The Danger Of The Number Game

SERMON OUTLINE

• 💭 Consider this: In what ways do you measure your success by numbers (achievements, possessions, social status)? How does this influence your sense of identity and worth? Knowing that your value is given by God (1 Cor 6:20), how should your perspective change?
• I. The Price Of Redemption
• II. The Lesson Of Redemption

TRANSCRIPT

Tonight, we will continue our study from the book of Exodus, and we have come to Exodus 30:11-16. In life, we tend to count everything we have—from the number of degrees, the number of houses, the amount of money we have in the bank, to the number of achievements we have accomplished throughout our lifetimes. The more numbers we have in many of those things, the more successful we are. This is what we call the "number game," and this is the spiritual lesson we want to learn from this passage in Exodus 30:11-16.

The title of our message is The Danger of the Number Game. But what is so dangerous about the number game? Needless to say, it will lead to pride, jealousy, envy, and a whole lot of other things. But if it is so dangerous, why did God command Moses to count the number of people in Israel?

I. The Price Of Redemption

The first lesson we can learn is that God wants to remind the people of the price of redemption. Beginning with verse 11 and 12: "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them."

The phrase "takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number" means to take a census or to take a head count of the number of people according to their different tribes. It is not uncommon for nations to take a census. Most nations would take a census every now and then—that is how we know the number of people living in a particular country. For example, we know there are about 26 million people living in Australia, 334 million people living in the United States, and 1.4 billion people living in China. How would we know the number of people unless we take a census or do a head count, right?

So, first and foremost, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with doing a head count or taking a census. The problem is with the motivation. Why do we want to count or number the things we have? That is where the problem lies.

Here, God commanded Moses to take a census and count the number of the children of Israel. As Moses counted the people, each of them had to pay the price for their own sins or their own souls unto the Lord. The word "ransom" means to redeem. In other words, they had to pay a price for the redemption of their souls.

And there was a serious punishment for failing to pay the ransom price. Any person who failed to pay the ransom price would be afflicted with plagues like the ones God sent against Pharaoh of Egypt. So, it was a serious business—it was a matter of life and death.

The way the ransom price was paid and the way the census was to be administered were described in verses 13-15. First, let us look at verse 13: "This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord."

The phrase "after the shekel of the sanctuary" means according to how much the shekel was worth in the sanctuary. In those days, a shekel was not a coin but a weight or a unit of measure. The word "gerah" was the smallest unit of weight. In our modern-day calculation, one gerah is about half a gram, so half a shekel was about five grams.

According to verse 16, all the money collected was to be used for the service of the Tabernacle. It could mean for the construction as well as the maintenance of the Tabernacle. Most likely, the shekel was made of silver. According to Exodus 12:37, there were about 600,000 men who crossed the Red Sea. If we take that number and each of them paid about five grams of silver, the total amount would be three tons of silver. That was a lot of money.

One theologian made this interesting observation that the foundations of the Tabernacle were made of silver. Remember, the posts of the Tabernacle rested on bases made of pure silver. So, whenever the Israelites saw the Tabernacle, they would remember that the house of God—the place where they gathered to worship God—rested on the price that was paid for their redemption. In other words, it was on the basis that they had been redeemed that they were able to worship God.

Verse 14: "Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord." Interestingly, the only people counted were males above 20 years old. So, they were counting the men old enough to fight—men who would serve as military combatants. This was confirmed in Numbers 1:3: "From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou Moses and Aaron shall number them by their armies."

Soon, the children of Israel would be commanded to enter the Promised Land, and they had to fight against the Canaanites living in the land. So, it was only right for them to count the number of fighting men.

The children of Israel were gathered in one place, and as each of them was being numbered and the ransom price was being paid, one by one they would cross over to the other side. That was how the price of redemption and the way the census was administered. But it was not merely for the sake of counting the number of fighting men. More significantly, there were important spiritual lessons for them to learn and remember for life.

II. The Lesson Of Redemption

This brings us to our second point: The Lesson of Redemption. Look at verse 15: "The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls."

Although we see the phrase "to make an atonement for your souls," it does not mean that the payment of half a shekel was the price they had to pay for their souls. No amount of money could ever pay or redeem the souls of men. As we have learned through the previous chapters, the atonement of sins came only through the offering of the blood of a sacrificial animal.

Everyone in Israel had already received atonement through the sin offering made on the altar of sacrifice. That act of faith—believing in the sacrificial animal and the shedding of its blood—pointed to the ultimate Lamb of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and shed His precious blood on the cross of Calvary. By faith, the Old Testament saints looked forward to the cross, and by faith, the New Testament saints—including you and I—look backward to the cross. It is always the cross of Jesus Christ that brings salvation.

If the price of half a shekel was not the price of atonement, why then did God use the phrase "to make an atonement for your souls"? The next verse explains it to us, verse 16 says: "And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation;”— which means to use it for construction or maintenance of the tabernacle—”that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls."

The half shekel was known as the atonement money. Although it did not atone for their sins, it served as a memorial unto the children of Israel—a memorial is a remembrance or reminder of something done in the past. So by paying the ransom price, the atonement money, they were reminded of their redemption. They were reminded of several things.

Firstly, they were reminded of God's deliverance from the punishment of the plagues. This generation of Israelites had witnessed the plagues that God had sent against Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and they had to be constantly reminded to acknowledge, believe, and obey God in order to be spared from any such future plagues.

Secondly, they were reminded of God's great salvation work. It was not because of their righteousness or any good works they had done, nor because they were a great nation. In fact, they were slaves in Egypt when God delivered them. It was only by the grace of God that they were saved.

Thirdly, since they were saved only by the grace of God alone, then they were all equal in the sight of God, no matter who they were. That was the reason why the rich must not give more than half a shekel and the poor must not give less than half a shekel. So, whether they were rich or poor, they had to pay the same amount.

No doubt, even in the wilderness, some Israelites were more well-off than others, and when they entered into the Promised Land, this diversity of wealth would be even more obvious. But no one was worth any more or any less than anyone else. They were all children of the Almighty God, just as we are all children of the Almighty God. Isn't that a most comforting thought?

As the children of God, no matter what nationality we belong to, whether we live in a big mansion or in a rented apartment, whether we have a big bank account or we have no savings at all, we are all equal in the sight of God. This wonderful truth was also taught in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "For ye are bought with a price", and what was the price? It was the precious blood of Jesus Christ. It was Christ who paid the price for our redemption. Therefore, no matter who you are, as a child of God bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

Dear friend, this is how you and I should perceive our lives as Christians. We are bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, no matter who we are, and we ought to use our bodies with all the resources that God has blessed us with to glorify the one who died and shed His precious blood to save us.

Remember, the title of our message is ‘The Danger of the Number Game’. There was this classic example in the Bible about this danger of the number game, and it was found in the life of King David. There was a time in David's life when his kingdom grew so strong and powerful that he decided to take a census to do a headcount of the number of soldiers in his massive army. His faithful commander Joab strongly objected to his decision to do that, and he said in 2 Samuel 24:3, "Now the Lord thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?"

In other words, ‘It was God who had increased the number of people in your kingdom so much, even a hundred times, and you have seen it with your own eyes. Why do you want to take delight in this thing? Why do you want to take pleasure or be proud of something that you did not do, when it was all God's doing? Why do you want to take the credit for himself?’

But against the wise counsel of Joab, David wanted to know how big his army was. He was like saying, "Well, I want to see how many soldiers I have. I want to know how powerful my army is. I cannot even imagine the number of soldiers I have. Most likely, I have the biggest army in the whole world!" Why do you think David behaved like that? Because he was caught in a number game. He had forgotten that whatever he had came from God, and he had become proud, which was his downfall.

The consequence of his sin was so serious that God gave him three choices: You either face seven years of famine in the land, or three months of relentless pursuit by your enemies, or three days of pestilence in the land. David realised that he had sinned against God because of his pride, and this time around he made the right choice. He said, ‘Though I know this is a very difficult choice, I would rather fall into the hands of God rather than into the hands of men, because His mercies are great.’ (2 Samuel 24:14)

And indeed, great God was merciful. God sent a pestilence upon the land of Israel from morning to night, from Dan to Beersheba, and 70,000 men died. Now, that was just how serious the sin of pride was. That was just how serious the danger of this number game was.

Dear friend, if David could fall into this sin, how much more you and I can fall into the sin of the number game? I'm not referring to taking an inventory of how much we have for the sake of planning wisely for the future. Even then, you and I must bear in mind that only God alone is in control of our future, and everything we have comes from Him. But I'm referring to numbering the things we have in a proud sense, taking credit for the things we have done. When we do that, it is an act of authority, and it comes with an assumption. We feel that we own everything we have, and we have the authority to count what is rightfully ours.

We assume that it is our hands that have brought in all these blessings, like the rich fool who says to himself, ‘Look at the amount of food and grains I have accumulated in my barns. The number is so great that my present barns cannot hold all the stocks. I will build bigger barns so that I will be able to store up my future stocks.’ (Luke 12:16-18)

When he did that, he was taking upon himself the authority that he could number what was rightfully his. It was his hands and his hard work that had brought in all these blessings. He was assuming that there would be future blessings as well. He became so proud that he said to himself, ‘Then I will say to my soul, Eat, drink, and be merry, because there is plenty.’ (Luke 12:16-19)

When in reality, he was being presumptuous, and he had absolutely no authority at all to do that. His problem was not in making plans for the future; his problem was not acknowledging God for what He had done in his life. And in the process of making future plans, there was no mention of God at all. It was only about him and him alone. And God said to him, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" (Luke 12:20).

Dear friend, who has the right to number the things we have? Only God alone. Naked we come into this world, and naked we will leave this world. And if we truly believe in this truth, then whatever we have accumulated in between, during our lifetime, does not belong to us. We are just stewards of what God has entrusted into our care. The truth of the matter is that only God alone has the right to count. And God says, ‘All these things are mine, and I have entrusted them into your care. I have assigned them to you, and I want you to be good stewards, and I want you to use them for my glory.’

This danger of the number game is not a joking matter. It is a temptation to everyone. It is a temptation to the churches. There are pastors who are always concerned about the number of church memberships. They are always counting the latest attendance figures. While such information may be useful—it is important for us to keep track of the number of people attending and leaving the church—we want to know the reasons, we want to know how to help them, we want to know what they are lacking, we want to know the problems they are facing so we can do a better job for the glory of God. But when we go around comparing the number of people attending our church with other churches, that is the danger of the number game.

There are people who are very concerned about the number of people in their fellowship groups, the number of spiritual gifts they have, the number of spiritual activities they are engaged in—so much so that they start to compare their services with others. That is the danger of the number game.

It is a temptation to individuals as well. There are some people who are very concerned about their own achievements and accomplishments, whether it be the amount of money they have, or the size of their portfolios, or the many investments they have made, or the results they obtained in their examinations. They keep checking to see how they are doing and how others are doing. When they are doing well and others are not doing just as well, they are happy and proud. When they realise that they are not doing well and others are better than them, they are sad and jealous. They keep counting because they base their self-worth and value on what they have and what they have done.

This is the danger of the number game. God does not want you and me to do that. He wants us to be reminded that everything we are and everything we have belongs to Him. He wants us to be reminded that He has bought us with the death and the shedding of the precious blood of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. We belong to Him not only by creation but also by redemption. He has redeemed us. We owe our lives to Him now and forever.

So rather than taking credit to ourselves and claiming the right to live any way we want, we must always remember that as believers, we are bought with a price, and we belong to God, and we must live for His glory. Our true worth is in the price that Jesus has paid on the cross of Calvary to redeem us. This is not a value that we place on ourselves, but it is a value that God has placed on us.

There may be some people who feel so worthless and useless. Perhaps today you are weak and frail, and you think to yourself, "Well, what can I do? I am so worthless and useless." Well, you need to be reminded of the great price that God has paid for your redemption. Whether we are male or female, young or old, white or black, rich or poor, the same price was paid for all of us. As far as our salvation is concerned, as far as our eternal home is concerned, we are all equal in the sight of the Almighty God.

Because Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour, Heaven is our eternal home. We must never, never be caught in the number game of this world. May the Lord teach us and have mercy on us if we have been caught in the number game like King David was at one point in his life. May we always render glory and praise to the only One who is worthy of all praise, glory, and honour—our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Let us pray: Our Father in heaven, indeed once again we have come and continue to study the book of Exodus. And even as we consider the children of Israel, how Thou hast commanded Moses to take a census, we realise that only Thou alone hast the right to count. Everything we have and everything we are belongs to Thee. Only Thou alone, who art in control of all things, including our lives, hast the right to count.

Who are we, when our lives are just like a vapour? It appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. Who are we to be so proud to count the things we have done, to take credit for the achievements and accomplishments that we have done, knowing that it is all because of Thee? Thou art the one who hast given us the strength to do the work set before us. Only Thou alone hast the authority to count everything. And let us not assume upon ourselves that we own everything we have. We are but just stewards of the bountiful blessings that Thou hast showered upon our lives.

Once again, Thou hast reminded us—naked we come, and naked we will go. Everything in between does not belong to us. We are just stewards, and we want to be faithful stewards of the bountiful blessings that Thou hast showered upon our lives. So, as we learn about this danger of the number game, may Thou remind us and help us to apply it into our lives. Because as humans, we always forget. We give Thee thanks, and we pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

THE BOOK OF EXODUS

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

God’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To Pass

Exodus 1:1-7

From Prosperity to Persecution

From Prosperity to Persecution

Exodus 1:8-14

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

God’s Protection in the Midst of Adversities

Exodus 1:15-21

The Faith of Jochebed

The Faith of Jochebed

Exodus 1:22-2:10

Moses in Egypt

Moses in Egypt

Exodus 2:11-15

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Moses in the Desert of Midian

Exodus 2:16-25

Moses and the Burning Bush

Moses and the Burning Bush

Exodus 3:1-9

Who Are You?

Who Are You?

Exodus 3:10-15

Who Am I?

Who Am I?

Exodus 3:10-15

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

God’s Message to Israel and Egypt

Exodus 3:16-22

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

What If They Still Don’t Believe?

Exodus 4:1-9

Send Someone Else

Send Someone Else

Exodus 4:10-17

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Moses’ Return to Egypt

Exodus 4:18-20

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got Worse

Exodus 5:10-21

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble Comes

Exodus 5:22-6:5

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Having to Learn the Same Lesson Twice

Exodus 6:6-12

Faithful or Unfaithful

Faithful or Unfaithful

Exodus 6:13-27

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and Obedience

Exodus 6:28-7:7

The First Plague - The River of Blood

The First Plague - The River of Blood

Exodus 7:14-25

The Second Plague - The Frogs

The Second Plague - The Frogs

Exodus 8:1-15

The Third Plague

The Third Plague

Exodus 8:16-19

The Fourth Plague

The Fourth Plague

Exodus 8:20-32

The Fifth Plague

The Fifth Plague

Exodus 9:1-7

The Sixth Plague

The Sixth Plague

Exodus 9:8-12

The Seventh Plague

The Seventh Plague

Exodus 9:13-35

The Eighth Plague

The Eighth Plague

Exodus 10:1-20

The Tenth Plague

The Tenth Plague

Exodus 11:1-10

The First Passover

The First Passover

Exodus 12:1-13

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

The Feast of the Unleavened Bread

Exodus 12:14-28

Departure From Egypt

Departure From Egypt

Exodus 12:29-42

This Do In Remembrance of Me

This Do In Remembrance of Me

Exodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!

Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12

Redemption and Consecration

Redemption and Consecration

Exodus 13:1-2, 11-16

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Exodus 13:17-22

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Between the Desert and the Red Sea

Exodus 14:1-14

Crossing the Red Sea

Crossing the Red Sea

Exodus 14:15-31

The Song of Praise

The Song of Praise

Exodus 15:1-21

Will You Obey Or Not?

Will You Obey Or Not?

Exodus 15:22-27

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

The Danger of a Complaining Spirit

Exodus 16:1-3

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

God’s Response to Israel’s Complaints

Exodus 16:1-10

The Test of Faith

The Test of Faith

Exodus 16:11-20

Lessons About the Sabbath

Lessons About the Sabbath

Exodus 16:21-36

Do Not Test God

Do Not Test God

Exodus 17:1-17

Lift Up Your Hands

Lift Up Your Hands

Exodus 17:8-16

The Blessedness of Reunion

The Blessedness of Reunion

Exodus 18:1-12

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Why Do We Have Leaders?

Exodus 18:13-27

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

I Will Carry You On Eagles’ Wings

Exodus 19:1-6

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Approach God Fearlessly or Fearfully

Exodus 19:7-15

God Reached Out And Spoke

God Reached Out And Spoke

Exodus 19:16-25

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods

Exodus 20:1-3

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Thou Shalt Not Make Graven Images

Exodus 20:4-6

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s Name

Exodus 20:7

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath Day

Exodus 20:8-11

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Honour Thy Father And Thy Mother

Exodus 20:12

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Thou Shalt Not Kill

Exodus 20:13

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Exodus 20:14

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Exodus 20:15

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Thou Shalt Not Lie

Exodus 20:16

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Thou Shalt Not Covet

Exodus 20:17

The Response To The Ten Commandments

The Response To The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20:18-21

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

How God Wants Us To Worship Him

Exodus 20:22-26

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Why Would God Allow Slavery?

Exodus 21:1-11

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life

The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a life

Exodus 21:12-17

The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eye

The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eye

Exodus 21:18-36

The Punishment Deters The Crime — property laws

The Punishment Deters The Crime — property laws

Exodus 22:1-15

The Character Of God

The Character Of God

Exodus 22:16-20

Reaching Out To The Down-And-Out

Reaching Out To The Down-And-Out

Exodus 22:21-24

The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of God

The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of God

Exodus 22:25-31

Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But Truth

Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But Truth

Exodus 23:1-9

Remember Who God Is

Remember Who God Is

Exodus 23:10-19

What Must We Do To Have Victory

What Must We Do To Have Victory

Exodus 23:20-33

How We Ought To Worship God

How We Ought To Worship God

Exodus 24:1-4, 7

On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?

On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?

Exodus 24:4-8

Responding To God’s Invitation

Responding To God’s Invitation

Exodus 24:9-18

The Right Attitude Of Giving

The Right Attitude Of Giving

Exodus 25:1-8

There I Will Meet You

There I Will Meet You

Exodus 25:9-22

Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?

Physical Or Spiritual Bread, Which Is More Important?

Exodus 25:23-30

Let Your Light So Shine Before Men

Let Your Light So Shine Before Men

Exodus 25:31-40

The Veil That Separates

The Veil That Separates

Exodus 26:1-37

A Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A Thousand

A Day In Thy Court Is Better Than A Thousand

Exodus 27:1-19

Who Can Represent Us Before God?

Who Can Represent Us Before God?

Exodus 27:20-28:14

How Can We Know God’s Will?

How Can We Know God’s Will?

Exodus 28:15-30

Is Our Worship Attire Really Important?

Is Our Worship Attire Really Important?

Exodus 28:31-43

The Ordination Of Priests

The Ordination Of Priests

Exodus 29:1-21

The Provision For Priests

The Provision For Priests

Exodus 29:22-29

Remind Us For We Always Forget

Remind Us For We Always Forget

Exodus 29:36-46

Sweet Hour Of Prayer

Sweet Hour Of Prayer

Exodus 30:1-10

The Danger Of The Number Game

The Danger Of The Number Game

Exodus 30:11-16

The Importance Of Sanctification

The Importance Of Sanctification

Exodus 30:17-21

The Anointing Of Oil

The Anointing Of Oil

Exodus 30:21-38

No Such Thing As An Unimportant Calling Or Gift

No Such Thing As An Unimportant Calling Or Gift

Exodus 31:1-11

The Most Ignored Commandment

The Most Ignored Commandment

Exodus 31:12-18

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up Hence

Exodus 33:12-23