Numbers 1-2
Congratulations! You made it through Leviticus.
Today we start the book of Numbers, which gets its name from, well, all the numbers. We pick up the story of the Israelites just a month after where Exodus left off. (See Ex. 40:2; Num. 1:1.) It’s been a year since the Israelites walked out of Egypt, most of that time camped out at the foot of Mount Sinai, making the Tabernacle and all the other implements of worship. As we know, the Tabernacle is now complete, the LORD is in residence, and the priests and the people are beginning to implement this new way of life.
The LORD instructs Moses to take a census of the people, and they arrive at a total of 603,550 men from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel, not counting the tribe of Levi. Adding in women and children, we can extrapolate a total population of perhaps 2,400,000 — an astonishingly large number. Naturally, scholars have questioned this number for decades (if not centuries), suggesting that the real numbers should be 5,550 men with an extrapolated total population of 22,200 (but that view relies on a peculiar interpretation of the Hebrew, coupled with multiple copyist edits scattered over a wide range of verses). Rather than trying to address this debate directly here, let me refer you to this well-balanced discussion on “Got Questions”. Suffice it to say that we should not be overly troubled by the debate; our faith does not depend on the particular numbers, as interesting as they may be.
Note that the Levites are not included in the general census of men able to go to war. Instead, their role is to care for the Tabernacle. The designation of the Levites for this duty goes back to the Golden Calf incident and their response to it. Not that the Levites didn’t participate in that debacle — Aaron himself was right in the thick of it — but when Moses returned and asked who was on the LORD’s side, the Levites stepped up and were subsequently ordained for the service of the LORD. (Ex. 32:25-29) We all fail, sometimes quite deliberately, but repentance is everything.
As we have seen before, distinguishing the Levites in this way points to holiness, as does the arrangement of the camp. The Levites surround the Tabernacle in the center of the camp, forming a buffer between the Tabernacle and the rest of the people. Yes, the LORD dwells with His people, but His holiness is never to be forgotten.
Interesting article on the possible population numbers!
I won’t say wrestling with these “discrepancies” in the Bible doesn’t matter, because they are sometimes the reason that nonbelievers have difficulty with faith. But in the long run, knowing that God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, sustained them miraculously, and fulfilled his promise (seemingly very late, but that is his prerogative), makes my faith stronger, not weaker.