Week 8: Community Rules and Celebrations

At the end of this week's reading Moses was commanded to conduct Israel's first census (Numbers 1:1-54 - how appropriate that it was the first act in Numbers! ha.). I added up the "number of men twenty years or older who were able to go to war" (Numbers 1:20-21), and that count came to 603,550. That is 316,400 more people than the current population of St. Paul, Minnesota - and that is just the count of the men 20 or older in Israel. Moses was probably leading about 1 million people through the desert! I had no idea. Every time they moved, it was as though the entire Twin Cities metro area was relocating - plus all of their animals! Can you imagine moving that many people and animals repeatedly over 40 years? I wonder how large the area needed to be for them to set up camp? The need for the commands in Leviticus is so plain - this was an entire metro area that was trying to create a new nation while on the move.

In this week's and previous week's passages, The Lord was creating a new culture for the Israelites to identify with and to call their own. There were new celebrations, customs and rituals (Leviticus 23:1-44) for the Israelites to be able to proclaim who was their Lord. These customs were a definable way for the Israelites to see that they were different from other people, that they were truly God's chosen.

My verses for the week are Leviticus 22:31-33:
"You must faithfully keep all of my commands by putting them into practice, for I am the Lord. Do not bring shame on my holy name, for I will display my holiness among the people of Israel. I am the Lord who makes you holy. It was I who rescued you from the land of Egypt, that I might be your God. I am the Lord."

The Lord called the Israelites to be his. He set forth rules, and celebrations for them to remember who had saved them from Egypt, who had promised them redemption. As Christ followers we are also the Lord's and he is ours - while our culture has evolved throughout time we are still called to be accountable to his commandments and to show others the love that we have experienced in him.