Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 8

Because Blogger limits the number of labels per post, I have had to divide the study of Numbers 26 and its important census that determined the inheritances of the tribes of Israel, into eight short posts:

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 1

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 2

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 3

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 4

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 5

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 6

Census of Israel in the Plains of Moab, Part 7

And to complete the counting of the tribe of Levi, part 8:

(Numbers 26:60) To Aaron were born Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. (61) And Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the LORD.

Aaron's sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, but Nadab and Abihu were struck dead when they offered profane incense in disobedience before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2).

(62) And those who were numbered of them were twenty-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.

The tribe of Levi were not counted in the same way as the other tribes.  They were not men of war, and were therefore counted every male from one month and older.  They numbered 23,000 which was an increase of 1000 since the census taken 38 years prior to this one.  They were not numbered with the other tribes because they had no part of the land of Israel divided to them and had no inheritance in it.

(63) These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan across from Jericho.

After eight short posts, the numbering of the Israelites in chapter 26 of Numbers comes to an end.  They were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, as instructed by God in verse 2 where they had dwelt in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River across from Jericho.

(64) But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest 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, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

In this census taken 38 years after the first census in the wilderness of Sinai, except for Caleb and Joshua, there were not any of the same people counted that were counted in the first census, for the Lord had told them they would all die in the wilderness.  They all did die, except for Caleb and Joshua, whom the Lord allowed to enter their promised land because of their faith and good report of the land of Canaan, when all the rest of the spies had brought back a bad report, in spite of what their Lord had told them about it.

Note the goodness and mercy of the Lord to His people in that even after all their provocations, He raised up another generation as numerous as the previous one to which He would fulfill His promise to give them their inheritance in their promised land flowing with milk and honey.  God's will shall be done always.  Had the Israelites trusted and obeyed their Lord from the beginning, they would have entered their promised land much sooner.  Even though their iniquity prevented the first generation from seeing His promise fulfilled, His will was fulfilled with the next generation.