And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you for Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;
In Numbers 1 God orders a census of Israel at Sinai, and verse 5 names the first of twelve tribal leaders who stand with Moses and Aaron for the count. Of Reuben's leader we are told only his name and his father's name.
A Count That Asserts Ownership
The census was not a head count for its own sake. One writer explains why God wanted the count at all:
He was careful in this way to assert His title and survey His possessions. He would have the exact number of Israel brought to Him, for they were all His own. He called them by their names, and knew their numbers.
The count also had a purpose. Israel was becoming God's army, and every man had his place in it:
The people are to face the dangers of the way, and the first requirement for this is to be in subjection to their Leader — not Moses, but the Lord Himself. So first of all comes this mustering and marshalling of what is to be the host of God. For a soldier, keeping rank is an absolute necessity, and here a wisdom that cannot fail appoints for everyone his place and his companions.
Why the Names Are Given
Scripture records nothing about these leaders except their names and their fathers' names. Commentators read that silence as a clue, not a gap:
Under Moses and Aaron there are certain princes of the people. Each belongs to his own tribe, and in time becomes its head. Scripture gives us nothing about them but their own names and their fathers' names. For that very reason — if there could be any doubt — we may be sure their names are meant to speak to us. All these Bible names should speak, and their link with the tribes they represent must matter. There must be a reason why Elizur, rather than Shelumiel or Nahshon, should be prince of Reuben. We find that reason by looking into Reuben's history.
Elizur — "God Is a Rock"
The force of the name shows once you set it beside what Jacob said about Reuben:
Reuben stands first here, as in Genesis, and Reuben's prince is Elizur the son of Shedeur. The meaning of the first name is beyond question, and it is beautiful — "God is a Rock." That becomes plain as soon as you set it beside the character Jacob gives his firstborn: "Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence." What a contrast between the rock-like stability of God and the instability of Reuben! And it is learning this, and learning how to build on it, that gives stability to the unstable. In ourselves there is never strength. The way of strength is to know this: "when I am weak, then I am strong."
The match is not accidental. The captain given to the unstable tribe carries in his name the answer to its instability:
So it is plain why Elizur is Reuben's prince and leader. He is one of God's royal family of overcomers, and he overcomes the evil that is native to the tribe he represents. In him, faith has found refuge from himself, and found it in God. He is then the fitting captain for the men fit for war in the tribe of the firstborn.
Shedeur — "The Almighty Is Fire"
Another writer starts from God's own choice of these men, then reads the father's name:
God Himself chose the leaders of each of these tribes, and He had good spiritual reasons. We must learn those reasons from the names given, since that is all Scripture supplies. Shedeur means "the Almighty is fire," which adds the thought of God's consuming holiness judging the flesh and all its works. To know the strength and steadying energy of God as we should, we must be "partakers of His holiness." That is what the fire speaks of — holiness that must judge Reuben's sin. So it is fitting that the lessons Shedeur teaches come first in preparing us for spiritual conflict.
The Census and Us
The same writer draws the line from Israel's muster to believers now:
God's census in Numbers shows His own deep interest in each one of His people Israel. That interest is no less true of His saints today. The difference is that in Israel only males over twenty were numbered… Today all His saints are fitted for spiritual warfare, women and young and old too… Yet the lesson is clear for us. To engage in real conflict we need maturity or full age, such as comes through knowledge and growth in the word of God.
Summary
- Counted — the census asserts God's title to His people; He called them by their names and knew their numbers.
- Named — Scripture records only names here, so the names themselves must speak.
- Matched — Elizur, "God is a Rock," leads the tribe Jacob called unstable as water. The name answers the tribe's weakness.
- Purified — Shedeur, "the Almighty is fire," comes first. Holiness judges the flesh, then God's strength steadies us.
- Mustered — God forms an army with every man in his rank. For conflict today we need growth in God's word.