After the census was completed, G‑d instructed Moses how to divide up the Land of Israel among the Jewish people.
Our Threefold Relationship with G‑d
לָאֵלֶּה תֵּחָלֵק הָאָרֶץ וגו': (במדבר כו:נג)
[G‑d told Moses,] “The land will be divided up among these [whom you just counted].” Numbers 26:53

The Land of Israel was divided among the Jewish people in three ways: (1) by population – i.e., the larger the tribe, the more land it received; (2) by lot, which determined which tribe received which area; and (3) through inheritance, by which the fathers’ estates were passed down to their children.

These three methods mirror the three different facets of our relationship with G‑d: (1) We are connected to G‑d in a service-reward relationship. This mirrors the logical division of the land by population. (2) We were chosen by G‑d to be His people, regardless of how well we live up to our side of our contractual relationship with Him. This mirrors the division of the land by lot, which is not dictated by logic. (3) We are connected to G‑d because we are part of Him; since we are part of G‑d, He does not even need to choose us. This mirrors the division of the land by inheritance, for an heir inherits his parents automatically; he does not have to earn his inheritance, nor does his parent need to choose him as their heir.

All three facets of our relationship with G‑d are important, but in the Messianic future our inheritance-relationship with G‑d will become paramount. It is this aspect of our relationship that we should try to emphasize now, as we prepare ourselves for the imminent Messianic Redemption.1