"Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one." (Numbers 1: 2 NIV)
The Lord speaks to Moses and tells him to take a census of all the men twenty years or older, who were able to serve in the army. Final count: 603,550. This census did not include the Levites or women and children, so total population possibly numbered more than two million Israelites. Can you imagine setting up camp, and then later moving with that many people? In today's time, it is hard to get a church body of two hundred to move in the same direction, much less two million!
"Taking a census was long and tedious, but it was an important task. The fighting men had to be counted to determine Israel's military strength before entering the promised land. In addition, the tribes had to be organized to determine the amount of land each would need, as well as to provide genealogical records. Without such a census, the task of conquering and organizing the promised land would have been more difficult. Whenever we are at a crossroads, it is important to take inventory of our resources. We will serve more effectively, if before plunging in, we set aside time to take a "census" of all we have --- possessions, relationships, spiritual condition, time and goals" (footnote from Life Application Study Bible).
As we continue to embark on our journey into the new building, have you been counted in the "army of God? Have you taken an inventory of what you have available to be used in service? We have a large area to conquer --- the Lake Cumberland and Green River regions. It's time to prepare now, become organized and go forth to see God fulfill all that He has promised!
Funny, I have been thinking something similar in that we are in God's Army. We are in the Army so we have basically 6 weeks or so left until we are called to action to meet the Harvest! We have to prepare during this time.
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