How do you keep three million disgruntled people living in a harsh, unforgiving wilderness unified? The answer – you don’t! God must do it. The sons of Jacob had a long history of disunity before their slavery in Egypt and there was every evidence that hardcore selfishness was running unchecked in the ranks of a new generation. Moses had been frustrated from the first that these discontents often chose not to walk lockstep. How would they manage to stay together long enough to reach the land of promise? God had a plan and the plan was a Presence.
God instructed Moses and Aaron to arrange the tribal encampments around the tent of meeting (2: 2). On the east side of the Tabernacle would camp Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. To the south were found Reuben, Simeon and Gad. Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin were on the west side. North of the Tabernacle could be located Dan, Asher and Naphtali. The Levites were to camp around the tabernacle of the testimony and watch over it ( 1: 53). In the center of camp was the Tabernacle and over it the fiery column of God’s presence.
The picture is a powerful one. The Israelites’ unity, indeed their very survival, lay in looking to the Tabernacle in the center of camp where blazed the glory of God. Their unity was wholly drawn from their common God. As long as they all looked to the Lord there would be covenant cohesion. Our unity is the same. We are to diligently [be] keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds [us]. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope at your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (Eph. 4: 3 – 6). We are not responsible for manufacturing unity. Unity already exists. We share a common salvation (Jd. 3). We must simply maintain unity by accenting our common Lord. Without Jesus, bringing together so many from so many backgrounds as are found in His church would be as fruitless as a screen door on a submarine but in Him we are one forever!