Numbers 2

This chapter is much more than just counting, in it we see how the Israelites would camp for the next 40 YEARS!!! It was not a haphazard thing; they had specific places where they were to camp! They surrounded the Tabernacle on all sides, and each tribe had a specific spot to camp. Three tribes to the east, three tribes to the west, three tribes to the north, and three tribes to the south; every tent set up to face the tabernacle.

So, what does this mean for us today? What does how the Israelites camped 4000 years ago have to do with how I live today? A LOT!!! Now, we obviously do not set up tents, or all live in one common spot, but we can learn some things about the role the Lord plays in our lives, and the way we can properly relate to our Christian brothers and sisters.

1. The Lord was at the Center of the camp. I ask you today, who is at the center of your life? What is your life built around, planned around? Is it television, video games, a sport, or a hobby? Is it built around your own pleasure, or around the pleasure of someone you are trying to impress? Just like the congregation of Israel, our lives should be centered on the Lord. He should be the Hub of all that goes on in our lives; all of the other details should be like spokes coming out of Him. If anything else is your “hub” today, maybe you need to tear down camp and set it up CORRECTLY!
2. They faced inward, backs to the outside, showing that they trusted the Lord to defend them. Are you trying to fight this world on your own? Are you to busy watching the world, and all that goes on in it, afraid of what it might do to you if you don’t protect yourself; so busy being afraid that you can’t even look to Jesus? The congregation of Israel camped facing the center, eyes on the Lord rather than the world. There was much out there that could have hurt them, but they realized a very important truth… the Lord could and would do a much better job protecting them than they ever could! So today… do you trust your life into the lord’s hands, or are you to busy trying to protect yourself to really take the time to look to Him?
3. The Lord was the thing that held the congregation together. There was one thing that kept this group of people from scattering or falling apart… the LORD! Our relationships with one another need to center around Christ. If they do, then we never have to worry about any differences we might have, the Lord is bigger than them all!!

The Lord cared about the way the Israelites camped, just like He cares about the way we live. He is concerned with the details of our lives because he wants the very best for us. Today, allow the Lord to examine your life, and see if you need to make any adjustments in your “camp”.