Be Counted (Numbers): Living a Life That Counts for God

The "Be" Commentary

by Warren W. Wiersbe

Pursue a faith that counts.
Numbers can be deceiving. The book of Numbers opens with a count of every person fit to serve during the Israeli’s exodus from Egypt. Yet while over 600,000 were counted, only two were allowed to enter the Promised Land. The lesson? God values quality over quantity. And as the next generation finally experienced God’s promise, we discover that He doesn’t just want us counted as believers, but as people He can count on.

Part of Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe's best-selling "BE" commentary series, Be Counted has now been updated with study questions and a new introduction by Ken Baugh.  A respected pastor and Bible teacher, Dr. Wiersbe explores how we can make our faith matter. You'll be encouraged to trust His word, and inspired by God, while counting for Him.

 
 

Genres: Christian, Theology, Nonfiction, Old Testament, Christian Non Fiction, Faith

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1989

About the author

Warren W. Wiersbe, former pastor of the Moody Church and general director of Back to the Bible, has traveled widely as a Bible teacher and conference speaker. Because of his encouragement to those in ministry, Dr. Wiersbe is often referred to as 'the pastor's pastor.' He has ministered in churches and conferences throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Central and South America, and Europe. Dr. Wiersbe has written over 150 books, including the popular BE series of commentaries on every book of the Bible, which has sold more than four million copies. At the 2002 Christian Booksellers Convention, he was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Dr. Wiersbe and his wife, Betty, live in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wiersbe is phenomenal at applying the Word. Another exceptional commentary of his.

There is a lot of stuff going on in Numbers so I appreciated Wiersbe's help navigating through many of the hard to understand parts (lists of gifts, ordering of the tribes, lists of laws and more). Although I have read Numbers many times I found so many wonderful new truths to feast upon. In chapters 5-7 he was able to help me see a unity of these verses that I had not seen before. He said that God wanted a "clean people". This meant physically, morally, relationally and spiritually. God wanted a clean people in every way.

Several times he mentions that when God wants to really judge people he lets them have their own way. It is not a common way to look at judgment but it is entirely true.

He quotes John Gardner, "We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems." A wonderful premise to live by!

He concludes with some piercing questions. "Before we pass judgment on ancient Israel what about the church today? Have we claimed by faith all that we have in Christ? Are there still pockets of resistance in our lives that draw us away from the Lord?" Good questions.

[Laura The Book Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the next book in the "Be" series on the book of Numbers. It was nicely written and informational.

I liked this book better than the last one where he stepped on Torah a bit and had some silly opinions on women. (You can see what Wiersbe said in the last book's comments where I go into more detail.) I was afraid that would continue and was thankful when it didn't.

[Frans Kempe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of Numbers that also draws paralells to Jesus.

[Barbara Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

he book of Numbers in the Bible covers the time that Israel headed to the promised land to the time just before they finally got there after a 40-year detour. As Warren Wiersbe said in his introduction to Be Counted (Numbers): Living a Life That Counts for God:

The book of Numbers opens with a count of all the fighting men in the camp. They were counted, but they couldn’t be counted on, because all but two of them died during Israel’s march through the wilderness. Then the new generation was counted, and they were people whom the Lord could “count on.” They trusted His Word, entered the Promised Land, and claimed it for their inheritance (pages 13-14, Kindle).

What are some things we can learn from Numbers? According to Wiersbe:

We don’t have to fail as did that first generation; we can be “more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Rom. 8: 37) (p. 14).

The more comfortable we become, the less we welcome change, and yet there’s no growth without challenge and there’s no challenge without change. Comfort usually leads to complacency, and complacency is the enemy of character and spiritual growth. In each new experience of life, one of two things happens: Either we trust God and He brings out the best in us, or we disobey God and Satan brings out the worst in us (p. 58).

So sinful is the human heart that it’s prone to forget God’s blessings, ignore God’s promises, and find fault with God’s providence. “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Ps. 107: 8, 15, 21, 31) (p. 61).

Over these many years of ministry, I’ve learned that it isn’t enemies outside the local church who do the damage, but counterfeiters who get inside the church fellowship (Acts 20: 28–30; 3 John 9–11). These intruders might march with the church crowd and act like they are God’s people, but they don’t have an appetite for spiritual things, and eventually their true allegiance is revealed (1 John 2: 18–19) (p. 62).

The will of God is the expression of the love of God for His people, for His plans come from His heart (Ps. 33: 11). God’s will isn’t punishment, it’s nourishment (John 4: 31–34), not painful chains that shackle us (Ps. 2: 3), but loving cords that tie us to God’s heart so He can lead us in the right way (Hos. 11: 4) (p. 77).

God in His grace and mercy forgives sin, but in His divine government He allows that sin to have its sad effects in the lives of sinners (p. 78).

Be careful what you say to God when you complain, because He may take you up on it! After all, God’s greatest judgment is to let people have their own way (p. 79).

There is no substitute for faith in God’s promises and obedience to His commandments. Faith is simply obeying God in spite of how we feel, what we see, or what we think might happen. When God’s people trust and obey, the Lord delights in doing wonders for them, because they glorify His name (p. 81).

We have to be careful about judging Israel’s penchant for complaining and failure to trust God. Instead, we need to recognize those tendencies in ourselves and seek His grace to trust, obey, and follow.

As always, I enjoyed Dr. Wiersbe's insights.

[Ian Minielly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Warren Wiersbe. I discovered these BE Counted commentaries by accident because I liked so much of his other material. I think his commentary on Numbers is excellent and truly brings the story and events alive and proved very useful to me as a pastor. Wiersbe is the most unpretentious scholar, so his material is refreshing. It never feels like he is trying to prove how smart he is or how deep his knowledge goes. Wiersbe just interacts with the book and delivers context and it i a joy to read.

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of the "Be" devotional commentaries in this series by Wiersbe and this one is on the book of Numbers and called Be Counted - Get it!! Yes a pun for a title how droll, anyway it was again a solid read from Wiersbe with some good points, certainly not technical, and very devotional but is there anything wrong with that? Not from this person's perspective!

[Bob Mendelsohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm never disappointed in any commentary by Warren Wiersbe because I'm never disappointed in the book he ever reviews and on which he comments, The Bible. This one, studying the Book of Numbers (Bamidbar) in Torah is fascinating. He makes the lists interesting and fills in many factors which helped me understand the geography and the time 3500 years ago.

[Andy Febrico Bintoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

13/50 of be series. I read alphabetically.
the topic in this book like we're talk about Deuteronomy and not Numbers. but I could understand the author for if the book really talk about numbers and its detailed explanation, then it would be hard on practical explanation.

[Betsy Lynn Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Numbers Made Fascinating!

Wiersbe is an author who gives details that make every book in the Bible fascinating; Numbers is no exception. Reading this book will definitely help in understanding so much Old Testament history.

[Rachel Mellema · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for anyone seeking guidance on how to live a purpose driven life. Wiersbe empowers readers to examine their lives, to make meaningful changes, and to embrace a deeper commitment to serving God.

[Tassa Lee Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome books

These books are so helpful when trying to gain a deeper understanding of what our Heavenly Father wants and needs from us. I am now a super fan 😁

[Amy Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be Counted Faithful

The Holy Spirit teaches and speaks through Be Counted as I read the Book of Numbers. Wonderfully faithful and encouraging study of God’s Word by Warren Wiersbe!

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be Counted is another part of the “Be Series.” Warren Wiersbe writes that the book of Numbers begins with counting all the men of fighting age in the camp, but points out that these men can’t be counted on. Due to their faithlessness, all but two of that generation die in the wilderness before the next generation goes into the promised land. Wiersbe says, “To Be Counted means to be the kind of Christian God can depend on to get the job done right.”

[Jan Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some really good insights into the book of Numbers. There are some deep thoughts To guide your life