The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “The Israelites are to camp around the tent of
meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard and holding
the banners of their family.” Numbers 2:1-2
God
gave specific places for the tribes to camp to create peace when it came time
to settle at camp. God knew there would be
confusion and infighting to jockey for certain positions.
One
of the those positions symbolically meant something every important.
On the east,
toward the sunrise, the divisions of the camp of Judah are to encamp under
their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab.
Numbers 2:3
From
the tribe of Judah would come the Messiah, Jesus Christ. That tribe’s position was to the east, the
sunrise, the start of a new day. Jesus
is called the bright morning star.
“I,
Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the
Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16
No
one would understand that at the time, but it becomes clear why Judah was
positioned in the east.