Numbers 2:1-34 – The need for orderliness

The military men had been numbered and the roles of the Levites had been assigned. In Numbers 2, God turned to assign specifically where each tribe of Israel should be located. All 12 tribes of Israel were instructed to pitch their camps facing the Tabernacle which would be right in the center of the whole compound. On the East side facing the sun would be the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun under the collective banner of Judah. On the  south side would be  the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad, under the collective banner of  Reuben. On the west would be the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin under the collective banner of Ephraim. And on the north side would be the tribes of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali under the collective banner of Dan. The Levites being ministers of the Tabernacle would pitch their tents around it. The figure given for each of the four groups was only the total of the military men.

What can we learn from a passage like this? There are many lessons that could be gleaned but here are four:

Firstly, the Tabernacle was placed at the center where the camp of each tribe would take their alignments. In much the same way, God being at the center of our lives help us to align life around Him. Worship must come first before service. Effective ministry starts with worship. One of the lines Jesus used to retort the tempter in the wilderness was “you shall worship the Lord and Him only shall you serve.” Notice worship comes before service. Worship must always be the first order of the day before we get going.

Secondly, we learn that our God loves order. It is said that the first law of heaven is order. Even from the account of creation, we see the orderliness of God. He created the habitat before He created the life forms. For plants, land, air or sea creatures, and even man, God first created the environment before He created the life forms. Now we see orderliness in how He had the 12 tribes of Israel arranged around the Tabernacle. Just imagine if all 12 tribes were left to their own design how cluttered and messy the whole camp would look. It is true that God loves orderliness.

Thirdly, this arrangement also ensures security because God would be at the center of their community. Besides, this arrangement would also facilitate easy movement. It allowed the whole mass of people to be moved together in orderliness. Without the arrangement, moving the whole group would be chaotic. It could even cause stampedes. With this arrangement, the movement could be better facilitated.

Fourthly, we see in the instruction a scheme for unity in diversity. If no instruction was given concerning where each tribe should be located, they would possibly be fighting to occupy what they think was a better location. In specifying where each tribe should be located, unity in diversity was ensured. This has always been what God is after. In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, we learned that God has given each of us different gifts. They are to be exercised for the common good of the body. Each must exercise his or her gifts to complement others in the fellowship or supplement what others may lack. Let us move according to God’s instruction, even as we serve Him in the Church.