11 – In the Center of the Camp

3. Which tribes were located on the north? And, finally, which tribes took their places on the south?

5. Did the members of these families just camp in the first place they came to, or were there exact specifications for them to follow?

Numbers 3:23, 29, 35, 38 The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward…. 29The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward…. 35And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward…. 38But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

“To the Levites was committed the charge of the tabernacle and all that pertained thereto, both in the camp and on the journey. When the camp set forward they were to strike the sacred tent; when a halting place was reached they were to set it up. No person of another tribe was allowed to come near, on pain of death. The Levites were separated into three divisions, the descendants of the three sons of Levi, and each was assigned its special position and work. In front of the tabernacle, and nearest to it, were the tents of Moses and Aaron. On the south were the Kohathites, whose duty it was to care for the ark and the other furniture; on the north the Merarites, who were placed in charge of the pillars, sockets, boards, etc.; in the rear the Gershonites, to whom the care of the curtains and hangings was committed.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 375.

FRIDAY

Order in the camp and for travel

6. When were the people to respect the established order–only when camped, or also at other times?

Numbers 1:51; 2:17 And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death…. 2:17 Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards.

“In all their journeyings they were required to observe perfect order. Every tribe bore a standard with the sign of their father’s house upon it, and each tribe wasrequired to pitch under its own standard. When the ark moved, the armies journeyed, the different tribes marching in order, under their own standards. The Levites were designated by the Lord as the tribe in the midst of whom the sacred ark was to be borne, Moses and Aaron marching just in front of the ark, and the sons of Aaron following near them, each bearing trumpets. They were to receive directions from Moses, which they were to signify to the people by speaking through the trumpets. These trumpets gave special sounds which the people understood, and directed their movements accordingly.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 650.

SABBATH

7. What instruction do we receive concerning God’s order through the example of the Hebrews? How do you think people today would have behaved if they had lived under that system? In a similar manner, who should be the center and great focus of a Christian’s life?

Numbers 2:34 And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord com- manded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.

John 3:14, 15 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.