Tuesday 8th August
Read Numbers 10:14-28
“The divisions of the camp of Judah went first, under their standard. Nahshon son of Amminadab was in command. 15 Nethanel son of Zuar was over the division of the tribe of Issachar, 16 and Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun. 17 Then the tabernacle was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it, set out.
18 The divisions of the camp of Reuben went next, under their standard. Elizur son of Shedeur was in command. 19 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the tribe of Simeon, 20 and Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad. 21 Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy things. The tabernacle was to be set up before they arrived.
22 The divisions of the camp of Ephraim went next, under their standard. Elishama son of Ammihud was in command. 23 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh, 24 and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin.
25 Finally, as the rear guard for all the units, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out under their standard. Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was in command. 26 Pagiel son of Okran was over the division of the tribe of Asher, 27 and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali. 28 This was the order of march for the Israelite divisions as they set out.”
These are not verses that find their way onto calendars. In fact, when completing annual Bible reading plans, many eyes glaze over slightly and skim through these at speed, waiting for the next bit of the story. Well, I know mine did. Did yours? This is even more likely considering this is nearly the fifth time we have read something similar (cf 1:4-16; 2:1-32; 4:1-20 and 7:10-83).
Yet there is much more in these verses than meets the eye. What we are reading is a picture of perfect obedience. All those previous renditions of these verses specify, in detail, God’s commands concerning the marching order of the tribes, the sequence of events they must follow, and the leaders responsible when they set out on their journey. The cloud lifts, God moves, Moses speaks and the people do everything just as they were instructed (10:11-13). It is simply the most perfect start to a journey imaginable.
Is perfect obedience necessary? Or even possible? How do we obey perfectly if we don’t have regularly repeated, specific and detailed instructions about what God wants us to do? Delivered with a clear sign of God’s intention and reinforced with a command from God’s chosen leader? And what happens if we fail? As we journey with Israel through the wilderness, the answers to all these questions will become clearer. Spend time in prayer today reflecting on the importance of obedience and exactly how perfect it needs to be.
“Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him…” (Hebrews 5:8-9) (NIVUK)
