At the LORD’s Command

5 min read

49 At the LORD’s command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry. Thus they were counted, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Numbers 4:49

There are a lot of details about the execution of the work of the tabernacle that we know nothing about, because the Bible hasn’t given us those details. However, a lot of the details have been revealed to us. And whenever I read about the work of the tabernacle, I cannot help feeling that the details that are given to us really have no relevance for my life.

But then, how do I reconcile that feeling with my understanding that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)?

So with respect to Numbers passage, I am reminded of Ephesians 2:10 that tells us:

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for us to do.

And so, the key phrase that stands out to me in Numbers 4:49 is “At the LORD’s command …” The goal of our Christian life is not to experience God in mind-blowing ways although, experiencing God in mind-blowing ways is often the catalyst of our Christian life. Rather, the goal of our Christian life is obedience … because there is good work to do—the good work that God has prepared in advance for us to do.

And although the word of God does not give us the details of what that good work is, it does give us a summary of what that good work is: to love God, love others, and bear witness to Jesus Christ here, there, and everywhere.

I often find people seeking a Mount Sinai experience. And I get that, because I love my Mount Sinai experiences too. But not many people naturally want to pursue the good work of taking possession of the promised land.

Or, when we find some people pursuing the good work of taking possession of the promised land, they often seem to lose sight of doing so “At the LORD’s command”—that is, with love.

The goal of every church ought to be to build up a culture where “At the LORD’s command” is our default mode, because “At the LORD’s command” is just the outworking of our joy in Christ Jesus.

At our very best, churches have a culture where the work of “taking possession of the promised land” (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-20) is just a part of the regular rhythms of our lives. And as we do that good work, we do so with “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control,” the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and especially love (1 Corinthians 13).

Father, You have given us Your word, according to Your sovereign grace. You have given us Your word so that we might live at Your command. Forgive me, and forgive us, when we make obedience to Your word a secondary priority for our lives. Continue to grow us in maturity, so that living at Your command would be the joy and highest priority of our lives. In Jesus’s name. Amen.