Numbers 2: Like A Mighty Army

Numbers 2 describes the organization of the Israelite camp.  In the center is the Tabernacle with the attending tribe of Levi.  This is a physical demonstration of the spiritual truth that God is with them, in their very midst.  On the eastern side, the leading edge of the camp that would set out first, are the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, with a total of 186,400.  Setting out next would be the southern emcampment, the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad, totaling 151,450.  After the Levites and the Tabernacle, the western camps would set out, specifically Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, numbering 108,100.  The rear guard is brought up by the tribes camped on the north, with Dan, Asher, and Naphtali totaling 157,600.  This was God's designated structure for the nation's move to the Promised Land.