This Easter I would like to share
something out of my book "The Four Horses". When I prayed over this
year's Easter message this is what came up for me:
God ordained that Israel camp in a
specific formation in the wilderness on their way to the Promised
Land. The Tabernacle of God was in the middle of the camp. To the
east of the Tabernacle camped Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun-in total
they were 186,400 (Numbers 2:9). To the south camped Reuben,
Simeon, and Gad-in total they were 151,450 (Numbers 2:16). To the
west camped Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin-in total they were
108,100 (Numbers 2:24). To the north camped Dan, Asher, and
Naphtali-in total they were 157,600 (Numbers 2:31). Now, what is
very interesting to note is that if we were to draw these numbers
according to scale, the way they camped formed a cross! Isn't it
amazing! To the east were many more people than to the west, and
the north and the south were almost equal, actually forming a cross
with the longest ax towards the east. And when they camped all the
people looked inward towards the Tabernacle, which is a picture of
Jesus and what He came to do for us at the cross.
So, Israel was in fact already
living in the reality of Jesus being sacrificed for them, and
therefore they were protected. And not only that, Jesus's heart of
love for them was in the center in the form of the Tabernacle. He
was encamped with them, and therefore no evil could befall them!
Did you know that Israel was never attacked and beaten while they
camped this way in the wilderness? It is certainly something to
ponder and to learn from. While God was in the center of them as a
nation, they were unbeatable.
Also, it is worthy to note that the
long bar of the cross (or where Jesus's feet would be) faced east.
Why? Well, the Lord wanted them to focus on where the sun was
rising; symbolizing that He is the Light of the world. He was the
One who would bring light in their darkness. He wanted them to
renew their commitment to Him every day as the sun rose to bring in
a new day. For in His light, they could see light (Psalm 36:9); in
other words, they could see the path laid out for them, the way to
go. It was also prophetic of what was to come. The Temple of God,
later built by Solomon, also faced eastward (Ezekiel 11:1), and
when God later departed from the Temple due to the nation's
disobedience, He departed from the threshold, thus in an easterly
direction (Ezekiel 10:18). The glory of the Lord therefore left the
city on the east side (Ezekiel 11:23). But when Jesus comes back
again, His feet will land on the Mount of Olives, which faces
Jerusalem on the east (Zechariah 14:4). Thus, He will come back
again from the east! This is also stated in Ezekiel 43:1-5. So,
Jesus's feet at the cross symbolically faced east, and when He
comes back again, His feet will touch on the east side of
Jerusalem. Isn't God's Word just accurate? Also interesting to
note, Judah was camped at the east side, and Jesus came from the
tribe of Judah.
Okay, so now we know that they
camped in the form of a cross, three tribes on each side of the
cross. Now, of each group of tribes there was a "leader" tribe of
the three. On the east it was Judah, on the south it was Reuben, on
the west it was Ephraim, and on the north it was Dan. Each tribe
also had their own banner/symbol presented on their flag.
The flag of Judah had the symbol of
a lion. The lion was given to them because Jacob compared Judah to
a "lion's whelp" when he prophesied over him before he died
(Genesis 49:9).
The flag of Reuben had the symbol
of a man's face. The man's face was associated with Reuben because
he was the firstborn, the head of the family.
The flag of Ephraim had the symbol
of an ox. The ox was used because it was through the vision of the
calves/oxen that Joseph predicted the famine and provided for them
all in Egypt through God's grace. Also, when Moses prophesied over
Joseph (in effect his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh), he said:
"His glory is like a firstborn
bull, and his horns like the horns of the wild ox" (Deuteronomy
33:17).
Therefore, an ox was used as the
symbol.
The flag of Dan had the symbol of
an eagle. The eagle was used because when Jacob prophesied about
Dan he said:
"Dan shall be a serpent by the
way, a viper by the path" (Genesis 49:17).
Jacob compared Dan to a serpent.
But according to rabbinical tradition, Dan didn't want a snake as
his symbol, so they substituted the snake with an eagle, the
destroyer of serpents.
Now for Easter 2022, I would like
us to see Jesus through these four symbols and experience Him
through it. These four symbols truly depict Jesus' character. I do
not have time to explain it here, it is in my book, but in
short.
First of all, Jesus is the Lion of
Judah. He is the conqueror, the King of kings and the Lord of
lords. We should see Him as that in our lives. We should not be
afraid or worried about anything, but in everything by prayer and
supplication give all our wants over to Him. He is mighty and will
be able to handle all situations for us. He is the One we can truly
trust and give over to. (Jesus is depicted as King in the
Gospel of Matthew.)
Secondly He is a man. He came to
earth as a man just like us, flesh and blood. He felt and
experienced all the heartache and pain that we do. In fact He
experienced a lot more with His gruesome death. So He truly
understands our trials and tribulations. He understands what we are
going through and we can therefore come to Him with reassurance
that He will give us the best advice and that He will comfort and
care for us. (Jesus is depicted as the Son of man in the Gospel of
Luke.)
Thirdly He is an ox. Hard-working,
always serving everyone, always having time for everyone. He is
tender and soft, and yet tough like an ox, no pushover as the
Pharisees realized. We can therefore be rest-assured that He is our
Advocate at the right hand of God, always working on our behalf and
looking out for us. He never sleeps and slumbers and we can always
call out to Him for help. We must also follow His example and be a
servant for Him here on earth. (Jesus is depicted as a hard-working
Servant in the Gospel of Mark)
And fourthly He is an eagle. He is
the Son of God, flying high above it all, with a bird's eye view of
everything that is going on in our lives. He is Divine and He knows
best. We can therefore trust His guidance and help and ask Him for
it on a regular basis. He can see far ahead and we can therefore
follow His Voice and know that it will be the best pathway for our
lives. (Jesus is depicted as the Son of God in the Gospel of
John.)
Ponder these four 'faces' of Jesus,
I am sure Holy Spirit will show you even more this Easter. May you
rest in His love and be at peace knowing that the King of kings,
the Servant of all, the Divine Son of God, the man who understands
is with you every step of the way.
Thank you Father for Your amazing
grace and mercy. We love the wonderful nuggets of truth that You
reveal in Your Word for us to enjoy. Thank you for teaching us
about Jesus and unveiling more and more of Him to us. Therein lies
all the secrets of this life. We love You and we rejoice in all
that Jesus has done for us. We would have been lost without Him.
Thank you Jesus, we glorify You Father and we walk this life with
You Holy Spirit. Amen