Today’s Scripture Reading (October 7,
2015): Numbers 26
DeForest
Kelley died on June 11, 1999 at the age of 79. The actor, who was probably best
remembered for playing Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy on “Star Trek: The Original
Series,” had admitted late in life that he was terrified that his catchphrase
in the series would appear on his tombstone – “He’s dead, Jim.” As a result of
the comment, Newsweek greeted the news of the actor’s death by opening up their
obituary for Kelley with the words - "We're not even going to try
to resist: He's dead, Jim.” Maybe it was Kelley’s fear of the catch phrase that
caused the actor to decide to be cremated and have his ashes scattered over the
Pacific Ocean.
This line
concerning this census in the book of Numbers has always bothered me, because
it is not quite true. There would have been at least three names on the list of
the new census that would have been included on the previous list. Obviously it
would seem that Moses is still alive. He will die, but according to the story
his death happens just before Israel moves into Canaan. It will happen soon,
but not quite yet. It is likely that Aaron is dead, although that may not be
true because there are two death stories in the Pentateuch that deal with the
High Priests death - the first is found in Numbers 20 and the second in
Deuteronomy 10. The Book of Deuteronomy is essentially the last speech spoken
by Moses to Israel before the prophet’s death. The speech covers the events of
the past desert wanderings, and so it is not surprising that an account of
Aaron’s death is found there. But the details are slightly different which some
have thought may have argued for a different time of death for Aaron. But in
all likelihood the priest has already died by this point in the story.
So that
leaves two more who were counted in the first census and would have also been
counted in this one – Caleb and Joshua. Both leaders would have been included
in the first census, and both were still leading at this census. Both leaders
were exempt from God’s ruling that all of Israel would die in the desert
because these two leaders were the only ones who argued for Israel’s renewed
faith in God and for the taking of the Promised Land almost forty years
earlier. The only possible exemption that would have excluded them from this
census was that all three of these men may have been exempted from military
service because of their age (the original command had been “Take a census of the whole Israelite
community by families—all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve
in the army of Israel” – Numbers 26:2). But that exemption would
seem suspicious because the purpose of this census was to prove that the time
decreed by God had finally come. All who had rebelled at the beginning had been
buried in the desert. There was no one left who had been part of the rebellion.
Moses, Caleb and Joshua had not rebelled at that time, although Moses too stood
under a death sentence and he too would fail to enter the land that he had dreamed
of through the desert wanderings. As the census is completed, I can almost hear
Caleb leaning up against Joshua and echoing the fictional Dr. McCoy – they’re
all dead, Josh. And with that, the stage had been set for Israel’s move
into the Promised Land.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers
27
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