March 14th, 2021

​This Sunday we continue in the Pentateuch for the Old Testament reading. ‘Pentateuch’ is a Greek word for the first five books of the Old Testament. And this Sunday we are in the book of Numbers [21:4-9], and this is also a title that comes from the Greek translation of the Old Testament. The actual title in Greek is ‘arithmoi’, a word that sounds a lot like ‘arithmetic’. Does that make the book seem even more interesting? Some people avoid math like the plague.

And speaking of plagues, it is good to remember that numbers are important in the Old Testament. In the Hebrew language, the connection between numbers and letters is extremely close. Their letters were also numbers. In the book of Exodus, there were ten plagues against the Egyptians while the Israelites were slaves. In the book of Numbers [14:22], the LORD speaks of ten tests that were part of the difficult times that the Israelites went through when they were making their way to the Promised Land. A possible list of those ten tests is given in the notes of the Concordia Self-Study Bible, and that list goes from Exodus 14 to Numbers 14 and does not include the text for this Sunday. But the note also indicates that the number ‘ten’ could simply mean ‘many times’ [Published in 1986 by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Missouri; page 210].

In the introductory section on the theological teaching in the book of Numbers, the Concordia Self-Study Bible has some great things to say about the account of Balaam in chapters 22-24. It is called ‘one of the most remarkable sections of the Bible [Concordia Self-Study Bible, page 185].’

One thing in terms of numbers that is sometimes misunderstood regarding the retelling of the Balaam event is that his FINAL prophecy is seen as the one ultimately predicting the Savior. It is actually the middle of seven prophecies, the fourth one. And the first four are simply longer than the last three. Seven is an important number, combining the things of God—the number three points to the three persons of the Trinity—with the things of man—the number four points to the four ‘corners’ of the world.

And speaking of four corners, although the earth is round, four corners may be seen in the important constellations that appear overhead at regular intervals in the year. I should point out at the beginning that this is NOT a discussion of astrology, where a person is said to predict what will happen because of the positions of the stars or planets. A better understanding of this is that it is one aspect of THEOLOGY, where IN THE BIBLE, at the creation account, the stars are said to rule [Genesis 1:16-18]. And the LORD’s throne in both the Old Testament and the New [Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4] is said to have four living creatures, and these creatures may be connected to some of the constellations. The living creature of a man could be connected to Aquarius (the water carrier), a lion is obviously connected to Leo, and an ox, to Taurus. And the eagle may be shaped in a similar way to Scorpio, and these four constellations are at regular intervals in the year.

People have been always interested in the future. More important than many future events are a few of the most critical events in the past. And these four living creatures testify to the LORD’s glory that has been manifested on the earth at certain, important times. One helpful Bible verse to keep things in perspective is a small portion of the start of the Epistle to the Hebrews: ‘…but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son [1:2].’ And I do not think it is a coincidence that his Son has spoken to us in four gospel accounts.

The different ways Jesus worked in these four accounts may also be seen in the ways the angel of the LORD showed up in the Old Testament. In the account of Balaam, the angel of the LORD is definitely ready for battle. [See Numbers 22:22; the Hebrew word used to describe that angel’s task is actually our source for the name ‘Satan’.]

That battle-perspective is also given in the Gospel according to Mark. There are no stories of Jesus as a baby or even a young boy. At the beginning of this account, he stands ready for battle. And that is definitely a good thing, because he really does win in the end. You have his word [see Mark 16:7].