Numbers 2:22-26: a reflection

22“The tribe of Benjamin: the prince of the children of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni. 23His army, and those who were counted of them, were thirty-five thousand four hundred. 24“All who were counted of the camp of Ephraim were one hundred eight thousand one hundred, according to their divisions. They shall set out third. 25“On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan according to their divisions. The prince of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26His division, and those who were counted of them, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

In the ordering of Israel's camp, the tribes were arranged in their places around the tabernacle, God's dwelling, so that his presence stood at the center with the people ordered around him. Each tribe had its assigned place, its standard, and its position, and the whole camp was arranged around the Tent of Meeting in the middle. The arrangement was not random; the tribes camped in an ordered pattern, each in its appointed place, around the tabernacle where God's presence dwelt. God's dwelling was at the center, and the people were ordered around him, their whole life in the wilderness arranged with his presence at the heart of it. This shows God's presence at the center, with everything ordered around him. Let God be at the center, with everything else arranged around him. God's presence was the center around which his people were ordered. When God is at the center, the rest of life finds its right order. Arrange your life with God at its heart, not at its edge.

Notice the pattern of the camp. The tribes of Israel did not camp haphazardly; each had its assigned place and position, and the whole camp was arranged in an ordered pattern around a center. And that center was the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, where God's presence dwelt among his people. God's dwelling was placed at the very heart of the camp, and everything else, all the tribes, was arranged around it. The people's whole life in the wilderness was ordered with God's presence at the center. This holds a picture worth taking to heart. God's presence was not at the edge of the camp, an afterthought on the margins; it was at the center, the point around which everything else was arranged. And this pictures how our own lives are meant to be ordered: with God at the center, not at the edge. It is easy to push God to the margins of our lives, to fit him in around the edges of what really occupies us, to make him one concern among many rather than the center. But the camp shows a better order: God's presence at the heart, and everything else, our concerns, our activities, our relationships, arranged around him. When God is truly at the center of our lives, the rest finds its right place and order around him. We do well to order our lives with God at the center, not at the edge, letting his presence be the heart around which everything else is arranged. Let God be at the center of your life, not pushed to the edge. When God is at the heart, the rest of life finds its right order. Do not make God one concern among many; make him the center. Arrange your life around God's presence, not around lesser things.

That is worth taking to heart, for God's presence was at the center of the camp, and our lives are meant to be ordered with God at the center, as the tribes were arranged around the tabernacle. We can push God to the margins of our lives; but the camp was ordered with God's dwelling at its very heart. Put God at the center. Do not make God one concern among many, fitted in around the edges; order your life with God at the center, and let everything else find its place around him. Order your life with God at the center rather than at the edge, letting his presence be the heart around which everything else is arranged, as in the ordering of Israel's camp the tribes were arranged in their places around the tabernacle, God's dwelling, so that his presence stood at the center with the people ordered around him, each tribe having its assigned place and position and the whole camp arranged around the Tent of Meeting in the middle; for the arrangement was not random but an ordered pattern with the tabernacle where God's presence dwelt at the center, God's dwelling at the heart of the camp and the people ordered around him, their whole life in the wilderness arranged with his presence at the center, which holds a picture worth taking to heart, that God's presence was not at the edge of the camp as an afterthought on the margins but at the center around which everything else was arranged, which pictures how our own lives are meant to be ordered, with God at the center and not at the edge, since it is easy to push God to the margins and fit him in around the edges of what really occupies us and make him one concern among many rather than the center, but the camp shows a better order, God's presence at the heart and everything else arranged around him, so that when God is truly at the center of our lives the rest finds its right place around him, and we do well to order our lives with God at the center.

Lord, in the ordering of Israel's camp, the tribes were arranged in their places around the tabernacle, your dwelling, so that your presence stood at the center with the people ordered around you. Each tribe had its assigned place, its standard, and its position, and the whole camp was arranged around the Tent of Meeting in the middle. The arrangement was not random; the tribes camped in an ordered pattern, each in its appointed place, around the tabernacle where your presence dwelt. Your dwelling was at the center, and the people were ordered around you, their whole life in the wilderness arranged with your presence at the heart of it. Show me the pattern of the camp. The tribes did not camp haphazardly; each had its assigned place, and the whole camp was arranged in an ordered pattern around a center. And that center was the tabernacle, where your presence dwelt among your people. Your dwelling was placed at the very heart of the camp, and everything else was arranged around it. The people's whole life was ordered with your presence at the center. This holds a picture worth taking to heart. Your presence was not at the edge of the camp, an afterthought on the margins; it was at the center, the point around which everything else was arranged. And this pictures how my own life is meant to be ordered: with you at the center, not at the edge. It is easy to push you to the margins of my life, to fit you in around the edges of what really occupies me, to make you one concern among many rather than the center. But the camp shows a better order: your presence at the heart, and everything else arranged around you. When you are truly at the center of my life, the rest finds its right place around you. Take that to my heart. Keep me from pushing you to the margins or making you one concern among many; help me order my life with you at the center, Lord, letting your presence be the heart around which everything else is arranged, that the rest of my life may find its right order around you.