July 3, 2013
LET'S GO CAMPING!
Numbers 2
Scott Polk
Central Truth
God's design and detail will create security and freedom.
Key Verse | Numbers 2:34
Thus the sons of Israel did; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, every one by his family according to his father's household. (Numbers 2:34)
Numbers 2
Arrangement of the Camp
1 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers' houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side. 3 Those to camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah by their companies, the chief of the people of Judah being Nahshon the son of Amminadab, 4 his company as listed being 74,600. 5 Those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, the chief of the people of Issachar being Nethanel the son of Zuar, 6 his company as listed being 54,400. 7 Then the tribe of Zebulun, the chief of the people of Zebulun being Eliab the son of Helon, 8 his company as listed being 57,400. 9 All those listed of the camp of Judah, by their companies, were 186,400. They shall set out first on the march.
10 On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben by their companies, the chief of the people of Reuben being Elizur the son of Shedeur, 11 his company as listed being 46,500. 12 And those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon, the chief of the people of Simeon being Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, 13 his company as listed being 59,300. 14 Then the tribe of Gad, the chief of the people of Gad being Eliasaph the son of Reuel, 15 his company as listed being 45,650. 16 All those listed of the camp of Reuben, by their companies, were 151,450. They shall set out second.
17 Then the tent of meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they camp, so shall they set out, each in position, standard by standard.
18 On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim by their companies, the chief of the people of Ephraim being Elishama the son of Ammihud, 19 his company as listed being 40,500. 20 And next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh, the chief of the people of Manasseh being Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, 21 his company as listed being 32,200. 22 Then the tribe of Benjamin, the chief of the people of Benjamin being Abidan the son of Gideoni, 23 his company as listed being 35,400. 24 All those listed of the camp of Ephraim, by their companies, were 108,100. They shall set out third on the march.
25 On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan by their companies, the chief of the people of Dan being Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, 26 his company as listed being 62,700. 27 And those to camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher, the chief of the people of Asher being Pagiel the son of Ochran, 28 his company as listed being 41,500. 29 Then the tribe of Naphtali, the chief of the people of Naphtali being Ahira the son of Enan, 30 his company as listed being 53,400. 31 All those listed of the camp of Dan were 157,600. They shall set out last, standard by standard.”
32 These are the people of Israel as listed by their fathers' houses. All those listed in the camps by their companies were 603,550. 33 But the Levites were not listed among the people of Israel, as the LORD commanded Moses.
34 Thus did the people of Israel. According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, each one in his clan, according to his fathers' house.
Dive Deeper | Numbers 2
If you're a Boy Scout, you know the Scout motto. One of the most important things to do when camping is to be organized, have more than enough equipment and rations, and be ready for any weather. Since that is way too long for a motto, the Boy Scouts summarized: BE PREPARED!
Imagine being the Scoutmaster who is planning to take three million people camping, FOR 40 YEARS! That's insane, but this chapter is all about camping!
When God sent the children of Israel into the wilderness, He prepared them. God knew the challenges that awaited them in the coming years and the dangers that lurked with their new-found liberation from Egypt. He organized them into ranks to camp around the tabernacle and to protect the people and their most cherished possession. After instructing them to conduct a census in chapter 1, God, in His infinite wisdom, gave Moses and Aaron detailed plans for their camping! He specified who should camp where and in what order they should march.
Chaos can reign in any environment. I can only imagine what it was like to feed all of those people, and it could only be worse to try to get them to pack up and move out. If you have ever packed up a family of five for a week-long vacation, you know the "brain-surgery" like efforts many moms and dads endure to get their families happily and peacefully on the road. I know I do. With no Suburbans, Yakimas, DVDs, CDs, smart phones with texting capabilities, facebooking, or tweeting, travel may have been a little more difficult.
God prepared the chosen race to see His order even in how He organized them. Judah was to the east, which is where they looked for deliverance and ultimately for Jesus the Messiah (Revelation 5:5). God demanded a healthy distance from the tabernacle, showing His sanctity. And He separated the Levites to show the importance of handling His sanctuary.
So, God cares about the details. He gives us ALL we need to be content in our service to our Deliverer from bondage. When we follow His directions, we can be the happy campers the children of Israel were at this point in their journey. FREE AT LAST!
As we all know, problems become tragic when we DO NOT follow God's directions! Just watch the Israelites earn their merit badges in the chapters to come.
Discussion Questions
1. What directions from God's Word are you not adhering to in your journey?
2. How do you return to order or compliance?
3. Who should you contact right now to help get you back on that path? Contact them now.