Numbers Bible Reading Challenge

Challenge yourself to achieve 1000 points by completing your choice of the following activities. Each activity has a certain number of points depending on how challenging it is. Some activites may be particularly suited for children and families, while others may be more suited for adults and teens. One of the best parts of a challenge is doing it together. Find another family to do it with, or involve your Sunday School or CYC.

Read - 400 Points

Read through all of Numbers for 400 points! Below you can find a printable tracker for each chapter so you can check them off as you go!

Bible Journal - 500 Points

Use a notebook or a Bible Reading Journal to take notes while you read. You can order a prepared reading journal on Amazon (link below) or use just a regular notebook. A page of suggested questions to ask is also available below. Share your thoughts or favourite verses with your friends and family or on Social Media.

Bible Marking - 100 Points

Every time you come across a complaint made by Israel, mark it with a red pencil (you could draw a red angry face beside the section).

Literature - 200 Points

Read one of the following books and share a quotation or a review on social media.

The God We Worship by Michael Storey
The Sons of Korah: Their Faith and their Psalms by Jonathan Cope
The Giant Cities of Bashan and Syria’s Holy Places by Josias Porter

Drama - 200 Points

Keep a box for drama objects. For Numbers this might include: Manna (something small and white to collect), act out Balaam’s Donkey, some play snakes to act out the Fiery Serpents, Rebellion of Korah, sticks to act out Aaron’s Rod budding.

Dig Deeper - 200 Points

Use the study sheet below to dig deeper into the giants of Numbers! Be careful of your sources, there are a lot of legends out there. This source is pretty straightforward: https://www.gotquestions.org/Og-king-of-Bashan.html. Don’t miss the incredible “small” detail in Josh 24:12 that tells us how Og was defeated!

Geography - 100 Points

Print and color or trace the illustration below of the Israelite camp from Numbers 1 and 2. And/or print the map (and instructions) below to label features along the Israelites’ wilderness journey.

Food - 250 Points

It didn’t take the children of Israel very long to get tired of manna. How long can you eat the same thing every day without complaining? Try eating oatmeal for breakfast every day for a week.

Quiz - 150 Points

Sometimes a question to find the answer to can be helpful to keep little ones engaged. Aquila N. Priscilla has done an excellent job preparing lots of questions to ask before or after reading – you can find their book for purchase here: Know Questions: Genesis to Job. Alternatively you can download the quiz sheet below.

Media - 300 Points

Search for this talk on Christadelphian Bible Talks and Exhortations:

“The Sons of Korah” by Matt Colby
“In the Wilderness – Character Studies” by Bernard Burt

Write a short review to share what you learn.

“Balaam’s Donkey” by Judy Rogers is a fun song for kids.

Timeline - 400 Points

Illustrate the timeline worksheet below of Israel’s wanderings as you read through Numbers.

Memory Verse - 250 Points

Learn at least one of these selections by heart:

Numbers 6:24-27
Numbers 14:21
Numbers 23:20

Print out and colour the bookmarks (below) if you wish.

Language - 150 Points

The word “journey” shows up in more frequently in Numbers than any other book of the Bible. (The Hebrew word is also translated “departed,” “moved,” “went out,” and “set out.”). Spend some time researching this word “journey.” Use the worksheet below. Share what you learn!

Our World - 100 Points

Learn about the Mediterranean quail. Here’s a website to start with: www.flight for survival.org/common-quail.

Art Project - 300 Points

Sand Art: Write one of the memory verses on a canvas with glue. Then cover with sand. Pour excess sand off when dry. Or paint a wilderness scene. The rock colors in the desert near Petra (Wadi Musa, where Moses struck rock) are so beautiful.

The Heart - 300 Points

T H I N K ON T H I S :

Practice trusting in God’s promises.

“It is not for nothing that Paul urges us to fight the good fight of faith. Disciples may be glad to fight, but it is not easy. It takes grit and force and trust. Trying and trusting are complementary. Trust is the optimism of faith. To all human seeming the optimism is unwarranted, but to the man of faith it is a perfect certainty. Trust is what the writer to the Hebrews meant by the evidence of things not seen. Trust has the effect of proving the invisible. It makes us put confidence in the declaration and venture trustingly upon the suggestiveness of the promise. The result is an assurance of things hoped for. Trust is a risk, a venture, and adventure. It has in it an element of inspiration. It is not blind, blundering chance. Faith, after all, is not ignorant assumption — the right name for that is superstition. Faith is intelligent trust.”

Dennis Gillet