If this is your first viewing, please see my Introduction before reading this.
11 February. Numbers 1-2
The book of Numbers may be so called because it starts with the taking of a census, and at many other points also includes recitations of tribes and their smaller constituent groups. Whereas during the initial Exodus from Egypt what mattered was getting the whole people across the reed sea in time, in family units, now the larger tribal affiliation matters more. But the tribal camps are equally arranged around the central ‘tent of meeting’ with no priority, to emphasise that there is no place for rivalry between them on this journey.
The census is that of men fit for military service, and the references to camps, standards (flags) and marching is all very militaristic. Although God had promised Canaan to Abraham’s descendants, and kept renewing that promise, they were going to have to get fighting fit in order to claim it. While the church is not called to fight physical battles, if we are serious about God’s mission we do have to be well organised and have a plan, as well as trusting in God’s leading. Also, it is good to have a sense of belonging and commitment to our ‘tribe’ (whether local congregation or wider denomination) but not to the point of seeing other Christians as rivals or enemies. In the language of motivators, “we are all in this together”.