For years, the book of Numbers was one of those books of the Bible I struggled to read.
You know the kind.
The chapters filled with lists.
Names you can barely pronounce.
Detailed instructions that seem repetitive and disconnected from everyday Christian living.
If I’m being honest, there were times I wondered why God didn’t simply summarize some of those chapters in a few sentences.
Yet recently, while reading through Numbers again, I noticed something I had overlooked for years.
What caught my attention wasn’t the tribes that were counted.
It was the tribe that wasn’t.
As Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, God instructed Moses to number the men who were able to go to war. Tribe after tribe was counted.
Except one.
The Levites.
The tribe set apart for God’s service.
At first, it seems like a minor detail.
But the more I studied it, the more I realized it points to something much bigger.
It points to identity.
One of the greatest struggles many Christians face isn’t whether God exists.
It isn’t whether the Bible is true.
It’s understanding who they are in Christ.
We know we’re saved and forgiven.
But we often continue carrying things that no longer belong to us.
Shame.
Condemnation.
Past failures.
The opinions of other people.
Old labels we’ve allowed to define us.
And because of that, we sometimes live as though we’re outsiders looking in rather than beloved children of God.
As I traced the story of Israel through Exodus, Numbers, and into the New Testament, I was reminded that God’s original desire was always to have a people who would draw near to Him.
A people who would know Him.
A people who would belong to Him.
Peter later echoes that same truth when he writes:
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people.”
A royal priesthood.
Not just pastors.
Not just ministry leaders.
Not just Bible teachers.
Every believer.
That truth has challenged me recently.
Am I living like someone who belongs to God?
Am I carrying His presence into my everyday life?
Or am I still carrying things He never intended me to carry?
The more I grow in Christ, the more I realize that understanding our identity affects everything:
How we pray.
How we serve.
How we handle criticism.
How we respond to failure.
How we see our place in the body of Christ.
When we know who we are, we stop striving to prove ourselves.
We stop comparing ourselves to everyone else.
And we begin walking confidently in the role God has given us.
This simple observation from the book of Numbers turned into one of the most meaningful Bible studies I’ve had in a long time.
And honestly, it made me appreciate a book I once considered boring.
Sometimes the treasures we need most are hidden in the places we’re most tempted to skip.
If you’d like to read the full Bible study and see how the book of Numbers reveals powerful truths about our identity in Christ, you can read it here:
👉 https://rosilindjukic.com/the-book-of-numbers-teaches-us-about-our-identity-in-christ/
Want to go deeper into your identity in Christ?
I’ve gathered my Bible studies, journals, Scripture cards, prayer resources, and other tools into one place so you don’t have to hunt for them.
I also created a free My Identity in Christ Workbook that accompanies the study if you’d like to go deeper into what God’s Word says about who you are in Him.
“Tempted to skip”, that is well said, Sister!