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Scripture Reading: Num. 1
The picture portrayed in Num. 1 shows us the entire New Testament, from the incarnation of the Triune God to be a man, living and dwelling among men, to the consummation of the incarnation, the New Jerusalem.
To see the incarnation of the Triune God in Numbers 1 is difficult, because we do not have such a concept. If we would see the incarnation of the Triune God in this chapter, we need to consider the matter of the tabernacle with the ark. Within the tabernacle was the ark, and within the ark was the law. The law is called "the testimony" (17:4, 10). The law is a testimony of God because it testifies, shows us, God. Thus, it is actually God who is the center. However, here we do not have God merely in Himself but God in an ark made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. This ark, being one entity of two elements, wood and gold, typifies Christ in His humanity with His divinity.
The word incarnation is not in Numbers chapter one, but the picture is here. In this picture of the tabernacle with the ark, we see the Triune God incarnated to be a man living among men. The tabernacle was built with forty-eight boards. First, the number forty-eight is composed of six multiplied by eight, which signifies man (six) in resurrection (eight). Second, forty-eight is composed of twelve multiplied by four, which signifies the Triune God (contained in the number twelve, composed of three multiplied by four) in His creature (four). Therefore, this picture shows the Triune God incarnated to be a man living among men. Here we see the Triune God, we see man, and we see the Triune God dwelling among men.
The picture of the New Jerusalem in Numbers 1 involves the encampment of the twelve tribes of Israel around the tabernacle. The New Jerusalem has twelve gates, three gates on each of the four sides, with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on them (Rev. 21:12-13). In Numbers, the twelve tribes were arranged into an array, which shows us a picture. In this array, three tribes, each tribe being an army, were encamped on each of the four sides of the tabernacle. On the east, toward the sunrise, was the camp of Judah, composed of the armies of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun (Num. 2:2-9). On the west, at the rear, was the camp of Ephraim, composed of the armies of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin (2:18-24). On the south was the camp of Reuben, composed of the armies of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad (2:10-16). On the north was the camp of Dan, composed of the armies of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali (2:25-31). This encamping of the twelve tribes is a picture of the New Jerusalem.
Now we can realize how Numbers 1 affords us a picture of the New Testament from the incarnation to the New Jerusalem. This is actually a summary of the history of the church, which began with the incarnation and will consummate with the New Jerusalem. In type, the history of Israel from Numbers through Malachi, which includes things that are both very good and encouraging and very poor and discouraging, portrays the history of the church.
In the picture in Numbers, God is in the center; that is, God is in the ark, in Christ. God is no longer just in the heavens; He is also on the earth, in a man who is His embodiment. This man who is the embodiment of God is Jesus Christ (Col. 2:9). Such a man is constituted with two elements, a golden element and a wooden element. He is a "gold-wood" man, a God-man.
Now this wonderful One, the Triune God incarnated to be embodied as a man, has been expanded, increased, and enlarged. In His expansion and enlargement, Christ has become the tabernacle, God's dwelling place. As such a tabernacle, He is enterable.
When God was in Christ only, no one could enter into Him. Without Christ's expansion, no one could enter into God. But now, in His expansion into a tabernacle, Christ is not only God's dwelling place but also the place where we can enter into God. Today we can enter into God, taking Christ as our life that He may be the meaning of our life. As He is our life to be the meaning of life to us, He is our testimony. We live Him, express Him, show Him, in every aspect and in every direction. Then He spontaneously becomes our center. Therefore, Christ today is our meaning of life, our testimony, and our center.
Christ, the embodiment of God, has been enlarged into a habitation in which God dwells and into which we enter. In this enlarged Body of Christ, God has a dwelling place, and we have a place where we can enter into God, meet with God, and even be mingled with God.
This God had no intention to come down, to be incarnated at Bethlehem, and then remain stationary. For almost two thousand years this dear One has been moving. Today He is here with us, moving. In His moving, He is the Leader. He is the unique Leader, for He alone is qualified to lead. Christ is our Leader, our way, and our goal. When we have Christ, we have leadership. When we follow Christ, we follow our Leader. When we follow Him directly, we become a leader. The leadership is with Him; the leadership is He. Christ is not only our Leader but also the way we take today. Our way is Christ, and our goal also is Christ. Bringing Christ to a certain place should be honored. But if we bring something other than Christ, that thing should be condemned.
Eventually, the picture in Numbers shows us God and His chosen people mingled together as one entity to conquer the enemy on earth. The enemy utilizes and usurps the entire earth, which God created for Himself and His purpose. How can God regain the earth? God will not regain the earth directly, by Himself as the mighty God, the Creator. In the New Testament economy, God would never do this by Himself. He had to be incarnated to become a man, Christ, and this Christ has to be ministered to sinners to make them all the enlargement of Christ. As a result, there is on earth the mingling of the Triune God with the tripartite man that God may move on earth and regain it. This move began from Jerusalem as the center, passed through Judea and Samaria, progressed to the uttermost part of the earth, and is here today. Now we are part of this, part of the Triune God incarnated to be a man, living among men to have Himself increased into His chosen people, causing all of them to be mingled with the processed Triune God. This is God's work of the new creation within the old creation. The ultimate consummation of this work will be the New Jerusalem, which is the processed Triune God mingled with the transformed tripartite man. This is Numbers chapter one.
Having such a picture before us, let us now begin to consider how God's people are formed into an army.
The children of Israel were formed into a body to fight for God as warriors and serve God as priests for the carrying out of God's purpose. God's purpose is to have the New Jerusalem, to mingle Himself with His redeemed people. The formation of the children of Israel into a body to fight for God and to serve God typifies the New Testament believers being built up into the organic Body of Christ to fight for God for the carrying out, in its service to God, of God's eternal economy.
The children of Israel were formed into an army able to fight for the protection of God's testimony (the ark in the tabernacle). This indicates that, in a very real sense, the church today is fighting for the protection of the incarnated God. God in Himself needs no protection, but God in His embodiment needs to be protected by the fighting of the church.
The book of Numbers stresses the testimony of God more than the book of Leviticus does. The word testimony is used more frequently in Numbers than in Leviticus.
The army of God protecting God's testimony is a matter of a formed assembly, not of individuals. Today some Christians emphasize individual spirituality. But in the sight of God, individual, separate spirituality means nothing. God desires the formed, coordinated Body of Christ.
The children of Israel were formed into a fighting army by being numbered by their families and leaders (vv. 1-16) and according to their age (vv. 20-46).
The children of Israel were numbered by the families and their leaders, that is, by the source of life and under its leadership (authority). The families refer to the source of life. In our spiritual history, there should be a source of life. Even in the church life today, we must have a family. Who brought you to Christ? Who begot you in Christ? In other words, who is your spiritual father? In this matter, the Bible is balanced. Of course, God is our divine Father. Nevertheless, Paul told the Corinthian believers that they might have had "ten thousand guides in Christ, yet not many fathers," for in Christ Jesus he had begotten them through the gospel (1 Cor. 4:15), imparting the divine life into them so that they became children of God and members of Christ. Thus, those believers belonged to Paul's "family." They did not hear the gospel, repent, and believe apart from him as their spiritual father, their source. As believers in Christ, we all have three kinds of fathers: a fleshly father, a spiritual father, and the divine Father. Today's numbering depends on the source of life.
The leaders in Numbers 1 refer to the leadership under the authority of Christ in His Body. Just as there is order in our physical body, there must be a good order among the members in the church life. There must be some kind of leadership. Without leadership, it is impossible to maintain a proper situation. (Those who claim that there should be no leadership in the church eventually assume the leadership and become the strongest leaders.) For the church to be formed into a fighting army, we need the source of life and also the leadership in life.
The numbering is also according to age, according to maturity in life. Besides the source of life and the leadership in life, there is the need of the maturity in life. These three things must be bound together as a strong cord. Today, some care only for spirituality, only for maturity; however, we should care not only for the maturity of life but also for the source of life and the authority of life.
The numbering was of all the males from twenty years old and above (vv. 2-3). This refers to those who were able to go forth to war.
This numbering excluded all females and the males under twenty years old. The females signify those who are spiritually weaker, and the males under twenty signify those who are spiritually immature. The sisters in the church life today should not feel excluded by this, because spiritually speaking they may be men, the stronger ones. What counts here is not our natural status but the spiritual nature of our being. Those who are weaker and those who are immature are not qualified to go forth to war.
All the firstborn of Israel, who belonged to God, were numbered from birth (3:13). Furthermore, every male of the Levites, who served the tabernacle, was numbered from one month old and above (3:15).
For a vow to God, an Israelite male of the highest valuation was required to be between twenty years old and sixty years old (Lev. 27:3). But for fighting, an Israelite male was required to be twenty years old or above, without limit. Even at the age of eighty-five, Caleb was still a warrior, able to fight for the nation of Israel (Josh. 14:10-11).
The numbering of Israel was recognized by the authorities in three aspects: first, by Moses, signifying Christ as the Head exercising His authority; second, by Aaron, signifying Christ as the High Priest carrying out His priesthood; and third, by the leaders of the twelve tribes, signifying the elders of the churches taking the lead among God's people. If we say that there is no leadership in the church, we annul, put aside, the elders, who are the real and actual leadership in the church life. The church would then become an anarchy; it would be lawless, altogether without government.
The Levites were not numbered among the army (Num. 1:47-54; 2:33). They were appointed to minister to the tabernacle of the testimony and encamp around it to keep it from being touched by the children of Israel.
The fighting Israelites were the outward protection for the serving Levites, who were for the testimony of God. The Levites were encamped around the tabernacle, and they were surrounded by the twelve tribes, who protected them.
The formed Israelites were a type of the church. Ephesians, a book on the church, reveals that the church is a corporate warrior fighting the battle for God's testimony (Eph. 6:10-20). The church is also composed of God's serving ones as the Levites. For fighting, we are a corporate warrior, and for serving we are the Levites, even the priests.
