June 11, 2019
Organized Chaos
Numbers 2
Lucina Thompson
Central Truth
Moving two million people on foot would be chaotic. Before the Israelites took one step, God had a plan to bring order out of their chaos, just like He does for mine. We can trust Him no matter how chaotic life seems. When we obey Him, it brings order.
Key Verse | Numbers 2:34
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.
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
One of my favorite plays is The Miracle Worker. In it, a young Helen Keller lives like a wild animal. She is deaf and blind and has no way to communicate with anyone other than through actions. Every day is more chaotic than the one before. Through a long and difficult process, a teacher finds the key that unlocks words for Helen so she can communicate. Suddenly, the chaos in her life comes into order. She becomes a beautiful woman who contributes greatly to society.
This reminds me of the nation of Israel at this point in their journey. Most Bible scholars estimate that more than two million people (counting women and children under the age of 20) walked freely out of Egypt. Stop for a moment and think about two million people traveling on foot with all their animals and belongings. It must have been utter chaos.
Into this disorder, God comes. As a loving Father, He gives them specific details so they can live in a way that brings glory to Him and blessing to the world.
The way God organized the nation is a picture of protection (the largest and strongest clans were at the front and rear of the camp) and provision. With the Tabernacle at the center, God made it visually clear He was to be the center of their lives. When they broke camp to move, they went in specific order, and people knew where to be (so they could be located) and what to do (so the work could be done).
What a tremendous reminder for me. When I put God at the center of my life and follow His commands, I am blessed and can be a blessing to others. However, when I go my own way and do what I want to do (which I have done), it brings chaos and pain, not only to me, but to those closest to me whom I love deeply. Each day I get to choose: obey or not? Today, I pray moment by moment to choose to obey ALL that the Lord commands me.
Discussion Questions
1. Has there been a time in your life when you lived in chaos? How did that look, and what did it cost you?
2. Has anything changed? If so, what and how?
3. Rather than change my actions, I must align my heart with God's heart, and the first step to doing so is to trust Christ. Have you come into a personal relationship with Jesus? If not, read these verses to understand how to do that: Romans 3:23, 6:23, and 10:9. If for any reason you think you're too far from God or are too bad, read Romans 5:8.
4. How are you doing at living a life ordered by God and directed by His Word? What blessings have come to you or others as a result?