A Summary of the Prayers in the Book of Numbers

Though there are only five prayers in the book of Numbers, they are varied. Numbers is a book that contains both narrative and legal section (stories and laws), and the prayers reflect that content. There are two intercessions, one blessing, one petition, and a lengthy section on the proper use of vows.

Intercessions in numbers

Both intercessions address the complaining of the Israelites (Numbers 11.2; 21.7). God delivered them from slavery and protected them on their desert journey, but they often complained. God warned them by causing fires to break out at the camp perimeter and poisonous snakes to appear. They confessed and asked Moses to pray for them, and God took away the fires—but the complaining continued. The next time, with the snakes, God does not just remove the danger: once bit, they must act on their own to be saved.

These two prayers teach us four things about the practice of prayer. First, they encourage us to examine ourselves and our attitude towards God. Though we might not intend it, when we complain about life we are criticizing God or, at least, showing impatience with Him. Second, they show that God can send us a warning that we might need to check our attitude. Third, the prayers show that sometimes God thinks we need something more than just a warning. He may wish us to act in some way; to take part in our own growth. Finally, we learn that God sometimes uses suffering to help us grow. Both of these prayers are excellent examples for when we find ourselves caught up in a culture of complaining.

The famous blessing in numbers

The blessing-prayer in Numbers 6.24–26 is one of the most well-known prayers in the Bible. Moses instructed the priests to pronounce this blessing over all the people before they began their journey: “May the Lord bless you and keep you.” Such a practice serves as a reminder that God has adopted us and that He will protect us, bless us, and give us peace. It is a prayer that can be offered for loved ones, for congregations, and for nations. 

A petitionary prayer

The petition in Numbers 10.35–26 is a little-known prayer that that reminds us of how we can use prayers of petition in our own lives. This is the Song of the Ark which the Israelites prayed going into battle and when they returned from battle. Prayer framed the time of anxiety and difficulty. Before the battle, the prayer asked for success; after the battle, it asked for God to be with them at rest. We can use the structure of those prayers for our prayers as we begin or end a journey, a project, or anything that encompasses a period of time.

Prayer-vows in Numbers

Chapter 27 contains the rules about how ancient Israeli were to use and offer vows, though the passage is influenced by the values of that ancient culture, making it a challenge for us to understand and apply. When we strip away the cultural elements and glean the principles about prayer-vows, we learn that a vow is a way to focus and hold ourselves responsible to God and that we should not offer a vow without serious thought. We also learn that when we keep our vows, God honors us in return.

Just as we saw in Genesis through Leviticus, the prayers in Numbers takes many forms and appears in many different settings. The richness and variety of prayer is found even in this small collection of five prayers. The wide range of styles continues in the book of Deuteronomy.