Numbers
chapter 2 details God’s precise arrangement for the nation of Israel
around the Tent of Meeting. God directs exactly where each tribe
should camp and march as they move toward taking back the land of
Canaan. By following God’s instruction, this rag tag mob of former
slaves becomes His army. The chapter begins, “The
Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting… each man under
his standard with the banner of his family“.
The Tent of Meeting contained the Ark of the Covenant and symbolized
the very presence of God. When we arrange our family with God at the
center we become more organized and more united.
Interestingly,
God does not organize the nation according to our logic or priority.
They are not arranged by size, or alphabet, or birth order, or
equally divided, but according to His own plan. It is incredible how
often we question God when His plan doesn’t make sense to us. We
often forget God’s perspective is eternal. God directs, “One
the east… Judah… the tribe of Issachar will camp next to
them…Zebulon will be next…All the men assigned to the camp of
Judah, according to their divisions, number 186,400. They will set
out first.”
Apparently the tribe of Judah will take the lead position when they
march. “One
the south… Rueben… Simeon will camp next to them…the tribe of
Gad will be next…All the men assigned to Rueben number 151,450.
They will set out second.”
There is one primary tribe on each side with the other families
marching under the leaders banner. “Then
the Tent of Meeting and the camp of the Levites will set out in the
middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they
encamp.”
“On
the west… Ephraim… Manasseh will be next to them…The tribe of
Benjamin will be next… all the men assigned to Ephraim number
108,100.”
“On
the north will be the divisions of the camp of Dan… Asher will be
next to them… Naphtali will be next… all the men assigned to Dan
number 157,600.”
Why this order? One commentary noted, “According to rabbinical
tradition, the standard of Judah bore the figure of a lion, that of
Reuben the likeness of a man or of a man’s head, that of Ephraim
the figure of an ox, and that of Dan the figure of an eagle.”
In
the 4th chapter of Revelation John says, in describing the throne of
God in heaven, “In
the center, around the throne, were four living creatures“.
Then John goes on to describe the Cherubim, all four “were
covered with eyes”
and all four “had
six wings“.
But each one is different; “The
first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the
third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle“.
Each of these represent an attribute of Jesus Christ. The four
gospels are written with similar distinctions, Matthew describes
Jesus as the lion, or king and in his genealogy traces Jesus back to
king David. Mark stresses the servant hood of Christ and mainly
describes His actions. Luke focuses on the humanity of Christ, the
descendant of Adam. And John’s gospel focuses on the Lordship of
Christ, God Himself becoming the redeemer. The apostle tells us,
“Day
and night they never stop saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God
Almighty, who was and is and is to come“.
Wow,
could God be presenting the gospel even in the way He directs the
nation of Israel to sleep? God has an amazing plan for your life
too!