Numbers 26

The time had come for the fighting men of Israel to be numbered again. The men that were counted in the first census were largely gone.

Roughly 600,000 fighting men were included in the census at the beginning of the wilderness wanderings. Another 600,000 were listed at the end. God had raised up the next generation to take the land according to His promise.

All the tribes were presented by their various clans. What observations can we make from these details?

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.

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

Joseph's sons were two tribes now, as we knew they would be from Genesis. Manasseh was greatly increased from the first census. The promised dominance of Ephraim over Manasseh was still yet to come.

Benjamin: The tribe from which King Saul would eventually be born had grown significantly.

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 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 in the cross and the resurrection of His Son. On that cross, Jesus, the Righteous One, loved us with His very blood. He kept His Word at the cost of His own life. In His resurrection we see the beginning of a massive victory, not only for the tribes of Israel, but for all the clans of the earth. His empty tomb was a sign for all who would believe that God's promise of a resurrection kingdom had been secured for us through Jesus, the greatest descendant of the tribe of Judah.