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The psalmist David records in the 37th Psalm: The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.(1) That was true of His chosen people, the Israelites, and it is true of us today. His plans and the way He orders our steps are not haphazard. He has a purpose and a plan, even when we have no idea what it is. And the details surrounding our every assignment are very exact though we may not recognize them. We see that truth revealed throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
One of those places is in the Book of Numbers, as we see the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness. Did you ever stop and think about all of the logistics involved in moving a group of people, numbering between one and two million, from Egypt to the Promised Land? i am mindful of all of the planning that went into a trip for my wife, two children and me, when our children were younger. i am also mindful of the occasional disagreement that arose over who sat where, who slept where, who got to go first, etc. Now imagine doing that with upwards to two million people! God was leading His people on a journey through the wilderness and He would leave no detail unresolved.
In their journey through the wilderness, as well as in ours, it is God who makes the assignments.(2) He assigns our places. Can you imagine the quarreling that would have taken place between the various Israelite tribes if it had been left to them to determine who camped where in relation to the Tabernacle? Or imagine the infighting that would have taken place over which clan and tribe got to lead out in the journey. It’s interesting to note in the Bible that God did not delegate the assignment to Moses. God knew the grief the people would give him if he chose the order, so God Himself made the assignments.
He appointed their positions. God named the captains of each tribe. Just like then, He alone equips, empowers and enables each of us for the position to which He appoints us. Our God is a God of order; and there is much to be learned by looking at the order of His assignments of the Israelite tribes.
As we look at their assignments, i want you to see that their pedigree determined their placement - their position in relation to their father Jacob was a factor in their placement. Our assignment will most often be determined by our position and relationship to our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. Our effectiveness in the wilderness, as well as in the Promised Land, will be directly proportional to our proximity to the Father – the closer we are to Him, the more effective we will be. Secondly, God’s purpose dictated their position. They were assigned not only based upon their parentage but also their giftedness.
The Lord took the tribes, with the exception of the Levites, and divided them into four groups of three tribes. The first group was led by the tribe of Judah. This group camped on the east side of the tabernacle, toward the rising sun. It was appropriate that this group be first, and that they be led by the tribe of Judah. The tribe of Judah was the largest tribe with the largest contingent of fighting men.
Their namesake, Judah, though not the firstborn of Jacob, was the first to be given a blessing by his father. Jacob gave him a place of preeminence over his brothers.(3) The very name “Judah” means “praise the Lord”. Their position in leadership evidenced the preeminence of praise as they, and we, journey across the wilderness. The Lord God Jehovah is worthy of and due praise above all else and before all else.
The tribe of Judah was the tribe from which Christ would come, He who is First and Last, Beginning and End. The very captain named by God to lead the tribe of Judah is Nahson, an ancestor of our Lord and listed in His ancestry in Matthew 1:4.(4) Issachar and Zebulun were Judah’s two younger brothers, all being sons of Leah. As these tribes led the people, their very names indicated that God indwells the praises of His people and He is a Rewarder of those who praise Him.
The second group camped on the south side of the Tabernacle and was led by the tribe of Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob. Reuben and Simeon, the second-born of Jacob, together with Gad, came before the tribe of Levi, the third-born son of Jacob. Their names and position indicated that as they walked before the Lord, He would look upon them, He would hear them and He would bless them. Though the blessing of the firstborn had been given to Judah, their birthright as sons of Jacob had earned them this position before the Tabernacle. As we walk in obedience before our Lord, we too will experience His blessing. But like this second group, our position to the Lord is unmerited favor through Jesus Christ – it is our birthright through Jesus – a birthright of grace and not of our works, “lest any of us have anything to boast about”.(5)
As we see earlier in the Book of Numbers, the Levites encamped around the Tabernacle and carried it between the second and third groups when the Israelites traveled. This position reflected Jehovah’s indwelling presence in the midst of His people.(6)
The third group camped on the west side of the Tabernacle. These were the sons of Rachel – Joseph and Benjamin – the favored sons of Jacob. These were led by the tribe of Ephraim. Though he was the second-born of Joseph, Ephraim was blessed before and above his brother, Manasseh, by their grandfather Jacob.(7) As a result of that blessing, this tribe led this group. Their very names spoke of the Father’s love and blessing, even in the midst of trouble. As they journeyed in pursuit of the dwelling place of the Lord, walking in His shadow, they were constantly reminded, as well as they were a constant reminder, of the Father’s goodness and compassion.
The fourth group camped on the north side of the Tabernacle and was led by the tribe of Dan; the eldest son of Jacob by Rachel’s maidservant, Bilhah. The military prowess and feats of the tribe of Dan were celebrated throughout their recorded history. Their ability, together with the size of their fighting force, made them an appropriate choice to lead this last group. They, together with the tribes of Naphtali and Asher, the remaining sons of the maidservants, became the rearguard. Their names indicated that they had been judged by their Lord and had been vindicated; they had prevailed and been blessed. They were a fitting conclusion to the testimony of the grace and the mercy of their Lord as the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness.
We should see one more aspect of this assemblage. Each of the four groups carried a banner. The banner was for identification; and it served as a rallying point for the people. According to rabbinical tradition, each banner carried an emblem that represented that tribe. The first group led by the tribe of Judah, bore the likeness of a lion; the second led by the tribe of Reuben, bore the likeness of a man; the third led by the tribe of Ephraim, bore the likeness of an ox; and the fourth led by the tribe of Dan, bore the likeness of an eagle. In the midst of these four emblems was the Wilderness Tabernacle, the earthly dwelling place of the Spirit of God.
In Revelation 4:6-8, we read, “In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal. In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings had the form of a lion; the second looked like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth had the form of an eagle with wings spread out as though in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty – the One who always was, who is, and who is still to come.’”
As the Israelites camped and journeyed in the wilderness, they were a picture for us, even now, of this expression of worship in heaven of the Lord God Jehovah, as recorded by John. Every aspect of their journey, including the emblem on their banners, was a picture and an expression of worship.
God desires for every facet of our journey to be an expression of worship of Him. He has placed us according to our pedigree in Him, and He has positioned us in accordance with His purpose. Be faithful in the assignment He has given you; just like the assignments of the tribes, it is not about us – rather, it is all about Him!
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You can read the account of the Israelites formation around the tabernacle in the Book of Numbers, chapter 2.
This post is taken from chapter 3 of my book, The Wandering Years. For more information about the book, click here.
(1) Psalm 37:23 (NLT)
(2) Numbers 2:1-3, 9-10, 16-18, 24-25, 31, 34 (NLT)
Then the LORD gave these instructions to Moses and Aaron: "Each tribe will be assigned its own area in the camp, and the various groups will camp beneath their family banners. The Tabernacle will be located at the center of these tribal compounds…. The divisions of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun are to camp toward the sunrise on the east side of the Tabernacle, beneath their family banners.…These three tribes are to lead the way whenever the Israelites travel to a new campsite. The divisions of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad are to camp on the south side of the Tabernacle, beneath their family banners.…These three tribes will be second in line whenever the Israelites travel. Then the Levites will set out from the middle of the camp with the Tabernacle. All the tribes are to travel in the same order that they camp, each in position under the appropriate family banner. The divisions of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin are to camp on the west side of the Tabernacle, beneath their family banners.… and they will follow the Levites in the line of march. The divisions of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali are to camp on the north side of the Tabernacle, beneath their family banners.… They are to bring up the rear whenever the Israelites move to a new campsite." So the people of Israel did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses. Each clan and family set up camp and marched under their banners exactly as the LORD had instructed them.
(3) Genesis 49:8
(4) Matthew 1:4
(5) Ephesians 2:9
(6) Numbers 1:47-53
(7) Genesis 48:17-19
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