July 11, 2011 – Numbers 26:23 - 26:65

Numbers 1:46 gives the number of Israelites that left Egypt at 603,550.  Now we have 601,730.  They wondered about until every single person that was above 20 (minus Joseph and Caleb) the first time around died.  So, not only is this second group young men, all between 20 and 60, but have no actual memory of Egypt.  This could be good, not having that influence, and then again they do not have the experience of seeing God’s works against Egypt.  But they have seen His works in the desert.  I wonder if Eleazar should be counted with Caleb and Joseph.  It appears that he is an older age than 20 when the tent and all the sacrifices were laid out, yet he is still with them about to cross the Jordan and is the High Priest.   

One thing that video I watched talked about was Moses’ sin in hitting the rock twice.  Numbers 20:6-12.  This is the second time God tells Moses to bring water from the rock.  The first time (Exodus 17:5-7) Moses was told to strike the rock, which he did.  The second time around, with the new generation, He told Moses simply to speak to the rock and water would come out.  Moses did not do this, but struck the rock twice.  Whether he was frustrated with the people, with God, with the 40 years in the desert, or simply because he was a little cranky being 120 years old, he disobeyed God’s command.  I never realized that he was only told to speak to the rock the second time an struck it instead.