Thurs.’s Devo - The Division of the Tribes

Read: Numbers 2:1-3:51; Mark 11:27-12:17; Psalm 47:1-9; Proverbs 10:24-25 When the Israelites set up camp, they were to camp under their banner in a certain order. They were divided into four groups with three tribes in each group. Moses and the Levites were to camp with the Tabernacle in the center of the groups. On the east were Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun which were all blood brothers of Leah. On the south were Reuben, Simeon and Gad. Reuben and Simeon were Leah’s sons and Gad was Zilpah’s. On the west was Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin who were all Rachel’s children. To the north were Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. Dan and Naphtali were Bilhah’s sons and Asher was Zilpah’s. I think it was wise that God put blood brothers to live together when possible. From heaven, the camp made the shape of the cross. God called forth the whole tribe of Levi to serve as Aaron’s assistants. They would serve the whole community in performing the duties in and around the Tabernacle. Aaron and his sons would do the duties of the priesthood. God made a substitute for the firstborn. He substituted them for the Levites. When the counted the number of firstborn and the number of Levites, there were 273 more firstborn’s than Levites. To account for them, they were to collect five pieces of silver for each of them to redeem them back. To count the people was to call the people to an account of their lives like God will do at Judgment Day. That is why they had to be bought back. We were bought back with the blood of Jesus. Later, we will read how if they wanted to count the people they had to take up this same amount to pay for their souls so that when they counted. That would keep them from being judged with a plague. David would forget this law when he asked for a count and it would cause a plague to fall on the people. In Mark, Jesus is being tried before the religious leaders and the people, just as the Passover lamb was being inspected by the priests. The religious leaders demanded to know who gave Jesus the authority to do and say the things he said. Jesus turned it on them and asked them who gave John his authority. They couldn’t answer because it would cause them to lose the favor of the people. Then Jesus told them the parable about them. They were the wicked tenant farmers who God had left the responsibility to to teach the people about his Word. They were the ones who had killed the prophets God sent and were about to kill God’s heir, his son. They knew it too. When they tested him in their political views, he nailed them there too. Every answer Jesus gave them proved that he was the sinless lamb. Lord, thank you that when the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation. You are our lasting foundation!