Numbers chapters 1-4 starts with the Census of Chapter 1 and moves through God’s organizing them. When Israel left Egypt they were an unorganized band of people who had been enslaved for 400 years. So for the first year, God spent organizing them into a people of 3 million so that they could move across the wilderness and into the land of promises. Folk’s there are at times a feeling amongst many believers that somehow structure and order are the enemies of the move of the Spirit. Clearly we see that the move into what God had for the nation required preparation and that God was into preparing them for their inheritance.
The first thing God did was number the people so they could determine who the 12 leaders were as well as to determine who were the heads of each tribe, family, and house. It also was used to determine who would be enlisted to serve in the Army as the census was for every male 20 years and up. God’s journey was not a leisurely stroll in the park it was a battleground, and they were in the army NOW! Many of our disappointments with God have to do with a false concept of what our relationship with Him is all about it’s about being in His service and not about Him being in our service!