出十二51　正当那日，耶和华将以色列人按着他们的军队，从埃及地领出来。

　　十三18　所以神领百姓绕道而行，走旷野通往红海的路。以色列人出埃及地，是列队上去的。

　　腓立比三章指明基督该是我们的标竿，我们的目标。我们这些爱主、寻求主的人并不是没有目标，我们的目标就是基督自己。祂是我们向前直跑的标竿（腓立比书生命读经，一○页）。

　　Exo. 12:51 And on that very day Jehovah brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

　　13:18 Thus God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up arrayed for battle out of the land of Egypt.

　　Chapter 3 of Philippians indicates that Christ should be our goal, our aim. We who love the Lord and seek Him are not aimless. Our aim is Christ Himself. He is the goal toward which we press. (Life-study of Philippians, p. 8)

　　在民数记我们看见神所救赎的人编组成为神的军队，以及他们为神争战的行程。军队是为着神子民的争战，使神能在地上取得立场，建立祂的国同祂的居所。

　　我要把民数记与利未记作个比较。利未记强调蒙救赎者的敬拜与生活。民数记强调蒙救赎者的行程与争战。在利未记，蒙神救赎者受教导如何敬拜神并过圣别的生活。在民数记，蒙神救赎者编组成为军队，并在他们的行程中为神争战。

　　在民数记我们可以看见三件事：军队的编组、军队的行程与军队的争战。军队的编组是为着争战，而争战需要军队一直前行，不可停留在一个地点。以色列人总是从一地往前到另一地，取得立场，使神能得着一班人，为着祂的国和祂的家被建造起来。为这缘故，在民数记有军队、行程与争战（民数记生命读经，三页）。

　　民数记一至二章启示，以色列人被编组成军是因为他们被仇敌四面包围，需要这支军队护卫神的见证。今天在作为神见证的召会四周，也有许多仇敌。因着我们是一个反见证，有许多仇敌都是向着主的恢复而来，因此也需要有军队来护卫见证。我们看见，这支军队不直接照管会幕。反之，从民数记的图画来看，军队是在帐幕四围安营以护卫帐幕所立于其中的领域及范围。为着会幕的照管，需要有一个安宁的范围。因着有十二支派在会幕四围安营，无论以色列百姓往哪里去，总有一个安宁的范围好让帐幕能立起来。今天在主的恢复里，我们需要年轻人作军队围绕着召会生活。

　　在利未记之后，我们来到民数记，民数记是一卷讲事奉的书。在四章三节，“事奉”一辞在原文有“服兵役”的意义，因此是指着争战说的。神看在旷野的以色列人乃是为祂见证而争战的军队。表面看来，以色列人是为他们自己争战；实际上，他们乃是为着神在地上的见证而战，因为他们中间有见证的帐幕，有神在地上的居所。在这个争战中有两种主要的功用：一是与仇敌争战，一是维持帐幕，这帐幕代表神在宇宙中的见证。唯有三十岁到五十岁的人，才有权利在会幕里面及周围工作。而二十岁到三十岁的，却有资格服役，就是与仇敌争战。一章三节说，“凡以色列中，从二十岁以上能出去打仗的，你和亚伦要按他们的军队数点。”这表示二十岁以上的有资格服兵役（李文集一九七七年第二册，一五至一六、五至六页）。

　　参读：各种年龄者都为主的见证，第一至二篇；新路实行的异象与具体步骤，第十四篇。

　　In Numbers we see God's redeemed people being formed into His army and their journey in fighting for God. The army is for God's people to fight so that God can gain the ground on earth to build up His kingdom with His habitation.

　　At this point, I would like to make a comparison between Numbers and Leviticus. Leviticus stresses the redeemed's worship and living. Numbers stresses the redeemed's journey and fighting. In Leviticus God's redeemed were instructed in how to worship God and live a holy life. In Numbers God's redeemed were formed into an army and fought for Him throughout their journey.

　　In Numbers we can see three things: the formation of an army, the journeys of that army, and the fighting of the army. The formation of the army was for fighting, and the fighting required the army to journey, not to stay in one spot. Always the children of Israel were going on from place to place to gain ground that God might have a people to be built up for His kingdom and His house. For this reason, in Numbers we have the army, the journey, and the fighting. (Life-study of Numbers, pp. 2-3)

　　Chapters 1 and 2 of the book of Numbers reveal that the children of Israel were formed into an army because they were surrounded by enemies. This army was necessary for the protection of God's testimony. Around the church as God's testimony today, there are many enemies. Because we are an anti-testimony, there are many enemies to the Lord's recovery. Hence, there is the need of an army to protect the testimony. We have seen that this army does not take care of the Tent of Meeting directly. Rather, according to the picture in Numbers, the army was encamped around the tabernacle to protect the sphere, the realm, in which the tabernacle was erected. For the keeping of the Tent of Meeting, there was the need for a peaceful sphere. Because the twelve tribes camped around the Tent of Meeting, wherever the children of Israel went, there was a peaceful realm in which the tabernacle could be erected. Today in the Lord's recovery we need the young people to be an army encamped around the church life.

　　Following Leviticus we come to Numbers, a book of service. The Hebrew word service in Numbers 4:3 has the meaning of military service and thus refers to warfare. God viewed the children of Israel in the wilderness as an army fighting for His testimony. Apparently, the children of Israel were fighting for themselves. Actually, they were fighting for God's testimony on earth, for among them was the Tabernacle of the Testimony, God's dwelling place on earth. In this warfare there were two main functions: the function of fighting the enemies and the function of maintaining the tabernacle, which represented God's testimony in the universe. Only those between the ages of thirty and fifty had the privilege of doing the work in and around the tabernacle. Those between twenty and thirty, however, were qualified for the military service, that is, for fighting the enemy. Numbers 1:3 says, "From twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go forth for military service in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their companies." This indicates that those over the age of twenty were qualified for military service. (CWWL, 1977, vol. 2, "All Ages for the Lord's Testimony," pp. 11, 4-5)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1977, vol. 2, "All Ages for the Lord's Testimony," chs. 1-2; CWWL, 1986, vol. 2, "Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord's Recovery, Book 1: The Vision and Definite Steps for the Practice of the New Way," ch. 14