Part 2 - And 603,548 Men Fell

- November 30, 2021

Welcome back! If you are just arriving, head back to Part 1 of this series to get your footing. We will be right here when you return...

In Part 1, I shared with you that 603,548 "blood covered" participants of the Exodus Passover did not qualify to enter the Promised Land. In this blog, I will ask and answer 2 questions:

1) Where did I get that number?

and

2) What kept them from qualifying?

1) The number:

Chapter 1 of the Book of Numbers contains the early census of Israel. We can either add the sums of the tribes, or if you're like me, you can notice that Moses added them for us in verse 46. Moses totals Israel to be 603,550 strong. In reality, this number under represents Israel. Why? A few reasons:

a) the tribe of Levi is not included;

b) only men aged 20+ are counted;

c) women and children are excluded.

Basically, the number 603,550 is representative of men who were able to serve in the army of Israel.

(My personal estimation of the actual number of individuals of Israel at this point in history is closer to 1 million).

But Debbie, you said that 603,548 men died in the wilderness. That is different than the 603,550 men listed in Numbers chapter 1.

Good catch!

In Numbers 14:30, YHVH makes a proclamation. Only Caleb and Joshua will enter the Promised Land! (603,550 - 2 = 603,548)

I bet most of my readers know the history of the 12 spies of which Caleb and Joshua were included.... Ten spies gave a bad report. Only 2 reported that "We should definitely go up and capture the land!"

Those 2, Caleb and Joshua, were the ONLY men of the 603,550 to qualify to enter the Promised Land.

But do you know the rest of the story?

2) Why they did not qualify (the rest of the story):

You see, trouble began brewing for those 603,548 men waaaaayyyyyy before the spies scouted out the Promised Land. The 603,548 men were not condemned by one demonstration of a lack of faith. They were condemned by a repeated pattern of complaining and lack of trust in YHVH.

It began on day 3.

That's right. Three days after the Sons of Israel walked through the parted sea...

On. Dry. Ground.

...and watched Pharaoh and his army drown in the roaring waters, they began to lose faith in YHVH.

The Sons of Israel had walked for 3 days and found no water. - Let's be fair here. About a million people were walking through the desert for 3 days with no water...this was no small thing! Imagine you were there. Imagine looking down into the eyes of your child...writhing with thirst.

Humans can survive for about 3 days without water.

Modern science tells us that human bodies begin to shut down after 3 days without water.

These people were desperate!

I am afraid that I would have found myself among those who began to lose faith.🙁

How about you?

Exodus chapter 15 tells us that the people complained to Moses, and...

That YHVH was testing them.

YHVH knew that His people needed water to survive. He designed the human body! He was training them to depend on His provision.

Does YHVH still test and train His people...

people with the blood of Yeshua on the doorposts of their hearts?

Can His people still fail His tests?

Does He provide grace in spite of failure?

Might any of us be in danger of missing the Promised Land?

(hold your tomatoes!)

I think it is imperative that we ask these questions, and look to the testimony that these 603,548 men left behind. It was written down for our benefit. YHVH does not want us to make the same mistakes that these early Sons of Israel made.

Will you read it and dissect it with me?

In my next post, we will continue to look for evidence of a few things:

a) YHVH's patience, provision, and grace;

b) The 603,548 men's consistent lack of faith; and

c) A day called "today."

I will be back soon, and I hope you will continue to...

Come Seek With Me!

Need to Catch Up?

And 603,548 Men Fell - Part 1

Ready to Move On?

Part 3 - And 603,548 Men Fell

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