God tells Moses to take a census of Israel, counting every man 20 years old and older, which meant those who can go to war. There are 603,550. The Levites were not counted, as they are exempt from military service.
The tribes are arranged around the tabernacle:
East of it: Judah, Issachar and Zebulun
South of it: Reuben, Simeon, Gad
Tabernacle
West of it: Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin
North of it: Dan, Asher, Naphtali
This is the order of movement, too.
How this is about Jesus
Judah is first! God has officially made them the leader, as Jacob said in Genesis 49. Jesus comes from this tribe.
There is a lot in the Psalms about God's anointed king and His armies and banners. See Psalm 45 for an example. These are talking about Jesus ultimately.
Application
We need order and structure in our lives, or we won't be much able to produce (work) and protect.
The word "submit" in Ephesians 5:21 is a military order sort of word, much like what happens in these two chapters.
The individual, family and church should each see themselves getting geared up for spiritual warfare. Fall in! Weapons at the ready...
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