A letter of apology to Numbers

Day 52

OT Reading: Numbers 5-6

NT Reading: Mark 4:1-20

Numbers I need to confess, I've been wrong about you. I admit Numbers, that to this point I have been dreading picking you up on a nightly basis. I have openly proclaimed the joys of skimming your pages to my blog readers (both of them), with the intent of helping us drudge through your immense lists as quickly and painlessly as possible. On Day 38 I even wrote an entire post focusing on how much I dreaded reading you and your friends Leviticus and Deuteronomy. That is how much I have not looked forward to reading you.

Not to say that I ever thought you unimportant Numbers. I mean, you are in the Bible and all. It's just that, well, I have always found you rather dull. I mean, to the people alive at the time you were written, I'm sure you stood as a bulwark of knowledge. For them you tied together generations of genealogies, you held important details about the worship of God and you even served civic purposes like the census I read about the other day. But to be honest, in the grand scheme of things I saw you like the chess club of the Bible. Very intelligent but interesting enough to show up at the prom alone wearing a matching pocket-protector, bow-tie and suspenders.

But then today you went and surprised me. Today I gathered up my Bible and buckled myself in for another blitzkrieg session through a few of your pages. And as I began to read something amazing took place. I actually learned something!

That is right Numbers. You proved to me that you are by no means just a numbers guy. (Sorry Numbers, I could not resist the pun.) Today you showed me that your skills and contents even venture into the legal proceedings of the day. I admit that I had no idea about the whole, "if a man suspects his wife is cheating" thing. And Numbers, I saw that you even have poetry. Poetry! I never would have expected that from you Numbers. That beneath the piles of statistics and lists you would really be a big softie underneath.

So I'm sorry Numbers. I'm sorry for completely overlooking you in the past and overshadowing you with your bigger, or more interesting brothers. Don't get me wrong, I realize you are still primarily a numbers guy (again...sorry with the pun...I just can't help myself). But you have shown that every now and then I will receive a glimpse beyond the data. And if I keep looking you will occasionally show me bits and pieces of things that really matter.

Sincerely,

Mark