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The Message of Numbers

Through the desert

THE MESSAGE OF NUMBERS
By Raymond Brown
IVP. 308 pages. £9.99
ISBN 0 85111 491 1

For the arithmetically-challenged the very title of the book of Numbers strikes fear in the heart.

The warning in the title seems to be justified in the first few chapters as we are treated to what reads like an ancient demographer's database. This book is therefore a very welcome addition to my library. As with all Bible Speaks Today titles it is not so much a commentary as a series of expositions. It is extremely accessible and readable.

Raymond Brown's approach is to see Israel's journeying in the wilderness as a model for our spiritual journey as individuals and as God's church. The weakness of such an approach is that it tends to gloss over the unique contribution of Numbers in the story of salvation. The overarching theme of Numbers is that the promises made to Abraham (in Genesis 12, 15, etc.) are under threat because of Israel's sin. For instance God had promised that they would be as innumerable as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore (Genesis 22.17) but Israel can not only be counted, she actually decreases in number slightly as the story unfolds. Similarly the various threats to their inheritance of the land are important mainly because they threaten God's promise to Abraham 'to your offspring I will give this land' (Genesis 12.7). Brown's approach tends not to give the necessary emphasis to such biblical themes.

On the other hand, the approach of this book does give plenty of direction and pertinent application to today's world. There are times when the applications may be a little forced, but some imagination is essential if ancient narrative is to speak plainly to the 21st century.

If we want to really understand Numbers this book needs to be supplemented by other commentaries (perhaps starting with Peter Naylor's contribution in the New Bible Commentary) but it is a thoroughly good read and full of food for thought. I recommend it - even if you are arithmetically-challenged!

Peter Comont,
Magdalen Road Church, Oxford.