Scripture Reading Numbers 26

God’s Faithfulness in the Second Census

You may be seated. Please turn in your Bible to Numbers chapter 26. Our Old Testament reading is in Numbers 26. That is on page 133 of your pew Bible. In this chapter we see a census of the people at this point in Israel's history.

They have encountered several dangers. Now a census is taken just before they will go into the land of Israel. If you recall at the beginning of this book a census was taken as they were about to go into the land of Canaan, but then the people had sinned against God and had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years.

But now they are taking another census before they are to go in for real. And so several things to take away from this. One is that we see God has been faithful in his promise to Abraham. He has made his children more than the sand on the seashore.

He has given him many children in this chapter. In addition to that we see a picture of his forgiveness. The people having been, a census having been taken of them before that they would go into the land of Canaan, them by their sin not being allowed into that rest of God, but now through God's mercy to them being allowed in.

This census representing that new entry into this kingdom. Numbers 26 beginning in verse 1. After the plague, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel from 20 years old and upward by their father's houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.

And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho saying, take a census of the people from 20 years old and upward as the Lord commanded Moses. The people of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, the sons of Reuben, of Hanak, the clans of the Hanakites, of Palu, the clan of the Paluites, of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites, of Carmi, the clan of the Carmites.

These are the clans of the Reubenites, and those listed were 43 ,730. The sons of Palu, Eliab, the sons of Eliab, Nimuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram chosen from the congregation who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah when they contended against the Lord, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah when the company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, and they became a warning, but the sons of Korah did not die.

Sons of Simeon, according to their clans, Nimuel, the clan of the Nimuelites, of Jaman, the clan of the Jamanites, of Jachin, the clan of the Jachinites, of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites, of Shaul, the clan of the Shaulites.

These are the clans of the Simeonites, 22 ,200. The sons of Gad, according to their clans, of Zephon, the clan of the Zephonites, of Haggai, the clan of the Haggaites, of Shunni, the clan of the Shunites, of Osni, the clan of the Osnites, of Eri, the clan of the Eridites, of Arad, the clan of the Eridites, of Arali, the clan of the Aralites.

These are the clans of the sons of Gad as they were listed, 40 ,500. The sons of Judah were Ur and Onan. Ur and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Judah, according to their clans, were of Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites, of Perez, the clan of the Perizzites, of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites, and the sons of Perez were of Hezron, the clan of the Hezronites, of Hamul, the clan of the Hamulites.

These are the clans of Judah as they were listed, 76 ,500. The sons of Issachar, according to their clans, of Tola, the clan of the Tolites, of Puva, the clan of the Punites, of Jashub, the clan of the Jashubites, of Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites.

These are the clans of Issachar as they were listed, 64 ,300. The sons of Zebulun, according to their clans, of Sered, the clan of the Seredites, of Elon, the clan of the Elonites, of Jelel, the clan of the Jelelites.

These are the clans of the Zebulunites as they were listed, 60 ,500. The sons of Joseph, according to their clans, Manasseh and Ephraim. The sons of Manasseh, Makar, the clan of the Makarites, and Makar was the father of Gilead, of Gilead, the clan of the Gileadites.

These are the sons of Gilead, of Yezzer, the clan of the Yezzerites, of Helak, the clan of the Helakites, of Asriel, the clan of the Asrielites, and of Shechem, the clan of the Shechemites, and of Shemida, the clan of the Shemidites, and of Hepher, the clan of the Hepherites.

Now, Zelophephad, the son of Hepher, had no sons but daughters, and the name of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mala, Noah, Hagla, Milka, and Tirza. These are the clans of Manasseh, and those listed were 52 ,700.

These are the sons of Ephraim, according to their clans, of Shuthala, the clan of the Shuthalites, of Bekr, the clan of the Bekrites, of Tehen, the clan of the Tehenites, and these are the sons of Shuthala, of Aaron, the clan of the Aaronites.

These are the clans of the sons of Ephraim, as they were listed, 32 ,500. These are the sons of Joseph, according to their clans, the sons of Benjamin, according to their clans, of Bela, the clan of the Belaites, of Ashpel, the clan of the Ashpelites, of Aharam, the clan of the Aharamites, of Shefufam, the clan of the Shefumites, of Hufam, the clan of the Hufamites, and the sons of Bela were Ard-Naaman, and of Ard, the clan of the Ardites, of Naaman, the clan of the Naamites.

These are the sons of Benjamin according to their clans, and those listed were 45 ,600. These are the sons of Dan, according to their clans, of Shuham, the clan of the Shuhamites, these are the clans of Dan, according to their clans, and the clans of the Shuhamites, as they were listed, were 64 ,400.

The sons of Asher, according to their clans, of Imna, the clan of the Imnites, of Ishvi, the clan of the Ishvites, of Beriah, the clan of the Berites, of the sons of Beriah, of Heber, the clan of the Heberites, of Malkiel, the clan of the Malkielites, and the name of the daughter of Asher was Sarah.

These are the clans of the sons of Asher as they were listed. 53 ,400. The sons of Naphtali, according to their clans, of Jezeel, the clan of the Jezeelites, of Guni, the clan of the Gunites, of Jezer, the clan of the Jezerites, of Shillam, the clan of the Shillamites.

These are the clans of Naphtali, according to their clans, and those listed were 45 ,400. This was the list of the people of Israel. 601 ,730. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names.

To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Every tribe shall be given its inheritance in proportion to its list. But the land shall be divided by lot.

According to the names of the tribes of their fathers, they shall inherit. Their inheritance shall be divided according to the lot between the larger and the smaller. This was the list of the Levites, according to their clans, of Gershon, the clan of the Gershonites, of Kohath, the clan of the Kohathites, of Merri, the clan of the Merrites.

These are the clans of Levi, the clan of the Lemnites, the clan of the Hebronites, the clan of the Molites, the clan of the Mushites, the clan of the Korahites, and Kohath was the father of Amram. The name of Amram's wife was Jacobet, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt, and she bore Amram, Aaron, Moses, and Miriam, their sister.

And to Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord. And those listed were twenty-three thousand, every male from a month old and upward, for they were not listed among the people of Israel, because there was no inheritance given them among the people of Israel.

These were those listed by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who listed the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. But among these, there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had listed the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.

For the Lord had said of them, They shall die in the wilderness. Not one of them was left, except Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, the son of Nun. Amen.