The time for the next generation has come. God gives a new order to Moses and Eleazer the priest - take a census of the men of fighting age among the tribes of Israel. If this sounds familiar, it's because God gave the same order in Numbers 1.
What are the differences? Well, the primary difference is that there has been a complete turnover in the nation from those that left Egypt! Almost everyone is new. Because of their rebellion in the wilderness and refusal to go up and take the Promised Land the first time God offered it, "Among these there was not one of those enrolled by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had enrolled the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord had said of them, 'They shall die in the wilderness.' Not one of them was left, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun" (vs. 64-65).
The other difference is the adjustment in the numbers. The amount in each tribe varies somewhat from where it had been before. The total has decreased slightly from 603,550 to 601,730, not counting the tribe of Levi.
This census both looks back and looks ahead. It looks back in that, as we receive the population reports of the various tribes, we are reminded of some of the changes that have occurred over the history of the people. Names surface, such as Er and Onan from Genesis (vs. 19) and Korah, Dathan and Abiram from earlier in Numbers (vs. 9-11).
The census also looks ahead in that it has been prepared in advance of assigning territory in the Promised Land to the tribes. Larger tribes will receive larger sections of land, while smaller tribes will be allotted smaller territories (vs. 54). The census was very important in determining what each tribe would receive.
The Book of Numbers certainly earns its name. It is bookended by the censuses taken, one at the beginning of the people's sojourn in the wilderness and one as their time to enter Canaan approaches.
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