Numbers 1:1-54

God is a God of order and He wanted the nation of Israel to be very well organized and ready to live as a nation.  God had started with the building of the tabernacle and instituting the sacrificial system.  He then established the laws of the people and the national calendar.  He is now organizing the people so that they can move forward with a clear recognition of each person’s role.  Israel has been called to conquer the land of Canaan so it was very clear that they needed to establish their military and organized the nation.

GOD ESTABLISHES THE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP: The nation had already been divided into tribes according to the son’s of Israel.  Each person knew to which tribe be belonged.  The first item of business in organizing the nation and its army was to establish the leader of each tribe.  Leadership is vital to the success of every nation and organization.  It was clear that Moses and Aaron were the national leaders, but there is no way to lead a group of this size alone.  Leadership on large groups is best accomplished through a team of leaders that work together over smaller groups that are all being coordinated by the overall leader.  God is constantly looking for people to step forward as leaders who will serve His people by helping them accomplish His will in the lives of His people and nation.

GOD ENLISTS THE SLODIER IN THE NATIONAL ARMY: Once there was a clear leadership established over the people; the next step was to find out how many men each tribe had to enlist in the army.  It is interesting to observe a large variety of numbers in the size of these tribes.  Judah is clearly the largest with Joseph, having two sons, coming in at a close second.  The tribe of Benjamin is the smallest, which makes sense as the youngest son.  This was a very large group of people that had over a half a million men over the age of twenty besides the Levites, the women and the children.  This was a large army and a big nation for which God was making daily provision.

GOD EXEMPTS THE LEVITES FROM MILITARY SERVICE: The tribe of Levi was not counted for service in the army.  They were given the responsibility of setting up, taking down and transporting the tabernacle.  Their job was to take care of the place of worship and the sacrificial system which God had established.  Worship was a priority over war.  It became very clear that the children of Israel were successful as warriors only when they were faithful as worshipers.  We must always remember that worship is our priority and that all other areas of our lives will be impacted by the way that we worship.