God's Glorious Rearguard Text: Numbers 2:25-31
Introduction: The World's Rabble and God's Army
We live in an age that despises order. Our entire civilization is in a headlong flight from divine arrangement, from assigned places, from God-given identities. The modern spirit wants to be a rabble, a disordered mob where every man does what is right in his own eyes. It champions a kind of egalitarian chaos, pretending that this constitutes freedom. But a mob is not an army. A mob has no direction, no protection, and no purpose. It is simply a collection of individuals, each clamoring for his own way, and is therefore easily scattered, easily conquered, and easily forgotten.
In stark contrast to this, the book of Numbers presents us with the people of God, not as a rabble, but as a meticulously ordered army on the march. God does not do chaos. From the orbiting planets to the wings of a butterfly to the arrangement of His covenant people, God is a God of intricate, glorious, and meaningful order. And nowhere is this more vividly displayed than in the second chapter of Numbers. Here, God lays out the precise arrangement of the camp of Israel around His dwelling place, the Tabernacle. This is not a mere logistical exercise for a large group of people in the desert. This is a theological statement. This is a picture of the cosmos with God at the center. This is a portrait of the Church militant.
The world sees a list of names and numbers and yawns. The believer, with eyes opened by the Spirit, sees a profound revelation of God's character and His plan for His people. He sees that every tribe has a place, every clan has a standard, and every man has a post. There are no spare parts in God's army. There are no forgotten regiments. From the vanguard to the rearguard, every position is assigned by God, for the glory of God.
Our passage today deals with the last of the four divisions of the camp, the camp of Dan, which was assigned to the north side and brought up the rear when Israel marched. To the world, the rear is the place of least importance. But in God's economy, the rearguard is a position of immense honor and strategic necessity. It is the place of protection, the place that secures the gains, the place that ensures no one is left behind. It is the place where the strength of the entire column is ultimately tested.
The Text
"On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan by their armies, and the leader of the sons of Dan: Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, and his army, even their numbered men, 62,700. Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher, and the leader of the sons of Asher: Pagiel the son of Ochran, and his army, even their numbered men, 41,500. Then the tribe of Naphtali, and the leader of the sons of Naphtali: Ahira the son of Enan, and his army, even their numbered men, 53,400. The total of the numbered men of the camp of Dan was 157,600. They shall set out last by their standards."
(Numbers 2:25-31 LSB)
The Standard of Dan (v. 25-26)
We begin with the lead tribe of this final division.
"On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan by their armies, and the leader of the sons of Dan: Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, and his army, even their numbered men, 62,700." (Numbers 2:25-26)
First, notice that this entire arrangement is geographical. Judah is on the east, Reuben on the south, Ephraim on the west, and here, Dan is on the north. With the Tabernacle at the center, the camp of God's people forms a perfect cross on the face of the desert. This is not an accident. Before the cross was ever erected on Calvary, it was being traced out by the marching people of God. The entire camp was a living prophecy of the centrality of the cross of Christ, the true tabernacle of God with men.
Dan's division is to gather under its "standard." The Hebrew word is "degel," which means a large banner or standard, visible from a distance. Each of the four main divisions had one. Then, within the division, each tribe and family had its own smaller banner, or "oth." This is a picture of unity and diversity. They were one army, under four main standards, but composed of many distinct families. This is how the Church is to function. We are united under the one great standard of the cross of Christ, but we are composed of different local churches, different families, with different gifts and callings. Our unity is not a bland, uniform sameness, but a rich, textured harmony.
These standards were not just for practical organization. A banner is a rallying point. It is a declaration of identity and allegiance. To march under a standard is to say, "This is who I am, and this is who I belong to." Our standard is Christ. As the Song of Solomon says, "His banner over me is love" (Song 2:4). When we gather for worship, when we go out into the world, we are lifting up the standard of King Jesus, declaring our allegiance to Him and inviting others to rally to Him.
Dan's army is numbered at 62,700 men. This is the second-largest single tribe, after Judah. God is not just the great Architect; He is the great Mathematician. He knows the number of the stars and calls them by name. He knows the number of hairs on your head. And He knows the precise number of fighting men in each tribe. These numbers are a testament to His faithfulness in fulfilling His promise to Abraham to make his descendants numerous. They are also a reminder that God is sovereign over demographics, over armies, and over nations. He is not impressed by large numbers, nor is He hindered by small ones. He is the one who gives the victory.
The Assembled Companies (v. 27-30)
Dan was not alone on the north side. Two other tribes were assigned to his division.
"Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher... 41,500. Then the tribe of Naphtali... 53,400." (Numbers 2:27-30)
Asher and Naphtali are assigned to camp next to Dan. This is God's doing. He sets the solitary in families; He arranges the tribes into divisions. This speaks to the necessity of Christian fellowship. We are not meant to be lone-ranger Christians. God has placed us in a particular local church, next to particular brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to march together, camp together, and fight together. Your strength is not just for you; it is for the brother camping next to you. His strength is for you. This is why the writer to the Hebrews commands us not to forsake our assembling together (Hebrews 10:25). When we isolate ourselves, we are abandoning our post in God's army.
Look at the leaders named: Ahiezer, Pagiel, Ahira. God knows His leaders by name. He appoints them. Leadership in the covenant community is not a matter of self-promotion or personal ambition. It is a divine calling. These men were responsible for their armies, for leading them, and for ensuring they followed the commands of the Lord. In the same way, God has appointed elders and pastors in the New Covenant church to shepherd His flock. Their authority is delegated, and their responsibility is great. We are to honor them and submit to their leadership, for they are keeping watch over our souls as those who will have to give an account (Hebrews 13:17).
The Rearguard's Glory (v. 31)
The passage concludes with the total for the camp of Dan and their specific marching orders.
"The total of the numbered men of the camp of Dan was 157,600. They shall set out last by their standards." (Genesis 2:31)
The total force on the north side was 157,600 men. This was the largest of the four divisions. Judah's division on the east, which led the march, was the largest in terms of the lead tribe, but Dan's entire camp was the most numerous overall. And where does God place this largest, most powerful contingent? At the rear. "They shall set out last."
This is completely contrary to the wisdom of the world. The world puts its strongest forces at the front. It seeks the place of prestige, the place of visible glory. But God's thoughts are not our thoughts. He assigns the place of greatest strength to the rearguard. Why? Because the rearguard has a critical, twofold mission. First, it protects the entire congregation from attack from behind. It is the shield for the whole nation. Second, it ensures that the weak, the slow, and the stragglers are not left behind to perish in the wilderness. The rearguard gathers up the lame and the weary. It is a ministry of strength in the service of the vulnerable.
This is a profound picture of Christ's kingdom. In the kingdom of God, true greatness is service. The strongest are called to bear the infirmities of the weak (Romans 15:1). The leaders are called to be servants of all (Mark 10:43-44). The rearguard is a place of honor precisely because it is a place of service and protection. It may not have the glamour of the vanguard, but it has the glory of the God who defends the weak and gathers the outcasts.
The Gospel in the Rearguard
As with all things in the Old Testament, we must see how this points us to Christ and the gospel. The Lord Himself is the rearguard of His people. The prophet Isaiah declares, "For you shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rearguard" (Isaiah 52:12). What a glorious promise! As we march through the wilderness of this world, Christ is our vanguard, clearing the way before us, and He is our rearguard, protecting us from behind.
He is the one who protects us from the accusations of the enemy that nip at our heels. Satan, the accuser of the brethren, points to our past sins, our failures, our weaknesses. But Christ our rearguard stands and says, "They are forgiven. Their sins are covered by My blood. You cannot touch them." He protects us from the temptations that seek to drag us back into the Egypt of our old life.
And Christ is the one who gathers the stragglers. He is the Good Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to go after the one who is lost (Luke 15:4). He is the one who will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick (Matthew 12:20). When we are weak, when we feel we cannot go on, when we are lagging behind, He does not abandon us. He, our mighty rearguard, comes and gathers us up, strengthens us, and brings us safely home.
This is the calling of the Church as well. We are to be the rearguard for one another. We are to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). We are to look out for those who are struggling, those who are weak in the faith, those who are falling behind. We are not to be a fast-moving column that abandons its wounded. We are to be a great army that moves at the pace of its weakest member, ensuring that all who start the journey finish it. This is the glory of the rearguard. It is the glory of strength used in the service of love. It is the glory of Christ, and it is to be our glory as well.