Numbers 2 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:

• Jesus at the Center (Live) – Darlene Zschech Lyrics
• BE THE CENTRE [Official Lyric Video] | Vineyard Worship
• Pat Barrett – Build My Life (Lyric Video) (ft. Cory Asbury)

Resources for Family Worship (with Children)

• Animated Bible Stories | My First Bible | Numbers 1-12 – Lesson for Kids (Play Partially 1:21 – 2:40)
• My Lighthouse – Shout Praises Kids (Music Video) – Song for Kids
• Great Are You Lord – Shout Praises Kids (Music Video) – Song for Kids
• Worthy Of It All – Shout Praises Kids (Music Video) – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth are located in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Beginning Our Meditation on Numbers

Chapter 2 provides instructions on the position of each tribe when camping and traveling. While staying in the wilderness, an invasion from the outside could happen at any time. To respond to such situations quickly and in an organized way, God assigns the position and order of each tribe.

When they stayed in one place and set up camp, they were to arrange themselves with the tabernacle at the center, with three tribes on each of the east, west, south, and north sides. On the east side, the tribe of Judah was to camp, with the tribes of Issachar and Zebulun on either side. On the south side, the tribe of Reuben was to take the central position, with the tribes of Simeon and Gad on either side. On the west side, the tribe of Ephraim was to take the central position, with the tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin on either side. On the north side, the tribe of Dan was to camp in the center, with the tribes of Asher and Naphtali on either side. The tabernacle was to be set up in the center of the camp, and the tribe of Levi was to camp around it.

When marching, the three tribes camped on the east side were to go first, and the three tribes camped on the south side were to follow them. Then the tribe of Levi was to march carrying the tabernacle and the holy furnishings. After them came the three tribes camped on the west side, and finally, the three tribes that had camped on the north side followed in the rear. Whether marching or staying in camp, the tabernacle and the tribe of Levi always had to remain at the center.

As in Exodus, it is emphasized that the Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses.

Meditation:

If a camera had been attached to a drone and had filmed the Israelites from the sky while they camped, it would have been a magnificent sight. With the tabernacle in the center, the tribe of Levi surrounding it, and the twelve tribes divided into groups of three in each direction, it would have looked like a newly built city designed with exact precision. If their march had been filmed from above, that too would have been a magnificent sight. Since the road they had to travel was not a journey of only one or two days, such order, organization, and discipline were necessary.

The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire led the way they were to go, but in order to complete that journey, all of them had to follow the established order, organization, and discipline. Only by following it, caring for one another, and cooperating with one another could they reach God’s destination, to which he was leading them by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. While God was doing his work, the Israelites had to do their work on this earth.

To live according to God’s leading does not mean folding our arms and leaving everything to God. While God is doing his work, we must do our work on this earth. When we do that, we can pass through the wilderness and arrive at the destination. This is not something I am to do alone. Those who share the same destination must arrange themselves, help one another, and cooperate. There is nothing more beautiful than the appearance (모습) of a community working together for the same purpose.

The tabernacle is an absolute element in forming and maintaining a community in which everyone is of one heart. To place the tabernacle at the center of the camp and the marching line means to live with God at the center. When God’s sovereignty is firmly established among the people, the people can unite around him. The moment God’s sovereignty is denied, the formation of the people will scatter, and the organization will collapse.

God’s instruction to organize the people around the tabernacle also becomes an important guideline for our lives today. When God’s sovereignty is recognized, an individual’s private life, the family, the church, society, and even a nation can become one, and then any difficulty can be faced and overcome. When God’s sovereignty is denied, any person and any organization will collapse.

Key Verse: Verse 34

So the Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses. In this way, they camped under their own standards by their clans and families, and they set out in the same way.

Prayer:

I understand why, when the Lord taught us to pray, he first taught us to hallow the name of God the Father and to pray that his rule and will be done. It is because only when your sovereignty is firmly established among us can we stand firm. That is the first and most important prayer request we must seek. Therefore, Lord, come to us, be our center, be our foundation, and be our purpose. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: When God is at the center, his people can live with order, unity, and purpose.

• For Preschool-Elementary:
  • What was in the center of Israel’s camp?
  • Why do you think God wanted to be in the center of his people?
  • What is one way you can put God first at home, at school, or at church this week?
• Youth:
  • What usually tries to take the center place in your life instead of God?
  • How does putting God at the center change the way a family, youth group, or church community works together?
  • In what area of your life do you most need God to become your center again: your thoughts, friendships, schedule, goals, or attitude?