7 October Numbers 1

God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises

Numbers 1:44-46 (NIV) “These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel’s army were counted according to their families. 46 The total number was 603,550”.

In Joseph's time, Israel went to Egypt as a clan of only 70 people. They spent approximately 400 years in captivity. After spending two years in the wilderness, God told Moses to assemble and count the men of fighting age who would invade the Promised Land. At that time, the men of fighting age totalled 603,550. The total population, including women and children, would have been many times greater than this. Because God was faithful, He fulfilled His covenant by multiplying the Israel to be as numerous as the stars.

Deuteronomy 10:22 (NIV) “Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky”.

This is confirmed in the New Testament in Hebrews 11:11-12 (AMP) “By faith even Sarah herself received the ability to conceive [a child], even [when she was long] past the normal age for it, because she considered Him who had given her the promise to be reliable and true [to His word]. So from one man, though he was [physically] as good as dead, were born as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand on the seashore”.

God fulfilled His promise made to Abraham in Genesis 15:5 (AMP) “And the Lord brought Abram outside [his tent into the night] and said, “Look now toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “So [numerous] shall your descendants be.”

If you have accepted Christ, you are part of Abraham’s descendants. Galatians 3:29 (AMP) And if you belong to Christ [if you are in Him], then you are Abraham’s descendants, and [spiritual] heirs according to [God’s] promise.

The covenant with Abraham is a covenant of grace in that it brings about the redemptive purpose. It does so by making a separate nation out of Abraham and his descendants, the Jewish people, through Isaac and the twelve tribes of Israel. One of those tribes led to the promised Messiah, Jesus.

In conclusion, God's faithfulness in keeping His promises is profoundly illustrated in the growth of Israel from a small clan of 70 people to a vast nation, fulfilling the covenant made with Abraham. Despite the long years of captivity and trials, God's word proved true as He multiplied the descendants of Abraham, making them as numerous as the stars in the sky. This fulfilment of His promise is a testament to His steadfast love for Israel and a foreshadowing of the greater promise of redemption through the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

The covenant with Abraham, a covenant of grace, laid the foundation for God's redemptive plan, ultimately leading to the birth of Jesus from the lineage of Abraham. As believers in Christ, we are grafted into this covenant, becoming spiritual descendants of Abraham and heirs to the promises of God. This divine plan highlights that God's promises are not fleeting but eternal, encompassing all who come to Him in faith. Just as He was faithful to Israel, He remains loyal to us, guiding us through His grace and fulfilling His promises.