August 2, 2010 Lesson 1 of Numbers 1 and 2. Numbering and order of the tribes

Israel’s immediate future was to be characterized by war and worship. How is this shown in chapter 1? Can the two be separated in the daily life of the Christian? Cf. 2 Cor 10:3-6; Eph 6:10-13. Answer: I see that the two were indeed separate. Every tribe was ordered to count and prepare all men over 20 for war, except for the Levites. The Levities were to be the “keepers” of the tabernacle and all its furnishings. They were not to prepare for war. In addition all the tribes were to camp near the tabernacle, while the other tribes made a defensive perimeter around the tabernacle.


What point is there in the detailed ordering of the tribes as given in chapter 2? What are the central and governing interests? Cf. 1Cor 12:7, 11, 12; 14:40. Answer: The purpose is to keep order, but more importantly let the body know what each of their purposes are (not unlike the body of Christ today). The reason for the detail; I am not totally sure. I do see, through the study Bible, that ch2 does have a nice structure of its own. It lays out the East side, the South side, the Tabernacle and the Levites, the West side, and finally the North side in that order.