While the Israelites were in the wilderness on the way to the land God was giving them, He gave Moses the Ten Commandments and the law that they would live by. What do you think the world would be like today if people actually tried to live by the Ten Commandments? God also gave Moses instructions on how to build the tabernacle where He would live among them. He told Moses to make everything exactly like the pattern He had given him because it was not only a place to worship, it was a picture of Christ, who would come to save us from sin, and of the place God is building in Heaven for us.
Today's Prayer Father, I know the greatest commandment is to love You with all my heart and soul and mind. Thank You that because of Jesus we can come right to You whenever we choose, instead of waiting for a priest to come for us only once a year. We’re so thankful You live in everyone who accepts Jesus as Lord, instead of behind a curtain in the Holy of Holies, the way it was before He came.
Today's Activity: God told Moses exactly where the Israelites were to set up their camp. Do you think it could have been in the shape of a cross? Draw 5 rectangles on your paper like in the painting above.
Read Numbers 2.
— Write the name of the tribe on the East on the rectangle with the E (v. 3)
— Write down the total number of that tribe. (v. 9)
— Write the name of the tribe on the South on the rectangle with the S (v. 10)
— Write down the total number of that tribe. (v. 16)
— Write the name of the tribe on the West on the rectangle with the W (v. 18)
— Write down the total number of that tribe. (v. 24)
— Write the name of the tribe on the North on the rectangle with the N (v. 25)
— Write down the total number of that tribe. (v. 29)
Notice that the tribes on the North and South have close to the same number. But the tribe on the East is larger and the tribe on the West is smaller. As they were camped the shape could have been in the shape of a cross.
Seek & Find Answer to the question in the painting above:
The camp of the Israelites could form a cross.