Do I Count?

"The LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: "Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one...These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel's army were counted according to their families. The total number was 603,550." Numbers 1:1-2 & 44-46

Many of you know that I am personally studying the life of Moses. Last week I started studying Numbers. Numbers is not a book that you pick up to leisurely read on the beach or to really "feel" moved, but it is scripture and therefore I know that God has something to teach us through it. But, what is it? I asked myself that question all week and today God is beginning to bring at least one lesson together for me.

Numbers begins with God commanding Moses to do a census of the people. God knew exactly how many people there were, so why did He have Moses do a census? For one, they needed to know. The Israelites had been slaves and now had to form an army. They needed to know how many men they had. But, I also think that it is recorded in scripture for another reason.

Scripture could have recorded that there were "approximately 600,000 men", but God did not choose for it to be that way. Scripture records that there were exactly "603,550" men that were able to fight in the army and that they represented each family. Later in Numbers, there is another census done for the Levites. What this says to me is that everyone matters. Everyone counts, and God wanted them to know it. These were God's people and they all mattered to Him. By counting them and recording it, He was showing them that they all had a place in His work.
We can look at God's relationship with them and apply it to our lives daily because we too are God's chosen people if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord.

Have you ever wondered if you mattered to God? Have you ever wondered if He sees you? Knows that you're there? Have you ever wondered if your life counts for anything? Through the little read book of Numbers, you can know that it does. You do count, and you matter to Him. You have a role in His kingdom and are ultimately a member of His army.