Subject: why so hard to understand |
Bible Note: Mat, it would be perhaps easier to approach your question armed with specific knowledge of the problem you are having with understnding the Book of Numbers. Lacking such knowledge, however, I'll venture a stab at it and hope that at least part of what I am going to say will be helpful to you. ....... I'd never thought of the book as presenting interpretative challenges that were unusually difficult. I could name several books of Scripture that strike me as more difficult to grasp than Numbers. I'll grant you that it's easy enough to get bogged down in the numberings of Chapters 1 and 26, but the thrust of the book really centers around the wilderness wanderings of Israel, chiefly those wandering years from the time they left Sinai until they arrived at the river Jordan. God had redeemed Israel from Egypt's slavers, had delivered them from the "house of bondage." He gave them the Law at Sinai. He had given them in Moses an exceptionally gifted leader. Moreover, they were supernaturally guided by daytime cloud and night-time pillar of fire. With all these things to their credit, Israel had every possible reason to march triumphantly in the pefect will of God to the promised land. But instead they failed miserably and repeatedly, and this Book of Numbers records their failures. ...... With this very brief background sketch, perhaps you will be able to approach this fourth book of the Pentateuch with less trepidaion and with greater confidence, the better to understand what you read. ...... The first five books of the Bible comprise the Pentateuch, or Torah, and I've always maintained that it is best to view these books of the Torah as a unit. Therefore, to read the Torah as a unit will enhance your understanding of Numbers, putting the book in a broader context. Of equal or greater importance, your becoming well acquainted with the Torah will give you an invaluable background, a foundational knowledge, as it were, that will greatly aid your understanding of all the rest of Scripture. ..... Additionally, you may indeed be helped by availing yourself of a Bible dictionary and a reliable study Bible or two, and pehaps a non-technical commentary. The "King James Study Bible" (Nelson) and "MacArthur Study Bible" (Word/Zondervan) have some good notes on Numbers, and both of these publications are conservative and reliable. For a brief, non-techical commentary on Numbers, try volume 3 of "Layman's Bible Book Commentary" (Broadman Press). ..... Well, perhaps these tips will help you to get into Numbers and read this portion of God's word with greater understanding. But most of all, enter into your study of this book, and of all 65 of the other books of Scripture, with prayer for illumination by their Author. ...... You will notice that I have not attempted to address your original question as written, which was, "Why is (the book of Numbers) so hard to understand?" The question is assumptive and, frankly, assumptive questions should never be asked -- or answered -- on this Forum. The question that you originally asked in the form that you asked it assumes a fact which may or may not be true at all, or it could be true for A but not true for B. As a general rule, most regular users of this Forum, including this respondent, are extremely reluctant to address assumptive questions. ..... Let's say for the sake of argument that the Book of Numbers IS hard to understand. And you asked why it was so hard to understand. But is that what you really wanted to know? Didn't you, in fact, want to find out ways that might serve to help you understand the book better than you have been able to understand it thus far? So, without being assumptive at all, you could frame your question (request) something like this: "I am having difficulty in understanding the Book of Numbers and would appreciate suggestions that may help me to understand the book better." A request such as this is far more likely to pull positive responses and fetch you the information you are seeking than asking why the book is so hard to understand. For example, I was tempted (though obviously did not yield) to dismiss your original question with the answer, "Because it's written in Hebrew." :-) ...... God bless you, friend, and I encourage you to keep plugging away, examining the Scriptures daily, just as the Bereans did in Acts 17:11. Because all Scripture is...(see 2 Timothy 3:16), and we are commanded to... (see 2 Timothy 2:15) --Hank |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Bible general Archive 3 | Author | ||
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Jered | ||
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Marathonman1025 | ||
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Muzka | ||
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ken.ammah@inspace.co.uk | ||
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ken.ammah@inspace.co.uk | ||
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justolneetor | ||
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Theology PHD | ||
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matttt33 | ||
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Hank | ||
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matttt33 | ||
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Hank | ||
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johnetareed | ||
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panicdope |