“…every tribe shall be given its inheritance”
What great joy invades our soul when we listen to good news! Hope is reborn and we look forward to another day of life. Good news are like oasis in the midst of a hot desert.
The Israelites were in the desert or wilderness. For the last forty years they had been “swimming” in a sea of sand, and most of the original members of the Exodus, “drowned” and died in it. Their children remained, and to them, God reiterated the promise of receiving an inheritance in the Promise Land.
They were counted by Moses, and perhaps some of them thought that they were going to die like their fathers. The purpose of this census was to know how to distribute the land among the people. This was a great relief for the weary tribes. They rejoiced in the good news, for this represented the end of their wanderings, and the beginning of a new life in Canaan filled with blessings and joy.
What is the relevance of this story for us Christians? Well, the wilderness symbolizes our journey through this world. The census, reminds us of the Lamb’s Book of Life where our names are written forever, allowing us to inherit the kingdom of heaven; and Canaan (the new and improved one), is a type of our heavenly home.
Isn’t this great news? If you are a Christian, you have a place already reserved in glory. Today it may seem to us that we are now wandering in the middle of a desert, but one day soon all that will change, as we enter in the “Eternal Oasis” of God.
Aren’t you glad that you are counted among the children of God!
A. G.
