“The LORD of hosts” is one of the most repeated descriptions of the LORD God in the Old Testament (more than 260 times). What is the meaning of this expression? The New Living Translation makes the term more explicit: The LORD of Heaven’s Armies. 

Yes, that is right. Although this expression was not used until 1 Samuel 4, the LORD God had been essentially a commander in chief of the Israelites army. This role was very important because the Israelites needed to prepare themselves quickly to conquer the land of Canaan soon. 

Then, what was one of the essential elements of the army to become ready for war? Orderly marching formation: especially in ancient wars, especially in a large army mostly composed of infantry. Numbers 2 describes stationary and marching formations for the sons of Israelites to maintain during their time in the wilderness. 

Summary

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron to arrange the Israelites by tribe around the tent of meeting: east, south, west, and north. Each tribe should hold the banners of their family and station themselves close to their clans and family. On the east side were Judah, Issachar, Zebulun tribes. On the south were Reuben, Simeon, and Gad tribes. On the west were Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin tribes. On the north were Dan, Asher, and Naphtali tribes.

In the center was the tabernacle, which resided in the tent of meeting. This was the formation of the entire Israelites when they encamped and when they set out.

The LORD of Order

Imagine leading a troop of 600,000 men, along with another 2 to 3million civilians. Without a proper order, leading this large group of people may easily succumb to a disorderly chaos. A disorder will be detrimental for the morale of the Israelites and could leave them vulnerable to enemies’ attacks. 

For that reason, God commanded Moses and Aaron to group twelve the Israelites into four directions, surrounding the tabernacle in the middle. In order to maximize cohesiveness within the group, the tribes were to stay with their clan and family. The picture below provides an aerial view of the formation. 

The Purpose of Formation 

There seem to be strategic and tactical reasons to have the formation with the twelve tribes surrounding the tabernacle of the LORD on all four corners. 

First, on a high-level, a formation provides order and discipline. This physical order and discipline in the formation would also contribute to alert mental fortitude for the Israelites to minimize a collective complacent mind set. 

Second, this kind of four-round formation instills a sense of self-confidence for all twelve tribes of Israel. All twelve tribes are approximately equal distance from the tabernacle of the LORD. No single tribe is significantly physically closer to the tabernacle of the LORD than the others. Therefore, this formation maximizes the collective sense of confidence while minimizing any tribal superiority or inferiority. The unity across the twelve tribes would be very important in the battle array. 

Third, the formation provides flexibility. Marching can take place in any direction. For each direction, the leading tribes will be different. If the LORD decides to guide them to the north, the leading tribes would be Dan, Asher, Naphtali. If the LORD directs them to the east, then the leading tribes would be Judah, Isaachar, and Zebulun. This flexibility provides an ample opportunity for each tribe to take a leadership role. In the wilderness, flexibility to change marching direction will be important. Also, the experience and the ability for any tribes to lead the march or battle will be important. 

All of these factors contribute to the higher level of confidence and self-esteem for the Israelites. This would boost the morale for the Israelites in the LORD, which will be an essential element in going out to a battle. 

Finally, an orderly formation sends a clear message to the enemies as well. An orderly formation would send a formidable auro to the enemies, deterring their attacks. On the other hand, imagine a chaotic marching by the Israelites. That would be much more likely to invite attacks by the enemies. 

Always be Ready…. To Fight!

Note that the formation was to be kept when they encamped and when they set out (Numbers 2:34). The formation is to be kept the same for both occasions. While they are stationary or moving, they are to keep the same formation. What does this mean? This implies that the Israelites should always be ready to launch into actions, when needed. 

Conclusion

Does order in any way choke efficiency and freedom of the people? No. In fact, they complement each other. Let’s look at the example of traffic laws. Having a clear set of traffic laws enables drivers to drive freely, safely, and efficiently on the road along with others. Having an order and discipline of the army camp empowers the Israelites to camp and march out to the destination freely, safely, and efficiently to the destination.