The List Is Life

These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt. Numbers 26, verse 4.

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. The list is life was written by Tim Gustafson and read by Stephen Tabor. Numbers chapter 26 verses 1 through 4 and also verses 20 through 22. After the plague, the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, Take a census of the whole Israelite community by families, all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of Israel. So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said, Take a census of the men twenty years old or more, as the Lord commanded Moses. These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt.

And now picking up at verse 20. The descendants of Judah by their clans were through Shelah, the Shelanite clan, through Perez, the Perizzite clan, through Zerah, the Zerahite clan. The descendants of Perez were through Hezron, the Hezronite clan, through Hamel, the Hamelite clan.

These were the clans of Judah. Those numbered were 76,500. The list is life, written by Tim Gustafson. Hunched over a manual typewriter, Itzhak Stern worked through the night, tapping out names, 1,098 in all. The names comprised a list of Jewish workers, protected from the Nazis by factory owner Oskar Schindler.

Clutching the document, Stern declared, The list is an absolute good. The list is life. Those names on its pages would survive the Holocaust.

In 2012, it was estimated that the descendants of the survivors numbered 8,500. The Bible contains its share of lists. We tend to skip them. Too many names, too much repetition.

We might even say today's reading from Numbers 26 is boring. The descendants of Judah by their clans were through Shelah, the Shelanite clan, through Perez, the Perizzite clan. Who cares?

God cares. These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt, says the historical record. Soon the people would inhabit the land promised to them. And one day, Messiah would come from the very clan of Judah. This list is life, not only for the Jewish people, but for all who trust in Jesus.

We know of Oskar Schindler's list from the powerful film Schindler's List and historical records. We know of God's great salvation from the story recorded for us in the Bible. As we read the scriptures, may His Spirit show us the worth of even the lists.

They have something to say to us, too. Would you pray with me? Lord, please help us to see the value of every part of your scriptures, even the lists that seem tedious. They are a testament to your faithfulness and the unfolding of your salvation. May your Spirit open our hearts to understand that every name, every lineage is part of the story that leads to the promise fulfilled in Christ. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. As you go about your day, reflect on these questions. What portions of the Bible are the most boring to you? How might you read even these sections with new eyes?