The Second Counting of Israel Numbers 26
YOU remember that the men of Israel, from twenty years old, were counted before the camp left Mt. Sinai, and there were 603,550, besides the men of the tribe of Levi.
But when those men came to the border of the land of Canaan, they were afraid to go in because they did not believe God’s promises, and they wanted to turn back to Egypt. So God said the whole camp must stay in the wilderness until the children should be grown up, and He would take them into Canaan.
It was about thirty-eight years until God again led the camp close to Canaan, and then He told them to again count the men from twenty years of age, and there were 601,730, besides those of Levi.
But do you know, of that number, there were only two of the same men, —Caleb and Joshua, as were counted the first time? The rest had all died and been buried in the desert lands. The men of the second count were their children grown up.
At both countings, the men of Levi were counted separately from the rest, with the boys of that tribe also from one month old. The last count of Levites was more than the first count, but we are not told if many are the same men or not (Numbers 3:39).
The number of all the people of Israel is never given, but such a great company needed a wise leader. Moses knew he could not go in with them, and he loved them so much he prayed to God to choose the right man, or else, he said, they would be “like sheep without any shepherd”. God chose Joshua, who with the help of Eleazer, the son of Aaron, was given charge of all the camp.
When a young man, Joshua had been a helper to Moses; a captain in battle; and one of the spies to go into Canaan, and had said they were well able to enter. He made a brave leader as we learn after this. (Read of Joshua: Exodus 17:8-15; Exodus 24:13 and Numbers 14:6, 7. Also read the last four verses of our chapter).
ML 11/21/1937