"Among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest." A new census is taken, and the contrast with the first is sobering. The entire generation that left Egypt has perished in the wilderness, except for Joshua and Caleb. Yet God's purposes have not failed. A new generation stands ready to inherit the promises. In this chapter, we see that God's faithfulness outlasts human unfaithfulness. His purposes march forward even when one generation fails to trust Him.

The Rev. George Tim McCall, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Junction City, KS, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Numbers 26.

To learn more about Immanuel in Junction City, visit immanueljc.org.

The Book of Numbers is far more than an ancient census report. It is the story of a people learning to trust God in the wilderness, and failing, and finding grace anyway.

In this series, host Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors walk through the Old Testament book of Numbers chapter by chapter. We follow Israel from Sinai toward the Promised Land, through grumbling and rebellion, fiery serpents and a talking donkey, faithless spies and faithful priests. The journey is hard, the failures are many, and God remains faithful to a faithless people.

These ancient accounts point us to Christ. The bronze serpent lifted on a pole points to the cross. The rock struck for water points to the one struck for us. The high priest whose death frees the manslayer points to the Great High Priest whose death sets us free forever. Join us as we discover that the wilderness has more to teach us than we ever expected.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.