Numbers 25 - 26 Summary

Numbers chapters 25-26 detail Israel's sin at Baal Peor and the subsequent second census. Here's a summary:

Numbers 25: Israel's Sin at Baal Peor:

The Israelites begin to engage in sexual immorality with Moabite women.

They are enticed to worship the Moabite god Baal Peor.

God's anger burns against Israel, and he commands Moses to execute the leaders involved in the idolatry.

Phinehas, Aaron's grandson, demonstrates his zeal for the Lord by killing an Israelite man and a Midianite woman who were openly engaging in sexual immorality.

This act of zeal stops the plague that God had sent, and Phinehas is rewarded with a covenant of a perpetual priesthood.

God instructs Moses to attack the Midianites.

Numbers 26: The Second Census:

After the plague, God instructs Moses and Eleazar to conduct a second census of the Israelite men, twenty years old and above, who are able to bear arms.

This census is conducted by tribal families, and the numbers are recorded.

The chapter meticulously lists the numbers of each tribe, showing the changes that have occurred since the first census.

The Levites are also numbered, but they are not included in the military census.

God gives instructions for the division of the land according to the numbers of each tribe.

The chapter concludes with the record of the families of Levi.

In essence, these chapters contrast Israel's unfaithfulness with God's righteous judgment and Phinehas's zealous response. The second census prepares the new generation of Israelites for the conquest of Canaan and the division of the land.