1 And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the
tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month,
in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt,
saying, 2 Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of
Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the
number of their names, every male by their polls; 3 From twenty years
old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel:thou
and Aaron shall number them by their armies. 4 And with you there shall
be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.
God is getting the army of the children of Israel ready to go to war and to take the land HE promised to Abraham.
In Numbers 1, God has Moses number the men of each tribe who are 20 years old and over and who are able to fight.
Here are those numbers:
Ruben: 46,500
Simeon: 59,300
Gad: 45,650
Judah: 74,600
Issachar: 54,400
Zebulun: 57,400
Joseph:
- Ephraim: 40,500
- Manasseh: 32,200
Benjamin: 35,400
Dan: 62,700
Asher: 41,500
Naphtali: 53,400
Numbers
1 ... 44 These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron
numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men:each one was for
the house of his fathers. 45 So were all those that were numbered of the
children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years
old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel;
46 Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.
(603,550)
47 But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.
48 For the Lord had spoken unto Moses, saying, 49 Only
thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them
among the children of Israel:50 But thou shalt appoint the Levites over
the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over
all things that belong to it:they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the
vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp
round about the tabernacle. 51 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.
(You
have to be appointed by God for the work of the ministry. Remember in
David's time when Uzza who was not appointed by God reached up to steady
the cart carrying the ark of the covenant and God struck him dead
because he was not appointed to touch the ark of the covenant...
I
Chron. 13 ... 2 And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If
it seem good unto you, and that it be of the Lord our God, let us send
abroad unto our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of
Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their
cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us:3 And let us bring again the ark of our God to us:for we enquired not at it in the days of Saul.
4 And all the congregation said that they would do so:for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
5 So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor of Egypt even unto the entering of Hemath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjathjearim.
6 And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to
Kirjathjearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of
God the Lord, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called
on it.
7 And they carried the ark of God in a
new cart out of the house of Abinadab:and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart. 8
And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and
with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels,
and with cymbals, and with trumpets.
9 And when
they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to
hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. 10 And the anger of the Lord was
kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the
ark:and there he died before God. 11 And David was displeased,
because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzza:wherefore that place is
called Perezuzza to this day.
12 And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me?
13
So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David, but
carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite. 14 And the ark
of God remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the house of Obededom, and all that he had.
Wherever the word of God is, that house is blessed.)
==========
Numbers 1
52
And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his
own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts.
53
But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony,
that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of
Israel:and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of
testimony.
54 And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they.