Numbers 1:1-2 – Take time to listen to God

Israel was God’s Covenant people. Through Moses, He had delivered them from their bondage in Egypt. At Mount Sinai, He gave them the Law to help them grow as an orderly nation and live as His chosen people. God then instructed Moses to build the Tabernacle so that they could have a place to worship Him. In Leviticus, God then gave instructions on how He wanted to be worshiped. As we come to the book of Numbers, Israel as God’s covenant people, the Law, the place, and the way to worship, had all been put in place. So in the book of Numbers, we will see God’s prescription for service.      

Numbers opened with Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. Here the Tabernacle had been pitched. The time according to Numbers 1:1 was the second month in the second year after they had left Egypt. Here in the wilderness, God instructed Moses to take a census, a subject that we will discuss in more detail later. First, let us take note of where God communed with Moses. It was in the tent of meeting in the wilderness that God spoke to Moses. The preposition “in” is telling. So here Moses was in the tent in the presence of God. He would never be able to hear from God was he not in the presence of God. This suggests that he took the time to come to God. Like him, if we want to hear from God, we must deliberately set the time to come into His presence to hear from Him.

Then notice that the place was in the wilderness of Sinai. Wilderness speaks of a solitary and secluded place. It suggests to us an unhurried place free from mindless activities. Hence, it is a place free from competing noises. It is in such a  place where the voice of God could be heard with clarity unhindered.  Each of us should learn to find a place where we can comfortably settle in and spend time unhurriedly to listen to God.

Do we have a tent of meeting where we could go in to listen to God? Will we like Moses set aside a place and a time to come into God’s presence so that He can speak to us? If we desire to please Him, we need to know what pleases Him. How will we ever know what pleases Him, if we do not take the time to draw near to listen to Him? In God’s scheme of things, we become better servers when we first become better hearers. God still wants us to be with Him before we go out and serve Him. So find a place and make time to listen to God. That should be our starting point each day!