The Book of Numbers - what happened to the Isrealites 'In the Desert'

Today I started reading from the Book of Numbers. This is from an easy to read commentary with a few of my own comments:

• This book is called ‘Numbers’ because there are many lists of numbers in it. There are two censuses (Numbers 1:1 to 4:49; Numbers chapter 26). These record the numbers of male Israelites who were over 20 years old. These were all the men who could fight in a battle (likely men between the ages of 20 and 50 according to Numbers 4:3; John 8:57). Also, there is a list of men and boys over one month old from Levi’s tribe. The men from Levi’s tribe did not fight. They helped the priests.
• The Hebrew name for this book is ‘In the desert’. This name describes well what the book is about. In fact, the words ‘in the desert’ are in the first sentence of the book in the Hebrew language: "The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt." (Numbers 1:1)
• The book begins two years after the Israelites had escaped from Egypt. They had been slaves there. They had made a camp in the Sinai desert. God had given the Law to Moses. They were preparing to go to the Promised Land.
• As they traveled, God was with them. He looked after them. He provided food and drink for them (in fact, they saw miracles from God every day!). But the Israelites complained about life in the desert. They did not trust God. They did not obey God. So God punished them. They wandered in the desert for nearly 40 years. All the adults who had left Egypt died in the desert, except Joshua and Caleb. (That's a total of 603,550 counting only men between the ages of 20 and 50 - Numbers 1:46). However, God did not take the Promised Land away from the Israelites. He gave it to their children, who had grown up in the desert. The first generation, the adults who had left Egypt, did not enter the Promised Land. But the second generation, their children, did enter the Promised Land. God always does what he has promised.
• When the book ends, this second generation had reached the edge of the Promised Land.
• The book does not just record what happened in the desert. Also, it contains instructions about how the Israelites should worship God. There is information about purification, sacrifices, and the duties of priests.

I was trying to understand the numbers better. This reference explained what may be the actual number of people who went into the desert:
"But if all the women, children and older people over fifty (or sixty) are included, the number of Israelites who left Egypt must have numbered about two and a half million. This is a vast amount of people going into a desolate desert area east of Egypt. Let us assume for a moment that all the men of the census were indeed living at the time and were not a part of the pedigree records that were mentioned by Moses which also included (the dead and the living). Let us look at the difficulties if we reckon all the men as then living."... "These are some examples of some of the problems with Israel’s population at the Exodus if one does not read what Moses said carefully. Indeed, Moses was including in each of the censuses the pedigrees of the Israelites (and these genealogical tables listed people with the living Israelites who could have numbered the actual amount of men Moses mentioned). In truth, Moses included the dead (the pedigrees) as well as those living in his census accounts." The actual population was likely considerably smaller who entered the desert.

Paul in Corinthians 10:1-13 reminded us that the story of the Israelites in the desert serves as a warning to us: "Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. (verses 5-6)...These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. (verse 11)"
He also ended the warning with a promise:
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

 I look forward to understanding this book better in the days to come. Thank you Lord for the warnings and promises you have made! I now look back with 20/20 vision and give you all the honor and glory for your wonderful plan of salvation through your Son Jesus!