A GOD OF PERFECT ORDER
If you have ever doubted that God; Our Heavenly Father, is a God of perfect order; you will surely see this as we continue to study The Book of Numbers.
We have often spoken of the exact, precise order of the tribes of Israel as they continued from Sinai and processed across the desert with Judah leading, the Levites somewhere in the middle and Dan following at the end. All the other tribes were also perfectly in form; within their proper places.
Everything had its order.
Each tribe had their banner and their own trumpet sound.
Everything had a time to happen.
Everyone had their time to pack up and everyone had their time to re-group at the new camp.
The tabernacle and all of its elements were safely and reverently transported with the ark leading the way.
Moses led the people who were following the cloud by day and the fire by night.
Every man knew his place and did his job and the camp of Israel ran like a well oiled machine.
A GOD WHO PROVIDES
When it was time for them to depart from the camp at Sinai; Moses asked his brother-in-law (a Midianite shepherd named Hobab) to go along with them to the land that God had promised Israel. In this relationship God had provided an expert guide to help Moses.
At first the brother-in-law refused and said he would return to his own people; but Moses promised to share their wealth with him and told him that his eyes were needed to guide them through the land that he knew so well.
Moses Father-in-law had already committed to making the journey with them.
When he decided to go too; the brother-in-law of Moses added an element of safety to the journey. He was very familiar with the places where they would be traveling and he knew where the enemies hid. He understood the ways of the desert and the lay of the landscape. Perhaps he had even had a large part in teaching Moses all that he knew of the desert life.
An expert guide is always a great provision on an unfamiliar journey.
Of course, one has to think of God’s Holy Spirit and realize that Hobab served like a shadow of the comfort that God would bring His people in the future years beyond The Land of Promise.
A BOLD PRAYER UPON DEPARTURE
When at last they departed; Moses offered up a bold prayer before the ark:
“Rise up LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you.”
If you translate this into Hebrew it means “May the ones who hate you be scattered.”
This seemed to be a type of battle cry; yet another way to encourage the people to move forward in hope and assurance that God would be with them in every place that they went.
A GIGANTIC MOMENT OF HISTORY
It was a HUGE moment in the history of God’s people, as Moses stood in front of thousands and thousands of Israelites and worshiped God in the time of their departure.
I have to wonder; did Moses look out upon those thousands and thousands in movement across the desert and think; these are the descendants of Abraham; they have become as many as the sands of the sea?
As they traveled at night did Moses look into the night sky and remember Abraham’s promise and know that his descendants had become as many as the stars of the sky?
God was keeping his promise to Abraham and the people who were his descendants were now leaving all comforts from the familiar behind.
A whole new world lay at their feet and they were ready!
This was a great moment of faith for Moses and for Israel.
SHADOWS OF THE RESURRECTION TO COME
The words “Rise up LORD!” appear to be a shadow of the Resurrection of Christ.
The people were going to travel for three days and three nights before the cloud stopped again. We all know this was the same amount of days that Jesus was in the grave after the Crucifixion and before the Resurrection.
At Sinai the people had died to their sins and their own selfish desires and trusted God for what the future would hold. Our Messiah must have felt that same type of trust as he saved all of the world by dying on the cross.
GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES
Something bigger than all of Israel, and even all of the world was happening.
Deliverance had arrived.
A people had been prepared.
God was keeping His promises.
The millions of Hebrew people left Sinai as a cleansed people walking toward a land of Glory.
It must surely have been a sight to behold.
A NEW NATIONAL IDENTITY BROUGHT STRENGTH AND SECURITY
The ark in the front of the procession proclaimed the power of a nation that follows God; a nation that can be resurrected in time.
By the power of God the people of Israel were rising up into a holy nation.
It was a great moment in history and Moses prayed for God’s will to continue to lead them, and for God’s enemies to flee from them.
When they arrived at the new place; Moses again stood before the Ark and offered this prayer:
“Return LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel.”
A MERCIFUL GOD WHO GIVES THOSE HE LOVES MANY OPPORTUNITIES
Could this many human people trusting God continue to move together in the right direction?
Pay close attention to what happens next.
It is yet another pattern.
Always after a great moment of history; human nature tends to revert instead of moving on.
When will we ever learn?
In that one split second, that one window of time, Israel had all the treasures of the whole universe within their grasp.
Sometimes things are hidden within plain sight and those most important things are often forgotten and overlooked.
The only way to see is to keep your eyes focused on God.