Numbers 2:1

Numbers 2:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,  Verse two adds, 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.  God then told Moses and Aaron how the camp  was to be set up when the people of Israel were stopped.  Each man was to pitch his tent with his own standard, which would have the ensign of his fathers house on it.  They were to set up away from the tabernacle, encircling it.  God is still a God of order and not confusion, and He still expects families to gather together.  Verse three states, 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.  God then begins to tell Moses and Aaron how the tribes were to set up around the tabernacle, and who would be the captain of the group.  We may identify as the children of some relative who was a Christian, but we still have God's calling to continue His work today.  God, not Moses and Aaron, decided the order.  We should allow God to decide where we fit in His kingdom today.  The first to be placed was the tribe Judah, with Nahshon as its captain.  They were to be on the east side of the tabernacle.  Verse four continues, And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.  All of the descendants of Judah were to be in this camp.  Verse five says, 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.  Verse six adds, And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.  The house of Issachar was placed next to the house of Judah, and it's captain identified and its number stated. Those placed next to the house of Judah were his closest kin, and this would be the pattern for the rest of the placement.  As Christians, our closest brothers and sisters in Christ should be our closest relatives, because we should spend more time with them naturally.  Verse seven states, Then the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun.  Verse eight adds, And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.  The tribe of Zebulun was next, with their captain named and numbers stated.  Verse nine concludes, 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.  They were to lead out when the people were moving. Though separated by tribe, these three were all counted together as the tribe of Judah.  We today, no matter who our ancestors may be or where we may be in the world, as followers of Christ are still a part of the same family of God, and we need to be where God calls us to be.

Numbers 1:44

Numbers 1:44 says, These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers.  Moses and Aaron counted the people of Israel with the help of the heads of the twelve tribes.  This was a big task, but it was made easier by sharing in the work.  God also expects all His people to share in His work today.  Verse forty-five adds, So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel;  Verse forty-six continues, Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.   The number of men over twenty who were able to go to war totaled six hundred three thousand, five hundred and fifty.  This number did not include women and children, or men over twenty who were unable to go to war for some reason.  Yet, God had not only sustained them in Egypt, He had multiplied them.  God is not limited in the number of people that He can bring salvation to, but He can sustain all who come to Him, even when the number multiplies.  Verse forty-seven states, But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. This also did not include the Levites, who had been set aside for service as the priests of God.  We could make this a statement that says that priests should not go to war, but since we are all a part of the priesthood of believers today, I don't believe that this would be accurate.  Verse forty-eight adds, For the LORD had spoken unto Moses, saying,  Verse forty-nine continues, Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel:  God had told Moses to not count the Levites, and this was not just a decision that Moses made on his own.  We cannot decide to separate ourselves from other Christians unless we have proof that this is what God wants.  I personally don't believe God will ever lead us to do so.  Verse fifty says, But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle.  The Levites were given the responsibility of taking care of the tabernacle and all the things that were associated with it.  This was a day by day responsibility, and as a part of the priesthood of believers today, we have a daily responsibility to take care of the things of God. Verse fifty-one adds, And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.  The Levites alone were responsible for setting up, tearing down, and transporting everything associated with the tabernacle, and anyone else who tried to do so was to be put to death.  There was a strict division between the things of God and who could handle them then, but Jesus Christ removed all those barriers.  Verse fifty-two states, And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts.  The rest of the people of Israel were to set up their tents by tribe and according to their own standard.  God did not give them a set way to set up camp, just as He does not give us a set way to worship and serve Him today, but it must be done in accordance with His word and by the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse fifty-three adds, But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony.  The Levites were to set up camp around the tabernacle to keep it safe from the other tribes and also to keep people from the other tribes safe from inadvertently coming into contact with it.  As stated earlier  Jesus removed all these restrictions, and each follower of Christ can come freely into God's presence.  Verse fifty-four concludes, And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.  Just as the children of Israel did in that day, we must do according to all that God commands of us today as Christians.  When we do, everything will work together for His glory. 

Numbers 1:32

Numbers 1:32 says, Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;   We now have the house of Joseph, starting with those of Ephraim.  Verse thirty-three adds, Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred.  There were forty-four thousand five hundred men over twenty who were able to go to war in the tribe of Ephraim.  Verse thirty-four states, Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;  Verse thirty-five adds,Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.  There were thirty-two thousand two hundred men of Manasseh who fit the criteria. Verse thirty-six says, Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;   Verse thirty-seven adds, Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.  Of the tribe of Benjamin there were thirty-five thousand four hundred men over the age of twenty who were able to go to war.  Verse thirty-eight states, Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;  Verse thirty-nine adds, Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.  Of the tribe of Dan, there were sixty-two thousand, seven hundred men over twenty years of age who were able to go to war.  Verse forty says, Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;  Verse forty-one adds, Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.  There were forty-one thousand five hundred men above the age of twenty in the tribe of Asher who were able to go to war.  Verse forty-two says, Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;  Verse forty-three adds, Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.  Of the tribe of Naphtali, there were fifty-three thousand four hundred men over the age of twenty who were able to go to war.  The nation of Israel had grown quite large while they were in Egypt, and God had delivered them to lead them to the Promised Land.  We as Christians need to likewise be growing into a large nation, which is not something that is defined by physical barriers, but by our relationship with God.  One day, God will lead us to the Promised Land, which is heaven, and He knows our number.  

Numbers 1:17

Numbers 1:17 says, Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names:   Moses and Aaron divided the people of Israel by tribes, or families.  Verse eighteen adds, And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls.  Once more, we are told that they were assembled tribes.  This was done on the first day ofthe second month, in the second year after they were delivered from Egypt.  God always works in orderly ways, I believe.  Verse nineteen continues, As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.  The counting of the people of Israel was done as God had told Moses to do it.  Whatever we do for God today must be done in accordance with His instructions.  Verse twenty states, And the children of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;  The next several verses break down the number of males of Israel over twenty years old and able to go to war and fight by tribe, beginning with Rueben, the eldest son of Israel, or Jacob.  Verse twenty-one adds, Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.  There were forty-six thousand five hundred men over twenty who could go to war in the tribe of Benjamin. Verse twenty-two says, Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;  Verse twenty-three adds, Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.  Simeon was the next to be numbered by family, and there were fifty-nine thousand, three hundred in his family who fell into this category.   Verse twenty-four states, Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;   Verse twenty-five adds, Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty.  The tribe of Gad had forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty men over twenty who were able to go to war.  Verse twenty-six says, Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;  Verse twenty-seven adds, Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.  The tribe of Judah numbered seventy-four thousand six hundred men over twenty who were able to go to war.  Verse twenty-eight states, Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;  Verse twenty-nine adds, These that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.  The number of men over twenty who could go to war in the tribe of Issachar was fifty-four thousand four hundred.  Verse thirty says, Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;   Verse thirty-one adds, Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. The tribe of Zebulun numbered fifty-seven thousand men over twenty who were able to go to war.

Numbers 1:1

Numbers 1:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,  We are given the date that the LORD spoke to Moses this time, which was two years and a month after God delivered the people of Israel out of Egypt.  Matthew Henty points out that of the first five Books of the Bible, this is the only one to be called by its English title and not its Greek.  Verse two adds, Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;  God told Moses to number, or count, the males of Israel, by family and the house of their fathers.  This was a census to show how God was fulfilling His promise to Abraham.  We may not live to see all of God's promises fulfilled, but they will always be fulfilled.  Verse three continues, From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.  The males were to be counted from the age of twenty, because they were the ones who would be able to make up the armies of Israel, and Aaron was to number them by armies.  We as men who are followers of Christ today should be on the front lines in the army of God.  Verse four concludes, And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.  They were to be counted by tribes and not just as a total number of men.  God always brings more order, not less, to those who follow Him.  Verse five states, And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur.  From here through verse sixteen we have the names and what tribe or family group the people were from.  Verse six adds, Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.  Verse seven continues, Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab. Verse eight says, Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar.  Verse nine adds, Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon.  Verse ten continues, Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.  Verse eleven states, Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni.  Verse twelve adds, Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.  Verse thirteen says, Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran.  Verse fourteen adds, Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel. Verse fifteen continues, Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan.  Verse sixteen states, These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.  These people represented the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham at that time, and we as followers of Christ are still counted in that promise today.

Luke review concluded

We also have the account of Jesus making religious leaders angry, on many, many occasions.  These were not the religious leaders of other religions, but of the people of Israel, who were supposed to represent God to His people.  There are still religious leaders today who claim to be God's representatives who do not believe that Jesus is Who He says He is, which is the only way to salvation.  We have the account of Jesus's betrayal by one of His closest disciples, one of the twelve, and we need to make sure that as followers of Christ that we never betray Him in any of our thoughts or actions.  We certainly should never betray Him for material gain.  Also, we soon see all His disciples  disassociate themselves from Him.  We can never do this and truly be saved.  Then, we have the record of the crucifixion of Jesus, when He willingly laid down His life for the sins of everyone.  We only have to accept this by faith, as the one thief being crucified with Jesus did, in order to have everlasting life.  We also have the account of the women going to the tomb of Jesus on the third day and finding it empty.  They were the first ones to hear the good news from the angel that Jesus had risen from the dead.  This is our message to the world today.  We don't really need to take them to the tomb of Jesus, because it is empty.  We just need to point them to the resurrected Lord.  We then have the account of the disciples feeling defeated, until Jesus appears to them.  We will always be defeated by the sins of this world until we meet Jesus and accept the truth of His victory over sin and death if we will put our faith in Him.  Finally, we have the glorious news of Jesus ascending back to heaven, where He had come from and where He remains today, unti He returns in victory to claim His people.  Next, we are going to look at the book of Numbers.

Luke review continued

We have the facts about the life of John the Baptist, whose birth was also foretold by an angel to his parents, Zacharias and Elisabeth.  God is the source of all life, which begins at conception.  We have the account of John's lifestyle and preaching, in which he called for for people to repent and prepare for the coming Messiah, Who was already there, but he didn't know it.  As followers of Christ, we are to tell people today to be ready for His return, but when this happens, everyone will know it.  We also have the account of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus, and of the heavenly Father's approval of it.  Jesus set the example for us to be baptized, and even though it isn't a requirement for salvation, I believe that God expects us to follow the example that Jesus set as a sign of obedience.  Then, we learn of John the Baptist being beheaded because he made Herod’s wife angry by pointing out her sin.  We must always point out sin when we see it, even if it leads to our death.  Then we learn ofcthe birth of Jesus.  Once again, an angel told Mary and Joseph of His birth, and the nature of that birth.  Mary's Son was to be the only begotten Son of God and the Savior of mankind.  We either believe that today, or we never claim the salvation that Jesus made available to us.  We learn of the temptation of Jesus by Satan as Jesus was ready to begin His ministry.  We should always be ready to face the temptation of  Satan and the world as we begin to follow Jesus.  We have the account of Jesus calling the disciples, and of them leaving everything to follow Him, which we still must do today. We have many accounts of  Jesus teaching, performing miracles, and healing.  We as Christians are to be doing the same thing today, for God's glory and to spread His word to the world.  We may not always recognize a miracle or even a healing when it happens, but we must always have faith that God can provide both when it is in His will to do so.

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