In our minds we picture the children of Israel in a straight line when they move. However, it is quite the opposite. Whether they camped or moved, it was by the orders of God. There was either a pillar of cloud or fire above to guide them.
They needed the help of God to be assigned a place to prevent chaos. Even if they knew the direction they were to move, who went first? God foresees and orders the steps of his children even now. As we face tomorrow, our steps will be ordered. God has taken care of it. Even when Israel was wandering in the wilderness because of the unbelief, they still had God’s instructions, and they used them to camp and travel. God looks after us in our wilderness situations too. When we find ourselves unsure or distressed, we have a place to go. God’s word is our instruction.
Israel knew how to pitch camp and move. Every tribe had a place in proximity to each other and the tabernacle. We have the same now with each other and the Lord.
Numbers 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. 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. 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.”
So they pitched by their standards and set forward. The people left Egypt on a promise. Two things were sure. One: they would travel. Two: they would not make it in one day. They rested in tents; there were no semi-permanent structures. Each family had a tent big enough for them. They were constantly folding and unfolding. Along with their possessions, each had a banner—the family standard. It would be similar to our mailboxes today. We check the number and/or the name to find someone. It is an identification of sorts. Each family in Israel had a big flag made to their own choosing for their emblem, but it had to have a smaller flag or color of their forefathers on it. Each tribe also had an ensign. This identified them. By looking at the ensign, everyone knew what tribe a family belonged to.
God went to a lot of trouble to get this set up. It seems insignificant, but it’s actually critical to make the journey a success. We can’t get through without a standard either. We need a rule to go by. Nothing in this world can be trusted. Thank God something can be trusted! The Christian family banner still means what it did 100 years ago.
God was pleased to dwell in a tent just like his people. There was no big stone sanctuary that had to be carried by the animals. It was a larger tent than the family tents and unlike any of them. The sacred specifications were exact inside and out because it was the house of God. No matter how rough times got, God dwelled with them, and he’s with us in our rough times too.
The set up was not left to them. Neither theirs nor our standards are up to us. In a time of more knowledge and skill than has ever been, we need a standard. We go to space. We cure diseases. However, we are digressing into moral and spiritual destitution. With Jesus and his word, we have meaning to our lives. We have a life with purpose, a place of enjoyment in the Lord. The door of the tabernacle faced east and from there the Lord spoke to the people through Moses and Aaron. It meant something. Paul said Christ was with them. They drank water from the rock and the rock was Christ. It gave the nation symmetry whether they camped or traveled, and it gives order to our lives as well.
They were set in ranks. Verse 9 shows Judah’s group as the first rank. Verse 16 tells that Reuben’s group was the second rank. The third rank is shown in verse 24; it is Ephraim’s group. As shown in verse 31, Dan’s group is the fourth rank. They moved in the direction they were from the tabernacle with Judah being east. They never moved in straight lines. Every road has curves. Regardless of the direction, they moved by their ranks. Sometimes we get in the rut of the same old same old. They were thankful for it. We should be. With God we can stay the same. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to meet together.
Every tent would have a flag which reflected the ensign of their tribe. All the flags complemented each other. When their tents were folded they still held their flags. Imagine what that looked like. When other countries saw them, it would be an amazing sight. They knew this band of men and women had it together. Israel moved with an exactness that struck fear into them. Their standard and order was like none they had ever seen. Every evening, under the light of the fire of God, Moses could look out and see a people who earlier had no hope now living and moving by ordered steps.
No matter how down and out we get, we have a standard. The Bible we hold is the standard for real Truth. Our standard of salvation is Jesus. We have a standard of living. We won’t get it perfect, but we know the better way. We have a standard of character. The old man is gone; the new man is here. No matter what may threaten, remember we have an order and standard in God. We can pitch a tent by it. Day by day, that same standard will guide us. If our standard agrees with the standard of the Lord, we’ll be safe. We can pitch camp; we can set forward. By it, we too will one day enter our promised land of heaven.
Lord, please help my personal banner to always complement your ensign.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 