The fourth book of the Pentateuch begins with YHWH speaking to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the Tabernacle of meeting on the first day of the second month in the second year after Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, telling him to take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel by their families and by their father’s houses. YHWH’s speaking from His portable sanctuary to order or number Israel’s tribes on the first day of the second month is significant as the third of four time stamps on Israel’s stay at Mount Sinai. The first was in Exodus 19:1, Israel’s arrival in the third month on the same weekday they left Egypt; the second was the tabernacle construction on Abib 1 of the second year in Exodus 40:2; and the fourth was Israel’s departure from Mount Sinai on Iyar 20 in the second year in Numbers 10:11. The second month is identical to the seventh month since on whatever day of the week Iyar starts, Tishri will also begin on the same day of the week. This implies the census taken on Iyar 1 directly links to the full complement of Israel’s hosts on Tishri 1 (Feast of Trumpets), commonly understood as Yeshua’s second advent coming with ten thousands of His saints (Jude 14). Considering that the Pentateuch’s fourth book portrays the Feast of Tabernacles (Blog 120), this blog will explore what the Numbers census has to do with Sukkot.

The Book of Numbers 1-10 closes YHWH’s Sinai utterances begun in Exodus 19. Israel’s stay at Mount Sinai was 371 days¹ or 7 × 53, the same numeric value as Ezekiel’s temple-city name, YHWH-shammah, meaning “YHWH is There” (Eze. 48:35). During these days, YHWH gave Israel the laws of the covenant and instructions on building the tabernacle according to a pattern shown to Moses on the mountain. After YHWH moved His portable Throne from the mountaintop into the Tabernacle’s sanctuary, He gave Moses the sacrificial laws, the priesthood, and His appointed times of meeting so that Israel, His bride, could access His holy Presence. YHWH’s final words to Moses before Israel left Mount Sinai were to take a census of Israel and construct the camp arrangement according to its tribes and assigned leaders.

With the Tabernacle sanctuary at the center, the Levites and priests camped in a square around it, and Israel’s tribes situated in an outer square with three tribes for each cardinal direction, the Camp of Israel reflected God’s heavenly throne surrounded by His divine council and the angelic hosts in the four directions. Its square shape mimicked Ezekiel’s temple, made without hands stamped with the number 25, 5², symbolically representing God’s holiness. The concentric squares of Israel’s Camp indicated degrees of holiness when approaching the center sanctuary: YHWH as King, the priests, and Israel’s tribes. The census count of each group of three tribes was also divisible by the number 25 and the sum of two squares (see Fun Factors below), stamping the tribal spatial order with holiness. By YHWH’s design, Israel was a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

When YHWH descended upon Mount Sinai, He came with His throne, carried by four cherubim, surrounded by His divine counsel and four divisions of His angelic hosts² (Psa. 68:17; Luk. 7:53; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2). Under His feet was a clear paved stone the color of sapphire (Exo. 24:10). Ezekiel 1 describes in more detail the cherubim that carried YHWH’s mobile throne on their wings (Eze. 1:10; 10:14). They had four faces (a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle) facing the four cardinal directions and moved only according to the will of YHWH (spirit of YHWH). These details became significant in YHWH’s arrangement of the Camp of Israel.

Israel’s census by their father’s house advanced YHWH’s arrangements of the twelve tribes into four groups of three, positioned in the four cardinal directions (Num. 1). Each group of three tribes oriented under the standard of the lead tribe:  a lion for Judah’s hosts of 186,400 on the east (first to break camp), a man for Reuben’s hosts of 151,400 on the south (second to break camp), Levi’s camp of firstborns carrying the tabernacle of meeting sojourned in the middle of Israel (22,000),  an ox for Ephriam’s hosts of 181,100 to the west (fourth to break camp), and an eagle for Dan’s hosts of 157,600 to the north (fifth to break camp). Ezekiel’s temple-city was likewise arranged with three gates for three tribes on each side and a priestly area guarding the center altar. The four directions mimicked the position of YHWH’s entourage in the heavenly realm and of living in agreement with His Spirit. Solomon captured the idea of Israel’s camp bearing the throne of God by making a bronze sea of glass mounted upon twelve oxen, three in each direction. The four tribal divisions also appeared on the high priest’s breastplate in the precious stones arrangement in four rows of three. There are many parallels between YHWH’s ordering of Israel’s tribes around His sanctuary in three tiers of holiness to Eden’s Land, the Ark, the Tabernacle, and the Temple. Ultimately, the same arrangement is carried forward in John’s new Jerusalem city, the bride of Christ, where only the holy may enter, those written in the Book of Life (Rev. 21-22; Luk. 10:18-20).

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. (Heb. 12:22–24, NKJV)

Taking a census involved “counting the skulls” of those twenty years old and above belonging to a father’s house in Israel. Numbering carried the idea of exercising care over a subordinate, either inspecting or acting, causing a significant change to complete or mature an individual (TWOT, H6485). A person’s condition noted by a superior involved judgment, ascertaining one’s ability to be mustered or perform a designated role. Biblically, it usually concerned soldiers, Levites, or priests (Num. 1:2, 3:14, 4:2, 22, 26:2). To be counted or numbered on Israel’s scroll as alive, YHWH commanded each man to give a half-shekel payment as a ransom or atonement cost, guaranteeing each man’s house was holy, preventing a plague from breaking out for defiling YHWH’s camp (Exo. 30:11-16). Holiness was the foundation of life with YHWH enthroned on His moving throne in the wilderness.

Takeaway:
YHWH’s camp construction in Numbers is the full complement, the complete number of people or parts needed to make something whole, with everyone present and accounted for. The Shepherd King’s ordering of Israel’s tribes arranged them in holiness, changing them from self-willed chaos to His will of uprightness, achieving His purpose for Israel, overcoming ra with tov. The Camp of Israel’s spatial arrangement, filled with holy life moving in a wilderness setting in tents, sukkot, mimicked God’s creation in Genesis 1, overcoming tohu and bohu by His Spirit.

Fun Factors:
Written in the square script of Hebrew, the number of Israel’s eastern camp under Judah’s banner (with Issachar and Zebulun) was 186,400, 25 × 7456, 100² + 420². Reuben’s camp under the south banner (with Simeon and Gad) numbered 151,400, 25 × 5056, 170² + 350². Ephriam’s camp under the west banner (with Manasseh and Benjamin) numbered 181,100, 25 × 7244, (210² + 370²) + (6² + 8²). And Dan’s camp under the north banner (with Asher and Naphtali) numbered 157,600, 25 × 6304, 260² + 300². All four sides of Israel’s camp numerically bore the reality of holiness, “YHWH is There,” the First and the Last, the Hebrew letters Aleph (sum 111, 3 × 37) meaning “to bring forth thousands” and the Ta (sum 400, 12² + 16²) meaning the covenant seal of holiness, total 111 + 400 = 511, 7 × 73, His perfect/complete (7) wisdom (73).