In The Word
Read: Numbers 1-2
The Census of Israel’s Warriors
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent 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, 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, every male, head by head 3 from twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall count them by their armies. 4 With you, moreover, there shall be a man of each tribe, each one head of his father’s household. 5 These then are the names of the men who shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur; 6 of the tribe of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; 7 of the tribe of Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab;8 of Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar; 9 of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon; 10 of the sons of Joseph: of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; 11 of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni; 12 of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; 13 of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran; 14 of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel; 15 of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan. 16 These are the men who were called from the congregation, the leaders of their fathers’ tribes; they were the heads of divisions of Israel.”
17 So Moses and Aaron took these men who had been designated by name, 18 and they assembled all the congregation on the first day of the second month. Then they registered by ancestry in their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, head by head, 19 just as the Lord had commanded Moses. So he counted them in the wilderness of Sinai.
20 Now the sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, their descendants by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war,21 their numbered men of the tribe of Reuben were 46,500.
22 Of the sons of Simeon, their descendants by their families, by their fathers’ households, their numbered men, according to the number of names, head by head, every male from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war, 23 their numbered men of the tribe of Simeon were 59,300.
24 Of the sons of Gad, their descendants by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war, 25 their numbered men of the tribe of Gad were 45,650.
26 Of the sons of Judah, their descendants by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war, 27 their numbered men of the tribe of Judah were 74,600.
28 Of the sons of Issachar, their descendants by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war, 29 their numbered men of the tribe of Issachar were 54,400.
30 Of the sons of Zebulun, their descendants by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war, 31 their numbered men of the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400.
32 Of the sons of Joseph, namely, of the sons of Ephraim, their descendants by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war, 33 their numbered men of the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500.
34 Of the sons of Manasseh, their descendants by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war, 35 their numbered men of the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.
36 Of the sons of Benjamin, their descendants by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war, 37 their numbered men of the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.
38 Of the sons of Dan, their descendants by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war, 39 their numbered men of the tribe of Dan were 62,700.
40 Of the sons of Asher, their descendants by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war, 41 their numbered men of the tribe of Asher were 41,500.
42 Of the sons of Naphtali, their descendants by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war, 43 their numbered men of the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.
44 These are the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron counted, with the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each of whom was of his father’s household.45 So all the numbered men of the sons of Israel by their fathers’ households, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go to war in Israel, 46 all the numbered men were 603,550.
Levites Exempted
47 The Levites, however, were not counted among them by their fathers’ tribe.48 For the Lord had spoken to Moses, saying, 49 “Only the tribe of Levi you shall not count, nor shall you take their census among the sons of Israel. 50 And you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings and over everything that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it; they shall also camp around the tabernacle. 51 So when the tabernacle is to move on, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle encamps, the Levites shall set it up. But the layman who comes near it shall be put to death. 52 So the sons of Israel shall camp, each man by his own camp, and each man by his own flag, according to their armies. 53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there will be no divine wrath against the congregation of the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be responsible for service to the tabernacle of the testimony.”54 And the sons of Israel did so; in accordance with all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so they did.
Arrangement of the Camps
2 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own flag, with the banners of their fathers’ households; they shall camp around the tent of meeting at a distance. 3 Now those who camp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the flag of the camp of Judah, by their armies; and the leader of the sons of Judah: Nahshon the son of Amminadab,4 and his army, their numbered men: 74,600. 5 Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar; and the leader of the sons of Issachar: Nethanel the son of Zuar, 6 and his army, their numbered men: 54,400. 7 Then follows the tribe of Zebulun; and the leader of the sons of Zebulun: Eliab the son of Helon, 8 and his army, his numbered men: 57,400. 9 The total of the numbered men of the camp of Judah: 186,400, by their armies. They shall set out first.
10 “On the south side shall be the flag of the camp of Reuben by their armies; and the leader of the sons of Reuben: Elizur the son of Shedeur, 11 and his army, their numbered men: 46,500. 12 And those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon; and the leader of the sons of Simeon: Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai,13 and his army, their numbered men: 59,300. 14 Then follows the tribe of Gad; and the leader of the sons of Gad: Eliasaph the son of Deuel, 15 and his army, their numbered men: 45,650. 16 The total of the numbered men of the camp of Reuben: 151,450 by their armies. And they shall set out second.
17 “Then the tent of meeting shall set out with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; just as they camp, so they shall set out, every man in his place by their flags.
18 “On the west side shall be the flag of the camp of Ephraim by their armies; and the leader of the sons of Ephraim: Elishama the son of Ammihud, 19 and his army, their numbered men: 40,500. 20 Next to him shall be the tribe of Manasseh; and the leader of the sons of Manasseh: Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, 21 and his army, their numbered men, 32,200. 22 Then follows the tribe of Benjamin; and the leader of the sons of Benjamin: Abidan the son of Gideoni, 23 and his army, their numbered men, 35,400. 24 The total of the numbered men of the camp of Ephraim: 108,100, by their armies. And they shall set out third.
25 “On the north side shall be the flag of the camp of Dan by their armies; and the leader of the sons of Dan: Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, 26 and his army, their numbered men: 62,700. 27 Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher; and the leader of the sons of Asher: Pagiel the son of Ochran, 28 and his army, their numbered men: 41,500. 29 Then follows the tribe of Naphtali; and the leader of the sons of Naphtali: Ahira the son of Enan, 30 and his army, their numbered men: 53,400. 31 The total of the numbered men of the camp of Dan was157,600. They shall set out last by their flags.”
32 These are the numbered men of the sons of Israel by their fathers’ households; the total of the numbered men of the camps by their armies, 603,550. 33 The Levites, however, were not counted among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 34 So the sons of Israel did all this; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they camped by their flags, and so they set out, everyone by his family according to his father’s household.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Over 150 times in the book of Numbers it is recorded that God spoke to Moses. So powerful is this truth that one of the Hebrew names for this book is “And He Spoke.” What God spoke were specific instructions for His people. God began with the command to count the people, starting with those that would be the heads of each tribe. Then Moses and Aaron were to count the men, twenty years old and above, that were able to go into war. Each tribe was to camp at specific locations around the tabernacle. God even gave a special assignment to the Levites to care and transport the tabernacle.
Chapter 2 closes with the response of the people, “Thus the sons of Israel did; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses” (Numbers 2:34). I remember one time when a pastor mentioned an opportunity to me and I replied, “If God wants me to I will.” That pastor said something that changed my perspective. He said, “He does, He just told you.” It was that “and He spoke” moment. A lot of times we overlook what God is saying because we are unwilling to submit unto those over us. We must respond as the people of Israel did, accept that God has spoken, and do all that the Lord has commanded. Are you listening for God? Are you willing to do what He says, no matter who He says it through? Do not let the spirit of pride keep you from hearing God.