We previously studied the tribes around the tabernacle which make up the army of Israel. We’ve looked at those on the East, North and South. Here is a link that will help you to see the whole story. https://www.conformingtojesus.com/charts-maps/en/wilderness_camp_of_the_tribes_of_israel.htm. Today we will begin to look at the tribes, leaders, and captains of the divisions of the West. Jacob/Israel dearly loved his wife named Rachel. Rachel had two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. Israel later adopted Joseph’s sons as his own. Their names were Ephriam and Manasseh. These two were the founders of the tribes of the divisions of the West.
The tribes of the divisions of the West are representative of the tribes that came from Rachel’s sons. I speak of Ephraim and Manasseh.
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to our on-going, every Thursday bible study called COME AS A CHILD. We are glad you decided to join our weekly study.
Our purpose is to walk all the way through the bible together. We are walking as if we’ve never read a biblical passage before. In other words, as if we were children hearing about the wonders of our father’s life for the very first time. We aren’t in a hurry. It has taken us over four years to cover Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus. Presently we are studying the Book of Numbers. Today’s study is taken from Numbers; Chapter 2.
If you missed last week’s lesson, you may review it here: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/god-has-added-lesson-246-come-as-a-child-bible-study/
ELISHAMA – LEADER OF THE DIVISIONS OF THE WEST
God commanded Moses to chose Elishama to be over the tribe of Ephriam. He was the son of Ammihud.
Ammihud translates from Hebrew to English as “my kinsman is glorious”. This translation makes me think Elishama’s father’s name was a prophetic announcement of The Messiah to Come. I would love to know more of this name’s story. It would be interesting to discover how this man’s name came about, even long before he became the father of Elishama.
Elishama’s name translated from Hebrew to English means “my God hears.” His name seems to end the family’s statement well. Together they say “my kinsman is glorious and my God hears”. So we see yet another prophetic name which translates to the fact that God has provided a Son, Yeshua The Messiah. Both names seemed to be prophetic in nature.
AN IMPORTANT FATHER
Elishama’s father was important in establishing the order God was bringing to Israel’s army. We will learn of more about all of his sons later in our study. Today is more about Elishama as he led the tribes of the divisions of the West.
AN IMPORTANT GRANDSON
Elishama’s grandson was also very important in establishing Israel as a nation. This is true both BEFORE and AFTER the time period in which they reached the Promised Land. This grandson’s name was Joshua. It will be exciting to get to the future parts of this study when we will explore and discover more of the adventures God had in store for Elishama’s grandson named Joshua. He played a crucial part in leading the people of Israel to The Promised Land. Joshua’s leadership continued well after the land was established and settled. It seems he took after his grandfather in many ways.
Look at your own grandchildren. You have been blessed. Blessings carry great responsibilities. Are the grandparents of today leading and guiding their grandchildren as carefully as Elishama must have been guiding Joshua? I can imagine Joshua as a small boy tagging behind this grandfather. My imagination shows him learning by example and actions more than words and instruction. We should all be thankful fo Elishama. So much good has come to this world through a grandparent’s love and gentle guidance to their grandchild. Our history books are full of wonderful sources like Elishama. May the blessings of the future recordings be the same.
SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT
At the time of the census of the army, Ephriam, under Elishama’s command, consisted of 40,500 men. This is one of the smaller tribes of Israel.
Of the three tribes of the divisions of the West, 108,100 men from three different tribes of the army, Ephraim was first, and closest to the tabernacle itself on the west side.
Following the tribe of Ephraim were the tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin. The tribes ordered themselves after the standard flag or banner of Ephraim. It was said to be a calf.
THE SYMBOLISM IN THE BANNERS
Each of the divisions of Israel consisting of 3 tribes in each division surrounding all four sides of the tabernacle of Israel, camped around four banners or flags. These banners were s a lion, a man, a calf (Ephriam), and an eagle.
The lion represented the division headed up by Judah.
A man represented the division headed up by Reuben.
An eagle represented the division headed up by Dan.
The calf representing Ephriam was referred to in the scriptures not as a “calf” but as an “ox.” The description changed depending on the passage usage and the times of history in which the passages were written.
Most all bible scholars will recognize these four well known symbols of a lion, an ox, a man and an eagle. They are all mentioned often in relation to prophecy. We find the same four creatures surrounding the throne of God in The Book of Revelation.
These symbolic banners are first mentioned here, in the formation of the tribes of Israel. We first read of them in The Book of Numbers.
ORDER AND ORGANIZATION MATTERS
In all of this formation as well as the choosing of the leaders to lead each formation, we see and understand that God is a God of order and organization. We often tend to forget this. Likewise, it is the enemy of God who thrives on chaos, which is just the opposite of God’s desire for us.
The Master of the Universe always has a good plan. It is orderly and organized. He knows the end from the beginning, hence His plans are always well thought out. It occurs to me that this is why we always feel so much better when we make the time to get our own personal lives sorted out. Peace and order seem to put our own minds and emotions into the proper order.
Sometimes just the physical act of clearing clutter and arranging things properly can turn into an almost spiritual exercise for many of us. This naturally happens because we are born to imitate God. His image is within us if we belong to Him. Our world just feels better when it is orderly and organized.
A GOOD FATHER’S CHILDREN FEEL SECURE
People living in large masses in the dessert can get pretty grumpy. Their human nature will most likely be operating on overtime. God must have realized this when He was giving Moses these organizational orders.
Arranging the troops on the outskirts of the camps and having the tabernacle as the center must have made the population of Israel feel safe and secure. They could always look out and see that God was traveling within the midst of them.
Giving each division and tribe a designated leader would have also reinforced the feeling of security among the people.
ONLY GOD’S ORDER WORKS
The thing Christians often miss about maintaining order is that for order to work the way it should, it has to be God’s order, not our own. We can’t make the plan. God must make the plan. Our part is to follow and obey His instructions.
Sometimes in our humanness we fail to see the perfect order that works best for everyone. For instance, God chose to put the smaller tribes in some of the most vulnerable places. It seems odd to us at first that the larger tribes were not given first priority in the order of things. This logic seems to go against our human nature. We always think “bigger is better.” The human insight would proclaim loudly that “strength comes in numbers.” However, God doesn’t think that way.
PRAY FOR A PROPER REVELATION
Sometimes God’s way looks different from our way. The key to solving that mystery is to pray for God to reveal His perfect order for our lives and our days. That was exactly what Moses did as he went about forming the army of Israel. He followed God in layng out the order that would take the people all the way to The Promised Land.
Moses knew the only way they would make it through was by knowing and following God’s perfect will. The reference point for all of the order and organization was always the place where God dwelled among them. He dwelled within The Most Holy Place inside the wilderness tabernacle.
Therefore, God was always at the center of His people. He should remain in that place today. This perfect pattern is wisdom and understanding for any nation seeking success and abundant life.