NUMBERS LESSON 3
We will begin this lesson in Numbers Numbers 2:1 "And the LORD
spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,"
In the last lesson, Moses and Aaron had numbered the young men of
the tribe. They, possibly, took the results into the tabernacle, and
God spoke to them there. In this lesson, we will see the order of God.
Notice, as we go through this lesson, that God is in the center of the
encampment. Jesus must be the hub of the wheel, that all the spokes
{denominations of Christians} attach to. Just as this encampment has
order when it moves, the church must move in unison to be effective.
Each must stay in his appointed place, for the wheel to turn
correctly. If one pulls loose from the hub, you have a crooked wheel.
Jesus must be the focal point of it all, or it will not succeed.
Numbers 2:2 "Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by
his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off
about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch."
"Standard", in this, possibly, means flag or banner. "Ensign"
means flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, mark, or
miracle. There seems to have been a flag for each family that they
would raise, and cause their people to gather around. They were to be
careful not to pitch too close to the tabernacle.
Numbers 2:3 "And on the east side toward the rising of the sun
shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their
armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab [shall be] captain of the
children of Judah."
Jesus was to come through the tribe of Judah. The east is the
direction of the rising sun. The eastern gate in the wall at Jerusalem
is the gate that God entered and left by. It would be appropriate for
the tribe of Judah to camp in the east. II Peter 1:19 "We have also a
more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as
unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the
day star arise in your hearts:" The day Star is Jesus.
Numbers 2:4 And his host, and those that were numbered of them,
[were] threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.
The tribe of Judah, of the men that were counted, was 74,600.
Numbers 2:5 "And those that do pitch next unto him [shall be] the
tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar [shall be] captain of
the children of Issachar."
This is just saying, that the tribe of Issachar, led by
Nethaneel, is on the eastern side, as well. They camp beside the tribe
of Judah.
Numbers 2:6 "And his host, and those that were numbered thereof,
[were] fifty and four thousand and four hundred."
The young men of the tribe of Issachar that were numbered were
54,400.
Numbers 2:7 "[Then] the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of
Helon [shall be] captain of the children of Zebulun." Numbers 2:8 "And
his host, and those that were numbered thereof, [were] fifty and seven
thousand and four hundred."
Of the tribe of Zebulon, with Eliab as the prince, were numbered
57,400. The tribe of Zebulon was to camp next to the tribe of
Issacher.
Numbers 2:9 "All that were numbered in the camp of Judah [were]
an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four
hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth."
These three tribes were camped on the east side of the
tabernacle. Their total number of men, of the age to go to war, were
186,400. It appears, Judah was the head of these three tribes. This
will be the tribe to lead the way, when they do set forth. Each tribe
had to stay in its place assigned, or there would have been total
confusion.
Numbers 2:10 "On the south side [shall be] the standard of the
camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the
children of Reuben [shall be] Elizur the son of Shedeur." Numbers 2:11
"And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, [were] forty and
six thousand and five hundred."
We see, Reuben's, tribe led by Elizur, set up camp on the south
side of the tabernacle. The number of their young men, of the age to
go to war, was 46,500.
Numbers 2:12 "And those which pitch by him [shall be] the tribe
of Simeon: and the captain of the children of Simeon [shall be]
Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai." Numbers 2:13 "And his host, and
those that were numbered of them, [were] fifty and nine thousand and
three hundred."
Reuben and Simeon were brothers. Their mother was Leah. It would
be a natural thing for their tribes to be camped together. The tribe
of Simeon's leader was Shelumiel. The young men of Simeon's tribe were
numbered 59,300.
Numbers 2:14 "Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons
of Gad [shall be] Eliasaph the son of Reuel." Numbers 2:15 "And his
host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] forty and five
thousand and six hundred and fifty."
Gad was from the handmaid Zilpah, and was a half-brother of
Simeon and Reuben. The number of his young men numbered was 45,650.
They, too, were camped on the south next to Simeon's tribe.
Numbers 2:16 "All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben [were]
an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and
fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second
rank."
We see from this, Reuben's tribe led all three tribes. When they
marched, they were the second, after Judah's three tribes. The total
number of Gad's, Simeon's, and Reuben's tribes were 151,450.
Numbers 2:17 "Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set
forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they
encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their
standards."
We mentioned before, that the church {tabernacle} would be in the
middle of the camp. The tabernacle, where God dwelt with them, was
surrounded by the Levitical tribe. It was the focal point of their
lives. Notice, also, that six tribes would march ahead of the
tabernacle, and six behind it, when they were moving from place to
place. The tabernacle with the Ark was to be protected at all times.
Numbers 2:18 "On the west side [shall be] the standard of the
camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons
of Ephraim [shall be] Elishama the son of Ammihud." Numbers 2:19 "And
his host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] forty thousand
and five hundred."
Ephraim's tribe was the leader of the three tribes on the west
side of the tabernacle. They were led by Elishama. They were numbered
40,500. It is very interesting, to me, that the tribe of Ephraim is
not mentioned in the tribes that were sealed in Revelation chapter 7.
My own thoughts on this are that they are the great multitude in verse
9 of chapter 7 of Revelation. They are spiritually the same as
Abraham's seed.
Numbers 2:20 "And by him [shall be] the tribe of Manasseh: and
the captain of the children of Manasseh [shall be] Gamaliel the son of
Pedahzur." Numbers 2:21 "And his host, and those that were numbered of
them, [were] thirty and two thousand and two hundred."
We must remember in this, that Ephraim and Manasseh were
brothers, who were sons of Joseph. They made up two tribes, instead of
one. They both camped on the west side of the tabernacle The young men
of Manasseh were counted 32,200. Their leader was Gamaliel.
Numbers 2:22 "Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the
sons of Benjamin [shall be] Abidan the son of Gideoni." Numbers 2:23
"And his host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] thirty and
five thousand and four hundred."
Benjamin was the younger brother of Joseph. His tribe camped in
the west with Ephraim and Manasseh. They were led by Abidan, and were
numbered 35,400.
Numbers 2:24 "All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim
[were] an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred,
throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank."
The tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin were all camped on
the west side of the tabernacle. They represented the sons of Rachel,
Joseph and Benjamin. All three tribes together were numbered 108,100.
They were the fewest numbered of any of the divisions. The tabernacle
was in the middle of the march, after Judah's three tribes and
Reuben's three tribes. Just after the tabernacle and the Levites, the
tribes of Ephraim came. They were third in the sense of being after
the East and the South.
Numbers 2:25 "The standard of the camp of Dan [shall be] on the
north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan
[shall be] Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai." Numbers 2:26 "And his
host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] threescore and two
thousand and seven hundred."
Dan's tribe was led by Ahiezer. They were numbered 62,700, and
encamped on the north side. It is interesting that he would be so
prominently mentioned, here, and then be totally dropped from the list
of the twelve tribes in Revelation. His tribe got into idolatry, even
more than the others.
Numbers 2:27 "And those that encamp by him [shall be] the tribe
of Asher: and the captain of the children of Asher [shall be] Pagiel
the son of Ocran." Numbers 2:28 "And his host, and those that were
numbered of them, [were] forty and one thousand and five hundred."
The tribe of Asher was encamped by Dan in the north. Their leader
was Pagiel. Their young men were numbered 41,500. Both Dan and Asher
were sons of the handmaidens.
Numbers 2:29 Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the
children of Naphtali [shall be] Ahira the son of Enan." Numbers 2:30
"And his host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] fifty and
three thousand and four hundred."
The tribe of Naphtali was led by Ahira. The young men numbered
were 53,400. Naphtali, along with Asher and Dan, were all sons of the
handmaidens.
Numbers 2:31 "All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan
[were] an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six
hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards."
The three tribes that Dan's tribe led were numbered 157,600 all
together. They were the last in the march.
Numbers 2:32 "These [are] those which were numbered of the
children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were
numbered of the camps throughout their hosts [were] six hundred
thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty."
The total number given here of all the tribes is 603,550. You
remember that including women and children the number would swell to
close to 3,000,000. To have a place large enough for this many people
to camp, you would need over 3 miles square.
Numbers 2:33 "But the Levites were not numbered among the
children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses."
The Levites did not go to war, and they would not have been
numbered in this group, for that reason.
Numbers 2:34 "And the children of Israel did according to all
that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and
so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the
house of their fathers."
Most of the early Jewish writers thought the area they encamped
in, to be twelve miles square. The three miles square used were
estimates of Roman soldiers. The difference in the space could have
been because they were not in army regiments, but individual tents.
Two things to remember in all of this, is that God was at the center
of their lives. We must, also, remember that they encamped in such a
way to protect the tabernacle and the presence of God within. Many
believe the tribes symbolize the Christians today, varied in details
of belief enough to have different denominations, but headed for a
common goal. The wilderness wanderings are much like the lives of the
Christians on earth. They were not permitted to enter the promised
land, until they had Egypt {world} out of them. With each new trial
they faced, they discovered the only answers lay in God's hands.
Numbers 3 Questions
1. Where did Moses and Aaron, probably, take the results of the
census?
2. Who was numbered?
3. What does the author ask that you notice about this lesson?
4. What are the spokes of the wheel, that Jesus is the hub for?
5. Every man shall pitch by his own __________.
6. What does "standard" mean in verse 2?
7. What does "ensign" mean.
8. What must they be careful not to do?
9. The east side was toward the _________ of the ______.
10. Which tribe was first on the east side?
11. Jesus came through the tribe of _________.
12. Which gate did the Lord enter and leave Jerusalem by?
13. Quote 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 19.
14. Who is the day Star?
15. Who pitched next to Judah?
16. Where did the tribe of Zebulon camp?
17. How many young men of war were camped on the east side?
18. Who camped on the south side?
19. Who was the mother of Reuben and Simeon?
20. Who was Gad's mother?
21. How many young men were counted all together in Reuben's three
tribes?
22. Where will the Levites camp?
23. Where would the Levites and the tabernacle be in the march?
24. Whose tribe was the leader of the three tribes on the west?
25. Ephraim and Manasseh were sons of __________.
26. What did Benjamin and Joseph have in common?
27. What was the total number of the young men, who were counted on
the west side?
28. The standard of the camp of Dan was on the ________ side.
29. What was the total number of young men camped on the north?
30. Why were the Levites not numbered?
31. How large would the area have to be, to accomadate this large a
group of people?
32. What are two things we should remember in this lesson?
33. How are the wilderness wanderings like our lives on earth?
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