Numbers 2:1-3 – God’s Design; Man’s Desire – Bible study

Numbers 2:1-3 Gods Design, Mans Desire Concerning the Old Testament, the Apostle Paul wrote: 1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. That means that we can learn something about our present by looking at their past. They are our examples, either to learn from by looking directly at what they did and how God responded to them; or through a type or symbol. Lets do that this morning and see what revival is. When the Jews came out of Egypt, they travelled as a group, guided by the Lord who dwelt physically among them in the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant, with the Shekinah glory, was a picture of Jesus. The camp consisted of the followers of God, the Jews. The camp then is a picture of the believers, either the whole body or the individual. The location of the Ark to the camp showed the relationship of God to the people, and it shows us the relationship of God to the believer or to the group of believers. Sadly, what God intended to be and what came to be are often two different things, and such was the case with the location of the Ark of the Covenant. While Gods designs should be our desires, they often are not. Consider with me this evening: I. Gods Design – God intended the Ark to be in the middle of the camp. Numbers 2:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 2 Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their fathers house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. 3 And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies A. This passage is describing the layout of the camp of Israel. 1. \#Ex 12:37\ tells us there were about 600,000 men traveling in the group that left Egypt for the Promised Land. That did not count the older, the women, or children. 2. If each man had a wife and two children, an average size home in America just a few years ago, then there would have been around 2.4 million Jews in the Exodus. 3. Since Jewish families were larger than our average and since there were still so many we are not counting, it is likely that the Exodus was even larger. B. God did not let the Israelites march and camp in just any order. 1. Im sure there were many reasons for that, of which it might have been that the confusion and chaos would slow down the people and perhaps even cause dangers along the way, especially to the weak. 2. The text we are reading explains how the Israelites were to set up camp. 3. It tells us that Ark was to be set up and all the tribes would camp in relationship to where the Ark was located. C. The first tribe mentioned was Judah and all its armies and people. 1. \#3\ Judah was to camp due east of the Ark. Numbers 2:5 And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar Numbers 2:7 Then the tribe of Zebulun 2. These three tribes together were considered to be the "camp of Judah." Numbers 2:9 All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth. 3. When Israel marched, Judah lead out first. 4. When Israel fought, Judah was the leader to these three tribes as a group and these three tribes lead the nation. D. This pattern was followed for all twelve of the tribes, the only exception being the Levites who camped with the Ark \#Num 2:17\. 1. \#Num 2:10-16\, three tribes are assigned to the south side of the Ark. Reuben was the leader of those three tribes, and Rueben was joined by Simeon and Gad. 2. \#Num 2:18-24\, three tribes are assigned to the west side of the Ark. Ephraim was the leader of those three tribes, and Ephraim was joined by Manasseh and Benjamin. 3. \#Num 2:25-31\, three tribes are assigned to the north side of the Ark. Dan was the leader of those three tribes, and Dan was joined by Asher and Naphtali. E. I tell you all of that to point out where God intended the Ark of the Covenant to be in the camp of Israel. 1. God intended the Ark to be in the center, in the middle, of the camp. 2. Remember, the Ark is a picture of Jesus and the camp is a picture of the believer. 3. Where is God to be in the life of the believer? (a) In the center. (b) Everything is to rotate around Jesus, everything. (1) We educate ourselves, choose a career and then select jobs within that career all dependent upon Jesus being the center of our lives. (2) We select our friends, our mates, even those we hang with all dependent upon Jesus being the center of our lives. (3) We make daily decisions, develop personal habits, grow our work ethics and businesses, build our testimonies and reputations all dependent upon Jesus being the center of our lives. (4) Not only so, but we face difficulty and even death, our deaths and the deaths of our loved ones, dependent upon Jesus being the center of our lives. (4) This is Gods design for our lives and should be our purposeful desire in life, Jesus always at the center of everything. (5) But Gods designs are not always our desires. 4. The same is true in church, Jesus is to be the center. A church makes its decisions, guides its worship, determines what its ministries will and will not be, what it will and will not spend its funds on, all based on our dependence upon Jesus being in the center of everything. 5. The same is true of a nation, as least any nation that calls itself a Christian nation such as our nation. II. Mans Desire – God settled on the Ark being outside of the camp of Israel. A. This passage was written just after Israel had worshipped the golden calf, and God had sent judgment. Ex 33:1 And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it: 2 And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: 3 Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way. B. Some things were the same. 1. Israel would still go to the Promised Land (verse 1). 2. God would still protect Israel (verse 2). 3. The Promised Land would still flow with milk and honey (verse 3A). 4. But God would no longer abide in the camp (verse 3B) 5. If you are not sure of that, look at verse 7. 7 And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. C. Because Israel sinned, God had the Ark of the Covenant, the place of His presence, removed outside of the camp. 1. I dont know which direction. 2. I dont know how far away. 3. All I know is this is what God had done. D. \#3\ God explained His action. Ex 33:3 for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way. 1. God left the camp so that He might reduce the camps chances of being judged and destroyed by Gods wrath when they sinned. 2. Now think about that for a moment. Is that literally true? 3. I know that is the impression God gave, but is it so? a. Well, no. b. Israel was in just as much danger of being judged by God with the Ark of the Covenant sitting outside the camp as they were with it sitting inside the camp. 4. How do I know? Because a. God does NOT lose control. (1) Not once. Not ever. (2) If He did, we wouldnt be here. b. God NEVER judges in haste and repents in leisure. God is JUST and His JUDGMENTS are always TRUE and RIGHTEOUS. c. Gods knowledge and power are NOT lessened any by moving His Ark a few thousand feet outside of the camp. (1) What God knew and saw sitting in the middle of the camp, He knew and saw sitting outside of the camp. (2) Yet that is the impression God wanted to give. 5. Why did God want to give these impressions? a. My guess is that God wanted to show the Jews what their sins were doing, i.e. "pushing" God outside of their camp. (1) The impression the Jews may have gotten was that putting the Ark outside the camp gave the sinning Jews some measure of protection from a just God, but it did not. (a) Only Gods mercy gave them protection. (b) God was using mercy as a buffer to put some distance between the sinning Jews and the justice of God. (c) We might even define mercy as the distance God puts between the sinner and the justice of God. (2) Putting the Ark outside of the camp illustrated what sin and the mercy of God were doing. b. That is also case when a Christian chooses to sin, we push God outside of our lives. (1) Pushing God out of your life does not give the sinner any protection from a just God. (2) Gods mercy does that. (3) But the more we abuse mercy, the further from the center of our life God is "pushed." c. However, not only does the Christian get the benefit of some sinful lead way when he "pushes" God out of the camp, it also costs him some things. (1) With God on the outside of the camp… (a) We are subject to Gods justice at any moment. i. Just because that Ark was outside of the camp did not mean that God would not swiftly judge them. ii. Sin is sin, and God’s judgment upon it can come without notice or warning. (b) We are deprived of Gods best blessing and protections. i. No matter which side of the camp the Ark was moved to, the other side would become more vulnerable. ii. I know God’s power could reach across the camp to the other side, but the question is "Would God do it?" (c) We are deprived of Gods nearest presence. We can still have fellowship with God, but now we have to work all the harder to have it. Ex 33:7 And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp. (2) The problem with sinning Christians was much the same as it was with the sinning Jews. (a) They accepted and even grew to like having God just outside of the camp. (b) Moving God out of the center gives us a false sense of being in control. (c) We think we can do what we want to do and when we want God, we just have to go a little bit further to get Him. (d) Friend, that is not how it works! III. Sins Consequences – If God is pushed too far away, His presence will leave all together. Eze 10:18 Then the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims. A. That means the glory of the Lord, Gods presence, left His resting place in the Temple of the Lord and headed out the door. 1. Thresholds are the sills at the bottom of doorways. 2. This is Gods glory leaving the Temple. a. Once the Shekinah glory left the Ark, it no longer represented the presence of God. b. An Ark without the glory of God represents DEAD religion. 3. But Gods glory did not stop in the doorway. Eze 11:23 And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city. B. The last time Ezekiel saw the presence of God, He was headed away from the city and over the mountains. C. What happened? Israel had "pushed" Gods presence further and further away from the camp of Israel until He just left. D. But all of this is for ensample. 1. We are the camp and the Ark of the Covenant is Jesus. 2. I know that Jesus will never leave nor forsake a believer, but we can "push" God so far away that for all practical purposes, we are on our own. a. I believe that is what many Christians have done. b. I believe that is what many churches have done. c. And I believe that is what America has done. (1) As a preacher of the Word of God, I have warned from this pulpit to as many as my voice would reach that this nation has sinned against a holy God. (2) We have pushed God out of our schools, out of our government, out of our homes, out of our churches, and out of our lives. (3) Since 9/11, September 11, 2001, I have repeatedly said that attack could not have happened unless God had forsaken our nation. (4) Through decades of moderate Republicans and liberal Democrats our nation has moved further into sinful waters and pushed God further from this land. 3. However, it is neither the nation nor the church that needs to repent at this time. a. At this time, it is the individual Christian that needs to repent. b. This need is the case because we have an election or because our calendar is tells us that it is time for another series of Revival meetings. c. It is essential because Christians have pushed God so far out of their lives for so long that we are in danger of not only pushing Him out of the camp but out of the city and over the mountains. d. None of us will like it. (1) Not being in a nation without God. (2) Not being in a church without God. (3) Not being a Christian without God. My time is gone, but if the Holy Ghost is here, you dont really need me anyway. If you are lost, you need to get saved. If you are a Christian, you know if God is in the center of your life or not.