Numbers 1:1: “Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt.”

January 11th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Throughout the book of Numbers we will be tracing the Hebrews as they journey through the desert or wilderness. This word “wilderness” is used forty-eight times in this book. And while for the Hebrews it was an actual desert, it is also a place, figuratively, that anyone who has walked with the Lord for very long is acquainted with. God often uses desert experiences and wilderness journeys in our lives to speak to us.

The desert often means seclusion, quiet, and a chance to reflect on the deeper meaning of things. Jesus spent forty days in solitude, fasting and praying in the wilderness. Those dry times in our lives are intended by the Lord to make us become still and to listen for His voice. Psalm 46:10 in the New Living Bible says, “Be silent, and know that I am God!” Usually it is only when we remember to be quiet before Him, that we are able to hear His voice. Early in the morning, before the house wakes with vibrant life, is when we need to sit quietly before Him and wait for Him to remind us that He is God.

Years ago I read about a grandfather who lost his gold railroad watch and chain in the sawdust of an ice-storage house. Before refrigeration, it was common in the winter to cut ice from a nearby frozen lake and then store the large ice blocks under sawdust, which insulated them and kept them frozen so they could be used in the summer. After spending all day loading ice blocks into a storehouse with his son and grandsons, the grandfather reached into his pocket to check the time, only to discover that sometime during the day he had lost his watch somewhere in the sawdust. The grandfather told his grandsons he would give twenty dollars to the one who found his watch. They searched for almost an hour, looking for the old watch without any success. Discouraged, they left the storehouse one by one, all except for the youngest grandson. He stayed inside, closing the door behind the others. Three minutes later he walked out holding the watch with a big smile on his face. His grandfather asked him how he had found it. The little boy said he had lain down on his back in the sawdust, and then without moving, held his breath, listening, and he heard the sound of the mechanism in the watch, ticking, just a few feet from his head.

Again the Lord says to us “Be silent, and know that I am God.” Get alone, ask for Him to speak, and then silently wait in expectancy for His voice.

“LORD, help us to hear Your voice today.”

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Numbers 1 KJV

¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, ² Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; ³ From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies. ⁴ And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers. ⁵ And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe ofReuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur. ⁶ Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. ⁷Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab. ⁸ Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar. ⁹ Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon. ¹⁰ Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. ¹¹ Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni. ¹² Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. ¹³Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran. ¹⁴ Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel.  ¹⁵ Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan. ¹⁶ These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel. ¹⁷ And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names: ¹⁸And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. ¹⁹ As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai. ²⁰ And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ²¹ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. ²² Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ²³ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. ²⁴ Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ²⁵ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty. ²⁶ Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ²⁷ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. ²⁸ Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ²⁹ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. ³⁰ Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ³¹ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. ³² Of the children of Joseph, namely , of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ³³ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, wereforty thousand and five hundred. ³⁴ Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ³⁵ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. ³⁶ Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ³⁷ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. ³⁸ Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ³⁹ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. ⁴⁰ Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ⁴¹ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. ⁴² Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; ⁴³ Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. ⁴⁴ These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers. ⁴⁵So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel; ⁴⁶ Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. ⁴⁷ But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. ⁴⁸ For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying, ⁴⁹ Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel: ⁵⁰ But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle. ⁵¹ And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. ⁵² And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts. ⁵³ But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony. ⁵⁴ And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORDcommanded Moses, so did they.