Read: Numbers 26:1-51; Luke 2:36-52; Psalm 60:1-12; Proverbs 11:15
The children of Israel had just been cleansed of the people who served false gods. They were at the entrance of the promised land when God told Moses to take a census of all the men able to go to war twenty years old and older. These lists may be boring to read but I took one of the smallest tribes - Asher, and broke it down by the meaning of the peoples names. This is the meaning of verses 44-47: The people of Asher were happy and prosperous by the work of their hands. God justified the evil done to them in their past and made them a company whose king was God. In the end their service was measured and found fully matured into the image of God.
That is what names and numbers can tell us. Every name and number means something. We are living out our story and our family line is fulfilling the prophecy of our family. What we do greatly affects the next generation and our family line.
In Luke, Mary and Joseph met the second witness who was the prophetess, Anna. Jesus said in Matthew 18:16 that in the mouth of two or three witnesses were word may be established. Simeon and Anna were their two witnesses to confirm who Jesus was.
Every year, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for the Passover but on Jesus’ twelfth visit he would have been at the age where boys joined the business of their fathers. Jesus spoke prophetically when he asked his parents, “didn’t you know that I would be about my father’s business?” His business was God’s temple and his father was God.
Jesus submitted to his parents and came home where he grew in wisdom and stature with God and man in obscurity until it was time to came out and present himself to the world.
Lord, help us to see that our lives are important not only to our time but for generations to come. May we add blessings to our family for now and for the future.
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