Proper Focus

“They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.” (Numbers 2:2, ESV)

I learned a long time ago that I needed to keep my eyes focused on where I was headed. I was driving one day in the Chicago area. I was trying to get to the library to do some research. Unfortunately, I was looking to the side of he road for the library and did not notice the car in front of me hitting his brakes. Well, you can figure out the results. I rear ended him and did major damage to my new vehicle. We need to keep our eyes fixed on where we are headed.

Here in this passage, we see that the tribes of Israel were to camp facing the tent of meeting. While God has always been omnipresent, the Tent of Meeting or Tabernacle was the place of a special manifestation of the presence of God. The writer of Hebrews indicates that the Tabernacle was “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5). For us, God’s command to Israel is a reminder that we are to continuously focus on the heavenly things. The reason for this is simple. Heaven is our destination. The church often gets its focus on methodologies for growth rather than the one who will build His church, the Lord Jesus. We must remind ourselves daily to look to Him, who is “the author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

However, this is not just a corporate issue. The church is not an institution, it is the people. This focus must extend to individual believers and their homes. Every believer must ask, “Is my life and home focused on Jesus?” This proper focus will manifest itself in our attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions.