Numbers returns to being Numbers again as the Lord commands another census of the children of Israel and my engineering and analytical mind takes over again too!
The first census was done in the Sinai desert on the second day after leaving Egypt. This one was done in Midian in the northwest part of the Arabian Peninsula nearly 40 years later.
The census was done by tribe, the twelve tribes of Israel.
Here is my analysis—the population now totaled 601,730 people, a decline of 1,820 people of 0.3% from the 603,550 counted in the Sinai desert.
Which tribe grew and which tribe declined, you may ask?
Glad you did, because, of course I can be an analytical guy!
Manasses grew the most, by 25,500 folks from 32,200 to 57,700, a whopping positive 63.7%.
Simeon declined the most, by 37,100 folks from 59,300 to 22,200, a whopping negative 62.6%.
The other ten tribes were less dramatical, growing the most was, by 11,900 people, was Aser; declining the most was, by 8,000 people, was Nephtali. On a percentage basis it was Benjamin growing by 28.8% while Ephraim declining by 19.8%.
Want to get lost in the numbers? Let’s do! Not!
The Levites or the priest family numbered 23,000 in Median but were not counted in the Sinai. Levites who are one month old and upward were counted yet with the tribes it was 20 years and older.
Even in biblical times the data was incomplete and not always ‘apples-to-apples!’
Why the counting? To know ‘all that are able to go forth to war.’
Today there are 7.5 billion people living on the earth with 62 million being born and 26 million dying each year for a net growth of 36 million people every year.
That’s a positive growth rate of 0.5% versus in Moses’ forty years in the Exodus of a negative 0.3%.
What could have caused the difference in population growth/decline rates?
God wiping out the children of Israel when they disobeyed and sinned against Him!
Not to worry as that is the Old Testament, the Old Covenant versus today’s New Testament, New Covenant plus the presence of The Holy Spirit! Right?
I don’t know.
Getting away from the analytical to the spiritual message of Numbers…
For the second census, among them was not one of them that were numbered before by Moses and Aaron in the desert of Sinai. For the Lord had foretold that they should die in the wilderness. And none remained of them, but Caleb, the son of Jephone, and Josue the son of Nun.
And Moses too, at least for a short while longer.
Maybe my father had it right, after his spiritual conversion to Christ, he would say “everything is temporary.” And indeed our time upon the earth certainly is temporary, as temporary as it was for the additional, approximately 100 billion people who have lived on this earth prior to today’s current population!
We think of gender or sexual discrimination today in terms of our experiences. God dealt with it directly way back when to some initial extent.
Our father died in the desert, and was not in the sedition, that was raised against the Lord under Core, but he died in his own sin and he had no male children. Why is his name taken away out of his family, because he had no son? Give us a possession among the kinsmen of our father.
And Moses referred their cause to the judgment of the Lord. Smart man!
And the Lord said to him: The daughters of Salphaad demand a just thing: Give them a possession among their father’s kindred, and let them succeed him in his inheritance.
When a man dieth without a son, his inheritance shall pass to his daughter, if no daughter, his brethren shall succeed him, of no brethren, go veto his father’s brethren, if no uncles by his father, the inheritance shall be given to them that are next akin. And this shall be to the children of Israel sacred by a perpetual law, as the Lord hath commanded Moses.
Of course this was only a start and we still, 20 centuries plus later have a long way to go.
But it was the end for Moses…
The Lord also said to Moses: Go up into this mountain Abarim, and view from thence the land which I will give to the children of Israel. And when thou shalt have seen it, thou also shalt go to thy people, as thy brother Aaron is gone, because you offended me in the desert of Sin in the contradiction of the multitude: neither would you sanctify me before them at the waters. These are the waters of contradiction in Cades of the desert of Sin.
I still think Aaron and Moses got a bum rap from God and were the fall guy for the children of Israel.
What did they do wrong? Hit the rock with the road and water came out?
Waters of contradiction? The contradiction was God’s servants did the best they humanly could and were unfairly judged and punished by God. At least that is my opinion but then again I am not God, God is God and even though I don’t understand, I follow Him, not my sinful, ego-based nature. At least when I can. I am perfect except when I am not!
Flashback to Numbers C20:10-13:
And having gathered together the multitude before the rock, he said to them: Hear ye rebellious and incredulous: Can we bring forth water out of this rock? And when Moses had lifted up his hand, and struck the rock twice with the rod, there came forth water in great abundance, so that the people and their cattle drank, and the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you have not believed me, to sanctify me before the children of Israel, you shall not bring these people into the land, which I will give them. This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
“Lest the people of the Lord be as sheep without a shepherd,” Moses protested of his death sentence.
But God had a succession plan.
“Take Josue, the son of Nun, a man whom is the Spirit, and put thy hand upon him. If any thing be to be done, Eleazar the priest shall consult the Lord for him,” said God to Moses.
The obedient servant Moses was obedient and of service to the Lord until the end.
And laying hands on Josue’s head, Moses repeated all things that the Lord had commanded.
Another census with consensus; Moses served the Lord to the end of his days!
Day 55: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Another Census With Consensus; Moses Served the Lord to the End of his Days!
Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Numbers Chapters 26-30
Bible Notes:
This Book is so called, because it begins with a census of the Hebrew nations.
It describes their departure from Mount Sinai, their journey to Moab, and gives various rules for distribution of the Promised Land.
Numbers Chapter 26: The Lord commands another census; Number of the family of Ruben, Simeon, Gad, Juda, Issacharr, Zabulon, Manasses, Ephraim, Benjamin, Dan, Aser, Nephtali; Manner of dividing the land; Number of Levites; Only Celeb and Josue remain.
After the blood of the guilty was shed, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest: Number the whole sum of the children of Israel from twenty years old and upward, by their houses and kindreds, all that are able to go forth to war.
Being in the plains of Moab upon the Jordan over against Jericho
Ruben the firstborn of Israel (Jacob)
The princes of the people, that rose against Moses and Aaron in the sedition of Core, when they rebelled against the Lord… that when Core perished, his sons did not perish.
The sons of Juda, Her and Onan, who both died in the land of Chanaan.
The sons of Joseph by their kindred, Manasses and Ephraim.
These are the sons of Joseph by their families. The sons of Benjamin in their kindreds:
This is the sum of the children of Israel, that were reckoned up, six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.
Children of Israel 601, 730
Ruben 43,730
Simeon 22,200
Gad 40,500
Juda 76,500
Issachar 64,300
Zabulon 60,500
Manasses 52,700
Ephraim 32,500
Benjamin 45,600
Dan 64,400
Aser 53,400
Nephtali 45,400
To these shall the land be divided for their possessions according to the number of names. To every one, as they have now been reckoned up, shall a possession be delivered.
This also is the number of the sons of Levi by their families:
Now Caath begot Amram, who had to wife Jochabed the daughter of Levi, who was born to him in Egypt. She bore to her husband Amram sons, Aaron and Moses, and Mary their sister.
Of whom Nadab and Abiu died, when they offered the strange fire before the Lord
Levites 23,000 males from one month old and upward: for they were not reckoned up among the children of Israel, neither was a possession given to them with the rest.
That were enrolled by Moses and Eleazar the priest, in the plains of Moab upon the Jordan, over against Jericho. Among them was not one of them that were numbered before by Moses and Aaron in the desert of Sinai. For the Lord had foretold that they should die in the wilderness. And none remained of them, but Caleb, the son of Jephone, and Josue the son of Nun.
And Moses!!!
Numbers Chapter 27: Daughters seek father’s inheritance; Law of inheritance; God predicts Moses’ death; Josue appointed to succeed Moses.
Our father died in the desert, and was not in the sedition, that was raised against the Lord under Core, but he died in his own sin and he had no male children. Why is his name taken away out of his family, because he had no son? Give us a possession among the kinsmen of our father.
And Moses referred their cause to the judgment of the Lord.
And the Lord said to him: The daughters of Salphaad demand a just thing: Give them a possession among their father’s kindred, and let them succeed him in his inheritance.
When a man dieth without a son, his inheritance shall pass to his daughter, if no daughter, his brethren shall succeed him, of no brethren, go veto his father’s brethren, if no uncles by his father, the inheritance shall be given to them that are next akin. And this shall be to the children of Israel sacred by a perpetual law, as the Lord hath commanded Moses.
The Lord also said to Moses: Go up into this mountain Abarim, and view from thence the land which I will give to the children of Israel. And when thou shalt have seen it, thou also shalt go to thy people, as thy brother Aaron is gone, because you offended me in the desert of Sin in the contradiction of the multitude: neither would you sanctify me before them at the waters. These are the waters of contradiction in Cades of the desert of Sin.
Flashback to Numbers C20:10-13:
And having gathered together the multitude before the rock, he said to them: Hear ye rebellious and incredulous: Can we bring forth water out of this rock? And when Moses had lifted up his hand, and struck the rock twice with the rod, there came forth water in great abundance, so that the people and their cattle drank, and the Lord said to Moses and Aaron: Because you have not believed me, to sanctify me before the children of Israel, you shall not bring these people into the land, which I will give them. This is the Water of contradiction, where the children of Israel strove with words against the Lord, and he was sanctified in them.
Lest the people of the Lord be as sheep without a shepherd.
Take Josue, the son of Nun, a man whom is the Spirit, and put thy hand upon him.
If any thing be to be done, Eleazar the priest shall consult the Lord for him
Shall go out and go in at his word
And laying hands on Josue’s head, Moses repeated all things that the Lord had commanded.
Numbers Chapter 28: Offerings commanded; Daily offering; Sabbath offering; Offering of the first day of the month; The Passover; Pentecost or feast of weeks.
Offer ye my oblation and my bread, and burnt sacrifice of most sweet odor, in their due seasons.
Every day for the perpetual holocaust
One you shall offer in the morning, and the other in the evening
And for a libation you shall offer of wine
And the libations which are regularly are poured out every Sabbath for the perpetual holocaust
This shall be the holocaust for every month, as they succeed one another in the course of the year
For sin, to make atonement for you
And the first day (of The Passover) shall be venerable and holy: you shall not do any servile work therein.
The seventh day also shall be most solemn and holy unto you: you shall do no servile work therein.
Numbers Chapter 29: First day of the seventh month; Tenth day of the seventh month; First day of the feast of tabernacles; Second day of the feast of tabernacles; Third day of the feast of tabernacles; Fourth day of the feast of tabernacles; Fifth day of the feast of tabernacles; Sixth day of the feast of tabernacles; Seventh day of the feast of tabernacles; Eighth day of the feast of tabernacles.
It is a day of the sounding and of trumpets
Which is offered for the expiation of the people
Expiation—the means by which atonement or reparation is made.
And you shall afflict your souls
Afflict—to distress with mental or bodily pain; trouble greatly or grievously: to be afflicted with arthritis; Obsolete: to overthrow; defeat; to humble.
But shall celebrate a solemnity to the Lord seven days
Solemnity—the state or character of being solemn; earnestness; gravity; impressiveness: the solemnity of a state funeral; a solemn observance, ceremonial proceeding, or special formality: the solemnities of Easter; Law. a formality that renders an act or document valid.
You shall offer according to the rite
You shall celebrate in the right manner
You shall celebrate according to the rite
These things shall you offer to the Lord in your solemnities: besides your vows and voluntary oblations for holocaust, for sacrifice, for libation, and for victims of peace offerings.
Numbers Chapter 30: Vow of a man; Vow of a maid; Vow of a wife; Vows of widows and divorced women; Vow of a married woman.
And he said to the princes of the tribes of the children of Israel
If any man make a vow to the Lord, or bind himself by an oath: he shall not make his word void but shall fulfil all that he promised.
If a woman vow any thing, and bind herself by an oath, being in her father’s house, and but yet a girl in age: if her father knew the vow that she hath promised, and the oath wherewith she hath bound her soul, and held his peace, she shall be bound by the vow. Whatsoever she promised and swore, she shall fulfill in deed,].
But if her father, immediately as soon as he heard it, gain-said it, bother her vows and her oaths shall be void, neither shall she be bound to what she promised, because her father hath gain-said it.
Gain-said—gainsay—to deny, dispute, or contradict; to speak or act against; oppose.
If she have a husband, and shall vow any thing, and the word once getting out of her mouth shall bind her soul by an oath, the day her husband shall hear it, and not gainsay it, she shall be bound to the vow, and shall give whatsoever she promised. But if, as soon as he heareth, he gainsay it, and make her promises and the words wherewith she had bound her soul of no effect: the Lord forgive her.
The widow, and she that is divorced, shall fulfill whatsoever they vow.
Vow of a married woman versus vow of a wife?
And hold his peace
Because her husband gainsaid it, and the Lord will be merciful to her
If she vow and bind herself by oath, to afflict her soul by fasting, or abstinence from other things, it shall depend on the will of her husband, whether she shall do it, or not do it.
to afflict her soul by fasting, or abstinence from other things
But if he gainsay it after that he knew it, he shall hear her iniquity
These are the laws which the Lord appointed to Moses…
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