Numbers 26 is exactly that – God has Moses count the people again. This time there are 601,730 in the count. Why count again? This is how the land is to be divided up. God tells Moses to “divide up the inheritance of the land based on population”. So the count is pretty important as it determined who got how much. There were an additional 23,000 that aren’t in the count which was the number of Levites. Since they were not eligible to have land, their total is not included. But Moses and Eleazar the priest did exactly what God had told them and they prepared to give the people their Promised Land. Check out this reality: “not one of them had been among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest in the census of the people of Israel taken in the Wilderness of Sinai”. It has completely changed, all those who were part of the original group were dead now except for Moses, Caleb and Joshua.
Quite a turnover in the past years. Can you imagine the excitement as the people begin to understand what is about to happen. For many years they have been waiting to enter the new land, one filled with the promise of milk and honey. They have struggled with their rations, water, and lifestyle. They have endured plagues and death because of their grumbling and complaining. Moses has had to intercede numerous times to save them from sure death. And now they are being counted for the final approach to their new land. The excitement had to be very high. They had to be extremely ready to go. I can feel it. Are you excited about what God has planned for your life? Scripture tells us He has “a future and a hope” for each of us. That should excite and motivate us to really get after it. God is so very good. He has and continues to bless us all indeed. We need to recognize it, thank Him for it, and share the reality of it with others. Are you living in His blessing? Are you entering your promised land?
