Numbers 26:1 ¶ And it came to pass after the plague, that the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, 2 Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers’ house, all that are able to go to war in Israel. 3 And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying, 4 Take the sum of the people, from twenty years old and upward; as the LORD commanded Moses and the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt.
We often talk about a
vague age of accountability in regard to salvation. When is it that a young
person is fully able to understand the gospel or when is it that their destiny
is determined, that they are bound for the Lake of Fire or for Heaven. Here is
one age that makes one wonder in that is twenty years old the age where one is
finally able to have their name taken out of the Book of Life or confirmed in
everlasting life by receiving Christ as their Saviour? There are many passages
containing a reference to twenty years and upward. Just something to consider.
Numbers 26:5 ¶ Reuben, the eldest son of Israel: the children of Reuben; Hanoch, of whom cometh the family of the Hanochites: of Pallu, the family of the Palluites: 6 Of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites: of Carmi, the family of the Carmites. 7 These are the families of the Reubenites: and they that were numbered of them were forty and three thousand and seven hundred and thirty. 8 And the sons of Pallu; Eliab. 9 And the sons of Eliab; Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. This is that Dathan and Abiram, which were famous in the congregation, who strove against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they strove against the LORD: 10 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up together with Korah, when that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men: and they became a sign. 11 Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not. 12 The sons of Simeon after their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites: of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites: of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites: 13 Of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites: of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites. 14 These are the families of the Simeonites, twenty and two thousand and two hundred. 15 The children of Gad after their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites: of Haggi, the family of the Haggites: of Shuni, the family of the Shunites: 16 Of Ozni, the family of the Oznites: of Eri, the family of the Erites: 17 Of Arod, the family of the Arodites: of Areli, the family of the Arelites. 18 These are the families of the children of Gad according to those that were numbered of them, forty thousand and five hundred. 19 The sons of Judah were Er and Onan: and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20 And the sons of Judah after their families were; of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites: of Pharez, the family of the Pharzites: of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites. 21 And the sons of Pharez were; of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites: of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites. 22 These are the families of Judah according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and sixteen thousand and five hundred. 23 Of the sons of Issachar after their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites: of Pua, the family of the Punites: 24 Of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites: of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. 25 These are the families of Issachar according to those that were numbered of them, threescore and four thousand and three hundred. 26 Of the sons of Zebulun after their families: of Sered, the family of the Sardites: of Elon, the family of the Elonites: of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites. 27 These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those that were numbered of them, threescore thousand and five hundred. 28 The sons of Joseph after their families were Manasseh and Ephraim. 29 Of the sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites: and Machir begat Gilead: of Gilead come the family of the Gileadites. 30 These are the sons of Gilead: of Jeezer, the family of the Jeezerites: of Helek, the family of the Helekites: 31 And of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites: and of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites: 32 And of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites: and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. 33 And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34 These are the families of Manasseh, and those that were numbered of them, fifty and two thousand and seven hundred. 35 These are the sons of Ephraim after their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthalhites: of Becher, the family of the Bachrites: of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites. 36 And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites. 37 These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those that were numbered of them, thirty and two thousand and five hundred. These are the sons of Joseph after their families. 38 The sons of Benjamin after their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites: of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites: of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites: 39 Of Shupham, the family of the Shuphamites: of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. 40 And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the family of the Ardites: and of Naaman, the family of the Naamites. 41 These are the sons of Benjamin after their families: and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and six hundred. 42 These are the sons of Dan after their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan after their families. 43 All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those that were numbered of them, were threescore and four thousand and four hundred. 44 Of the children of Asher after their families: of Jimna, the family of the Jimnites: of Jesui, the family of the Jesuites: of Beriah, the family of the Beriites. 45 Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites: of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites. 46 And the name of the daughter of Asher was Sarah. 47 These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those that were numbered of them; who were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 48 Of the sons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites: of Guni, the family of the Gunites: 49 Of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites: of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites. 50 These are the families of Naphtali according to their families: and they that were numbered of them were forty and five thousand and four hundred. 51 These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.
Verses 9 to 11 refer to
the rebellion of Korah with the account given in chapter 16. The total number
of military age men is 601,730. Compare these to the numbers in chapter 1. This
is a pretty formidable and seemingly unstoppable force and with God on their
side would be invincible.
As Matthew Henry
pointed out Moses did not number the people until God told him to do so. This
is in sharp contrast to King David’s error noted in 2Samuel 24 and 1Chronicles
27.
Matthew Henry gives a
detailed account of his observations about the children of Israel here and I
have read preachers compare this assembly to everything from the United States
of America to the Confederate States of America depending on the political
disposition of the preacher.
But, what was the reason for counting them
like this? Did God need an accounting like David thought he did? We are about
to see the reason.
Numbers
26:52 ¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses,
saying, 53 Unto these the land shall be
divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. 54 To many thou shalt give the more inheritance,
and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his
inheritance be given according to those that were numbered of him. 55
Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the
tribes of their fathers they shall inherit. 56
According to the lot shall the possession thereof be divided between
many and few.
This legal census is
performed for the purpose of dividing the inheritance in the land promised to
the Israelites. Here is a very important point about reality that is also
touched on in the books of Leviticus, Joshua, and Acts. There is no such thing
as blind chance. It does not exist. Every throw of the dice or flip of the coin
is disposed of according to either God’s perfect will or His permissive will.
God will use the casting of lots to show His will to the Israelite tribes and
to the Apostles in the early church.
Leviticus
16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the
two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Joshua
18:8 And the men arose, and went away:
and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk
through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast
lots for you before the LORD in Shiloh.
Acts
1:26 And they gave forth their lots; and
the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
We have been taught to
think of luck, a pagan ideal where, for instance, Vikings wanted to follow a
man who seemed to have good luck. But, most pre-modern belief systems regarded
seemingly random happenings as being directed by someone or something
invisible. The Bible insists that chance is not random. It is mostly in
Modernism that people believe it’s all a numbers game. Flip the coin a certain
number of times and you will get a certain number of heads and tails. Hand out
so many gospel tracts or pizza coupons and you’ll get a certain percentage
response. But, the Bible says;
Proverbs
16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but
the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.
But even the atheist philosopher
insists there is some kind of recognizable probability in the concept of
chance. “Firstly,
it is required that the mathematics of chance should conform to some standard
mathematical theory of probability…”[1]
The fact is that we often and, indeed, in most cases do not
know what an outcome will be although we can limit it to between one of two
things rather than one of many. This casting of lots is understood to be
determined by the Lord God not by some vague concept of randomness.
It is interesting for me to note that there was no question
that they would conquer the land. There was only the determination of their
inheritance.
Another thing to note is that God drove mankind apart at the
tower of Babel. He scattered them around the world.
Acts
17:26 And hath made of one blood all
nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined
the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
But, man did not stay
in those bounds. Asiatics took North America from the original inhabitants and
then Europeans did not stay in their bounds and invaded North America taking it
from the then Native Americans, the descendants of the Asiatic conquerors. The
European forcibly brought Africans out of their bounds to serve them as slaves.
This type of thing has gone on all over the earth in the thousands of years
since Babel.
Here again, for Israel,
God determines the boundaries.
Numbers
26:57 ¶ And these are they that
were numbered of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of
the Gershonites: of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites: of Merari, the family
of the Merarites. 58 These are
the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the
Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family
of the Korathites. And Kohath begat Amram. 59
And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi,
whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and
Moses, and Miriam their sister. 60 And
unto Aaron was born Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered
strange fire before the LORD. 62 And
those that were numbered of them were twenty and three thousand, all males from
a month old and upward: for they were not numbered among the children of
Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among the children of
Israel.
Levi, as Matthew Henry
noted, was God’s tribe with no inheritance like the others. They were numbered
but did not take part in the dividing of the land.
Numbers 26:63 ¶ These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho. 64 But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the LORD had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Those twenty years old
and upward were counted and would enter the land but those who left Egypt would
die in the wilderness. In verse 3 they are in the plains of Moab by Jordan near
Jericho. In chapter 1 they made a census in the wilderness of Sinai. None of
those men would survive the wilderness journey. Only Caleb and Joshua of that
party would remain to see the Promised Land.
[1] Antony Eagle, “Chance versus Randomness,”,Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2010). https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/chance-randomness/
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