Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

Chapter 33
The Terrible Grumblings of God's People
This chapter is based on Numbers 10 to 12.
The government of Israel was very organized, amazingly
complete and simple. God was the center of government--He was
the ruler of Israel. Moses stood as leader to administer the law in His
name. Later, a council of seventy was chosen to assist Moses in the
general business of the nation. Next came the priests, who consulted
the Lord in the sanctuary. Chiefs, or princes, ruled over the tribes.
Under these were "leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders
of fifties, leaders of tens" (Deuteronomy 1:15).
The Hebrew camp was separated into three great divisions. In
the center was the tabernacle, the dwelling place of the invisible
King. The priests and Levites were stationed around the tabernacle.
All the other tribes were camped beyond the priests and Levites.
Each tribe was assigned a position. Each was to march and to
camp beside its own banner, as the Lord had commanded (Numbers
2:2, 17). The mixed multitude that had accompanied Israel from
Egypt were to stay on the outskirts of the camp, and their children
were to be excluded from the community until the third generation
(Deuteronomy 23:7, 8).
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