[Numbers 2] Judah Breaks Through to Glory – Spiritual Meanings of North, South, East, and West. Numbers 2 contains a study of the four directions (north, south, east, and west) spiritually speaking in our lives. This will help you understand directions that are prominent in dreams and visions and also the principles of obedience and reward they speak of in our lives. In Numbers 2, God instructs Moses regarding the arrangement of the tribes when they were encamped. The Tabernacle that held the Ark of the Covenant was at the center of the camp, and the tribes were positioned at specific places round about. The scripture teaches us that we are the Tabernacle or the temple of God. Each tribe and their placement on the map around the Tabernacle represent something of ourselves in relation to God and God’s relation to us. Today we will study our position in the kingdom concerning the manifest Glory of God as revealed in the Tabernacle and Israel’s encampment in the wilderness.
[Num 2:1-34 KJV] 1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 2 Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house: far off about the Tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. 3 And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab [shall be] captain of the children of Judah. 4 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. 5 And those that do pitch next unto him [shall be] the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar [shall be] captain of the children of Issachar. 6 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, [were] fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 7 [Then] the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon [shall be] captain of the children of Zebulun. 8 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, [were] fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. 9 All that were numbered in the camp of Judah [were] an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth. 10 On the south side [shall be] the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben [shall be] Elizur the son of Shedeur. 11 And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, [were] forty and six thousand and five hundred. 12 And those which pitch by him [shall be] the tribe of Simeon: and the captain of the children of Simeon [shall be] Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 13 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. 14 Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad [shall be] Eliasaph the son of Reuel. 15 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty. 16 All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben [were] an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank. 17 Then the Tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards. 18 On the west side [shall be] the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim [shall be] Elishama the son of Ammihud. 19 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] forty thousand and five hundred. 20 And by him [shall be] the tribe of Manasseh: and the captain of the children of Manasseh [shall be] Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 21 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] thirty and two thousand and two hundred. 22 Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the sons of Benjamin [shall be] Abidan the son of Gideoni. 23 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] thirty and five thousand and four hundred. 24 All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim [were] an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank. 25 The standard of the camp of Dan [shall be] on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan [shall be] Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. 27 And those that encamp by him [shall be] the tribe of Asher: and the captain of the children of Asher [shall be] Pagiel the son of Ocran. 28 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] forty and one thousand and five hundred. 29 Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali [shall be] Ahira the son of Enan. 30 And his host, and those that were numbered of them, [were] fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 31 All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan [were] an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards. 32 These [are] those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts [were] six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. 33 But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses. 34 And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.
In the wilderness, God’s people pitched their tents by their standards that were placed in specific positions concerning the Tabernacle of God and the Ark of the Covenant, where the glory rested. When we look at the wilderness encampment with the Ark of the Covenant in the center, we would always see a column of supernatural glory in the center over the Holy of Holies. When they journeyed, this cloud would lift, and the people would break camp to move with the cloud. When the cloud would come to rest, the people would set up camp, first of all, pitching the Tabernacle, the ceremonial tent with the sacred artifacts within it, directly under the cloud of glory. Once the Tabernacle was set up, the Levites would establish their camp round about the Tabernacle in the center. On the east, the tribe of Judah would camp. On the north, the tribe of Dan would position themselves. On the west would be Ephraim, and on the south, Rueben’s tribe would camp. This arrangement is a statement about God himself and says something about who God is in us.
In 2 Cor. 5:1, 4; and 2 Pet. 1:13-14 our bodies are referred to as God’s Tabernacle. What can be learned of the Tabernacle and the encampment around it speaks something to us about who Jesus is to us and who we are in the kingdom. Each tribe had a symbolic meaning, and the positioning of the tribe concerning the Tabernacle and the glory of God within speaks to us of who Jesus is on the inside of us. Remember the words of Paul:
[Col 1:25-26, 28-29 KJV] 25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26 [Even] the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: … 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
God’s glory was WITH the people in the wilderness – but in the New Covenant economy of God, the glory is not only WITH us it is in each of us. Christ, in you, is your hope of glory. Christ IN you is a more significant potential – a greater personal potential than any external resource. God didn’t intend the outward infrastructure of Christian religion to be our resource or our security. God wants us to look within to understand His purposes, to access His provisions, and connect with His plan. The kingdom that is not IN YOU is not the kingdom. The Jesus, who is not IN YOU, is not the one that bled and died to be your savior.
First, let’s place a compass on the encampment map to see what we can learn. Remember that there was the Ark of the Covenant in the holy of holies. Then there was the holy place, the outer court, and the door leading to the encampment beyond. Which direction did the door face? This is important because Jesus said, “I am the door” [John 10:7,9]. The door leading into the outer court where the brazen altar was located faced to the east. Now, look at the holy place. The door leading from the outer court into the Holy Place where the lampstand, table of showbread, and the altar of incense where also faced east. When you entered the Holy Place, you were looking at the altar of incense and directly beyond was the door to the Holy of Holies, WHICH ALSO FACED EAST. That means that if the curtain to the Holy of Holies were opened, the curtain to the Holy Place and the door of the outer also at a certain point in the day, you would be looking directly at the rising sun. When the sun rose, if these doors would open, it would have a direct line of sight to the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat.
When the city of Jerusalem was claimed as the holy city, the Temple with its Holy Place was arranged precisely like this. There was a gate on the eastern wall of the city called the “King’s Gate” that prophecy says that Jesus will come through that gate in His resurrected, glorified body one day. The eastern direction speaks to us of God’s kingdom that is coming and the king and the Lordship of Christ. Now back to the encampments of the tribes. Who was the tribe that camped just outside the door to the Tabernacle on the eastern side? It was the tribe of Judah. The tribe of Judah was the tribe chosen to bring forth the kings of Israel. David was of the tribe of Judah, and ultimately Jesus came forth from the tribe of Judah. Both Joseph and Mary were of the tribe of Judah, and both were in the lineage of David (which is why the genealogies are so essential to study).
What does the tribe of Judah speak to us of our own relationship with God?
Judah Goes First: Several places in scripture, Judah is mentioned as going first. First into war, first into blessing, first into relationship with the glory of God. [Nu. 2:9; Nu. 7:12; 10:14; Judges 20:18] If you were in the tribe of Judah in the encampment, you had a direct vantage point of access through the three points of entry through the door of the outer court, the inner court, and the Holy of Holies directly to the glory of God over the mercy seat. Likewise, looking outward from the glory when God looked out from the Tabernacle, the first thing He saw (and the first thing He wanted to see) were the tents of Judah. What does this mean? Think of Judah as representing something within yourself.
Judah Means Praise: When God IN you looks out into your life, He desires first to encounter your praise. When you praise Him (positioning PRAISE before His glory on the inside of you), you then have a direct line of access to His glory. What is that important? Because God holds court in the glory, He relates to you in the glory, and He provisions you in the glory.
[Phl 4:19 KJV] 19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Judah breaks forth into the glory. Ruth Ward Heflin was a woman of God with unusual signs, wonders, and miracles in her ministry. All kinds of spiritual manifestations were reported in her meetings. Gold and jewels would rain down on the people. Oil would appear on people’s hands. Teeth were filled miraculously. Healings took place without laying on of hands. Angels and pillars of fire and clouds of glory manifested. Ruth Ward Heflin’s approach to God in these meetings was straightforward:
Praise until the spirit of worship comes.
Worship until the glory comes.
Then stand in the glory!
Praise has been de-emphasized somewhat in the current spiritual climate. It is seen as an outer court overture to be hurried past to gain access to the deep worship before the throne. But praise is VERY important. You can’t leave praise out because praise is what God IN the earth and IN YOUR LIFE desires to be surrounded with.
What about the other directions and the tribes placed there? Dan was in the north. Dan’s name means lawgiver and judge. Job 37:2; Psa. 75:6,7; Psa. 48:1-2 all indicate that God sits in the north and judges in the north. We are taught to seek the judgments of God. If your body was a coordinate on a map, your HEAD or your MIND would be in the north.
What about the south? To the south was Rueben, the firstborn son. The firstborn son carries a blessing on his life merely arising from the circumstances of his birth. God wants to deal with you as a son. The south speaks of blessing and birthright. De. 28:2 speaks of the blessings of God coming on you and overtaking you. If they are overtaking you, that means you are heading in the opposite direction. What is the opposite direction from the encampment of Rueben? It is north (judgment, the symbolic dwelling place of God). The conclusion then is IF YOU SEEK HIS FACE, you will SEE HIS HAND. Seek His judgments, and the blessings of sonship, birthright, and favor will be accelerated into your life.
What about the west? Ephraim was in the west – the opposite encampment from Judah in the east and the direct access Judah enjoyed to God’s glory within the Tabernacle. If Judah represents praise, what does Ephraim represent? Ephraim’s name means “double blessing.” Ephraim, you will recall, is only a half-tribe with his brother Manasseh. They were Joseph’s children. Manasseh’s name means “I will forget,” speaking of Joseph forgetting his youth’s suffering because of the double blessing of his promotion in Egypt.
These directions speak of obedience and reward. If you seek God’s judgments (in the north), His blessings will come upon you (from the south). If you praise Him and put praise first priority in your life, you will experience the double blessing and forget all your troubles.
