Day 42 or February the 11th. A cross in the wilderness.
Our thoughts today are rooted in Numbers chapter
2 verses 1 and 2. The Lord said to Moses and
Aaron, the Israelites are to camp around the
tent of meeting some distance from it, each of
them under their standard and holding the banners
of their family. The big picture surrounding
these verses. When you look at the book of Numbers,
it is very appropriately named because it seems
to be full of numbers and nothing else. However,
when you look further and get past the census
reports, there is much more. A beautiful prophetic
image is created in the first few chapters of
this book. When each tribe was counted, they
were allocated a specific place to camp. There
were three tribes to the east, three to the south,
three to the west, and three to the north. This
created the unmistakable symbol of a cross. At
the centre was the tabernacle, containing the
Ark of the Covenant and representing God himself.
God was at the centre of life. and the nation
too. And now our action step for today. The cross
was not a last -minute solution to an unexpected
problem. God knew he would need it, so he made
provision right from the start. The tribes in
the book of Numbers give us the sign of the cross
many centuries before Jesus came to die on a
cross. They were specifically placed to show
a cross and give us a peep into the future as
we look at the tribes, one of which, Judah, would
be the earthly ancestors of Christ. There is
added symbolic significance when we note that
Judah is placed to the east where it would be
the very first to see the life -giving rays of
sunshine, and in time they would supply the one
who would bring life -giving salvation to the
whole world. However, the cross remained at the
centre. In these days, when wearing a cross in
public can be contentious, it's good to be reminded
That it's not the location where we place our
cross that's important, it's who's on the cross
and where we place him in our lives that matters.