Numbers Chapter 26
Omniscient – You know everything. You know my heart. You know my questions. You know my pain and frustration. You know I do not want to keep going. I give up. I don’t or can’t conquer. I am an adulterer, murder, and idolater. I hate. I have only evil in my heart all of the time. I can’t MY LORD! DO YOU HEAR ME? I CAN’T!! You are all-knowing.
Omnipotent- You can do anything. You can make me understand if You just want to. You know how many people there are but You have Moses and Eleazar count them anyway. You make less sons of Israel but more Levites. You killed a whole generation. Among these numbered there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. You are all-powerful.
Omnipresent – You are everywhere. You are in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. You are here with me. You are in Your Word. You are in my heart. You are all-present.
Eternal – You are the cause of time. You are millenniums. You are 3,000 years ago. You are now. You are forever and ever. You are time.
Immutable – You do not change. You are always the same in Your nature, Your character, and Your will. You never change, and You can never be made to change. No matter what I have done, Your angels have already done it? Your angels or a family of humans has already done it? Maybe Your Word speaks of this twice and more times.
Self – Existent – You exist by Yourself. You make up the sons of Israel’s existence. You make up the twelve tribes and the Levites. You make Moses’ existence and Jesus’ existence. You choose. You decide who exists and who does not. You will exist even when Israel does not. It is Your creation who need You in order to exist. You make up Your angels’ existence and You make up my existence.
Self-Sufficient – You do not need any of Your creation to bring about Your will or Your purpose. You choose to use Moses and Jesus, the sons of Israel and Your angels, the census taken of Israel and Your plague and Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun because it is Your good pleasure, not Your need, that governs Your choice.
Infinite – There are no limits or bounds to Your person or dominion. There was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai and there was 601,730 men and 23,000 Levites. You are without limits.
Transcendent – You are apart from Your creation. You teach Your creation about Yourself. You have Moses and Eleazar take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ households, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel. The families of the Reubenites were numbered 43,7360 which had decreased 2,770. The families of the Simeonites were 22,200 that had seriously decreased by 37,100. The families of the sons of Gad were 40,500 that decreased 5,150. The families of Judah were 76,500, which increased 1,900. The families of Issachar were 54,300, which increased 9,900. The families of the Zebulunites were 60,500, which increased 3,100. The families of Manasseh were 52,700, which increased 20,500. The families of the sons of Ephraim were 32,500, which decreased 8,000. The sons of Benjamin were 45,600, which increased 10,200. The families of the Shuhamites were 64,400, which increased 1,700. The families of the sons of Asher were 53,400, which increased 1,900. The families of Naphtali were 45,400 decreased 8,000. The sons of Israel were 601,730 decreased 1,820. The land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. The Levites were 23,000, which increased 1,000. If there was not a man who was numbered previously is there 820 men, first-born, who need to be ransomed? Why before and not now?
Sovereign – You decide who lives and who dies. You know how many people there are. You have the hair on their heads numbered. You are showing me that not a man was left of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of son because You said that they shall surely die in the wilderness. You are in complete control and You are doing Your foreknown plan!
Holy – You are a morally excellent, perfect being. You separate each of the families of the sons of Israel for Your purpose. You separate me through Your truth for Your purpose. James 1:18 – In the exercise of Your will You brought me forth by the word of truth, so that I might be, as it were, the first fruits among Your creatures. First fruits of what? Jer 2:3; Rev 14:4 – Is it humans that failed? First fruits of humans? Or is it the families of angels that failed? Isn’t this a blasphemous question My LORD? Were humans ever Your people? Is the sons of Israel are Your people but no longer Your people anymore then perhaps it would mean the first fruits of Your new people in New Jerusalem because You are Immutable.
Gracious – You show Israel Your favor by keeping their numbers relatively constant.
Merciful – You show Israel Your compassion by waiting for them to get where You are at and leading them to You.
Righteous – You are always right. You teach the right way. You teach me to believe You and Your way.
Longsuffering - You are patient with the sons of Israel and You are slow to anger.
Just – You reward Caleb and Joshua for their belief, You atone sin, and You punish the guilty who do not believe You.
Loving – You love me and the sons of Israel. You give me what I need and You take care of me.
Good – You give Your WORD of TRUTH and a part of Yourself in order to teach me about You and Your ways.
Wise – Your wisdom is higher than my wisdom. Your thoughts higher than my thoughts. Your wisdom cause You to do the things You do.
Truthful - You always speak the truth. You speak to Moses (Jesus) that among these families the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. To the larger group Jesus shall increase their inheritance, and to the smaller group He shall diminish their inheritance. You are reality.
Faithful – You always do what You promise. Everything You speak is a promise. You said that they shall surely die in the wilderness and not a man was left of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. Do You say anything of me? How will I know?
Wrathful - You will destroy all unrighteousness. I am evil and have an unbelieving heart. I lack faith My LORD. Why won’t You destroy me now? Am I blessed with knowledge of You My LORD, or am I cursed? Is it awful to feel cursed? Is it awful to feel tortured?
Jealous – You will not share the sons of Israel who are rightly and morally Yours with any other creature.
Incomprehensible – What did I not write down attributes to this Chapter until now? Why do I go out of order of things? Dear Jehovah God, it is not I who is diligent. I am not. It is not me. It is Your Spirit who blinds me and leads me. He know when I want to give up. He know when I need a break and gives me just baby steps, then I can keep going. He opens my eyes when I am ready. Thank you Jehovah God for waiting for me.
What does ‘divided by lot ‘ mean? If to the larger group Moses shall increase their inheritance, and tot the smaller group Moses shall diminish their inheritance, then how are each given their inheritance according to those numbered of them by lot? You killed all who did not believe and all those who contended against You. You already said who the larger groups are and who the smaller groups are by Your census. You chose who live and who died and who increased and who decreased. What does this mean? Lot – 1) an object used in deciding a matter by chance, a number of these being placed in a container and then drawn or cast out at random one by one 2) the use of such an object or objects in determining a matter [to choose men by lot] 3) the decision or choice arrived at by this means, regarded as the verdict of chance 4) what a person receives as the result of such a decision; share
Lot – portion or decision process Lev 16:8; Ps 22:18; Prov 1:14; Jon 1:7; John 19:24; Acts 1:26
What does it mean to ‘cast lots’? Bidding?
· Lot fell on Johan – Num 32:23; Prov 16:33
· Your sin will find you out. Gen 4:7; 44:16; Is 59:12
· The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is form the LORD. Prov 18:18; Prov 29:26
The Land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. The tribe of Joseph has the largest if Manasseh and Ephraim are combined – if they are considered separately the tribe of Judah is the largest group. To the larger group,(Judah) Moses (Jesus) shall increase their inheritance, and to the the smaller group (the tribe of Simeon) you Moses (Jesus) shall diminish their inheritance; each shall be given their inheritance according to those who were numbered of them.
Larger Groups?
Judah
Dan
Issachar
Zebulun
Asher
Manasseh
Smaller Groups?
Simeon
Ephraim
Gad
Reuben
Naphtali
Benjamin
Divided by lot. Who decides? What is Just? What is the wisdom? Why would You have the land divided by lot? Why do You have larger and smaller groups? What does this mean? What does this say about You? What am I supposed to know? How does this relate to me?