He Knows His Sheep

All that numbering! Numbers 1.1-19

Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Leviticus/Numbers (4)

Pray Psalm 28.8, 9.
The LORD is their strength,
And He is the saving refuge of His anointed.
Save Your people,
And bless Your inheritance;
Shepherd them also,
And bear them up forever.

Sing Psalm 28.8, 9.
(Angel’s Story: O Jesus, I Have Promised)
Our strength are You, O Savior, our strong defense and sure.
Anointed with Your favor, we rest in You secure.
Save us, and bless us, Jesus, upon us turn Your face.
With shepherd’s care, LORD, keep us forever in Your grace.

Preparation
1. What did God command Moses to do?

2. How was he to do that?

Meditation
This passage is the second time God has led Moses to prepare the people of Israel for entering the promised land. The first was in Exodus 18, when God used Moses’ father-in-law to help him create a pastoral structure that would work. Here in Numbers a team is put together to take a census, especially of those who are of age to go to war. They would need good leadership, a certain amount of equipping, and probably a good bit of encouragement as Israel approached the land of promise. A second census would be taken at the end of Numbers, as the people approach the land for a second time.

God identified Himself as the Shepherd of His people (Pss. 23, 28), Who led them by human shepherds, especially Moses and Aaron (cf. Ps. 77.19, 20). Shepherding, exercising oversight, taking care, equipping, leading, encouraging—these were key disciplines for leading the people of God to the land of promise. This is the work of shepherds, who are charged with being diligent to know the state of their flocks (Prov. 27.23).

And all this focus on shepherding points us forward to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, a role He heartily embraced and which He continues to fulfill. We are the sheep of the Lord. He knows us and we know Him. He leads us. He laid down His life for us. He defends and provides for us, gives us eternal life, and brings other sheep to join us in His flock. Through His appointed earthly shepherds, he equips us for ministry to build His Church and advance His Kingdom. Our Good Shepherd is with us always, and His Holy Spirit serves as His Holy Herder, directing, teaching, correcting, and empowering us to follow our Shepherd.

And Jesus expects us to shepherd one another, as is evidenced by all the “one-another” passages in the New Testament. Shepherding was vital to God’s people in the Old Testament. It is even more vital today, and Jesus, our Good Shepherd, daily leads and calls and serves and sends His flock to lay hold on His promises and live for His glory.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai” (Lev. 1.19).

Counting the people individually, numbering them by family and by name was important to God.
He knows each one of us, cares about us, and wants us to know that we are remembered and seen.
“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel:
‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine’” (Is. 43.1).

But God also did this census taking and numbering because the Savior He was to eventually send, would also be numbered; but with a negative connotation for a positive purpose:
“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…
it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief…
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
and He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because He poured out His soul unto death,
and He was numbered with the transgressors,
and He bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors” (Is. 53.4, 10, 12).

There He is! Numbered with the transgressors—two robbers crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left (Matt. 27.38)—just as God said He would be. But Jesus counted it all joy when He fell into this deathly trial (Jms. 1.2) for our sakes.

Numbering is the action of counting or ordering with numbers.
And since God “is not the author of confusion but of peace” He wants “all things to be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14.33, 40). Even the death of His dearly beloved Son. It was all prophesied and carried out exactly as foretold.

As was said of the prophet Simeon, who was an Old Testament holdover proclaiming New Testament good news: “this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel”. It had been revealed to him that he wouldn’t die until he had seen the Lord’s predicted Christ. When he saw the Child Jesus in the temple, he took Him into his arms and said: “Lord, now you are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Lk. 2.25-32). He also warned Mary, prophetically, that as Jesus’ mother, a “sword will pierce through your soul” in sorrow for the way her Son would be treated by others (Lk. 2.35). Simeon gratefully held the Consolation of Israel just as he had been told he would. God chose, numbered, and counted this blessing to fall upon Simeon. Decently and in order.

God has numbered us to be one of His children. Chosen and beloved. Because He numbered Jesus as the one and only Savior. And we are to be willingly numbered, as He was, for God’s Kingdom purposes.

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Rev. 7.9, 10). Gloriously counted and numbered.

Reflection
1. Jesus our Good Shepherd numbers us among the members of His flock. What does it mean for us to follow Him?

2. Moses taught us to “number our days” (Ps. 90.12). What does that mean? How do you “number” your days?

3. Someday God will “call our number” and we will be carried into His Presence with joy. How should we prepare for that day?

[I]t must be observed, that the people were not numbered except at God’s command, in order that He might thus assert His supreme dominion over them; and also, that the mode of taking the census was so arranged, that there should be no confusion of ranks either through fraud or irregularity; for this was the reason why each tribe had its superintendents, lest any one should slip into a tribe to which he did not belong; and this is expressly mentioned by way of assurance, since otherwise many might suspect that so great a multitude could hardly be distinguished into classes with certainty, so that the whole sum should be calculated without mistake. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Numbers 1.1-19

Pray Psalm 28.1-7.
Pray that Jesus, our Good Shepherd, will continue His sanctifying work in you, protect you from all evil, and give you strength and joy in serving others today.

Sing Psalm 28.1-7.
(Angel’s Story: O Jesus, I Have Promised)
I cry to You, our Savior, O, be not deaf to me!
LORD, speak to me with favor, lest I should dying be.
Hear now my supplications when for Your help I cry.
Receive these, my oblations, before Your throne on high.

LORD, count me not among those who walk in sinful ways.
With words of peace their tongue glows while evil fills their days.
Your works they disregard, LORD, while evil fills their hands.
Destroy them by Your Word, LORD, and let them no more stand.

Blessed be the Name of Jesus, for He will hear our prayer.
His strength protects and shields us with mercy and with care.
In You our heart rejoices; You help us by Your Word.
To You we raise our voices to praise and thank You, LORD.

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

For more insight in teaching and learning in Jesus, see our book, Know, Love, Serve. Learn more and order your copy in book form by clicking here, or in PDF by clicking here.

Support for Scriptorium comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise.

And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.

Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.