Numbers 2

umbers 2 provides details of how they are to camp around the Tabernacle. Three tribes camp on each side of the Tabernacle, each under the banner of their respective family.

The census is taken by a leader of each tribe, who will become the military leader for that tribe.

The oddball in this is the tribe of Levi. They are not counted in the number of fighting men. Plus, they are the ones that can approach the Tabernacle to assemble/dissemble it. Any unauthorized person who approaches the tabernacle gets killed.

One of the themes of Leviticus was what will happen when the Israelites take over Canaan. Here in Numbers, we essentially see preparations for war to go and take that land. The Israelites need a military organization, which they are getting here. All tribes will have a role to play.

I think this is the key to the distinction between Numbers and II Samuel 24. A reasonably prudent commander of an army would know how many troops he has. For after all, he must arm and position them. So, counting them probably is not David's sin.

Here in Numbers, the decision to go to war had already been made. Of course, it was God's decision. For David, he had not made any decision to go to war at all. Rather, he just wanted to know how many men he had. For what purpose, we don't know. Also, David has a long history of relying on God to fight battles. These two facts, that he had not decided to go to war and that David had relied on God in war many times before that makes it very different.