Faith, Obedience, and the Book of Numbers
Joe Slater
	Every ten years the United States takes a census. Accurate numbers are important to governments, businesses, and other entities. But why would census numbers be recorded in the Bible?
	The book of Numbers derives its name from the two times Israel’s men of war (20 years old and up) were counted, tribe by tribe. Just after they came out of Egypt, Moses took the first census. As the forty-year period of wandering was coming to an end, another count was made. You may have skipped over this seemingly tedious information while reading your Bible. But you don’t have to be a math whiz to appreciate the significance of these two tallies.
	Comparing the total at the exodus to the count forty years later, we find little difference. Israel’s army started with 603,550 (Numbers 1:46) and decreased by less than 2000 men in Numbers 26:51. For all practical purposes, the army was the same size. This demonstrates that Israel’s failure to take the promised land of Canaan shortly after leaving Mt. Sinai was not because the army was too small. A slightly smaller army went in under Joshua’s leadership, and God gave them victory. Their earlier failure was not due to a lack of manpower, but a lack of faith in God’s power.
	Likewise today, lack of faith cripples the church far more often than small numbers. In fact, small faith usually results in small numbers of people willing to step up and do the work.
	Looking at the fluctuations in numbers among the various tribes of Israel is also enlightening. Like the nation as a whole, some of the tribes maintained a relatively stable population. Others, however, experienced sharp increases or steep declines. Manasseh’s population changed most radically, increasing by over 63%. Simeon’s population of fighting men, however, decreased by over 62%. Some other tribes also grew or declined by significant amounts. Why?
	The answer lies at least in part in the numerous instances of Israel’s rebellion against God. In some cases, thousands of people were put to death. Evidently the rebels were concentrated in certain tribes. The penalty for sin is severe indeed! Yet even this pales in comparison to the eternal destruction awaiting those who remain outside of God’s grace.
	The Bible might seem to be a strange place to find population statistics. But they are more significant than they appear at first glance! Timeless Biblical principles such as faith and obedience are taught even there.
	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
What’s For Dinner?
	A young couple invited their elderly preacher for Sunday dinner. While they were in the kitchen preparing the meal, the minister asked their son what they were having.
	“Goat,” the little boy replied.
	“Goat?” replied the startled minister. “Are you sure?”
	“Yep,” said the youngster. “I heard Dad say to Mom, ‘Today is just as good as any to have the old goat for dinner.’”
	--via House-to-House/Heart-to-Heart
Little Things Mean A Lot
	"The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you" (Deuteronomy 7:22).
	As we study the Bible we see God working his works little by little. This we see throughout the holy scriptures as we view God's overall scheme of redemption. We see great things accomplished in small steps. The Israelites, seemingly, wanted everything done at once. Consider, for example, their impatience as they waited for Moses to come down from Mount Sinai. They wanted a "god," immediately; thus they made a golden calf. 
	Do we dream of doing great things but often forget that it is the little things that make big things? Pennies make dollars, minutes make hours, days make years - you get the picture. As someone once said, relative to our physical needs, "A little bit of food brings a lot of hope."  This application holds true in our spiritual lives as well. Consider these examples:
	Recently a sister in Christ emailed commenting on an article that I had written. This action was "a little thing" to her, I'm sure, but it was a big thing to me. It was an encouragement in my spiritual walk.
	Many years ago my wife and I, along with one of my elders, and his wife, visited a newcomer to the area. Subsequently, the man was baptized into Christ. Over the years we lost contact but many years later we reconnected. He is now an elder in the Lord's church. One of the things that he mentioned as "impressing" him during that early visit was that we had taken ice cream to him and his family. Such a little thing to me. I had totally forgotten about it, but Steve had not. This "little" gesture was one of the factors leading to his overall faithfulness. 
	Yes, little things can lead to great things. However, I would caution us that there are also little things that can steal our peace and lead to our downfall. Minor habits, small concerns, trivial activities etc. can be detrimental to our walk through life.
	--Roy A. Crutcher (Mt. Carmel, IL)