NUMBERS: The Lord God Takes a Census of the Armies of Israel; "So all who were numbered of the children of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war in Israel were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty."

Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: “Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above—all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies. And with you there shall be a man from every tribe, each one the head of his father’s house. (Numbers 1:1-4)

The Lord God first referred to the children of Israel as armies when He told Moses and Aaron, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.” (Exodus 6:26) But He warned them, "But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.” (Exodus 7:4-5)

Whether they realized it or not, the Lord God was preparing them for battle. He promised, "So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites." (Exodus 3:8) But the current inhabitants of their promised land wasn't just going to leave and let them come in. Remember, the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:40-41)

They were going to have to fight to conquer their promised land, but the Lord God promised Moses from the beginning, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sentyou: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12) And true to His Word, Moses and the children of Israel were camped at Mount Sinai, serving the Lord God and being prepared by God to go into the promised land.

But no army goes forward without a leader, and therefore, the Lord God called leaders by name from each of the armies of Israel. “These are the names of the men who shall stand with you: 

from Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;
from Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;
from Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab;
from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;
from Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;
from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;
from Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni;
from Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;
from Asher, Pagiel the son of Ocran;
from Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel;
from Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.”
These were chosen from the congregation, leaders of their fathers’ tribes, heads of the divisions in Israel. (Numbers 1:5-16) 

Only eleven of the twelve tribes of Israel are named. Levi was not included. We'll find out later why. Then Moses and Aaron took these men who had been mentioned by name, and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month; and they recited their ancestry by families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, each one individually.  As the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai. (Numbers 1:17-19) 

Now the children of Reuben, Israel’s oldest son, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred. (Numbers 1:20-21) 

From the children of Simeon, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, of those who were numbered, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Simeon were fifty-nine thousand three hundred. (Numbers 1:22-23) 

From the children of Gad, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Gadwere forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty. (Numbers 1:24-25) 

From the children of Judah, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Judah were seventy-four thousand six hundred. (Numbers 1:26-27) 

From the children of Issachar, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Issachar were fifty-four thousand four hundred. (Numbers 1:28-29) 

From the children of Zebulun, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war:  those who were numbered of the tribe of Zebulun were fifty-seven thousand four hundred. (Numbers 1:30-31) 

From the sons of Joseph, the children of Ephraim, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Ephraim were forty thousand five hundred. (Numbers 1:32-33) 

From the children of Manasseh, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Manasseh were thirty-two thousand two hundred. (Numbers 1:34-35) 

From the children of Benjamin, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Benjamin were thirty-five thousand four hundred. (Numbers 1:36-37) 

From the children of Dan, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Danwere sixty-two thousand seven hundred. (Numbers 1:38-39) 

From the children of Asher, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Asher were forty-one thousand five hundred. (Numbers 1:40-41) 

From the children of Naphtali, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: those who were numbered of the tribe of Naphtali were fifty-three thousand four hundred. (Numbers 1:42-43) 

These are the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, with the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each one representing his father’s house. So all who were numbered of the children of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war in Israel— all who were numbered were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty. (Numbers 1:44-46) 

After being in Egypt for 430 years, and at this point, being in the wilderness for 1 year, they had grown into a mighty army of 603,550 men over the age of 20, not including women and children. But the Levites were not numbered among them by their fathers’ tribe; for the Lord had spoken to Moses, saying: “Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, nor take a census of them among the children of Israel; but you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its furnishings, and over all things that belong to it; they shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they shall attend to it and camp around the tabernacle. (Numbers 1:47-50)

"And when the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death. The children of Israel shall pitch their tents, everyone by his own camp, everyone by his own standard, according to their armies; but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony.” Thus the children of Israel did; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they did. (Numbers 1:41-54)

Aaron and his sons were the first priests of Israel, descendants of Levi. These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Leviwere one hundred and thirty-seven. The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimi according to their families. And the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three. The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their generations. Now Amram took for himself Jochebed, his father’s sister, as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. (Exodus 6:16-20)

However, it's interesting to note that when Jacob (aka Israel) gave his last words to his sons, he said, “Simeon and Levi are brothers; instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. Let not my soul enter their council; let not my honor be united to their assembly; for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. [Genesis 34] Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel." (Genesis 49:5-7) This is just more proof that the Lord God will use whomever He chooses for whatever purpose He chooses, regardless of their past. 

However, their day of judgement just like all the others would one day come; but, until then, they would continue to serve the tabernacle while the armies of Israel prepared, as the Lord God commanded Moses, “Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” (Exodus 33:1-3)