In Numbers 1, the Lord asks Moses to appoint leaders of each of the tribes. Moses does and then counts everyone that is "20 years old or older" and is male. The number is 603,550, which means that there could be millions walking through the desert together approaching the Promised Land. How amazing that God provided for them all this time!
Then chapter 2 positions them around the tabernacle. In my study, I read briefly something about the 12 zodiac signs and the 12 tribes lining up (something like the Lion and Judah lining up). I am not sure if this is true and would be something to look into later, but the main point was that the tribes were laid out to represent the heavens here. Our goal is to be heaven here. Not that we will ultimately win (the victory is His), but we are meant to be something for the rest to see – something like salt and light.
Chapter 3 pulls from something we made reference to earlier. The firstborn were bought by the Lord with a price. They were purchased "by the blood of a lamb", the Passover lamb. So, when a few days later they were worshipping a golden calf, God took away their inheritance. He had claimed them to be the ones that would be working for Him in the tabernacle and eventually the temple. They lost this right and God gave it to the Levites, those who stood up for Him at the golden calf episode. Here he reclaims them, and the Levite tribe becomes the tribe of priests.
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