The Great Works of God, Part Eight: The Mysteries of Christ in the Book of Numbers

Paperback, 352 pp., 9"x6", 2026
ISBN: 978-1-934328-33-0
By Valerius Herberger
Translated by Matthew Carver

German Lutheran pastor Valerius Herberger reads the entire book of Numbers with the eyes of faith, finding Christ in every page and knowing nothing else, “save alone Jesus Christ the Crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). In ninety-four devotional meditations, he takes the reader through this “itinerary” of God’s people, extolling Christ’s many works of mercy despite Israel’s many sins, and also finding helpful illustrations for Christian living, since these words were written for the benefit, salvation, and sanctification of us today. Filled with quotations from faithful church fathers, the best of Lutheran hymnody, and other insights from sacred and secular history, these meditations will delight, instruct, and edify readers as they search the Scriptures with Herberger and receive their faithful witness of Christ the Crucified.

"Valerius Herberger preached Jesus in many different ways from Numbers. Sometimes the Lord Jesus is identified as the Lord God who spoke to Moses. Sometimes the Lord Jesus is depicted specifically in a rite of the old priesthood and Tabernacle. Sometimes the history of Numbers resembles an aspect of the person or work of the Lord Jesus. At various times and in various ways God spoke to the fathers by the prophets (Heb. 1:1), and in many and various ways Herberger sees the Lord Jesus in the prophets’ words, for the Scriptures testify of Him (Luke 24:25–26, 46; John 15:26). While one could quibble about whether Herberger found the specific, literal sense of each passage, it is clear that in each case the rule of faith (the clear, literal sense of Scripture) was guiding and controlling his allegories. And that rule of faith is that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, God’s Son and Mary’s Son, who lived, died, and rose again for the salvation of the human race. Matthew Carver’s clear translation brings this excellent, devotional commentary on the Book of Numbers to English-speaking Christians, for which we are grateful."
—Benjamin T. G. Mayes
Associate Professor of Historical Theology
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana

*This translation was underwritten by the M.Div. class of 2026 of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The students partnered with Matthew Carver and Emmanuel Press to publish this volume as their class gift, which is a theological treasure not only to the seminary but to Christians throughout the world.