderness” is apropos as the book frames events between the Israelites leaving Egypt, until their second and successful attempt at entering the Promised Land — literally spending about 40 years “in the wilderness.”
The Septuagint translators derived the title of the book of “Numbers” not from wilderness events but from two lists in the book that counted the men of Israel.
The first list in Numbers 1:45-46 counts 603,550 men, and the second list in Numbers 26:51 tabulates the men at 601,730. The important difference is that almost none of the 603,550 counted in the first census were listed in the second census of 601,730.
Why? The first batch rebelled constantly against God and Moses after leaving Egypt and then refused to enter the Promised Land. God told Moses. . .
But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers (14:21-23, ESV).
I believe the best title for the fourth book of the Bible is In the Wilderness, as it more accurately reflects the book’s content. It’s a history of God bringing miraculous deliverance to His people, followed by their response of grumbling, complaining, and rebelling.
And the book of In the Wilderness has great relevance to us today, as the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:5-6 (NIV). . .
God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.
I’ve witnessed many believers, after receiving salvation and deliverance, stumble back into complaining, forgetting God’s grace, and not having the faith to take possession of God’s personal “promised land” for their future.
The words “complaining” and “grumbling” are found often in the book of In the Wilderness. The Israelites challenged the goodness of God, and second, they refused to take steps of faith into their Promised Land.
Do we grumble about God’s goodness, actions, and provision in our lives? Are we willing to take positions of faith based upon God’s calling?
Leeks and Cucumbers in Chapter 11
The Israelites didn’t like their food. The rabble among them said, “We remember the variety of good food that we had in Egypt, the leeks and the cucumbers, now there is nothing to eat but this manna!”
As one author wrote, “It was easier to get Israel out of Egypt than to get ‘Egypt’ out of the Israelites.” How about us? When challenged, do we lust for our lives before faith?
Giants vs. Grasshoppers in Chapters 13 and 14
When Israel arrived at the Promised Land the first time, they sent twelve spies into the land, ten of whom came back reporting that the land was filled with giants and the Israelites were but grasshoppers in comparison.
All problems loom large without faith. The Israelites had just witnessed God defeat Pharaoh and the greatest army on earth, and yet they felt like grasshoppers.
How about us? By faith, do we slay the giants or hop away like grasshoppers with our potential future?
A lot of lessons for us in the book of In the Wilderness!