A list of holidays may not sound like it has much to teach us, but what we memorialize as a society shapes who we are. This deliberate pattern of recollection was intended to keep the people aware of what God had done and commanded.

While most of Numbers has been about laws that affect the whole community, today we read of how Moses and God take seriously the concern of five sisters at risk of losing their inheritance in a male-oriented culture.

The Bible often equates adultery with unfaithfulness to God. Today we read of how relations with foreign women caused Israelites to stray into idol worship.

While we know Balaam best for his talking donkey, he is also an example himself of God using unexpected channels to speak his word.

Jesus spoke of the time that Moses lifted up a bronze snake to save his people. Today we read about that event.

The time in the wilderness was an in-between time, when the familiar was gone and the Promised Land was not yet visible. Those can be some of the most stressful times of life.

Long before Jesus commands it, we see Moses actively loving his enemies and praying for those who persecute him.

This familiar verse is spoken by Moses, reminding God that God’s nature is to love and forgive, not to punish. It comes at a time when the people are giving in to fear and doubt: two of our most potent enemies.

It seems that the Israelites complained more when things were good than when there was real hardship. That sounds uncomfortably familiar.

After preparing the Tabernacle and setting up the sacrificial system, it’s now time for the long journey to begin.