20131120 Wednesday, November 20 2013
Numbers 02: Israel's Battle Formation

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house"

The LORD God was and is Jesus Christ (see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God).

"10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." (1 Corinthians 10:1-4 KJV)

Jesus Christ commanded that the first official census of the Israelites after the Exodus (see Numbers 1: The First Sinai Census) was to be a military census, "with the number of their names, every male by their polls; from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel."

"1:1 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, 1:2 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; 1:3 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." (Numbers 1:1-3 KJV)

So too, the order of the Israelite camp, that at that time was the entire Israelite nation, was arranged at all times in a battle formation, with the Tabernacle (see Exodus 26: The First Christian Tabernacle) double-defended on all sides, first by all tribes, and then the Levites (see the illustration). When the camp advanced, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun "shall first set forth."

"2:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 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.

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. 2:4 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.

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. 2:6 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred.

2:7 Then the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun. 2:8 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred.

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.

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. 2:11 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred.

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. 2:13 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred.

2:14 Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel. 2:15 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty.

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.

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.

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. 2:19 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred.

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. 2:21 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred.

2:22 Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni. 2:23 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred.

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.

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. 2:26 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred.

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. 2:28 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred.

2:29 Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan. 2:30 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred.

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.

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. 2:33 But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.

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." (Numbers 2:1-34 KJV)

Fact Finder: When Jesus Christ delivers His people "out of this world" upon His return, will He do so as a military leader at the head of a great cavalry charge? Will "in righteousness he doth judge and make war"?
Revelation 19:11-21 and see What Happens After The Messiah Returns?