Bible History - C. 1446 BC
ORGANIZING PRINCIPLES of the NATION and ARMY
It may have been in the hidden valleys of Mt. Hor (Gebel Harun) that the Hebrews may have assembled and trained he army that would be the conquering instrument that Joshua would use to invade Canaan.
The Book of Numbers
is one of the easier books in the Bible to overlook but it is ripe with
treasure. Even on a natural level it is full of curiosities, particularly for
the lover of military studies. The title refers specifically to the two census
reports carried out.
The first census of entire community gives us an idea of the
size of the fighting force.
While in
other field armies, the protection was heavy around the king, emperor or
supreme commander, for the Hebrews, the centre of this fighting force to be
fortified was the Tabernacle. It was to be rendered impenetrable and holy with
the Levites as its garrison or “praetorian guards”. (Numbers 1:51-53)
Did the
Tabernacle really need protection? It was mostly a reminder to this huge army
of over half a million that it’s real commander, it’s source of strength, it’s
grand strategist was always God!
Numbers delineates:
(a) Setup of the army.
(b) Duties of the clans.
(c) Order of battle.
The people continued to
structure their administration as a nation, proper, began to take shape. The
Levites were given cities of refuge and leaders were appointed.
God gave priority to every detail, to the point of finding the people the camp
ground to settle in each day.
POINT A CROSS
We can clearly see how the people's setup for marching
is in the shape of a cross. Moreover, this setup strikes a parallel with Christ
in that each clan has different gifts and duties but they all make up the body
of the army that God had gathered.
Each one of us that has received the Holy Spirit was
given a certain gift. These are all different throughout the body of believers
yet they are all the work of one and the same Spirit. He distributes them to
each one, just as he determines. Just like Christ is a body made up of many
parts and, like Christ, we were all baptized by one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:7-14)
PRAISE & WORSHIP
"Thank you, Lord God, for our invincibility against our adversaries which is unnecessary to fear: for the blood of the Lamb, the word of our testimony and your strong and mighty right hand who has made in your image, ensure our victories. To you be given all the praise, honor and glory, my God."
Num. 14:9. Trevor M Chase
OTHER PEOPLES in the LEVANT
At this stage of the Israelite advance, many
kingdoms in the Levant were in turmoil at his point in history:
(a) Ammonites had taken over the Rephaites;
(b) People of Esau from Seir took over the Horites;
(c) Caphtorites from Crete took over the Avvites in Gaza.
God protected the land of Seir for the
descendants of Esau, forbidding the Israelites from entering it. He also
forbade entry into Moab, Ar and Ammon.
A little
further away, Egypt also; it lay divided into Upper (in the South) and Lower
(in the North) Egypt. Its focus was on its own political strife along the Nile
rather than the once crucial frontier of Canaan, which had served as a buffer
zone against other encroaching empires.
ON LOCATION
TIMELINE
All timeline dates prior to 664 BC are based on Rohl’s New Chronology. Refer to our chapter “Chronological Discrepancies” for clarification.