The children of Israel were also formed, or constituted, into an army to journey with God and to fight with God (Num. 1—9). Their journey was a fighting journey, for on their journey they had to fight again and again.
Before God's people could fight for Him, they had to be built up as His dwelling place, built up as a serving unit, and formed into a priestly army. The children of Israel, therefore, had a threefold status: they were the dwelling place, the priesthood, and the army.
The children of Israel journeyed under the leading of God in the cloud (Num. 10:11-28, 33-36). Although they were journeying on earth, they were under the heavenly leading. They were led not by something on earth but by the very God who is in heaven. He took the lead in their journey.
The children of Israel began their journey from the mount of Jehovah (Num. 10:33; Exo. 3:1; 24:13, 16). Today, our mount of God is the place where we are equipped, built up, and formed into an army. It is from this place that we begin our journey.
Before the children of Israel began their journey from the mount of God to the entry of the holy land, they were equipped, built up, and formed into an army. This indicates that if we have not also been equipped, built up, and formed into a priestly army, we cannot journey with God. There are millions of Christians today who have not received the proper equipping, that is, who have not been trained and perfected. Furthermore, these Christians have not been built up as the dwelling place and as the priesthood and have not been formed into an army to fight for God. As a result, they cannot journey with God. In order to journey with God under His heavenly leading, we must first be equipped, built up, and formed into an army.
The people journeyed to Kadesh-barnea, the place which is considered the entry to the holy land (Num. 12:16; 13:3, 26).
The distance from the mount of God to Kadesh-barnea was a distance of eleven days' journey (Deut. 1:2).
The children of Israel offended God by their unbelief. Because of their unbelief, they wasted almost forty years in the wandering in the wilderness (1:3).