Numbers has everything. There are journeys and battles, deliverances and judgments, temptations and failures. The book certainly isn’t nonstop action. There are also travel records, ceremony protocols, and special instructions for certain tribes. So where does the title “Numbers” come from? It chiefly comes from two censuses reported in the book. 

The book of Numbers has a reputation. I haven’t conducted a survey, but I’ve had enough conversations with students and church members over the years to get the distinct impression that the book of Numbers has a negative reputation that precedes it. The reputation is that the book is dull and uninteresting.

This reputation, though, is undeserved. The book of Numbers is a fascinating and engaging part of the Torah. The name “Numbers” is from the Greek translation (LXX) of the Old Testament. And maybe that title can be off-putting to people on a subconscious level. A book about numbers? Who wants to read that?!

Does the book just have a branding problem? Truthfully, it isn’t a book about a bunch of numbers. Its Hebrew title, “In the wilderness,” is from the book’s opening words and gets immediately to the setting. This book takes place in the wilderness. The people move from the wilderness of Sinai to the wilderness of Kadesh Barnea.

The wilderness is a wild place—and Numbers is a wild book. And amid its wildness, there are wonders and beauty to behold. There are also judgments and afflictions that abound.

Aaron’s blessing—“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you”—is in Numbers 6. Rebellious Israelites perish while eating quail in Numbers 11. Moses’s sister gets leprosy temporarily in Numbers 12. The Lord pronounces a forty-year judgment on a generation of Israelites in Numbers 14. A Sabbath violator is stoned in Numbers 15. The ground opens beneath Korah and company in Numbers 16.

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