NUMBERS 2
This chapter gives us instruction as to the encampment and movements of the people of God viewed as in the wilderness, but as being there in relation to “the tent of meeting”. It thus regards the saints in their spiritual associations with one another, and in their identification with the divine service and testimony, but in wilderness conditions such as are contemplated in 1 Corinthians.
What is brought out here has an important bearing on how things have to be carried out for God’s pleasure in His, assembly and particularly with reference to matters which have to be taken up in local responsibility. This would seem to be indicated by the words, “every one by his standard, with the ensign of their father’s house” (verse 2). There is a particular place assigned to each, which determines his relations to his neighbours, and to all Israel, and to “the tent of meeting”. One cannot disregard with impunity the Lord’s appointments in this way. There is no room for individual choice or preference; no option as to where we “encamp”; the place where we actually take up our relation to “the tent of meeting” is assigned in the providential ordering of God, and has to be accepted. The recognition of this would make it a serious matter to change one’s locality without being assured that to do so was in the way of divine ordering. Our most important links are those which we have with the people and testimony of God, and it is well to take them up as recognising that we do so under divine regulation. We are not unattached units with liberty to do as we please. Where we “encamp” is always to have reference to “the tent of meeting”
[p. 14] and it is always to be divinely ordered, so that there is nothing casual or accidental about the way in which we take up our local relations with the brethren.
Everyone is to encamp “by his standard”, and the “standard” is connected with the four “camps” rather than with each local tribe. The number four stands connected with what is universal — the four camps occupying positions east, south, west and north of “the tent of meeting”. The “tribe” would be, in each case, specially local, but no one tribe has a “standard” to itself. The “standard” and the “camp” to which it attached always included two other tribes; a definite testimony that even as viewed in the most local setting they encamped and journeyed as in unity with their brethren. This intimates that it is of God that saints in any locality should preserve close touch with brethren that are geographically adjacent. Fellowship meetings, now happily so common amongst the brethren, provide an excellent opportunity for this. It is not easy to realise directly in a practical way our universal links, but in recognising those in proximity to us we reach out as far as we are providentially permitted towards the universal fellowship. God would preserve us from being narrowed down to what is purely local. The assemblies are local, but they are never to regard themselves as independent units, or to think that they can either encamp or move according to God without regarding their brethren who are in proximity to them. There should be a moving together, not merely by arrangements or agreements, but as sharing spiritual exercises. Paul encouraged this by saying, “And when the letter has been read among you, cause that it be read also in the assembly of Laodiceans, and that ye also read that from Laodicea” (Colossians 4:16). The Lord would have any local exercise to be a concern to [p. 15] neighbouring meetings, and every local prosperity to be a joy correspondingly.
The four “camps” have particular reference to the universal movements of “the tent of meeting” viewed as “the tabernacle of testimony”. They move first, second, third and last, but all in relation to what is general and common to the whole twelve tribes. Our touch with the universal movements of the testimony is thus very distinctly connected with our being in close contact with brethren who are in a practical way within our reach. It will be found that those who do not keep rank with brethren who are near at hand are in great danger of losing touch with spiritual movements of a general character.
The lead in spiritual movements is entirely a matter of divine sovereignty; amongst the tribes it was not according to priority of birth, for the camp of Judah “set forth first”, and not Reuben the first born. The “camps” would appear to correspond with the “four rows of stones” in the breastplate of the high priest “for the twelve tribes”, where each has his place according to the sovereignty of God in the unity of His testimony. Some distinctive feature comes out in each tribe as represented in the twelve different precious stones, but all are held together in unity in their golden setting, and all are borne on Aaron’s heart “for a memorial before Jehovah continually”. It is a precious thought that each local assembly is borne upon the heart of Christ before God continually. No individual saint is forgotten by Him surely, but the setting of the type is that “tribes” are symbolised in the breastplate rather than individuals. Its strict application would thus be more to assemblies than to individuals, and to the assemblies viewed as having features which correspond with the mind of God as set forth in the precious stones of the breastplate.
[p. 16] The number twelve conveys the thought of completeness in administration, so that every feature is included which is necessary to set forth all that is in the mind of God to bring out in His people. It could not all be developed in one local assembly; the whole of the “tribes” are essential to it, so that the thought of independent assemblies is contrary to the truth. Each assembly has its local place and direct responsibility to the Lord, but has to recognise its unity with all other assemblies universally. Each tribe encamps in its ordered place relative to all the others, and moves in unity with them, and what is set forth in “the tent of meeting” and in “the tabernacle of testimony” is common to them all. In presence of the confusion which prevails today it is only by divine illumination, and by faith, that we come in any practical sense to what is in accord with the mind of God. Then we realise the perfection of divine principles and orderings; they cannot be improved upon, nor can anything that is a matter of divine assembly order be optional; no family or tribe ins Israel could encamp or journey independently. They had each to be “with the ensign of their father’s house”, which would be their strictly local place. Then “everyone” had to encamp, or set forth, by his “standard”; in so doing they were in line with their immediate neighbours. Then “the tent of meeting” and “the camp of the Levites” were “in the midst of the camps” (verse 17), so that every “tribe” and “camp” was regulated by what was universal, or common to them all. The tabernacle and its service were under the charge of the Levites, and every local “tribe” and “camp” stood in relation to it. The service of God in the sanctuary is the same universally, so that in every local assembly the same Lord’s supper is eaten, the same thanksgiving and praises and worship have their place, and all [p. 17] ministry in holy things is in spiritual unity the world over.
On the administrative side local exercises have to be faced which are not exactly the same in all localities, but in each case they serve to bring out features essential to divine administration. These local exercises, and the gain which comes through them, are really ordered in divine sovereignty, whatever may be the occasion for them on the human side. This is what gives distinctiveness to the local history of every assembly, and imparts to it a colour peculiarly its own. It is precious to know that the divine end in view in each case is on the heart of our great High Priest above. Each “tribe” is marked on His breastplate by its own colour and value, and it should be our prayer that all our local assembly exercises should develop, through His grace, those features which are spiritually suitable to divine administration. Such features develop through deep exercise and waiting on the Lord, in presence of conditions which are testing, and which call for spiritual wisdom and power to meet them according to God. Many have proved that assembly exercises are more intense than individual exercises, and we cannot wonder at this, for they are intended to develop qualities that are suitable for universal administration in the world to come. They involve the necessity for spiritual discernment of moral state, as well as sound and sober judgment of facts, and added to these a clear apprehension of the divine principles which apply in any particular case; and this requires the presence of qualities such as are typified in the precious stones of the breastplate. All that is hostile can only be met, and what is of God maintained collectively, as such qualities are present.
It is very comforting to bear in mind that the Lord has us in hand assembly-wise. If each “tribe” had its [p. 18] special and distinctive place in the breastplate, we may be sure that each assembly has such a place. Indeed we know that each assembly is under the Lord’s eye in a particular way, for He commanded His servant John to write letters to seven different assemblies; seven being a symbolical number would intimate that these assemblies represented all the assemblies, each having His particular regard. He views them in Revelation 2, Revelation 3 in their responsibility as light-bearers. In Numbers 2 they are viewed typically, as occupying a divinely appointed administrative place, as called to maintain against all that is adverse what is connected with the present testimony; as doing so they answer to the place which they have in the breastplate.
The encamping of the tribes in the order seen in Numbers 2, and all numbered as going forth to “military service” sets forth how the saints, viewed as in local assemblies, but keeping close touch particularly with adjacent assemblies, are seen as maintaining universally, and defending in a military way, what is essential to the testimony of God and to His holy service. There is no gap in the ranks, no breach through which the enemy can make an inroad; east, south, west and north there is a solid front. The tabernacle of testimony, the tent of meeting, the service of the sanctuary, are safeguarded by a militant host; such is the divine thought. No failure that has come in, or that can come in, should be allowed to hinder us from seeing the divine order, or from seeking, so far as is practicable in a day of ruin, to maintain consistency with it. The testimony is just what it ever was; if we are not safeguarding it in unity with the brethren universally we are really deserters from the standard and there is no honour in this.
Our chapter contemplates that the tribes not only encamp, but from time to time they “set forth”. This [p. 19] gives us to understand that the testimony will not be stationary, it will change its location, it will be marked by movement. Continual exercise will be called for to note the movements of the cloud, to hear the sound of the trumpet, and to move with our brethren. The movements of the testimony are as real as anything else connected with it. The divine ways in connection with the revival of assembly truth and assembly features have been marked by definite spiritual movements. Movements of departure always tend to diminish or obscure what is of God; they lead to the giving up of something or other connected with Christ or the assembly. But divine movements always give enlargement and adjustment; they tend to spiritual increase, not to diminution, and this comes into evidence assembly-wise. We are conscious that we view things from a new position, and in a clearer light; the ministry gives evidence of this, the meetings take character from it. Many exercises have had to be passed through, and each one has contributed something, for the movements of the testimony stand in relation to spiritual exercise and soul progress, and not merely to clearer apprehensions. Those who drop out of line at any point cease to benefit by the progress of the testimony, they remain where they were, or retrograde, and even if they desire to resume their place in the ranks they find it difficult, if not impossible, to overtake their brethren who have been moving on with the tabernacle. Things are all viewed now from a changed spiritual position, and those who have not journeyed with the Lord’s host find themselves unable to see things as their brethren see them.
The precious things in the tabernacle remain just what they were, but there is such a thing as spiritual movement, or change of spiritual position through onward progress under divine leading; it is not at all the mind of God that His people should settle on their [p. 20] lees in a fixed position. The typical teaching of the book of Numbers makes it very plain that movement is a law of assembly progress, and each stage of that progress brings Jehovah’s host to a changed position, and if one has not journeyed with the host to that position he cannot have the outlook that belongs to it There is not only what is individual, connected with each Israelite’s own tent, but there are collective movements which take place under divine leading. The thought of all participating in such a movement, and moving in divine order, is clearly seen in the type, and we may be sure that it has an important place in God’s wilderness ways. It has to do with the people of God viewed assembly-wise, and would hardly be understood by those who are on independent ground, or in human systems. It will be found that as the saints continue in exercise before God there is continual enlargement in spiritual apprehension. The true setting of things according to Scripture, and particularly with regard to our walking together as of God’s assembly, is more clearly seen, and when seen it calls for adjustment; we have to move to a new position, for the one formerly occupied no longer corresponds with the movements of the cloud. So that if saints say they are just where they were thirty or forty years ago, it either means that the cloud has not moved for forty years, or they have failed to move with it. If the cloud has made several definite movements during that time, and the saints have waited on its movements and have followed them, it is inevitable that those who have not moved are by this time a long way behind. If we do not understand what it is to move with the testimony it is evident that we have missed a very important feature of God’s ways with His people.
The “camps” set forth, and “the tent of meeting”, and “the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp”
([p. 21] verse 17). The whole divinely ordered system participates from time to time in definite movement. The local assemblies move, in concert with their neighbours; the assembling together of the saints, answering to “the tent of meeting” gives evidence of movement; the meetings are not just what they were forty years ago. What is levitical and priestly — the ministry of the word, and the service of God, and all that pertains to the sanctuary is found to have reached a new position spiritually. It is evident that none would really understand such a movement, save those who participate in it; if we ourselves do not move, we shall be out of line and out of touch with those who do. We shall probably find fault with them, and feel justified in doing so, we may even be willing to part company with them as persons who are following a wrong course, when the whole trouble really lies in our own state. If we do not awake to this, through the grace of the Lord, it may be that “the tabernacle of testimony” and the divine cloud will move on and leave us behind, and we shall lose our place and privilege in relation to that which is distinctively of God. The longer we remain out of touch with the movements of the testimony the more difficult we shall find it to be to regain the position we have lost.