Preparing For Battle

Preparing for battle.  In today’s reading, we get a count of the number of men who could serve in the army by tribe.  “All the Israelites twenty years old or more, everyone who could serve in Israel’s army, were registered by their ancestral families” (Numbers 1:45).  God even gave directions on how the Israelites were to camp, by their military divisions (v.52).  While God had promised to be with Israel, He also was preparing their army to be able to fight against enemies.   However, the Levites were not included in this registering, at God’s instructions, for they were appointed to be over the tabernacle (v.49-50). One might think, since the Levites were not part of the registering and census for military, then they were not helpful in battles.  That is not true.  Notice what we read, “The Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, and watch over it, so that no wrath will fall on the Israelite community” (v.53). The work that the Levites were doing was very instrumental to keeping the Israelite community safe.  While others were being prepared for physical battles, the Levites were just as instrumental, in preparing for spiritual battles.  When Israel was obedient to the Lord, God would bless them.  And if God be for you, who can be against you?