Numbers are not numbers to God: each one of us is individually named and each one of us is individually known and each is counted and each is precious to God. "I have called you by name, you are mine."

How awesome it is, that the people of Israel were counted, by their families, by the house of their fathers, in the number of names, by their polls - that is individually - and there is order in the manner of their counting, that each of the sons of Israel had a prince who would work with Moses and Aaron to count the great number who had been born and grown up in the 40 years of being in the wilderness.

How astonishing that this people had kept such records and each was named and organised by families, by the house of their fathers.

How huge is the number of people who had been 70 in number when Jacob came to Egypt during the time of the famine when Joseph was second to the Pharoah in authority four hundred years previously, and who now numbered six hundred and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men over 20 years of age, everyone going out to the host, the army, in Israel - and this besides the tribe of Levi who were not to be counted, who were not going out to the army but were appointed over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its vessels and over all that it hath they bear the tabernacle and all its vessels and they serve it. And this besides all the women and those under the age of 20, the children.

The age of 20 is God's choice of age for men to go out to God's army - this is maturity, and we cannot serve God until we have reached spiritual maturity - and Psalm 68:11 says: "The Lord doth give the saying, The female proclaimers are a numerous host (army)".

Understand the Scriptures by the wisdom of the Spirit who dwells in us who believe the Gospel: "We have not the wrestling with blood and flesh but with the principalities, with the authorities, with the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, with the spiritual things of the evil in heavenly places."(Ephesians 6:12) We fight by our word and living according to God's commands.

God is a God of order and discipline. These tribes were to camp in an order which God commanded, marked out by their ensigns, 3 tribes to the East, 3 to the South, 3 to the West and 3 to the North.

It has been said that if someone were able to look down on the arrangement of the whole camp from a great height, they would see the shape of a cross with the tabernacle in its heart, its centre.

The tribe of Judah were to leave first, to lead the way - the name Judah means praise. When we rise up our first thought shall be to praise God. "Be Thou my best thought by day and by night." (from 'Be thou my vision' hymn, translated from an Old Irish hymn, by Mary E. Byrne in 1905)