The Fourth Book of the Bible
When you and I are faced with hardships and sufferings, we can either
complain, bemoan, begrudge, and wallow in our woes, or we can turn to God in
prayer, asking Him for what we truly need…
The Book of
Numbers, like Leviticus, is not the easier section of Sacred Scripture to read
through from the first to the last chapter. But this fourth book of the Bible
is actually more like Exodus, because the Book of Numbers combines a register
of Jewish laws with a narrative of history, recounting the wandering
Israelites' trek through the desert from Mt. Sinai to the edge of the Promised
Land, over a period of about 38 years!
This book of 36
chapters can be divided into three sections. The first part, 1:1-10:10, begins
with the census of the Israelites (this "numbering," in fact,
accounts for the book's rather drab title) and includes the other final
activities in the Sinai region. The second part, 10:11-22:1, relates the
departure from Sinai and some of the major subsequent events during the
wanderings through the wilderness. Finally, the third part, 22:2-36:13,
recounts what took place on the plains of Moab as the Israelites finally
approached the border of the Promised Land.
The complaints of
the Israelites mentioned in today's first reading probably sound a bit familiar
(cf. readings and reflection for July 22). The Israelites moaned about their
slavery in Egypt, and God rescued them from their bondage. Then they moaned
about their hunger, and God gave them manna. They grumbled about their thirst,
and God gave them water from the rock. They murmured about the monotony of
their diet of manna, and God gave them more meat than they could stomach (cf.
11:20).
Now clearly, in all
these cases, the Israelites were saddled with very real hardships and
sufferings, and so it was justifiable for them to turn to God for help and
relief, but that's not what they did! Read the texts again, and note that the
Israelites were not praying to God about their needs, they were just
complaining bitterly among themselves! It was Moses who re-voiced their
complaints in prayer - often, his prayer was peppered with his own complaints,
but at least it was prayer, turning to God for mercy, instead of just festering
in self-pity.
When you and I are
faced with hardships and sufferings, we can either complain, bemoan, begrudge,
and wallow in our woes, or we can turn to God in prayer, asking Him for what we
truly need: strength to bear our crosses, friends to share our crosses, and
most of all, our Lord to take care of our crosses....