God Among Us

Numbers 2:1–2 (ESV) The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.

Sometimes I wonder how Israel missed the Lord. Here in the second chapter of Numbers we find an otherwise mundane chapter but it gives us amazing truth for how we live with God and who Jesus is.

The center of the Israelite camp was to be tent of meeting. Again, the picture of Christ among us tabernacling with His own could not be clearer. A tent made of poles and animal skins, with all the royal colors in modest appearance from the outside could not be a clearer picture than the One born in Bethlehem and raised by two of the most modest of parents hundreds of years later. He came to His own, He dwelt AMONG them.

We also see how life is to be experienced with God. First, He is our center. People talk about being centered as if its some spiritual achievement. But all that ends up happening is people centering on themselves. What a shame. Christ is the center from which we orient our movement. The tribes were split up into four groups one at each direction around the tent. Judah to the east with Issachar and Zebulun. Reuben, Simeon and Gad to the south. Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin to the West followed by Dan, Asher and Naphtali to the North. Between the first set of two (the East and South) and the last two (West and North), was to be the Tent and its furnishings carried by the Levites.

Numbers 2:17 (ESV) “Then the tent of meeting shall set out, with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camps; as they camp, so shall they set out, each in position, standard by standard.

As Israel camped God was in the middle of their fixed location. As Israel travelled, the place of God's dwelling literally WALKED in the middle of them. Just as Jesus would do hundreds of years later.

Secondly we see that as they camped, they were to FACE the tent of meeting. God was to be their focus of attention every night and every morning. Israel was not to worry about the exterior and what nation may be around them. They were to focus on the interior and WHO was among them. This people were not to be cultivate apprehensions about security. God was their security and would take care of their boundaries. By setting their eyes on Him they trusted to His presence the source of their national strength.

As Christians we can get so caught up in the externals. The outer presentation, the approval of others, or even worse, the disapproval of others. We don't just hear about it, we focus on it. We look to it. When we do we can feel attacked and uneasy about our standing in the world. What is the answer? Focus on Christ who LIVES within you. He dwells in the center of your life. He will care for the exterior. And even if people don't approve of you or attack you, WHO you have within you is always greater than who may come around you. Focus on His presence IN YOU, and the rest will take care of itself.