The Lord said to Moses, “The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those listed.
Numbers 26:52-54
In Numbers 26, a new census is taken. This census is for the current number of male Israelites 20 years or older. The entire older generation has died and these were all the Israelites that were not included in the first census (Numbers 26:63-65).
The Israelites were getting ready to take the land of Canaan. Once taken, they need to divide the land among the tribes based on their size. Below is a table to show the difference in size of the tribes from the first census in Numbers 1 and the second census in Numbers 26. The number in brackets show the ranking from largest to smallest.
| Tribe | Numbers 1 | Numbers 26 | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reuben | 46,500 (7) | 43,730 (9) | -2,770 |
| Simeon | 59,300 (3) | 22,200 (12) | -37,100 |
| Gad | 45,650 (8) | 40,500 (10) | -5,150 |
| Judah | 74,600 (1) | 76,500 (1) | +1,900 |
| Issachar | 54,400 (5) | 64,300 (3) | +9,900 |
| Zebulun | 57,400 (4) | 60,500 (4) | +3,100 |
| Manasseh | 32,200 (12) | 52,700 (6) | +20,500 |
| Ephraim | 40,500 (10) | 32,500 (11) | -8,000 |
| Benjamin | 35,400 (11) | 45,600 (7) | +10,200 |
| Dan | 62,700 (2) | 64,400 (2) | +1,700 |
| Asher | 41,500 (9) | 53,400 (5) | +11,900 |
| Naphtali | 53,400 (6) | 45,400 (8) | -8,000 |
| Total | 603,550 | 601,730 | -1,820 |
As we can see, since the first census, the biggest winner is Manasseh with a gain of +20,500. This moved them from the last place to number 6. The biggest loser is Simeon with a loss of -37,100. This loss moves them from number 3 to the last place of 12.
If the Israelites obeyed the Lord the first time and went into the promised land, the portion of land each tribe would receive would have been very different. Even though the Israelites enter the promised land eventually, the tribe of Simeon lost out on a lot of land.
When the Lord asks you to do something today, do not hesitate. Even though the end result may be the same, how you get to the end result and what happens after the end result may be totally different.
Jonah was a prophet that God asked to speak to the people in Nineveh. But says no and runs away from God. The ship he boards ends up losing it’s cargo and Jonah gets eaten by a giant fish. In the end, Jonah still ends up speaking to the people of Nineveh.
The Lord’s will will always prevail. It’s up to you whether you want to be a part of it or not.
This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 timothy 2:3-4