Lions and Eagles and Man, Oh My!

Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. Revelation 4:6-7 Mobilizing Israel

In the Book of Numbers, chapter two, God diagrams how He desires the twelve tribes of Israel to be positioned around His Tabernacle. To some, these kinds of maneuverings seem happenstance, but with God nothing occurs without purpose and good cause. Before tackling the rationale, we should list some of the significant items recorded in the chapter.

On the Eastside…

On the eastside of the Tabernacle, and led by the tribe of Judah are Issachar and Zebulun; a group of 186, 400 battle-ready men. The south side was led by the tribe of Reuben, with Simeon and Gad; 151, 450 men in total. Led by Ephraim on the west side we have Manasseh and Benjamin at 108, 100 men. And taking up the read guard and Led by Dan were Asher and Naphtali with 157, 600 men.

Crossing Jordan

Initially, what I am about to say might seem like an insignificant detail, but it certainly adds to the overall symbolic picture—these tribes, positioned in this manner, form a cross. That is to say if you were looking down upon the encampment, in much the way King Balak did from atop the mountains, the likeness would be that of a cross—the largest segment at the bottom, the smaller at the top, and two almost equal portions on either side. How significant is that? I don’t know, but it is noteworthy. I suspect it sent a shiver down Balak’s spine, even though he knew not why.

Why Are They Leading Us?

The Jews themselves may have asked that very question, “Why does Judah, Rueben, Ephraim, and Dan get to lead these four regiments?” I submit to you that the explanation has much to do with the standards they bore. Oh not their moral standards, but the banners representing their individual clans: Judah’s standard was the lion, Rueben’s the ox, Ephraim the man, and Dan’s was the eagle.

So What

One of the first things we might recognize is that these four figures are emblematic of the four Gospels. In the Gospel of Matthew we see Jesus depicted as the King of the Jews (a lion), in Mark as the Servant (an ox), in Luke we see Jesus in His humanity (man), and finally in John His divinity (an eagle). It would seem that not only has God not forgotten the Jew in the New Testament, He has carried the Old Testament imagery right into the Good News

God’s Not Through with the Jew

That’s why I began this note with the Revelation 4:6-7 passage. Do you struggle with the Book of Revelation? If you knew your Old Testament you wouldn’t. If we want to know who God was referring to when He spoke of the first living creature (that) was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third living like a man, and the fourth like a flying eagle, all we need do is go back to the Old Testament, Tabernacle campgrounds. Coincidence? Not with God.

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