Números 2

Números 2

Sproul - Immanuel: God With Us (See study of Immanuel-Emmanuel) “The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting some distance from it, each man under his standard with the banners of his family.” [Num. 2:2] According to Numbers 2 and 3, God arranged the Israelite camp in a square with three tribes on each side. The central tribe on the east was Judah, on the south, Reuben, on the west, Ephraim, and on the north, Dan. This was an immense outer square, set back some distance from the tabernacle. Forming an inner square immediately around the tabernacle were the Levites, also separated into four groups. On the east side, in front of the tabernacle gate, were the Aaronic priests. On the south side were the Kohathites, on the west, the Gershonites, and on the north, the Merarites. This configuration had a number of meanings. Some scholars have pointed out that the symbol of Judah was a lion, that of Reuben was a man, that of Ephraim was an ox, and that of Dan was an eagle. These are the four faces of the cherubim who guard God’s throne on its four sides (Ezek. 1:5–23; Rev. 4:6–9). Thus, the nation of Israel was functioning as a guard for God’s holiness, just as Adam was supposed to guard the original garden of Eden. Since the tabernacle faced the east, in order to come into the tabernacle a person had to move through the encampment of the Aaronic priests. The priests were the mediators who gave human access to God. A stranger would also have to come through the kingly tribe of Judah to approach the tabernacle. Perhaps most important, though, was the symbolic fact that God was in their midst, right in the center of the camp. The word Immanuel means “God with us,” and that was the prophetic name Jesus bore during his incarnation. God was Immanuel to Israel in the wilderness. His throne, his palace, his tent of meeting, was central in the society he created. The tabernacle was not just one institution among many, side by side with state, school, and business. It certainly was not peripheral to society as is the case today. Rather, God’s meeting house was the highest of all the tents—30 feet high—and positioned in the center. There was a time when towns and cities were built with the church building on a hill in the center of town with a high steeple. It was located there for biblical and strategic purposes. In our day we need to recover that vision of the centrality of God’s presence. Coram Deo (BEFORE THE FACE OF GOD) - How can the church become central in society once again? Read Mark 10:42–45, and consider what it means in relation to this question. What specific things can your local church do to acquire influence and spiritual dominion over the place where you live? F B