Numbers 1-2

“Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name” (1:2). This census ordered by God was significant because it was taken in the desert of Sinai, in “the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt” (1). Just two years after fleeing across the Red Sea, the runaway slaves had become an enormous nation – because of their God. They were so large that they could dedicate an entire tribe, the Levites, to lead worship (1:47-50).

“The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting ...” (2:2). The tabernacle at the center reminded the Israelites that they were rescued through God’s grace and moved forward by grace. When we deserve nothing, God gives everything.