Title: God's Army
2011.10.2
After the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt and went out into the wilderness, they received the Law from God on Mount Sinai. Now, the people of Israel had to be reborn as a theocracy with God as their king, and they had to march forward toward Canaan. To do this, thorough electric heat maintenance was required. So God commanded us to number the men over the age of 20. Numbers 1 contains a relatively detailed list of those who took the census, the number of each tribe counted, and what the Levites, exempt from military service, were to do.
The purpose of passing through the wilderness
The Israelites were immersed in slavery because they had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years. With this kind of slavery, they would not be able to enter the land of Canaan and live like God's people. So, in order to completely wipe out all remnants of slavery from the people of Israel, God made them live in the wilderness. As they passed through the wilderness, they had to pay off any remaining slavery within them. This is also true of us who live in a world like the wilderness today. We have many things to clear up before we enter the kingdom of eternal glory. The lusts of the flesh, unbelief, fearful weakness, and disobedience must all be buried in this wilderness world.
God not only wiped away the remnants of slavery from the people of Israel, but also made them live in the wilderness to teach them a lesson as God's people. They now had to learn that only God was their Master and King. And he had to learn to obey God and only to serve and dedicate himself to God. Today, we, too, must not only clear the old man's enslavement, but also be transformed into a new man like God's people who are sanctified through the wanderer's way of the world.
Purpose of the census
God told Moses to “number the people of Israel according to their families and tribes, according to their number.” “You shall number the number of every male in all the congregation of the children of Israel according to their clans and ancestral houses, according to their number.” (1:2) Why did God command the census? Why was the census necessary, and what was God trying to show through this?
The first purpose of the census was to show God's sovereignty over the people of Israel. For a long time, all countries have conducted a census. Currently, Korea conducts a population census once every five years. But the most basic meaning of this census is that the counted people are under the sovereignty of the state. God said to the Israelites, “I am your God and you are my people.” Therefore, the first purpose of the census was to show God's sovereignty over the people of Israel. Today, we too are God's people.
The second purpose of the census was to declare God's love for His people, Israel. In the ancient Near East, people counted their sheep every day. Likewise, people often count their wealth. By doing so, you affirm that it is yours and show your love and joy in your possessions. Likewise, God is now counting His sheep as the shepherd of Israel. As the Shepherd, God leads, guides, protects and saves his sheep. God knows and loves all of us, His sheep. God's love for his sheep is personal and special. Today we have become God's sheep, and God is our shepherd. How blessed is this? (Psalm 80,100).
“Listen, shepherds of Israel, who lead Joseph like sheep.” (Psalm 80:1a) “Know ye that the Lord is our God; he made us, and we are his; his people, his pasture. sheep” (Psalm 100:3)
The third purpose of the census was to remind us that God was faithfully fulfilling a covenant he made long ago. God promised Abraham that Israel would become a great nation, and he repeated the same promise to Isaac and Jacob. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, and you will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2) And your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies” (Genesis 22:17) “I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give all these lands to your descendants, and through your descendants all peoples under the heavens will be blessed lira” (Genesis 26:4) “For the Lord has said, I will surely show you favor, and I will make your offspring as numerous as the sand of the sea” (Genesis 32:12).
When Jacob's family went into Egypt, their number was 70. And they had to endure harsh slavery in Egypt. Nevertheless, in 400 years their number has grown to over two million. The promise that God had long ago had come to an amazing fulfillment. God will surely fulfill His promises.
The census clearly proves that God has faithfully fulfilled that promise. And this fact made me believe that God's promise to give the land of Canaan to the people of Israel must be fulfilled. Each time we experience God's faithfulness, we become more confident that He will surely do what He says in the future. Our God is faithful.
results of the census
A census of each tribe revealed that the number of males aged 20 and over in the twelve tribes was 603,550. The counts for each tribe are as follows. Reuben 46,500, Simeon 59,300, Gad 45,650, Judah 74,600, Issachar 54,400, Zebulun 57,400, Ephraim 40,500, Manasseh 32,200, Benjamin 35,400, Dan 62,700, Asher 41,400, and Naphtali 53,400.
The number of each tribe listed in the census shows that God fulfills His promises and rewards the faithfulness of His people. The number and location of each tribe was not accidental and simple. With 74,600 men, Judah was the most powerful tribe. And the tribe of Judah continued to occupy a leading position and role in Israel. However, these results are based on a prophecy left by Jacob on his deathbed. “Kyu shall not depart from Judah, and the ruler’s staff shall not depart from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him all the people will be subject” (Genesis 49:10). Throughout Israel's history, Judah has always held a leading position. And ultimately, the Messiah was born from the tribe of Judah.
Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph, and together they were almost the size of Judah. Because their father Joseph received two shares of the blessing, they each occupied one tribe, just like their uncles. So Joseph became two tribes, not one. This, too, was the result of Jacob's prophecy: “Joseph is a fruitful branch.” “Joseph is a fruitful branch, a fruitful branch by a spring, whose branch has crossed the wall” (Genesis 49:22).
As such, the results of the census show the distinct prosperity of God-blessed tribes, indicating that God fulfills His promises and inevitably rewards faithfulness to Him. Therefore, we can see that our faithful faithfulness before God today is a blessing not only for ourselves but also for the future of our descendants.
according to family and race
The census was conducted according to family and race for each tribe. Because the census was conducted in this way, an accurate census was possible in a short period of time. With this census, Israel was organized into a lineage and orderly army.
God is a God of order. “God is not a God of disorder, but a God of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33a), on the contrary, the devil creates confusion. When you see people lose their temper and riot, you know they're not normal. Not long ago, a large-scale riot broke out in England, and the nickname ‘Gentleman’s Country’ was overshadowed. However, the cause of the riot cannot be ascertained with certainty. Even wealthy and noble people are said to have joined the riots and looted trivial items. However, from the biblical perspective, it is easy to see that Satan is behind it.
God did not want Israel, who lived as a slave in Egypt, to become a disordered and confused people any longer. So He gave them the Word and trained them into the army. Where the word of God is clearly proclaimed and obedience to it is practiced, confusion, disorder, and rioting do not occur.
The same is true of the church today. Believers who are trained in the Word of God are not shaken under any circumstances. However, believers who are not trained in the Word are easily shaken by even a slight impulse from someone beside them. Now, the time of the Lord's coming is very near, and heretics are in full swing. Believers who are trained in the Word will not be deceived by any heresy. We must become God's army well-trained in the Word.
God's Army
The people of Israel were called to be an army to fight. While they were going through the wilderness, they had to fight the enemies that attacked them, and after passing through the wilderness, they had to enter Canaan and fight to destroy the Canaanites. God gave them the land of Canaan as a gift, but at the same time they had to become God's army to destroy the Canaanites, where sin was rampant.
Not only in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament, God's people are called to spiritual battle. The Christian life is a spiritual warfare. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, and put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist the wiles of the devil. Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers and authorities. You are dealing with the rulers of the world of darkness and the spirits of evil in heaven. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and have done all, so that you may stand. Therefore stand, put on your belt of truth, and put on your breastplate of righteousness. put on them, put on your sandals with the preparations of the gospel of peace, and over all things the shield of faith, by which you are able to quench all the fiery arrows of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:10-17) must become saints who fight on the battlefield of God.
As a result of the census, more than 600,000 men were counted, which makes it possible to estimate that the number of the Israelites must have been between two and three million. And they lived in the wilderness for 40 years. But how did these many people survive so long in the wilderness of the place of death? There is only one conclusion possible: that God provided for them. Even though God had promised to provide for them and lead them to Canaan, the Israelites often complained and complained in the wilderness. They had to learn to rely on God alone every day, which was not an easy task.
This is also true for us today. God cares for, feeds, and guides us, His people. Nevertheless, we cannot endure without today's food in our hands. When things are difficult and anxious, they become restless and do not know what to do. It is because they do not have the faith to completely depend on God every day.
But let's remember again. The God who fed more than 2 million Israelites in the wilderness of death with new food every day is my God. This God faithfully takes care of us, his people, every day.