Bereans Corner
Bereans Corner
Thru the Bible - #141-Numbers 26- Census of a New Generation
Welcome to Marine's Corner, the podcast where we go to the books of the Bible, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse. Wherever you are in the world, thank you for enjoying it. Grab a glass of water, a cup of coffee, or tea, and let's get into today's lesson. All right, thank you for joining me and welcome back. Open your Bible to Numbers chapter 26. The title of today's lesson is Senses of a New Generation. Now, usually we have the reader come in and we will read the scripture together and then we'll go through the chapter and break the chapter down. But today we are just going to go through, read the chapter as we're going through it because this is a lengthy amount of scripture. There's quite a few verses in this numbers 26. So we will go through it as we go along with the lesson. Now, the last time we were together, we looked at Balak and Balaam go their way. Then Israel remained in Shittim and played the harlot to the daughters of Moab, then joined themselves to Baalfior. Today we are looking at a new census that the Lord commands Moses and Eliezer to do. Now this is the second census that uh God has given Israel to take. The first census numbered 603,550. You can see that in chapter 1 of this numbers 26, verses 45 through 46. This new census will total 601,730. We will see that in verse 51 of this chapter. Now, it has been 38 years since the first census where the Lord took Israel on this almost four-decade journey. Now, let's remember the reason for this journey in the other direction is that the Lord was fed up with Israel because of all their complaining and grumbling. This census was ordered by God for three reasons. Number one, God still cared for Israel and still was going to bless them. Number two, to let Israel know that the soldiers were available. So this was, excuse me, this was the gonna this was going to let Moses know what soldiers were available in Israel. Number three, the promised land inheritance. Now we will break this big chapter down into two parts, and there will be lots of numbers. So this is how I want to do part one, the second census. First, I'm going to give my breakdown of all the tribes because there was a census done through all the tribes, and I want to make sure that we get this all. So first uh we are looking at verses one through fifty, but first I'm going to give you all of the tribes and what the census totaled for them. Then we will go through the chapter. Well, excuse me, I would say we will read the verses. So let's start out with the tribe of Reuben. The first census was 46,500, the second census, 43,730. And yes, you will hear these numbers uh for the second census as I read through them. But I just wanted to be sure that this stood out to you, that you got this part of how many were numbered per tribe. The tribe of Simeon. The first was 59,300, the second 22,000, the tribe of Gad. The first was 45,650, the second 40,500, the tribe of Judah. The first was 74,600, the second 76,500, the tribe of Issachar. The first was 54,400, the second sixty-four thousand three hundred, the tribe of Zebulun. The first was fifty-seven thousand four hundred, the second sixty thousand five hundred, the tribe of Manasseh. The first was thirty-two hundred, the second fifty-two thousand seven hundred, the tribe of Ephraim. The first was forty thousand five hundred, the second thirty-two thousand five hundred. The tribe of Benjamin. The first was thirty-five thousand four hundred, the second forty-five thousand six hundred, the tribe of Dan. The first was sixty-two thousand seven hundred, the second sixty-four thousand four hundred. The tribe of Asher. The first was forty-one thousand five hundred, the second was fifty-three thousand four hundred, the tribe of Naphtali. The first was fifty-three thousand four hundred, the second was forty-five thousand four hundred. Now we're gonna do some calculation. The first census was six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty. The second was six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty. So there was a total loss of one thousand eight hundred and twenty men. Now we will look at this as we go through verses one through fifty. Now, as I mentioned, some of this is gonna be repeated, but I want to be sure that you got the exact number of this census. We will start with verse one. Then it came about after the plague that the Lord, remember the plague, you got to go back to chapter 25.
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SPEAKER_00:That the Lord spoke to Moses and to Eliezer, the son of Aaron, the priest, saying, Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel from 20 years old and upward, by their father's households, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel. Now, that is pretty much what we just did. That is the census that was taken, and we know the reason why. So Moses and Eliezer, the priest, spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan of Jericho, saying, Take a census of the people from twenty years old and upward, as the Lord has commanded Moses. Now, the sons of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were Reuben, Israel firstborn, the sons of Reuben of Hanak, the family of the uh uh Hamachites of Palu and the family of the Pulalites, of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites, and Karbi, the family of the Carmenites. These are the families of the Reubenites, and those who were numbered were 43,730. And as you remember, as we went through the beginning, uh, I told you that the second census was forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty. Like I said, I wanted those numbers to stick in your head. And the sons of Palu, Eliab, and the sons of Eliab, Namuel, and Dathan and Aberim, these are the Dathans and the Abarim who were called by the congregation who contended against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Kor when they contended against the Lord. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up along with Korah when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, so they became a warning. The sons of Kor, however, did not die. So he did, but his but his sons did not die. And those of you who have been through all these chapters with me, I'm sure you remember that that story. The sons of Simeon, according to their families, of Nimiel, the son of the Namulites, of Jameen, the family of the Geminites, and Joshan, the family of the Joshinites, of Zarah, the family of the Zurites, and Zual, the son of the Zualites. These are the families of the Simeonites, 22,200. The sons of Gad, according to their families, of Zephyrin, the family of the Zephanites, of Hagai, the family of the Hagites, of Shemai, the family of the Shem Shemonites, of Aznai, the family of the Azanites, of Arai, the family of the Ararites, of Arad, of Arad, the family of the Aradites, of Aralai, the family of the Aurelites. These are the families of the sons of Gad, according to those who were numbered, of them, 40,500. The sons of Judah were Ur and Onan, but Ur and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Judah, according to their families, were of Shali, the family of the Shelanites, of Perez, the family of the Perizites, of Zarai, the family of the Zurahites. And the sons of Perez were of Hezron, the family of the uh Herzanites, excuse me, of Hamul, the family of the Humalites. These are the families of Judah, according to those who were numbered of them, 76,500. The sons of Issachar, according to their families, of Tulai, the family of the Tolalites, of Puvi, the family of the Punanites, of Jashub, the family of the Jeshubites, of Shemron, the family of the Shironites, these are the families of Issachir, according to those who were numbered of them, 64,300. The sons of Zebulun, according to their families. Shered, the family of the Sherodites, of Elon, the family of the Elonites, of Jalel, the family of Jahalites. These are the families of the Zabulanites, according to those who numbered of them 60,500. Now gotta excuse me. Sometimes, you know, when you read in these names of these children of Israel, sometimes you just get tongue-tied. The sons of Joseph, according to their families, Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons of Manasseh of Mah of Makar, the family of the Marcharites, and Merker, the family of the excuse me, that became the father of Gilead, of Gilead, the farm, the family of the Gileadites. These are the sons of Gilead of Azur, the family of the Lezarites, of Helek, the family of the Halekites, and of Ashrael, the family of the Azraelites, and of Shekim, or Shechem, I should say, the family of the Shechemites, and of Shemadai, the family of the Shemadiites, and of Hefar, the family of the Heferites. Now, Zalopahad, the son of the excuse me, the son of lost my spot. Noal, Hagliai, Mekal, and Tizai. These are the families of Manasseh, and those who were numbered of them were 52,700. These are the sons of Ephraim, according to their families of Shetuli, the family of the Shethelites, of Bashur, the family of the Betcherites, of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites. And these are the sons of Shetalai, of Aran, the family of the Aranites. These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those who were numbered of them, 32,500. These are the sons of Joseph according to their families. The sons of Benjamin according to their families, of Bala, the family of the Bahalites, of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites, of Aharam, the family of the Aharamites, of Sheshuham, the family of the Shuhamites, of Ham, the family of the Hamites, and the family of Bela were Ard and Naaman and Ard the family of Arnites, and Naaman, the family of the Naamanites. These are the sons of Benjamin according to their families, and those who were numbered there were 45,600. These are the sons of Dan according to their families. Of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites, these are the families of Dan according to their families. All the families of the Shuhamites according to those who were numbered were 64,400. The sons of Asher according to their families. Of the sons of Barah, of Heber, the family of the Hebronites, of Meshael, the family of the Mishalites. And the name of the daughter of Asher was Shirai. These are the families of the sons of Asher, according to those who were numbered of them, 53,400. The sons of Naphtali, according to their families, of Jezreel, the family of the Jezreelites of Gunai, the family of the Gunites, of Jezreel, the family of the Jezreelites of Shalim, the family of the Shalemites. These are the families of Naphtali according to their families. And those who were numbered of them were 45,400. Now, I want to be sure that we make sure we went through all of those verses, because you know that's what we do here. We go through every verse. But you can go back and check what I had in the beginning, the first census versus the second census, and you will see that everything adds up. And as I mentioned earlier, the total loss from the first census to the second census was 1,820 men. Now we get to the second part. The land inheritance is divided, and we see this in chapter, excuse me, verses uh 51 through 65. Let's read. These are those who were numbered of the sons of Israel, 601,730. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Among these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. To the larger group, you shall increase their inheritance, and to the smaller group you shall diminish their inheritance. Each shall be given their inheritance according to those who were numbered with them. I do want to stop right there at the end of verse 54 and say something. That does make a lot of sense. When you really think about inheritance, there are families who will break up an inheritance in uh they would break it up, they would try to break it up equ equally. Like let's say it's a family that has six kids and they want to leave something to their kids, they will say, Well, you know what, we're gonna break this up into six so each kid gets something different. So for example, if if they had sixty dollars, each kid would get ten dollars. But the Lord said that the ones who have the bigger numbers would get the bigger inheritance, and the ones who have the smaller ones would be diminished, and that would make a lot of sense. Let's say that you had those six kids, but out of those six kids that I mentioned, two of those kids are doing really, really well in life. They're doing well, they have a family, they're doing good financially, they're doing good land-wise, you know, being their home or whatever. It would not make sense to actually have to give them as much as the other. Sometimes you have to look at that and you have to say, uh, well, they're gonna need more. Yes, they may have more, but they had, I don't mean they have more like financially. What I mean when I say that the two have more, I'm saying they have like more responsibility, more land, maybe they have more kids. Example, let's just say each of those two kids that I mentioned, they have five, six kids apiece themselves, right? It doesn't make sense to say, well, kid number five has zero kids, no land, they don't own a home. It doesn't, you it doesn't make sense to give them the same equal amount when they don't need as much. Now, yes, you can split something with them, but it doesn't have to be as much as the ones who have more. I I hope that makes sense what uh what I was saying there. Pick it back up at verse 55. But the land shall be divided by lot. They shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers, which is what we just went through. According to the selection by lot, their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller groups. These are those who were numbered of the Levites according to their families, of Gershan, the family of the Gershonites, of Kohat, the family of the Kohalites, of Marari, the family of the Merorites, these are the families of Levi, the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahalites, the family of the Mishites, the family of the Korahites, and Kohat became the father of Amram. And the name of Amram's wife was Jochbed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt, and he bore, excuse me, and she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam. And to Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eliezer, and Ithamer. But Nadab and Abahu died when they offered strange fire before the Lord. I'm sure if you've been rocking with me and going with me through the chapters, you remember that. And those who were numbered of them were twenty-three thousand. Every male from a month old and upward, for they were not numbered among the sons of Israel, since no inheritance was given to them among the sons of Israel. These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eliezer the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. But among those there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord had said of them, they shall surely die in the wilderness. And not a man was left of them except Caleb, the son of Japanai, and Joshua the son of none. That was an important pickup right there. Out of all those people that were numbered, let's look at that again, 63 to 65. These are the sons, excuse me, these are those who were numbered by Moses and Eliezer the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron, the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness. For the Lord said of them, they shall surely die in the wilderness. Now, the only people who didn't, who were going to go into this part of his land were Caleb the son of Jephaniah and Joshua the son of Nun. Now there is something else to note here. That the Levites were not given land but a place to live. Because you know, if you notice through all that reading we did, the Levites were not given any land. They were given a place to live, and you will see that in Numbers chapter 35, verses 1 through 5, which we will be at soon. And you can also see that in Joshua, the 21st chapter. All right, that brings us to the end of today's lesson. I hope that you got something out of the lesson. I hope that it encouraged you. I hope that it fed you. I ask you to continue to pray for me, to stay steadfast in the scriptures, to continue to study, to bring the word to you and to myself. Because as I always say, we are learning together. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. And it is important that we learn together. And I am praying for you as well. I hope that you are well wherever you are. You're in my thoughts, and I appreciate you all a great deal. That is all for now. God bless. Thank you for listening to Bereen's Corner. We appreciate you joining us as we dive into God's word and seek biblical truth together. If this episode encouraged or challenged you, be sure to subscribe, share, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. You can find Berean's Corner on BuzzProw, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Amazon Music, and more. Let's stay connected. 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