DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A GOD OF ORDER

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – A GOD OF ORDER

"Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 'Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their father's houses, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above – all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies.'" (Numbers 1:1-3)

It had been a full year after their deliverance from the bondage of Egypt. God told Moses to take census of the males who were capable of serving in the army of Israel. The name of the Book, Numbers, is derived from the title given by the translators of the Septuagint version – the Greek translation. But the Hebrew title is from the words found in the first phrase – "In the Wilderness."

The total number of men capable of fighting from the twelve tribes (including the two tribes Manasseh and Ephraim, sons of Joseph, but excluding the tribe of Levi which was exempt from the army because they attended to the tabernacle and priestly ministry) was 603,550. That is a sizeable army, and considering wives and children, the nation would probably be close to 2,000,000 people.

Each tribe was assigned a position of encampment on the east, west, north, and south around the tribe of Levi which was camped in the middle of the company. Each tribe had its standard, and when they traveled, they broke camp in an orderly fashion. In other words, they were not just a bunch of nomads, but they had organization and government.

God is a God of order. The tribes of Israel were under strict orders. They were not free to just do whatever they wanted when they wanted.

God's order can be seen all around us in nature. And He has established government in the social and political areas. God's order can also be seen in the Church. God has set Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, bishops, elders, and deacons to guide the church.

If we are tempted to think that we are free to just do whatever we want, we need to remember that God is not the author of confusion. He is a God of order.

Love, Dad