Romans 5:17: For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will in the life through the One, Jesus Christ.
I’ve always had a gift for numbers – they’ve always made sense to me. When I was in college, I learned three things about numbers:
- They tell a story
- Numbers can be manipulated to alter the story
- Because of these first 2 truths, I learned I needed to know what was behind the numbers.
I wanted to share with you the main lesson that the Lord taught me about numbers from the Scriptures – it came from the Book of Judges and the story of Gideon. Israel is under the oppression of the Midianites as well as the Amalekites and the people of the East – this is due to their doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord. The children of Israel cried out for help, and God responded by sending the Angel of the Lord to give a calling to Gideon to lead his men in gaining victory over the oppressors.
Now the numbers come into play. Gideon’s army, at the beginning of the story, numbered 32,000. We will learn that “the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.” Later in the story these metaphorical descriptions are partially quantified – there was 135,000 of just the people of the East.
Gideon is undoubtedly startled by God’s statement regarding the size of his army – at 32,000 – is too many for Him to the give the Midianites into Gideon’s armies’ hands, because they would take the credit for the victory. So in two steps, the army of 32,000 is pared down to 300. The numbers geek in me did the math – this makes the ratio of just the people of the East to Gideon’s lean mean fighting machine of 450 to 1! Well, we know the end of the story – God got the victory for His chosen people.
The point that I learned in college is the same as the one when I understood the story of Gideon – it’s not about the numbers. The basis of the lesson, though, was very different. In college, I learned I needed to know what was behind the numbers. In the Bible, I need to know Who is behind the numbers.
I’d like to think God is a “numbers guy” as well – but for very different reasons than I am. I believe He uses numbers to reveal Himself to us – to help us get some perspective on His greatness. Allow me to offer a couple more notable Bible stories tying the link of God’s power and personality to numbers:
- How many days did it take to finish creation? The number 7, by itself, doesn’t mean anything. However, in light of what was accomplished in just 7 days, we are forced to reckon with the majesty, creativity, and power of God
- How many people did Jesus feed? Feeding 5,000 people is no small task, but the fact that God wanted to point out that He did it with just 5 barley loaves and two fish makes us once again marvel at what God can do with so little.
The most profound numerical-based Scripture, for me, is found in today’s verse. One man – one very special God man – made a difference and changed the lives of millions.
Brothers and sisters – God doesn’t change and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Numbers don’t overwhelm God – He overwhelms them. It’s not about the numbers – it’s about Who is behind the numbers. It’s very easy to get caught up in the numbers. But it’s not the numbers we should be getting caught up in, it is the One behind the numbers to whom we should be getting caught up. We can always count on Him. Amen.