And Jehovah spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the tent of meeting, on the first of the second month, in the second year after their departure from the land of Egypt, saying,
The book of Numbers opens with a date, a place, and a voice: God speaking to Moses in the tent of meeting, in the second year after Israel left Egypt. That one verse sets up the whole book — where these people are, whose they are, and why God counts them.
A New Book, a New Setting
The atmosphere changes the moment this book begins. One writer walks back through the earlier books to show where this one starts:
Here we find ourselves at once "in the wilderness," where the only ones counted are those "able to go to war." In Genesis the descendants of Israel were not yet born; they were still in their father Abraham. In Exodus they were in the brickyards of Egypt. In Leviticus they were gathered round the tent of meeting. In Numbers we see them in the wilderness… And as soon as we open the book of Numbers, we read of men of war, of armies, of standards, of camps, and of trumpets sounding the alarm.
The change of place brings a change of subject:
In the book of Numbers the Spirit of God has the desert before Him, rather than the sanctuary. We will still find the sanctuary, of course. But the question here is not about drawing near to God, so far as that was possible then. It is about how the people of God walk on the earth.
Where God Speaks From
One small word changes between the two books. A writer follows it forward to how God speaks now, quoting an older translation of Hebrews 1:2 that reads "in His Son":
In Leviticus 1:1 we read of God speaking out of the tabernacle, and in Numbers 1:1 of His speaking in it. But in these last days He has not only spoken to us by His Son but "in His Son" (Hebrews 1:2). The Son of God has spoken "the truth" to us, but He is Himself the truth.
In the Wilderness, Out of Egypt
The verse names a place and an exit:
Notice these two little words — in the wilderness, out of Egypt. There is no wilderness in Egypt, and we cannot have Egypt in the wilderness. It is pointless to talk about being in the wilderness unless we are out of Egypt in heart… The wilderness is a place where there is no path, and the desert is a place where there is no provision. Scripture uses both terms of the wilderness of Sinai, and they show us that we depend on God alone.
The Date Puts Redemption First
This date is not the earliest one in the book. Chapter 9 carries an earlier one, and the order matters:
God gave Moses the instructions about the Passover, which fill the first half of chapter 9, at the beginning of the first month of the second year. That is about a month before the date we have been looking at… The Passover marked the basis on which the redemption of the people rested. That came first, and the numbering of the people followed. So the picture makes one fact stand out: God only numbers and counts as His those who have been redeemed.
Why God Counts
A census can spring from pride. This one springs from ownership:
This was an expression of His rights as Lord of Israel. He had the right to take their number, for they were all His own. If He had no right to them, and no prospects in them, He would not have counted them. The same divine right is spoken of in another part of His dominions: "He determines the number of the stars; He gives to all of them their names." That is the expression of His sovereignty among the heavenly hosts (Psalm 147:4).
Being counted for heaven is easy to treasure. Being counted for the road is what this opening presses:
We can all understand the sweetness of being numbered for heaven, and that is where the heart of most people turns. But even those who take the greatest comfort in the counsels of God that secure them for eternity easily forget something else. The Lord takes a present interest in all our movements, ways, conflicts, and trials. This is the first thing with which the book opens.
Who Qualified
Those counted had to prove their family line. There was a reason for that:
They had to show their family line because of the mixed crowd of people who had joined themselves to the people of God… So only those who could prove by their family line that they belonged among the people of God were counted, and only they could go to war. Our family line, which gives us a place among the people of God, is the new birth, by which we become children of God.
One writer takes that warfare wider: "all of His saints are fitted for spiritual warfare, women and young and old too" (Leslie M. Grant).
Summary
- Place — The verse sets us in the wilderness. The book that follows is not about coming near to God, but about how His people walk on the earth.
- Voice — God speaks in the tent, not just out of it. The last word is a Son who is Himself the truth He speaks.
- Order — The Passover a month earlier, the census after. God counts as His only those who have been redeemed.
- Title — He numbers Israel as He numbers the stars, because they belong to Him — and He gives each one its name.
- Present care — Being counted for heaven comforts us. This opening adds that He takes an interest in every step, conflict and trial on the way.