How does Numbers 26:19 connect to God's justice seen throughout Scripture? Setting the Scene • Numbers 26 records Israel’s second wilderness census. • Verse 19 pauses over Judah’s lineage: “The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.” (Numbers 26:19) • Nothing more is added—because the sentence already says enough. Their deaths spotlight God’s unwavering justice, first revealed in Genesis and woven through the entire Bible. A Brief Remembering of Er and Onan • Genesis 38:7: “But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.” • Genesis 38:10: “What Onan did was evil in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.” • By the time the wilderness generation re-counts Judah’s family tree, the judgment that fell on Er and Onan is treated as settled history—no debate, no revision, simply the recorded fact that sin met divine justice. Justice in the Pentateuch • Genesis 3 – Adam and Eve expelled: justice balances holiness and mercy. • Exodus 12 – Firstborn of Egypt struck: God judges oppressors, spares those under the blood. • Leviticus 10 – Nadab and Abihu consumed: unauthorized worship meets immediate justice. • Numbers 16 – Korah’s rebellion: the earth opens because “the LORD… shows who is His.” • Deuteronomy 32:4: “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice.” Er and Onan’s inclusion in Numbers 26 fits this Pentateuch pattern—sin is never ignored, judgment is never arbitrary. Justice Echoed in Later Scriptures • Psalm 9:7-8 – God’s throne is established “for judgment… with justice.” • Isaiah 5:16 – “The LORD Almighty will be exalted by His justice.” • Galatians 6:7-8 – Reaping exactly what one sows. • Romans 6:23 – “The wages of sin is death.” • Hebrews 12:6 – Discipline confirms covenant love, showing justice and mercy operate together. Consistent Threads of God’s Character • God’s justice is immediate at times (Er, Onan) and delayed at others (Nineveh, Ahab), yet always certain. • Justice is personal—directed at individual sin—and corporate—applied to families, tribes, and nations. • Justice flows from holiness. Because God is perfectly righteous, every act of wickedness must be addressed. • Justice is balanced by mercy. Even while Numbers 26 notes Er and Onan’s fate, it also records Judah’s surviving sons—Shelah, Perez, and Zerah—through whom Messiah will come (Ruth 4:18-22; Matthew 1:3). Living It Out • Take sin seriously; God does. If hidden sin feels ignored, remember Er and Onan—silence is not absence of judgment. • Trust God’s timing. His justice sometimes looks delayed, but Scripture shows it is never denied. • Marvel at mercy. The same God who judged Er and Onan provided a Redeemer through Judah’s line, offering life to all who believe. • Walk in reverent obedience, knowing justice and grace meet perfectly at the cross: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:21). |
    |