Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

When you have Blessing, you have an increase (Psalm 115:14-15; Proverbs 10:22). When you have a decrease, you have a loss of Blessing. Now that they are camped across from the Land of Promise, we take another census of the people. Large tribes would get a large inheritance and small would get small. The size of a given tribe will be determined by the census, though the individual areas/parts of the Land would be decided by lot.

Reuben’s tribe saw a decrease in numbers compared to the first census (Numbers 1:1-46). Simeon saw a decrease. Gad saw a decrease. Judah saw an increase in numbers. Issachar saw increase. Zebulon saw increase. Manassah saw almost DOUBLE as their increase. Ephraim saw a decrease. Benjamin saw increase. Dan saw increase. Ashur saw increase. Naphtali saw decrease. There were 601, 730 men aged twenty years and above as the new total of the Children of Israel. The total in the first census was 603, 550 men twenty and over. So overall we see a decrease.

They had not done well in the desert. They had not turned wholly to God. The golden calf wasn’t an isolated incident (Acts 7:41). They did not flee from the idolatrous path of obsession, addiction, and self-destruction (Colossians 3:5). Psalm 78 gives us a pretty good picture of how they were acting in the desert. Acts 7:42-43 and Amos 5:25-27 also do not speak kindly about their conduct – but VERY truthfully – or about their hearts.

They were – and we today are too – given light and a measure of trust in God. It is not what we are given, but what we DO with what we are given that matters. We must be faithful in the small so that we can be faithful in the much (Luke 16:10). As a whole, they did not live up to where they were called to live. As a whole they did not walk in this goodness, but they left the Blessing zone. They had the vision (the Promised Land), but they weren’t going with Him with their whole hearts.

Levi was not counted in the second census because they had no inheritance in the Land. They wouldn’t go to war. But they were counted as well a second time, those a month old and older. They were twenty-three thousand strong – an increase.

Moses and Eleazar, the High Priest since Aaron’s death, counted them by the Jordan across from Jericho. Not a single man was counted that was part of the first census – except Joshua and Caleb. Everyone else had died in the wilderness just as the Lord had said on Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia all those years before (2 Peter 3:9).

“Why should the name of our father disappear from the midst of his clan because he does not have a son? Give us property in the midst of the brothers of our father.” (Numbers 27:4)

Now the daughters of Zelophehad (six generations descended from Manasseh) came to Moses and Eleazar because their father had no son. Their names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, and Tirzah. Their concern was that the inheritance of their father in the Land would pass out of the tribe when they married. Even though their father had died in the wilderness (not part of the rebellion of Korah), he deserved to have his inheritance continue on and not get swallowed up by another tribe. Moses brought the matter before God.

God said if a man dies without a son, his inheritance would pass to his daughters. If no daughters, then to his brothers. If no brothers, then his close kin. The inheritance of tribal land would stay in the tribe – based on equal rights of inheritance with women (unheard of in the ancient world). It was added to the Law as a statue of God.

While they were talking, God told Moses to go to a specific mountain of Abiram to see the Land of Promise from up high. Moses would die there and not go into the Land because Moses didn’t show Yah’s holiness to the people in the Wilderness of Zin (at the waters of Meribah). Moses submitted to it, and asked who would succeed him?

God said it would be Joshua, son of Nun. Moses was to lay a hand on him and stand him before Eleazar the priest. Moses was to lay some of his (Moses’) majesty (anointing) on Joshua. Joshua would stand before Eleazar and Eleazar would ask the judgment of the Urim about his leadership (Exodus 28:30). They did what God said.

It was declared before all the people that at Joshua’s word they would go out and come in. Moses laid his hands on Joshua and all this (God’s words) was commanded to the people (the next few chapters: 28-30). So it was spoken by the hand of Moses.

Summary

Key Players: God, Moses, Eleazar, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah, Tirzah, Joshua

Key Themes: Census, Inheritance, Women’s Rights, Succession

Key Verse(s): Numbers 26:31, 62-65; 27:1,8-10,22-23