Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Numbers 8:23-26
Limits on Levite Ministry (Numbers 8:23).
The soldiers of Israel commenced their responsibilities at twenty years old, but the work of the Levites was so sacred that they had to be more mature before they entered on it, and had to have a five year apprenticeship before they could fully participate. This would bring home to them the seriousness of their responsibilities. Here the age at which they were to commence that apprenticeship is described.
Analysis.
a From twenty five and upwards the Levites were to ‘war the warfare' in the work of the Tent of meeting (Numbers 8:24).
b At the age of fifty they were to cease to perform the laborious work and serve no more (Numbers 8:25).
a The retired were to minister with their brethren in the Tent of meeting to guard and protect it but were to serve no more (Numbers 8:26).
‘And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,'
This phrase cuts this section off from the last. It indicates a new revelation, but again stresses that it was Yahweh's word through Moses. The constant stress on this brings out that Joshua, or Eleazar, or whoever was responsible wanted it known that what he recorded were the words of Moses, spoken by the Voice, and of no one else.
“This is what belongs to the Levites. From twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to war the warfare in the work of the tent of meeting, and from the age of fifty years they shall return from the warfare of the work, and shall serve no more, but shall minister with their brethren in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites touching their charges.”
Those who were numbered for the work of dismantling, bearing and erecting the dwellingplace and looking after its contents were those Levites who were thirty years to fifty years old (Numbers 3:3; Numbers 3:22; Numbers 3:29; Numbers 3:34; Numbers 3:38; Numbers 3:42; Numbers 3:46). They were the ones mobilised for the purpose. However, for such sacred work we would expect a period of preparation. To move from no involvement to such important work at one step would have prevented the building up of an awareness of the holiness of the task, and would have encouraged carelessness.
A five year breaking in period was clearly recommended. Thus the Levite would commence his part in the holy service of Yahweh, being trained in lesser tasks, from the age of twenty five. The young hotheads had to be broken in before having a part in the holiest of tasks. The same was probably true for the priesthood.
Note how militant terms are used for their service. It was to be recognised that their service equalled that of the trained soldiers of the other tribes, and that while their warfare was of a different kind it was nonetheless real.
But once the Levites became fifty they were to cease to be mobilised for the movement of the dwelling place, being instead given policing duties, ‘keeping the charge', watching over what the Levites had been charged with.
It is always possible that the original charge was commencement at thirty, and that it became recognised for one reason or another more hands were needed so that Moses later dropped the age limit to twenty five. The chiastic structure might be seen as supporting that this was an additional note. But our view is that it is what we would expect, for we would actually expect a breaking in and training period for such a sacred duty, and that is what this provides. It would seem to us therefore that our interpretation presents the most likely scenario.
It should be noted what problems there would be for Levite parents, even granted their separate camp, in that in the other tribes the young men began service at twenty while the Levites had to wait until they were older. The younger Levites would no doubt feel the restraint and be eager to begin doing something. To wait ten years with little to do would have been unbearable. It is unlikely that the restraint was one of shortage of strength. It was rather one that had in mind the holiness of the task.
A lesson for the church today is the danger of men being ‘called to the ministry' too young. This suggests that training for the ministry should not begin until at least twenty five years old. It would ensure that ministers had experience of life before they began their training, and that they had really had time to consider the seriousness of what they were taking on.