Strategy

"The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ households; they shall camp around the tent of meeting at a distance." -Numbers 2.2

Israel has counted its warriors, but the Levites were not among the count. They were set apart to care foe the tabernacle. It was their responsibility to set it up, take it down, and transport it when they moved camp. When they camped, the Levites would be set up around the tabernacle, creating a barrier between it and the rest of the tribes of Israel. The rest of the tribes were divided around the four sides of the tabernacle, and they would set out in a particular order.

God gave instructions for how the camp was to be set up and how the people would break camp and head out. The first group to leave was the group with the largest army. It makes sense to send your largest individual force first. They can protect the rest of the people from any on coming attack. And they weren't alone, the second group the set out was the third largest.

Following them was the Levites, with the tabernacle. They would depart right in the middle, with two groups in front and two behind. The group with no warriors in it needs to be the most protected. Following them you have your smallest force. Maybe they are able to move the fastest in the event of an attack on the Levites. Finally, the last group to leave was the second largest force of the people of Israel. You don't want your smallest or weakest group at the back, it would be easy to pick them off, and then work your way up to the front. You close with a strong force, one that can defend the people from behind.

God is not random, or sporadic. He is a God of order and intentionality. Everything He does is done for a specific purpose. He always has a strategy, and it is the best course of action.

Men, when we go into something let it not be random and poorly planned. Let us never go in unprepared. I understand that things come up unexpectedly, but that doesn't mean we have to be caught off guard. We can be ready for the unexpected.

Whenever I go hiking, even if it's just for a couple hours in a well traveled place, I always take enough equipment to get me through the night. You never know what is going to happen in nature, so I'm always prepared. My wife and I have some savings, an emergency fund, in the event that something big comes up that we weren't anticipating. We recently got life insurance, so that if something happens to us, our family is provided for.

We need to face life with a strategy. I'm not saying that we plan out every day for the rest of our lives, that doesn't allow faith to function. But God doesn't want us to simply sit around and wait for life to happen. We need to be active, we need to be prepared. We can say God, "Here is what I feel you are doing/leading me to, so based on this here are the things I am going to do to prepare for that. But if somewhere along the way You lead in another direction that is fine." It is strategy mixed with faith, that allows God to freely move our lives wherever He intends for them to go.

Right now my wife and I feel like God has given us some direction through 2019, and we are trying to make the most of this time, getting ready so that when 2020 comes and God shows us what is next we're ready for it. We have a strategy, that is very fluid and able to be changed, but solid enough that we are sticking with it until God says something else.

Let us never face life ignorantly, and may we never be caught unprepared. Let us always have a strategy.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor