The Tabernacle and the Camp of Israel

The Tabernacle and the Camp of Israel
by Wendy Elizabeth Middleton

Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Exodus 25:8

God gave detailed instructions for the Tabernacle and sacrifices to be made. He assigned a place for each tribe to camp around the Tabernacle so that the Tent of the meeting was at the center of Israel as a reminder of the center of their lives: God.
The emphasis on cleanliness and defilement may seem strange today but they had to be pure before they could approach God. And they had to demonstrate God’s holiness to other nations. They failed miserably. They watched God part the Red Sea but when they got to the Promised Land they chickened out. Which is why they wandered around the desert for forty years. But for forty years the Tabernacle was the center of their camp, the center of their lives.

Now when I say God gave detailed instructions I mean detailed with a capital D. Whole chapters of Exodus and much of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are dedicated to the Tabernacle worship and sacrifices. There are specific instructions about measurements and materials, and if you don’t know what a cubit is then you can’t even picture how big the tabernacle was. It took the entire tribe of Levi to break it down and carry it from one camp to the next.

If you are not careful then your eyes might start to glaze over while trying to read the census data and cubit-by-cubit descriptions. I know mine did the first time through, but the information is important. Still it’s like pouring over ancient grocery receipts in order to understand what the average ancient meal was like. Unless you know what your looking for, or looking at for that matter, the information is meaningless. Do you now how long a cubit is?

So how do you make this important information make sense?

I start with the numbers in the book of Numbers chapters 1-4. Here begins a list of the men of each tribe fit for combat. There are 12 tribes (the Levites were exempt from fighting, but since Jacob adopted Joseph’s 2 sons they each count as a tribe, or half tribe of Joseph)

And I made myself some visual aids. With 22 index cards, one sheet of typing paper and one sheet of construction paper I turned the names and numbers into my own little camp.

Start with 12 index cards, one for each tribe and half tribe:
1) Reuben; 2) Simeon; 3) Judah; 4) Issachar; 5) Zebulon; 6) Ephraim;
7) Manasseh; 8) Benjamin; 9) Dan; 10) Asher; 11) Gad; 12) Naphtali

Fold each card in half with the blank side out, so that they will stand up like little tents and write the name of each tribe on a card.

Next list the leader of each tribe from Number 1:5-15

And Finally: Read Numbers 1:20-44 where for verse after verse, the words are the same, only the tribe name and final number changes. Here it’s the final number of combat ready men that you are looking for.

So each card now has the tribe name, tribe leader’s name, and total number of fighting men.

For example:
Reuben
Elizur son of Shedeur
46,500

The Levites were put in charge of the Tabernacle and were exempt from combat, so they weren’t counted in the census. But they have a place in the camp. According to Numbers 1:53 the Levites “are to set up their tents around the tabernacle of the Testimony so that wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the Testimony."

So for the Levites cut 6 index cards in half and then fold each of these pieces in half and write Levi on each of the 12 pieces.

Now you have 12 half size cards for the one tribe of Levi.

Next you need the Tabernacle. For this use half a sheet of typing paper glue sticked to a half sheet of construction paper and marked North, South, East and West.

The 12 tribes were divided into four camps, one for each side of the tabernacle. Each camp had three tribes in it and the total number of men is listed for each camp, so fold 4 index cards in half and list the camp names and the totals for each camp on them.

Now you have all the pieces that you need to lay out the camp.

The Tabernacle represents God in the center of Israel so I lay the Tabernacle down first. Then by reading Numbers 2:1-32 start laying out the Camps and the tribes.

And the 12 little tents of Levi surround the Tabernacle, one between the Tabernacle and each other tribe.

The dry set of numbers from a census has become the Camp of Israel complete with little tents surrounding the tabernacle.

Now that you have the camp set up it is time to decamp and march to the next campsite.

Rearrange the card-tents into their marching formation. Camp Judah heads out first followed by Reuben. Then the Levites form up to carry the Tabernacle. Then Ephraim and Dan. I use 6 of my Levi cards to carry the tabernacle, and the other six form up on either side of the tabernacle.

Now I’ve read a bunch dry numbers and they make a lot more sense laid out in formation than they did the first time I just read the words, and my eyes didn't glaze over because I was reading the numbers for a purpose.

Simple – Ain’t – Easy
But it sure is worth the effort
And it can be fun
- Wendy