“So these are the results of the registration of the people of Israel as conducted by Moses and Eleazar the priest on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. Not one person on this list had been among those listed in the previous registration taken by Moses and Aaron in the wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord had said of them, “They will all die in the wilderness.” Not one of them survived except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.”
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Numbers‬ ‭26‬:‭63‬-‭65‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God had provided for the Israelites throughout their journey and he would continue to provide as they entered the promised land. He knew exactly what they needed and the obstacles ahead. The tasks ahead would require an army of able and loyal bodies. It would also require forethought as to how to parse out the land once that many people arrived there. For God this is easy, but God’s intention is self governance under him. There would need to be a census for the young leaders of Israel to carry out their immense tasks ahead. This census is also Gods providence. One might be forgiven to think that that in times of need, we need only rely on God without planning or structure to our choices, but this story illustrates just how important this type of planning is. It is a mercy to us that God allows for us to take account of our resources and needs and commands us to use them wisely, alongside our faith in him. This type of census in our lives ought to be a daily practice. We ought to always know exactly what we have so we can best serve and also partake in his blessings.

God’s Provision: God provided for the Israelites and would continue to do so in the promised land.

Importance of Planning: God’s command for a census emphasizes the importance of planning and resource management.

Daily Census Analogy: A daily practice of taking stock of resources and needs is encouraged, similar to the census taken by the Israelites.