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Numbers 25-27: The New Generation

About This Episode

What happens when the old generation passes away? What will a new priest for the new generation look like? And are there really crosses like Jesus' in this passage? David and Seth talk about Phinehas, Joshua, and the new generation in this edition of the Spoken Gospel Podcast.

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Numbers 25–27: The New Generation

Show Notes

David Bowden and Seth Stewart continue their exploration of the book of Numbers, picking up right where the Balaam story left off. What follows is one of the most dramatic turns in the Torah — and one of the most hopeful.

Israel Yokes Itself to Baal of Peor

Just one chapter after Balaam prophesied extraordinary blessings over Israel from the mountaintop, the camera pans back down to the ground, and the scene is devastating. Israel has yoked itself to Baal of Peor, worshiping false gods in a direct echo of the golden calf incident at the start of the wilderness wanderings (Numbers 25:3). The whiplash is intentional. God just declared through Balaam that a star and scepter would rise from Jacob, that this people was mighty and blessed. And now they are doing the one thing the Torah relentlessly warns against.

What makes this even more jarring is that Balaam himself is responsible for leading Israel into this false worship. Numbers 31:16 later confirms that the same man the Holy Spirit filled to prophesy about the Messiah is the one who orchestrated Israel's idolatry. This serves as a sobering reminder that God accomplishes his purposes through deeply flawed instruments. Balaam was not a faithful servant of Yahweh — he was a self-interested pagan who followed his own greed. The intermarriage with Midianite women mentioned in the passage is not a prohibition against interracial marriage, as Scripture contains many examples of faithful cross-cultural unions, including Moses' own. The issue is that these particular marriages were a pathway to false worship, and God knew that.

The Curse Turned Away on a Tree

God's response to Israel's rebellion is striking in its specificity. He tells Moses to take the representative heads of the people and hang them on stakes in the sun so that his fierce anger would turn away from Israel (Numbers 25:4). The Hebrew word here likely refers to a vertical pole with a spike — the same kind of execution instrument that the Romans would later adapt by adding a crossbeam to create a cross. This is the same type of death referenced in Deuteronomy's declaration that anyone hung on a tree is cursed, language the New Testament explicitly applies to Jesus (Galatians 3:13).

The Gospel pattern embedded in this moment is hard to miss. Israel incurred the wrath of God through false worship. But if representative heads are placed on a tree, God's anger turns away. Jesus, as the representative head of the entire human race — the new Adam — went to a tree and died to turn back the wrath that all of humanity earned through its idolatry and rebellion. And unlike the tribal chiefs, who bore this punishment unwillingly, Jesus chose it. He willingly took responsibility for what we had done, embodying the punishment so that we could walk free.

But Moses does not obey God's command. There is no record of the chiefs being executed as God instructed. Instead, something worse happens — a man brings a Midianite woman right into the camp, into the sight of Moses and the tent of meeting, flaunting the very sin that provoked God's judgment. And Moses does nothing.

Phinehas, the Zealous Priest

Into this vacuum of inaction steps Phinehas, grandson of Aaron and son of Eleazar, the new high priest. He takes a spear and pierces both the man and the woman through the belly, and the plague that had been killing Israelites is stopped — but not before 24,000 people die (Numbers 25:8–9). This number reveals how costly Moses' failure to act was. Between God's pronouncement of judgment and Phinehas' intervention, thousands perished because no one stood between life and Death.

What Phinehas does is a deliberate inversion of the golden calf story. His grandfather Aaron had caved to the people's demands and built them a false god. Here, Aaron's grandson does the opposite — instead of enabling idol worship, he ends it by executing the idol worshippers and stopping the plague. This bookend is meant to signal that the new generation will obey where the old generation disobeyed.

For his zeal, Phinehas receives a covenant of perpetual priesthood (Numbers 25:13). He earned this not by lineage alone, but by acting like a true priest — doing what Aaron and Moses should have done. In later Jewish tradition, around the time of Jesus, Phinehas became the inspiration for the zealot movements. The logic was straightforward: Israel was corrupted by false worship and foreign occupation, so someone needed to act like Phinehas and drive a spear through the source of the curse. This is why the Maccabean rebellion and numerous messianic pretenders arose — they all saw themselves as the new Phinehas who would set Israel right through violence. But Jesus was fundamentally different. He did not put the curse-bringers to death. He put himself to death in their place. He took the javelin, planted it in the ground, and placed himself on it. Jesus is a priest forever not merely because of his actions, like Phinehas, but because of his eternal nature — his priesthood never ends because he never dies again.

The Second Census and God's Meticulous Faithfulness

Chapter 26 opens with a command that mirrors the very first chapter of Numbers: take a census. This second numbering of Israel reveals that the entire older generation has passed away, exactly as God promised 40 years earlier — with only Joshua and Caleb remaining. God is faithful to his promises, even the sobering ones about judgment. He said this generation would not enter the promised land, and not a single exception was made beyond the two men who trusted him at Kadesh Barnea.

Yet the census also reveals staggering grace. The total count of the new generation is only about 2,000 fewer than the original 603,000 — an almost identical number despite 40 years of wandering, plague, rebellion, and Death in the wilderness. This is nothing short of miraculous. In an era of high child mortality, in a barren wilderness sustained only by manna, God supernaturally preserved and multiplied his people. What makes this census unique from earlier ones is that it includes small biographical notes within the tribal listings — details about Korah's sons who survived because they did not join the rebellion, and about Zelophehad who had only daughters and no sons. These are not random asides. They answer the pressing questions a careful reader would have about how anyone survived at all, and they set up the narratives that follow.

The meticulous recording of every name and number is itself a theological statement. Not one person, not one family, not one iota of God's promises has been forgotten. He is revealing his character — punishing the guilty to the third and fourth generation while showing steadfast love to thousands. The older generation passes away under judgment, but the newer generation receives new mercy and new measures of grace. This is also the beginning of the biblical pattern of the remnant — the idea that within a larger group under judgment, God always preserves a faithful core. An Israel within Israel, as Romans 11 puts it. That remnant thread runs all the way through Scripture to Jesus himself, the last truly faithful Israelite, who alone could escape judgment but instead earned salvation for a people beyond counting.

The Daughters of Zelophehad and the Reach of God's Promises

The story of Zelophehad's daughters in chapter 27 is one of the most quietly revolutionary moments in the Torah. In the ancient Near East, women did not inherit land. Period. But Zelophehad had no sons, only daughters. As the census was being taken to allocate land in Canaan, a critical question emerged: would God's promise of land be nullified by the cultural practice of the day?

God's answer is emphatic: no. His promises are not threatened by human custom. The daughters of Zelophehad are granted the right to inherit their father's land. And God does not stop there — he establishes a cascading contingency plan. If a man has no son, the inheritance goes to his daughter. If he has no daughter, it goes to his brother, then to his uncle, then to the nearest of kin. God will always find a way to make his promises come true. There is always a contingency so that no one who belongs to his people is left without an inheritance.

This foreshadows what Paul would later declare in Galatians 3:28 — that in the Messiah there is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, because all are co-heirs with Jesus. The promise of land in the Kingdom is extended to every socially disenfranchised person. Just as Jesus offered the woman at the well and the woman with the bleeding condition not some second-rate consolation but the full promise of God, the daughters of Zelophehad received their own land — not a lesser portion, not borrowed space on an uncle's property, but their own inheritance.

Joshua Commissioned as Moses' Successor

The chapter closes with Moses being told to commission Joshua as his successor. Moses, despite being the greatest prophet Israel had ever known, belonged to the older generation. He had disobeyed God at the waters of Meribah, and so he too must pass away before Israel enters the promised land. He is told to lay his hands on Joshua, invest him with his authority before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and transfer the spirit of leadership to him (Numbers 27:18–23).

This scene becomes the prototype for prophetic succession throughout Scripture. When Elijah passes his ministry to Elisha at the Jordan River in 2 Kings 2, the parallels to Moses and Joshua are unmistakable — both successors part waters, both carry on with the same spirit of power. And when Jesus is baptized in that same Jordan River, the Holy Spirit descends on him and the Father commissions him before the people: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." It is the conferring of divine authority on the ultimate priest and prophet.

But Jesus is different from every predecessor. Moses disobeyed and had to pass on his authority. Elijah cowered in fear and was taken up. Jesus never failed, never disobeyed, never needed to cede his authority to another. Yet after his voluntary death and resurrection, he freely gave his Spirit to his followers — just as Moses gave his spirit to Joshua and Elijah gave his mantle to Elisha. Now, through baptism, we meet Jesus at the same symbolic waters and receive the same commission: carry on his ministry in the power of his Spirit. The episode closes with a question that the rest of Numbers will answer — with new leaders, a new priesthood, and a new set of laws, will this new generation finally obey where the old one failed?

Transcript

Intro: [instrumental music] Welcome to the Spoken Gospel Podcast. This is our attempt to speak the gospel out of every corner of scripture. We believe every part of the Bible, Old Testament and New, is about Jesus, and this podcast is our experiment to publicly test that belief. Let's jump in. [upbeat electronic music]

David: Well, welcome to the Spoken Gospel Podcast, uh-

Seth: Live from my basement-

David: Live-

Seth: Part two

David: Part two. We're still here.

Seth: We're still here.

David: We- After the last one, we were like, "Let's keep rolling."

Seth: Yeah.

David: And, uh, we did some reading ahead of time, so we're just gonna, we're gonna do another episode from Seth's basement. It's now 10:38 at night. [laughs]

Seth: So strong.

David: [laughs]

Seth: What, what do... When you guys think about what we do for fun-

David: Uh-huh

Seth: ... this is it.

David: This is it.

Seth: This is it.

David: Our, our wives are out on the town.

Seth: Yeah, they're having fun-

David: Uh-huh

Seth: ... enjoying each other's company. My kids are asleep, and Dave and I are like, "You know what would be a blast?"

David: We, we... Let's go to the basement and talk about numbers. [laughs]

Seth: [laughs]

David: And literally, that's what we wanted to do tonight.

Seth: Yes, we did.

David: That's our fun.

Seth: And then we're gonna go play Super Smash Brothers.

David: That'll be great.

Seth: This is our night. [laughs]

David: But this is fun. And so, um, we just talked about Balaam.

Seth: Yep.

David: And, um, and everything that happened there with his donkey and with the curses and blessings.

Seth: How Balak is Pharaoh. Go back and listen.

David: Yeah.

Seth: I loved it.

David: A lot of crazy things.

Seth: I love that episode.

David: Yes. And so now, um, we kind of jump off the mountain, up in the, in the top view with, with Balaam, and we're back in Israel.

Seth: Yeah.

David: So it's kind of this, this crazy-

Seth: God blesses Israel-

David: Yeah. [laughs]

Seth: ... from the s- from the mountaintop.

David: Yep.

Seth: And as you go back in, they're still grumbling, complaining, and disobeying.

David: Yep. It, it, it kind of feels like whiplash. You had, like, oh man, there's a star and scepter gonna come out of Jacob, and they're so blessed, and they're so numerous, and they're so mighty, and God loves them so much. And then immediately, they are doing, like, the one thing that God continually tells them not to do in the Torah.

Seth: Verse three, "So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against them."

David: They are worshiping false gods and false idols. Like-

Seth: Just like they did back at the beginning of the Ill- Ill- wilderness wanderings.

David: Yes.

Seth: Like-

David: Exactly right

Seth: ... the same thing.

David: Yes. And there's gonna be some parallels with the golden calf story, so that's good that you brought that up, 'cause that is-

Seth: Yep

David: ... something that's gonna be happening here.

Seth: And even to add to just the craziness of this, it's Balaam who just prophesied the blessings over Israel-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... who's responsible for leading Israel to worship these false gods.

David: Right.

Seth: Numbers 31:16, uh, tells us that Balaam is responsible for-

David: Right

Seth: ... all that we're reading, one chapter after the Holy Spirit fills him, and he prophesies Jesus Christ-

David: Yep

Seth: ... coming. [laughs]

David: I mean, what are we supposed to think about that? I, I've not, I've not really thought. I've kind of always viewed that as just a, I don't know, like an irony or, uh, some kind of poetic twist on the story.

Seth: That God uses asses.

David: Yeah, that God uses-

Seth: You know? [laughs] Like, that's the-

David: ... donkeys.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Right, that God uses donkeys in order to bring about His purpose, that, that Balaam wasn't the, the consummate servant of the Lord.

Seth: Right.

David: He was a self-righteous, uh, pagan who followed his own pocketbook and hubris.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And he was like, "Oh, well, that's where the blessing is, so those are gonna be my people." And so he goes and dwells with them, and he ends up leaving, leading them astray.

Seth: Yeah.

David: But what's interesting, think about this. So, so th- this is the last story that we're gonna come to in Numbers where the old generation is punished. This is where the dwindling numbers of the older generation are finally done away with. After this story, there are no, no one left fr- there's no one left from the older generation other than the two men who said they should enter Canaan. Uh-

Seth: Yeah, Caleb and, uh-

David: Caleb and Joshua

Seth: ... and Joshua.

David: Right. And so, um, think about this. So, um, God used Balaam, right, uh, to, to kind of, like, bless Israel, uh, despite Balak's wishes.

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: Uh, so he used h- his donkey, if you will, [laughs] to, like-

Seth: Right. Right, right, right

David: ... to accomplish his purpose and, and, and, and bless, and bless Israel. But here, he's using Balaam again, but to lead the rest of the old generation astray.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Which is also part of something he promised and part of his purposes.

Seth: Right. One of the things that you're s- we're... Chapter 25-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... 26 is, I think, like, 70 verses long.

David: Oh, yes.

Seth: And it's just showing the new numbers of the new generation.

David: That's right.

Seth: And it just ends. That's... And it says the old generation passed away-

David: Yep

Seth: ... except for Joshua-

David: Joshua and Caleb

Seth: ... and Caleb.

David: Yep.

Seth: And it should remind you that God is faithful to his promises. He promised this-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... would come about 40 years ago.

David: Right.

Seth: And it's, uh, happened exactly like He said.

David: Right.

Seth: God has punished the old generation and has prepared the n- the, the promised land for the new generation.

David: Right. And I mean, since you're talking about it, I mean, that's kind of an interesting statement to say. You said, "God is always true to his promises," which, it sounds like a really positive statement.

Seth: Right. [laughs]

David: But he promised judgment here.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And you're saying he's good on that promise.

Seth: Right.

David: Which should really be a sobering reminder to us about some of the things we read, um, Jesus saying about the coming judgment, right? That there will be-

Seth: Right

David: ... this place with weeping and gnashing of teeth, that there will be a banquet, and its doors will one day shut and be locked, and people won't be allowed to enter in, that Jesus will come, and there will be a sword that comes out of his mouth by which he judges the nations. And I'm just thinking-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... it's like, those are promises from God, and he'll be-

Seth: Right

David: ... true to them.

Seth: Or even just simply bef- like, even before the last day, like, God said that he would punish the wrongdoer.

David: Right.

Seth: And he must be faithful-

David: To his word

Seth: ... to, to that word.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: And so in Israel, we see that worked out by the old genera- He's like, God said he would punish Israel for their sins.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: But he also promised that they would be, that they would last forever, that they're-

David: Oh, right

Seth: ... he came, come from them, that they, like-

David: He has to hold both of those promises true.

Seth: Yes. And the way that he holds that true in Numbers-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... is by the old generation passing away but sparing the new generation.

David: Right.

Seth: How he does that for us in Jesus is that Jesus is... God still punishes Israel-

David: Right. Yes

Seth: ... but in Jesus-

David: In Jesus

Seth: ... fully-

David: Our older brother

Seth: ... our older brother, the ne-

David: Oh

Seth: ... the next generation.

David: Yeah.

Seth: But in such a way that all brothers after him-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... walk free.

David: Yes.

Seth: So he still does both.

David: Right.

Seth: Anyway.

David: As Romans says, he's the just and justifier.

Seth: Yes.

David: He's been just by punishing Jesus, therefore upholding his word that he's serious about punishment, but he's also the justifier in extending a blessing to those who deserve a curse.

Seth: Yes.

David: Yeah.

Seth: And we've already fast-forward to the very end of the-

David: We have-

Seth: [laughs]

David: ... but it's too beautiful-

Seth: It's like, it's like-

David: ... not to talk about. Okay. So here we have, uh, they, Israel is still in their cycle of sin, and they have yoked themselves to Baal. They've... This false god, uh, who is the spiritual being over this land called Peor, right? Is that the deal? I think that's the deal.

Seth: Okay.

David: And, um-

Seth: I believe you.

David: Okay. [laughs] I'm glad.

Seth: It says Baal o- Baal Peor, so.

David: Okay. So it sounds, it sounds right.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And so, so the Lord comes to Moses, and he says, "Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel."

Seth: Did you mention why this is happening?

David: Because they've worshiped other gods.

Seth: They worshiped other gods.

David: Right. Yeah.

Seth: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

David: Baal Peor.

Seth: Right. Uh-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... the, the real only reason I was mentioning that is it's mixed in with this whole conversation about intermarriage.

David: Oh, yes.

Seth: Intermarrying other w- the Hebrew men intermarrying other women.

David: Yes.

Seth: But I think you're right to gloss over that, because the point isn't that interracial marriage is bad.

David: Right.

Seth: The point is that false worship is bad.

David: Right. It was-

Seth: And that marriages-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... with foreign women always lead to-

David: To false worship

Seth: ... the men compromising their beliefs-

David: Yes. That's right

Seth: ... in worshiping other gods.

David: That's right. It, the end of intermarriage wasn't the problem. It was that God knew that intermarriage with these other countries were going to be a means to a, a bad end.

Seth: Right.

David: Right.

Seth: And there's examples all throughout scripture-

David: Oh, yes

Seth: ... of interracial marriages-

David: Yes

Seth: ... that work. That work.

David: Inter-

Seth: Yeah. [laughs]

David: Yeah.

Seth: So-

David: Uh, even we talked about one even with Moses.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Yeah. And so it's not a problem.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Uh, okay. And so, um, and so God says, "I want you to take these people who have gone, uh, and allowed..." So he, he wants them to take the chiefs or the representative heads-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... of the people who have gone and worshiped Baal. "I want you to take them. I want you to hang them out in the sun before the Lord." Now, this i- this sh- this is supposed to remind us of, um, this vertical pole is what he's talking about, I believe.

Seth: Okay.

David: And, and, and, like, this is debated. It's hard to know. It's an obscure Hebrew word. But most people believe that it is this, uh, kind of a pole with a spike, and you would kind of impale people on these spikes, and they would die out-

Seth: Okay

David: ... in fields.

Seth: Okay.

David: And, um, uh, just, just as a, as a note, this is the, the same kind of spike that the Romans would then take and put a crossbeam over-

Seth: Okay

David: ... and-

Seth: Stretching people. Okay

David: ... would, would become a cross.

Seth: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

David: So it's kind of a similar thing that's happening here. Um, and it's kind of the same thing that's referenced in Deuteronomy that's talked about when it says that, "Cursed is anyone who's hanged on a tree." It's this kind of brutality and-

Seth: Right

David: ... and execution that's being referenced.

Seth: Okay.

David: Which the New Testament picks up and points us to Jesus and his cross.

Seth: Okay.

David: So I just wanna, like, make that connection-

Seth: Yeah, yeah

David: ... for us here, right?

Seth: And then it says-

David: But, uh, 'cause it says, "If, if they're, if you hang them out and put them on these stakes, then the anger of the Lord will be turned away from the people of Israel," right?

Seth: Right.

David: So Israel has gone, and they have worshiped false gods, and they've incurred the wrath of God upon them. But if they take the representative heads of their people and hang them on a tree, God's wrath will be turned away.

Seth: Yeah. Thus-

David: [laughs]

Seth: ... verse, verse 8, "Thus, the plague on the people of Israel was stopped." Uh, that's after... Sorry. That's after-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... Phinehas.

David: Yeah. No.

Seth: But he-

David: We can't get there yet.

Seth: Sorry, sir. Sorry.

David: We can't get there yet. But this is the promise of God.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Okay. So, I mean, this should definitely show us a picture of the gospel.

Seth: Right.

David: You have the representative head of the whole human race now-

Seth: Right

David: ... not just one, one tribe or one people group, but of the whole human race, the new Adam, Jesus Christ, going on a tree and dying, even though he didn't deserve to-

Seth: Right

David: ... in order to turn back the wrath of God that we have earned for worshiping all of our false gods, idols-

Seth: Right

David: ... and sin.

Seth: Do you think that meant that necessarily the representative heads were involved in Baal worship?

David: I don't think it has to, but they, they were held responsible for it.

Seth: They were held responsible for the people that they were supposed to lead.

David: That's right.

Seth: So Jesus, as our leader-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... takes responsibility for s- things that we were supposed to do.

David: Yeah, that he did not do.

Seth: That he didn't do.

David: Exa- Yeah, exactly right

Seth: ... but becomes sin for us.

David: Right.

Seth: He, he embodies the punishment for us-

David: Yes

Seth: ... so that we can go free.

David: Yep, so that the r- uh, so let's use the exact language of the text, "so that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away."

Seth: Yeah.

David: Yeah. So that's, I mean, that's part of the gospel-

Seth: Right

David: ... that the fierce anger of the Lord was towards us because he is good on his promises [laughs]

Seth: Yeah

David: ... even the ones about punishment to come and bring that against us, and he doesn't-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... because someone else died on a tree.

Seth: And, like, these, these representative heads were done, did this unwillingly.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: But Jesus-

David: Did it willingly

Seth: ... willingly, knowing-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... that he was our leader-

David: Yep

Seth: ... takes the responsibility for passing over God's, like, to-

David: Yes

Seth: ... placating that judgment.

David: And, and you said something there that-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... that betray... It does exactly what you're supposed to do as a reader of Numbers.

Seth: What?

David: So we're used to God coming to Moses, telling him to do something, and then Moses doing it. And so you said these people went and did this thing. They didn't. Moses and the chiefs don't obey this command. There's no record of the people actually obeying what God said here, and in fact, um, uh, something worse happens. Uh, a Midianite woman and his family, uh, come into the sight of Moses, the congregation, and the tent of meeting. So th- that problem of intermarriage and false gods-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... so basically, maybe the ringleader or like-

Seth: Right

David: ... a representative-

Seth: Balaam, yeah

David: ... instead of, instead of someone coming and representing the people of Israel to turn away the wrath of God, someone comes and represents why the wrath of God is there to begin with.

Seth: Okay.

David: You have an intermarriage couple who has been worshiping a false god. They come into the center of the camp to Moses and to the tent of meeting, and they're just standing there, kind of rubbing their sin in the face of God, and no one is doing anything.

Seth: Right. Moses, it, it... Moses doesn't do anything.

David: He doesn't do anything.

Seth: Which is why this new character, Phinehas-

David: Yes

Seth: ... son-

David: Who is the son of-

Seth: Of the new priest

David: Right, Eleazar-

Seth: Eleazar

David: ... who is the son of Aaron.

Seth: Right.

David: Right?

Seth: Who's already passed away.

David: Who's already passed away. He does something. He takes a spear in his hand and goes after the man and the woman and pierces them both through the belly. So he do- he s- he puts on a stake.

Seth: He obeys the command.

David: He obeys the command of God.

Seth: He obeys the command of God-

David: Right

Seth: ... when Moses would not.

David: When Moses would not. And so what we have here is an inversion of the story of the golden calf.

Seth: Okay.

David: Because Aaron, his grandfather, right? The people came to him and said, "Build us an idol. Give us a false god-"

Seth: Right

David: ..."like Baal to worship."

Seth: Right, right, right, right.

David: And he did, and then they were, they were killed-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... as a punishment. Here, instead of, of going along with the idol worship and the false god worship, the grandson of Aaron instead s- stops the punishment from coming by putting to death those-

Seth: Mm

David: ... doing the idol worship.

Seth: Right.

David: And so he is-

Seth: So the a- so you're, you're right. So bookends.

David: Uh-huh.

Seth: Anoth- it's another bookend.

David: It's another bookend, and what it's supposed to show us is that-

Seth: Is the new generation

David: ... the new generation's gonna be better than the old generation.

Seth: Yes.

David: The new generation's gonna obey where the old generation disobeyed.

Seth: Although verse 9 is ominous.

David: [laughs]

Seth: "Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were 24,000."

David: Right.

Seth: This is the first verse w- that mentions a plague, but throughout, um, the, the Book of Numbers and even in Exodus, when God's judgment breaks out, it's described as a plague.

David: Right.

Seth: And so, like, when there's this mass disobedience, God's judgment falls, and until something's done to intercede for that judgment, uh, people keep dying.

David: Right.

Seth: So in the meantime, between God pronouncing the judgment-

David: Oh, I see

Seth: ... and Phinehas-

David: You mean the first time in this passage-

Seth: In this passage

David: ... that there's a plague going on.

Seth: Right, right.

David: I understand. Yeah.

Seth: So right. So when God says, "This has happened, you must kill these people-"

David: Right. There's a plague going on right now

Seth: ... Moses is abdicating his responsibility-

David: Uh-huh

Seth: ... during that time period, 24 th-

David: Instead of going and standing between life and death like Aaron did-

Seth: He, he doesn't do anything

David: ... he doesn't do anything.

Seth: And during that time, 24,000 people die until Phinehas-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... does what the Lord commands.

David: Right. So that's, uh, that, that's what's going on here. Uh, there's something else going on that I wanna point out. So, um, I learned this from N.T. Wright, who's a famous New Testament scholar.

Seth: Yes, yes.

David: Um, and I think this was The Day the Revolution Began.

Seth: Okay.

David: I can't remember. Uh, one of his more popular leve- level books. Um, and he talked about how in later Jewish tradition, around the time of Jesus, uh, Phinehas became a core figure for the more zealot movements-

Seth: Okay

David: ... of, um, of 1st-century Jews, okay? So because think about this.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Um, there was, everything was going wrong in-

Seth: Right

David: ... in their, in their place. Like, uh, there was, uh, there was false idol worship happening in their camp, and no one was doing anything about it.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And so they were like, "Someone has gotta go stick a javelin through the heart of the person causing this."

Seth: Yeah.

David: And when that happens, then the rule and reign and peace of God can come back to Israel.

Seth: Okay.

David: And our temple will get out of the-

Seth: Right, right, right, right, right

David: ... hand of the Herodians, and the, the Sadducees-

Seth: Or whoever else

David: ... who are in the political pocket-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... of the Romans will go down. Everything will be put right. And so that's why you have all these other precursors to Jesus who claim to be the Messiah, the new Phinehas.

Seth: Because they're acting like Phinehas.

David: Because they're acting like Phinehas. So that's why you have the Maccabean rebellion, right?

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: And there are all these violent rebellions that happened that led up to Jesus, and then even about 120 years after Jesus, even more came up and had more violent rebellions because they're like, "We have to put to death the people who have caused this curse in order to make Israel right with God again."

Seth: Right.

David: Which makes Jesus fundamentally different because he does not put the curse bringers to death. He instead puts himself to death-

Seth: In place of the curse bringers

David: ... in place of the curse bringers.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Which makes Jesus different than every other claim to the Messianic-

Seth: Right

David: ... uh, promises.

Seth: And Phinehas is act- is commended-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... for all that he did-

David: Right

Seth: ... because he's exercising the Lord's justice against its proper, um, the people who, who, who deserve it.

David: The curse, the curse bringers.

Seth: The curse bringers.

David: Yeah.

Seth: And he's promised something in return for his zeal.

David: Yes, something crazy.

Seth: In verse 13, he's promised a covenant of a perpetual priesthood because he was jealous for his God.

David: Right.

Seth: So a per- I mean, I had always assumed that Aaron's family line-

David: Mm

Seth: ... had already a perpetual covenant of priesthood.

David: Uh-huh. Right.

Seth: Does that not start until now?

David: I don't know. I'd have to look back at some of the earlier texts, but at least, at the very least, s- it, it's, that promise continues-

Seth: Right

David: ... or it's established here. I'd have to go look-

Seth: Okay

David: ... to answer that question. But regardless, g- uh, God has said there is an everlasting priesthood in Phinehas that's gonna go from here on, which is amazing.

Seth: Is perpetual different from everlasting?

David: Uh, I don't know. [laughs] Probably.

Seth: Well, 'cause I mean, like, are there sons of Phinehas now that can atone for people's sins?

David: Mm.

Seth: Right? Like-

David: Right

Seth: ... that doesn't...

David: Well, I think in the same way, think about this, that, um, was Jesus descended from Melchizedek?

Seth: He was in the loins. [laughs]

David: No, he was in Abraham's loins-

Seth: He was in Abraham's loins

David: ... not Melchizedek's, right?

Seth: Right, right, right.

David: And so when He- when Hebrews says that, and, and Psalms say-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... that Jesus is a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek- He's not necessarily saying that he was descended from him, but that he, he took up the mantle of that priest. And so in the same way, Phinehas isn't, isn't, um, confirmed and i- and given his blessing because of, uh, his, who his granddad was.

Seth: Right.

David: He's given the blessing because of how he acted. Because he did what Aaron-

Seth: Mm

David: ... should have done, he did what Moses should have done, he did what a priest should have done.

Seth: Right.

David: And so why is Jesus the ta- how does Jesus take up this everlasting promise to Phinehas? It's not by because he was a descendant of Phinehas, right?

Seth: Right.

David: It's because he acted, um, like, like the consummate Phinehas.

Seth: He was-

David: Right? Even better than Phinehas acted.

Seth: Right.

David: Because he not only execu- executes God's jus- justice, but he executes it on himself. He takes the javelin out-

Seth: Right

David: ... and he puts it in the ground and places himself on it.

Seth: So what you're saying is, Phinehas, um, isn't a priest forever because he comes from a lineage of priests that will live forever.

David: Right.

Seth: But he's a priest forever because he's acting like a true priest.

David: Yes.

Seth: In the same way Jesus acts like a true priest for us, and he also is a priest forever. Not by virt- just by virtue of his actions, but by virtue of his nature. He is eternal and omnipotent and all-powerful-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... and the ultimate head over all humanity.

David: Right.

Seth: So when Phinehas acted like a priest, it was for his lifespan. But when Jesus last- acts like a priest, it's eternally.

David: Mm.

Seth: Jesus is a priest perpetually-

David: Right

Seth: ... in a way that Phinehas never could.

David: Right, because he died.

Seth: Because, yeah.

David: And the priests that came after him weren't as good.

Seth: Right.

David: Right.

Seth: Okay.

David: Yeah, that's good. [gentle music] Okay, so, um, the, chapters 26 picks up, and it says that, "After the plague, um, g- uh, the Lord comes to Moses and to Eleazar, the son of Aaron, and gives a very familiar command." [laughs]

Seth: Yes.

David: Right?

Seth: Make a census.

David: Make a census. This is, this is the exact same thing that happened in chapter one of Numbers.

Seth: Yep.

David: And the, the point here is that now he's going to count-

Seth: The-

David: ... all the, all the people, and we're gonna find that there's no one in the older generation left.

Seth: Except Caleb and Joshua.

David: Except Caleb and Joshua.

Seth: God is faithful to his promises.

David: Mm-hmm. And here's another way he's faithful to his promises. As the tabulation comes for all the people in the younger generation, this insane number that we wrestled with several episodes ago-

Seth: Right, right, right, right, right

David: ... is still around. It's only dropped by, like, 2,000. So instead of 603,000 and change, it's 601,000 and change. And the point is that God has still raised up a massive people group-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... in the midst of all this curse and wandering. And I think later, in Deuteronomy I think it is, it's like, there's all these little mini miracles happening where even the sandals of, even the sandals they wear-

Seth: Right

David: ... don't wear out.

Seth: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

David: Yeah, it's, like, amazing. And so it's like, how were they able to have children? I mean, mortality rates in children were so high back then.

Seth: Right.

David: Let alone in-

Seth: There was this, this supernatural provision that God was providing

David: ... Right. Let alone in the wilderness.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And while you're wandering and, like, you're, like, you're living on scraps of bread, all this stuff, I'm just, it's amazing to think.

Seth: And I think the author is, is aware of that.

David: Mm.

Seth: Because what's interesting about this census that's unique from all the other census that we've read so far in the Old Testament, which is not a ton, but there have been enough of them-

David: Yep

Seth: ... is that every, um, uh, people group-

David: Mm

Seth: ... or every tribe has an included biographical fact about the family that shows you why the next generation, or how the next generation-

David: Oh

Seth: ... survives.

David: Yep. Yep.

Seth: So this is why-

David: Can you read a few of them?

Seth: Yeah, so a, a really easy one would be, uh, verse 33, 'cause this actually gets its o- own whole own chapter, uh, in just a second.

David: Oh, right, right.

Seth: But now, uh, "Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, had no sons but daughters, and the names of his daughters were," and he, he lists the daughters. "These are the clans of Manasseh." So the reason why they, they do that is because it's this biographical detail that's gonna link us to the next section of text that shows us that here is the new generation, and it has, in this situation, a new problem with it. The other one has to do with some of the descendants of Korah's family, who were spared in the fire-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... uh, because they were, they did not join in Korah's rebellion. So you have one saved-

David: Right

Seth: ... and then this other problem, so you have, like, blessing and then problem in the next generation. And those both will be resolved.

David: Okay. Um, let me, let me see if I understand what you're saying.

Seth: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

David: So you're saying that, like, the, if you're reading this and you're going, "How is anyone still alive after all of this?"

Seth: Right.

David: There are little biographical details in this census to show some caveats-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... that were going on that narratively have not been revealed yet-

Seth: Right

David: ... to show us why and how-

Seth: Right

David: ... some of the younger generation survived some of these catastrophic events.

Seth: Like, did all the sons of Korah die off because of-

David: Right

Seth: ... the, the thing?

David: It's like, no, not all of them died.

Seth: Well, what happens when a family has daughters instead of sons?

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: And so you have the, those are two of the largest, like, two really big-

David: Questions

Seth: ... questions-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... if you are a society that largely passes down its inheritance to the males-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... and you have this huge widespread rebellion among the priestly class.

David: Right.

Seth: So, like, how do, uh, the priests survive? Well, actually-

David: Not all of them rebelled

Seth: ... not all of them rebelled.

David: Yep.

Seth: But what about families that'll have only daughters? Well, actually-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... in the next chapter, it says daughters can inherit-

David: Right

Seth: ... land-

David: Right

Seth: ... just like sons can.

David: So then-

Seth: Okay

David: ... what all should we be thinking about as we read through w- this whole census that numbers out the younger generation, and then we also get a parallel, uh, from, from chapter one, and the priests are numbered as well-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... just like they were earlier.

Seth: Yep.

David: And so we get all of them numbered, and we hear that all the older generation had died except for Joshua and Caleb. I mean, what are some things we, we, we should think about?

Seth: God is faithful in both judgment and salvation.

David: Mm. Yeah.

Seth: He's true to his promises. He's doing exactly what he said he would do. He's showing, uh, he is not acquitting the guilty to the third and fourth generation-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... but he's showing steadfast love to thousands of generations.

David: His name.

Seth: He's revealing his name-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... in the fact that the older generation passes away, but the newer generation gets new mercy-

David: Yep

Seth: ... and new measures of his grace.

David: Yeah, absolutely. And I, and I think the jump-off point there that I would wanna take it, we've already kind of covered, which is the whole just and justifier thing, that, that God is, is enacting in the older and younger generation both his promise to punish and his promise to bless, his promise to curse and his promise to bless. Um, uh, the other thing I see here, um, is also the, uh, the more biblical theological idea of a remnant. Right? That-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... that all throughout the Bible we hear about this idea of a remnant, and here is really where we see it-

Seth: A remnant is basically-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... there's a group of people within a group of people-

David: Yes

Seth: ... that are true believers.

David: Yes.

Seth: So there's an Israel within Israel-

David: Yep

Seth: ... is the way that Romans 11 puts it.

David: Mm-hmm. Yep.

Seth: So there's this group of people within the group that are true believers-

David: And it's talked about-

Seth: True to his word

David: ... yeah, it's talked about both in a spiritual sense and in a survival sense. There's also parts talked about in the prophets where God promises a massive punishment that will come for the people of Israel, but that he will save and shelter a remnant.

Seth: Mm.

David: Or if you think about the story of Elijah, right? Whenever Elijah thinks he's all alone, and he's the last prophet of God, and all the other prophets have been killed, and now they're gonna kill him too, what does God say? "I've saved a remnant of 20,000, 40,000-"

Seth: Yeah

David: ... I can't remember the number, but there's this remnant of people that I've saved.

Seth: Revelation 144,000 of the remnant-

David: Yes

Seth: ... at the end of the time.

David: Right.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And so throughout the Bible, God is saving a remnant both physically, right, so, or you could say spiritually, that out of all those who are punished, there is a group of people that God is saving within those-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... uh, th- those numbers.

Seth: Within Israel-

David: Right

Seth: ... the newer generation is the remnant.

David: Right.

Seth: In, in this, in this phase of history-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... within the nation of Israel, the remnant is the-

David: Yep

Seth: ... newer generation.

David: That's right. Um, and then that remnant also is, is usually the carrier of, uh, right action, that they are the ones that obey God when no one else would. And we see that this remnant follows all the way through the Old Testament, and is picked up by Jesus, that he is the last remaining person that is faithful to God, that could escape judgment-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... that would be saved, and would be alone. He would-

Seth: Right

David: ... he would, he would end up fulfilling Elijah's fears that-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... no one el- is left but him. But instead, this remnant ends up earning salvation for a wider swath of people than could ever be imagined. So I think there's also, like, this remnant idea-

Seth: Mm

David: ... kind of starting and catalyzing-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... here.

Seth: It might not be fully formed.

David: Nope.

Seth: Like, if you're gonna preach a sermon on this for your youth group or who- your Bible study, that's probably not the point you wanna make.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: But it's definitely where this- it's starting at least.

David: God is setting a precedent here that he-

Seth: Right

David: ... will continue to repeat throughout the entire Biblical narrative.

Seth: Yeah.

David: So I think it's important to notice. Um, what else? I mean, what else do you think of when you think of this census?

Seth: I mean, I just think of being bored. [laughs]

David: Yeah, no-

Seth: It's like-

David: ... absolutely right, yeah. I mean, let's talk about that.

Seth: It's, it's, I mean, we talked about it. It's just hard to read.

David: It's hard to read. I listened to it today.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And I mean, it was hard.

Seth: It's-

David: And, like, my wife was trying to read a book next to me-

Seth: [laughs]

David: ... and I felt bad for her-

Seth: [laughs]

David: ... 'cause it was like, "The clan, and the clan, and the clan-

Seth: Right

David: ... and the clan." [laughs]

Seth: And again, like, I think the best thing that you can do in situations like this is to skim over the details.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: But if you notice something unique-

David: Right, like a, like a little biographic- like biographical side

Seth: ... these biographical-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... details, like pay attention, then ask the question, "Why is that there?"

David: "Why is that there?"

Seth: "Why is that there?"

David: Why is the pattern being broken?

Seth: Right.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: To, to record survivors of Korah and-

David: Right

Seth: ... the fact that this man has only daughters. So, like-

David: Yep

Seth: ... I think that's the best way to deal with that. Uh, and again, the meticulous recording of the New Testament is the meticulous fulfillment of God's promises.

David: Mm. Oh, oh, you mean the-

Seth: Of, of the, the-

David: Of the Bible?

Seth: Of the Bible.

David: Yeah.

Seth: The meticulous recording here in-

David: Yes

Seth: ... the book of Numbers-

David: Right

Seth: ... is the meticulous fulfillment of God's promises.

David: Definitely.

Seth: There, there's not one dot-

David: Yes

Seth: ... not one iota-

David: Yes

Seth: ... not one small number, not one person that God has forgotten as he fulfills his promises towards Israel. [instrumental music]

David: Okay, and so, uh, to wrap up this section, we hear this story of, of a man and his daughters that we've already talked about, the daughters of, how do we end up pronouncing this? Zelophehad?

Seth: Zelophehad, yeah.

David: Right. Uh, and-

Seth: He had no sons-

David: He had no sons. He-

Seth: ... who traditionally would've gotten the inheritance-

David: Right

Seth: ... of the land or whatever else.

David: Mm-hmm. And so as they're talking about this census-

Seth: Mm-hmm

David: ... uh, some- and they're talking about taking a census to then go into a new land, something obviously comes up in the hubbub of the crowd-

Seth: Right

David: ... which is who's getting what land.

Seth: Right.

David: Like, who's gonna live where? And he's like, "Uh, my sons weren't numbered in that."

Seth: Yeah.

David: You know, 'cause they were only counting the men, what was it, 20 and older?

Seth: Yeah.

David: And so it's like, "Uh, my daughters don't fit those categories." [laughs]

Seth: Yeah, yeah.

David: Uh, and I, I didn't have any sons, uh, but none of them were killed in the older generation.

Seth: Yeah.

David: My daughters have been faithful. They had a promise extended to them. Is God gonna be good to my promises even whenever I have a gender-

Seth: Right

David: ... excluded group like daughters?

Seth: Right.

David: Yeah.

Seth: And so in the ancient Near East, women would not have-

David: Owned land

Seth: ... owned land.

David: Or, or inherited land.

Seth: Or inherited land or anything like that.

David: Right.

Seth: So you have ancient custom coming up against God's promises.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: God's promised to give land to the nation of Israel as a whole-

David: Right

Seth: ... the 12 tribes of Israel as a whole, but here you have a tribal leader who has no sons-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... to pass on the land to. So God's promises are threatened by h- uh, the cultural practice of the day.

David: Right.

Seth: And God says, "No, my promises are not threatened-

David: Mm

Seth: ... by the cultural practice of the day. Your daughters are allowed-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... to own land."

David: I love that.

Seth: [laughs] It's like that's-

David: That's really good.

Seth: Yeah. [laughs]

David: Yeah. Yeah, I love that. And then, and then God's like, "And while we're at it, let me just take it multiple steps further. Let's say you don't have any children."

Seth: Right.

David: "Well, then it goes to, like, a brother."

Seth: Yeah.

David: "Let's say you don't have a brother. Well, then it goes to the sister. What if you don't have a sister? Then it goes to the next of kin-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... until you can find someone to take this land."

Seth: Like, my, y-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... the promise I've made towards you will not be lost.

David: Right.

Seth: There is always a contingency. [laughs]

David: Yes.

Seth: There's always a contingency-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... plan so that my promises will come true for you.

David: Yeah, I love that. And I love that the promises of God are bigger than the social categories and limitations, um, of the times.

Seth: Mm-hmm.

David: And that, uh, and, and, and, and so y- you think about the people Jesus went to, you know, the woman at the well-

Seth: Right

David: ... and the woman with a bleeding condition.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And he doesn't offer them- Um, second rate promises, right? Like, you can have land outside the promised land. [laughs]

Seth: Yeah, yeah.

David: Or, you know, you can ha- you can, okay, you can't have your own land, but you could go live with your uncle, you know? Like-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... it's like you get your own land.

Seth: Right.

David: It was the promise here. And like, it, it-

Seth: You, you're, you are inher- an equal inheritor

David: Co-heir with Christ.

Seth: A co-heir with Christ. This is exactly what Paul picks up-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... on the New Testament. It's like there's not a Jew-

David: Right

Seth: ... or Gentile, male-

David: Male or female

Seth: ... nor female. We are all co-heirs-

David: That's right

Seth: ... co-inheritors with Christ.

David: Yep.

Seth: Which would've been as scandalous in Paul's day-

David: Yep

Seth: ... as it would've been when, uh, Numbers was written as well.

David: Right.

Seth: Like, women and men together inherit the Kingdom of God.

David: That's right. There's a plot of land in the kingdom, no matter how socially disenfranchised you are.

Seth: Yeah.

David: Which is really good news.

Seth: Yes.

David: I love that. Okay, and then this, uh, chapter ends with Joshua being said that he will be the one to succeed Moses. He will, uh, bear the spirit like Moses bore. He will lead the people like Moses led, and, um, we'll, we'll talk a lot more about him-

Seth: Yeah

David: ... in some future texts, so I think-

Seth: Moses is the last one of the older generation.

David: The last one of the older generation.

Seth: He's the last one.

David: Oh, other than Joshua-

Seth: Other

David: ... and Caleb.

Seth: Yes.

David: Right.

Seth: So it's like Moses-

David: But he disobeyed.

Seth: Right, so Moses must pass away.

David: Yes.

Seth: He has to cede his auth- to su- cede-

David: Right

Seth: ... secede.

David: Cede. Cede his authority.

Seth: Authority-

David: Yeah

Seth: ... to Joshua.

David: Right.

Seth: And so this is what's happening.

David: Mm-hmm.

Seth: He's ceding, he's giving Joshua the spirit.

David: Yes.

Seth: That's what it says here.

David: Right.

Seth: And what's funny is that this, you mentioned Elisha already, but, uh, Elijah and Elisha, but this passage becomes the pattern that Elisha and Elijah's ministry-

David: Exactly

Seth: ... is based off of, as Elijah passes-

David: Toward the end of 1 Kings

Seth: ... his, uh, yeah, as he passes, uh, 2 Kings, 2 Kings 2. Well, first, end of 1 Kings to begin.

David: End of 1 King, and then Elisha's ministry begins in 2 Kings.

Seth: As Elijah passes on the ministry to Elisha-

David: Yep

Seth: ... it parallels this passage.

David: Right.

Seth: Even so much so that Elijah parts a wa- uh, the water-

David: Uh-huh. Yep

Seth: ... and so does Elisha.

David: Yep.

Seth: Like, Moses and Joshua become the new prototypes of what prophetic succession looks like.

David: Yep. Which is amazing then when we get to Jesus, right? And he did not disobey like Moses. He did not, uh, end up cowering in fear and asking for his life to be taken from him like Elijah, right? And s- and so he did not have to cede his authority, is what I'm trying to say.

Seth: Right.

David: Jesus did not have to pass his authority on to another.

Seth: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

David: Uh, but he underwent death voluntarily for us, but then whenever he was restored with his same glory after his resurrection, what does he do? He does the same thing that Moses did to Joshua and Elijah did to Elisha. He freely passes on his spirit to us.

Seth: Right, right, right, right.

David: And he endows us with the power that he had to carry out his ministry, and he says, just like Moses said, "Hey, I led the people with miracles, and we did great things. Joshua, you go do it." Elijah, you know, performed amazing miracles, and now Elisha go, goes and does it. And then Jesus came, and he operated in the power of the Spirit and did amazing things-

Seth: Right

David: ... and now he gives us his Spirit, and now we are the succeeders-

Seth: Right

David: ... the successors, the s-

Seth: Successors. Yeah.

David: [laughs] It's a weird... Yeah.

Seth: Well, I mean, even-

David: Of, of Jesus' authority.

Seth: That's exactly right, and I think Jesus was gi- not given his authority-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... but there was a ceremony where there, of succession-

David: Right

Seth: ... where Jesus is baptized-

David: Yes

Seth: ... in the Jordan River. The Holy Spirit falls on him, and he's commissioned, just like it says in verse 19 and 27, "Make, uh, him," meaning Joshua, "stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight, and you shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people may obey." This is exactly what happens-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... in, uh, when Jesus is baptized-

David: Right

Seth: ... and the Holy Spirit falls on him. He's commissioned in front of the people so that they might obey him. "This is my beloved Son, who I'm well pleased." It's the conferring of the authority of God-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... the authority of one, of the ultimate priest, on his son.

David: Yeah.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And how amazing is it that it happened at the Jordan River, because that's where the people are here in this story.

Seth: Yeah.

David: That's where Elijah is when he passes off, uh, his power to Elisha, and it's where Jesus is whenever he is commissioned to be a priest, and then he passes it on to us, and we meet him at that place in the waters of baptism. Anyway, there's so many cool stu- there's so much cool stuff happening here. So anyway, that kinda wraps up this section of the census and the new generation.

Seth: And really, most of the narrative, uh-

David: Yep, there's a lot, uh, there's a lot of laws coming up to end Numbers.

Seth: Yeah. There's a-

David: Which is supposed to kick off another cycle.

Seth: That's actually right.

David: Right? Because every cycle-

Seth: There's a little bit more narrative at the very end

David: ... yep, every cycle begins with laws, commands.

Seth: Yeah.

David: And so the question comes, if you're reading this in a cycle, the new generation comes. "Oh, I'm hearing commands. What's gonna come next? Is it disobedience, punishment, intercession, or is it gonna be something new?"

Seth: Right. You have this new intercessor-

David: Mm-hmm

Seth: ... Eleazar.

David: Eleazar.

Seth: You have a new intercessor, Joshua.

David: Joshua.

Seth: So we expect, after the old nation has passed away, a new set of laws to correct some of the sins of the old generation.

David: A new intercessor.

Seth: And then we're gonna see, after those laws, will the new generation hold up?

David: Mm-hmm. Right. And so, uh, we'll, we'll start peeking into those next week. Uh, but until then, uh, thank you guys for listening. Uh, this has been fun, and we're signing off from the, the basement cave-

Seth: From the basement

David: ... of Kansas City.

Seth: Yes.

David: And the next time you hear Seth and I, we will be in two different cities for the first time.

Seth: So sad.

David: So that'll be interesting. So hopefully the chemistry is still [laughs] there.

Seth: [laughs] My bad chemistry.

David: But anyway, thank you guys so much for listening, and we'll see you next week. [upbeat music]

Outro: Thank you for listening to the Spoken Gospel Podcast. Spoken Gospel is a nonprofit dedicated to creating free gospel-centered media that speaks the gospel out of every corner of scripture. So to join us in our mission and view our resources, we invite you to visit spokengospel.com. [upbeat music]

Related Resources

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Numbers 25–27: The New Generation

Show Notes

Israel Yokes Itself to Baal of Peor

The Curse Turned Away on a Tree

Phinehas, the Zealous Priest

The Second Census and God's Meticulous Faithfulness

The Daughters of Zelophehad and the Reach of God's Promises

Joshua Commissioned as Moses' Successor

Related Resources

Introduction to Numbers

View our devotional on Numbers: 1:1-1:46

Ready to study a different book?

Listen to the Numbers Introduction podcast

Listen to the Numbers 1-3: The Census podcast

Listen to the Numbers 4-6: God's Moving Company podcast

Listen to the Numbers 7-9: Flashback to Exodus podcast

Listen to the Numbers 10-12: Power Struggle podcast

Listen to the Numbers 13-15: The Spy's Disbelief podcast

Listen to the Numbers 16-19: The Priest's Disbelief podcast

Listen to the Numbers 20-21: Moses' Disbelief podcast

Listen to the Numbers 22-24: Balaam and His Donkey podcast

Listen to the Numbers 25-27: The New Generation podcast

Listen to the Numbers 28-30: Holy Time and Rash Vows podcast

Listen to the Numbers 31: Holy War podcast

Listen to the Numbers 32-36: Before The Promised Land podcast