Numbers 1:4-16

A man of every tribe: every one head of the house of his fathers.

Bank and service

I. Co-operation in divine service.

1. The toil of Moses and Aaron would be lessened.

2. The accomplishment of the task would be facilitated.

3. The envy of the princes would be prevented. Grumblers are seldom found among the workers of the Church.

II. Society’s need of leaders.

1. Because they are at present indispensable to social order and progress. Certain objects of utmost importance to society cannot possibly be attained without cohesion of purpose and effort on the part of a large number of men, and such cohesion is impossible without leaders. “Amongst the masses,” says Guizot, “even in revolutions, aristocracy must ever exist; destroy it in nobility, and it becomes centred in the rich and powerful Houses of the Commons. Pull them down, and it still survives in the master and foreman of the workshop.”

2. Because of the differences in the faculties of men. These men were “princes” from, the nobility of their birth: and they were probably men distinguished also for their abilities. “We must have kings,” says Emerson, “we must have nobles; nature is always providing such in every society; only let us have the real instead of the titular. In every society, some are born to rule, and some to advise. The chief is the chief all the world over, only not his cap and plume. It is only this dislike of the pretender which makes men sometimes unjust to the true and finished man.”

III. The grand characteristic of true leaders. They are pre-eminent in service. (W Jones.)

These are the names of the men.--

The Lord knows the number and the names of all who belong to Him

As this book of Moses beareth the title of Numbers, so a great part of it is spent in numbering of the people, to assure us that God hath numbered those that are His, and none escape His knowledge or sight. The Lord knoweth perfectly who they are that are His, both what their numbers and what their names are (1 Kings 19:10; 1 Kings 19:18; Romans 11:3; Psalms 147:5; Isaiah 40:26). The reasons are not hard to be gathered.

1. The knowledge of God is so exact and perfect that most secret things are known and the smallest are regarded of Him.

2. Christ Jesus setteth forth Himself as the true Shepherd of His sheep. A shepherd knoweth his own sheep.

3. All His people are evermore present with Him, wheresoever they be; yea, albeit they be absent from Him.

Uses:

1. This giveth singular comfort to all God’s children, if anything else be able to minister them comfort. If an earthly prince should vouchsafe to look upon us, and single us out from the rest, and call us by our names, how would we rejoice, and how much would we esteem that the king would stoop so low as to know us? Do we live as contemptible persons to the men of this world? and will they not once vouchsafe to know us? Let not this trouble us, we cannot sink down in destruction; but rather let us lift up our heads, assuring ourselves that albeit they turn themselves from us, yet God looketh upon us: and though they seek to root out our names from the earth, yet He will know us and call us by our names.

2. We may gather from hence the wretched state of all the ungodly. For as it is a great part of the comfort of all God’s children that He will know them; who, as they have a regard to know God in this life, to know Him in His word and other means appointed for their salvation, so shall they be known of God in His kingdom, and acknowledged before the angels in heaven: so this is not the least of the misery belonging unto all that work iniquity, that God will not know them. Though He know them by the general knowledge of His power and providence, yet He will not see them with the eye of His pity, nor touch them with the hand of His favour, nor hear them with the ear of His bounty, nor speak unto them with the mouth of His goodness, nor compass them with the arm of His protection, nor come unto them with the feet of His presence, nor behold them with the face and countenance of His lovingkindness. Can there be a more miserable condition described and felt than this is?

3. Seeing all that are God’s are numbered of Him, and have their names written in His book, this serveth to seal up the assurance of our salvation and election to eternal life (2 Timothy 2:19).

4. Seeing the Lord knoweth us, it is our duty also to seek to know Him in all love and obedience. We must all of us begin to know Him here in this life, that we may know Him perfectly in the life to come. Here we must see Him as it were through a glass darkly, that hereafter we may see Him face to face fully. If we do not know Him in His word and sacraments, we shall never know Him in His kingdom. This knowledge of God necessarily required of us consisteth in these points following--

(1) We must confess Him to be the Sovereign and Highest Good, in comparison of whom all things are reputed as nothing, being as dross and nothing to be desired with Him.

(2) It behoveth us to depend upon Him, and to put our whole trust in Him alone, not in any man or angel: for then we make flesh our strength, and so lean upon a broken staff that cannot stay us, but will deceive us.

(3) We must draw near unto Him in time of need, as to the fountain of all goodness, with all reverence and humility craving all things of Him by hearty and fervent prayer. If we call upon Him, He hath promised to reveal Himself unto us.

(4) We must give Him thanks for all blessings received from Him, not only in prosperity, but in adversity.

(5) We must seek the knowledge of His ways and word, and increase in the knowledge thereof, which bringeth us to eternal life. As we grow forward in knowledge, so we grow forward unto life: and when our knowledge shall be perfected, then our life shall be perfected in the next world. Lastly, we must yield obedience unto Him and His word. (W. Attersoll.)

God’s knowledge of His people

I. The great truth here implied. God knows His people individually and altogether.

1. This is philosophical. If God is infinite, He must know all things. Nothing can be so great as to surpass His comprehension; nothing so small as to escape His notice.

2. This is Scriptural. (1 Kings 19:14; Psalms 1:6; Psalms 56:8; Psalms 147:3; Isaiah 40:26; Malachi 3:16; Matthew 6:25; Matthew 10:29; John 10:3; John 10:14; John 10:27; Philippians 4:3; 2 Timothy 2:19; Revelation 3:5; Revelation 21:27).

II. The practical bearings of this great truth.

1. To restrain from sin.

2. To promote sincerity of life.

3. To promote humility.

4. To quicken reverence towards God.

5. To comfort the godly under reverses. (W. Jones.)

They declared their pedigrees.--

The pedigree declared

“Can I declare my pedigree?” It is greatly to be feared there are hundreds, if not thousands, of professing Christians who are wholly incompetent to do so. They cannot say with clearness and decision, “Now are we the sons of God” (1 John 3:2). “Ye are all the children of God,” &c. “And if ye are Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed,” &c. (Galatians 3:26; Galatians 3:29). “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God,” &c. (Romans 8:14; Romans 8:16). This is the Christian’s “pedigree,” and it is his privilege to be able to “declare” it (cf. John 3:5; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23; Ephesians 5:26). The believer traces his pedigree directly up to a risen Christ in glory. His genealogical tree strikes its roots into the soil of the new creation. Death can never break the line, inasmuch as it is formed in resurrection. We can easily see, from this chapter, how essential it was that every member of the congregation of Israel should be able to declare his pedigree. Uncertainty on this point would have proved disastrous; it would have produced hopeless confusion. We can hardly imagine an Israelite, when called to declare his pedigree, expressing himself in the doubtful manner adopted by many Christians nowadays. We cannot conceive his saying, “Well, I am not quite sure. Sometimes I cherish the hope that I am of the stock of Israel; but at other times I am full of fear that I do not belong to the congregation of the Lord at all. I am all in uncertainty and darkness.” Much less could we imagine any one maintaining the monstrous notion that no one could possibly be sure as to whether he was a true Israelite or not until the day of judgment. Now, may we not legitimately ask, “If a Jew could be certain as to his pedigree, why may not a Christian be certain as to his?” We would urge this point at the outset. It is impossible for any one to recognise and rally round the proper “standard” unless he can declare his “pedigree.” Progress in wilderness life--success in spiritual warfare, is out of the question if there be any uncertainty as to the spiritual pedigree. We must be able to say, “We know that we have passed from death unto life,” “We believe and are sure,” ere there can be any real advance in the life and walk of a Christian. We do not mean to say you cannot be saved without this. God forbid we should say any such thing. But we ask, Are such able to go forth to war? They cannot even know what true conflict is; on the contrary, persons of this class mistake their doubts and fears, their dark and cloudy seasons, for true Christian conflict. It is when we stand in the clear daylight of God’s full salvation--salvation in a risen Christ--that we really enter upon the warfare proper to us as Christians. (C. H. Mackintosh.)

An honest pedigree:

Dr. Livingstone, the famous explorer, was descended from the Highlanders, and he said that one of his ancestors, one of the Highlanders, one day called his family around him. The Highlander was dying; he had his children around his death-bed. He said, “Now, my lads, I have looked all through our history as far back as I can find it, and I have never found a dishonest man in all the line, and I want you to understand you inherit good blood. You have no excuse for doing wrong. My lads, be honest.”