Numbers 26

The time had come for the fighting men of Israel to be numbered again. The first group was largely gone now. Only Caleb and Joshua were in both the first census and the second one.

Roughly 600,000 fighting men were included in the census at the beginning of the wilderness wandering. About 600,000 were listed at the end of those wanderings. So many died. So many were now alive; a new generation raised up to take the land according to the Lord's command.

Reuben... Some of the Reubenites died in Korah's rebellion.

Simeon... The number for this tribe was significantly lower. Simeon would be eventually folded into Judah, but for now they had a separate number.

Gad...

Judah... the tribe of David, the tribe of Jesus, was still the largest of the tribes.

Issachar, Zebulun…

Joseph's sons were two tribes now, as we knew they would be from Genesis. Manasseh was greatly increased from the first census, but Ephraim was roughly the same though less than earlier, and now less than Manasseh.

Benjamin... The tribe from which Saul would eventually come had grown significantly.

Dan, Asher, Naphtali...

These numbers would be used to distribute the new land. The lot would be cast by tribe as the Lord would choose, but the size of the territory would be determined in part by this second census.

The Levites, as before, would be set apart from the rest. They would not have the same land allotments given to the other tribes.

Most striking was that except for Caleb and Joshua, all the original fighting men were gone, and another group, their children and grandchildren, would take their place.

God had been true to His promise of discipline. The first group would not enter the land. But He was also true to His promise of blessing. He would keep His good Word to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

O the depths of the righteousness of God, who demands an accounting from the unfaithful!

O the depths of the mercy of God, who provides what He demands for His chosen ones!

Who is this God of both righteousness and mercy? How can we know this God who brings one generation down in the desert, and raises up their offspring according to His good purpose?

We see Him best on the cross. There Jesus, the Righteous One, loves us with His very blood. He keeps all His Word at the cost of His own life.