On Your Mark, Get Set . . .

Read Numbers 1:1–4:49

1. A year after Israel’s departure from Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses in the Tabernacle in the wilderness of Sinai. On the first day of the second month of that year he said,
2. “From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their clans and families. List all the men
3. twenty years old or older who are able to go to war. You and Aaron must register the troops,
4. and you will be assisted by one family leader from each tribe. . . .”
17. So Moses and Aaron called together these chosen leaders,
18. and they assembled the whole community of Israel on that very day. All the people were registered according to their ancestry by their clans and families. The men of Israel who were twenty years old or older were listed one by one,
19. just as the Lord had commanded Moses. Numbers 1:1-4, 17-19

“You’re not old enough!” or, “Sorry, you don’t have enough experience.” Either response can be disheartening, even when it’s true. It means you will have to go through a frustrating, perhaps tiresome, time of growing up or acquiring experience.

The Israelites know what this is like. After the Lord delivered them out of Egypt, he led them to Mount Sinai. Here they’ve been encamped for more than a year, receiving God’s laws and learning how to relate to him. But at the beginning of Numbers things begin to change. God isn’t just giving the Israelites laws to live by anymore. In fact, the instructions he gives to Moses in the first two chapters seem a bit strange. But God always has a good reason for everything he does, and the instructions he gives here are for the Israelites’ benefit.

The Israelites were at a transition point in their journey, and taking a census was an important task (Numbers 1:2-15). The fighting men had to be counted to determine Israel’s military strength before entering the Promised Land, and the tribes had to be organized to determine the amount of land each would need and to provide genealogical records. Without such a census, the task of conquering and organizing the Promised Land would have been more difficult.

At every transition point in life it is important to take inventory of our resources and count the cost of each alternative (see Proverbs 13:16). We will serve more effectively if, before plunging in, we set aside time to take stock of all we have—possessions, relationships, spiritual condition, time, goals, and so forth. While God does not want us to trust in our material resources, he does want us to use well what we have.

Before your next move or major decision, analyze your resources and count the cost. Then use what God has given you for his glory.