Numbers 8:1-26
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.
3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses.
4 And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.
5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.
7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shavea all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.
8 Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering.
9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together:
10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:
11 And Aaron shall offerb the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.
12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites.
13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD.
14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.
15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering.
16 For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me.
17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself.
18 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
19 And I have given the Levites as a giftc to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.
20 And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them.
21 And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.
22 And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them.
23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24 This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:
25 And from the age of fifty years they shall ceased waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:
26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.
The Old Testament Book of Numbers
In the Desert
Numbers
Marion Adams
Chapter 8
Aaron sets up the lamps – Numbers 8:1-4
v1 The *LORD said to Moses, v2 ‘Speak to Aaron. Give these instructions to him. He must put the 7 lamps on their *stand so that they shine towards the front.’
v3 Aaron obeyed. He set up the lamps in the way that the *LORD had described. v4 A skilled workman had made the *stand from gold that he had hammered. He had made it all with gold, from the base to the top, where there were models of flowers. It was a perfect copy of the design that the *LORD had shown to Moses.
Verses 1-4 The *stand for the lamps was in the *Holy Place. It was with the table for the special bread and the *altar of gold. There is a longer description of it in Exodus 25:31-40.
The person who made it used one piece of gold only. That person hammered the gold to make a beautiful object. This was very difficult to do. The *stand was very precious.
The *stand was the shape of a tree with 6 branches. There were models of flowers on the branches. Each branch held one lamp. The trunk (main stem) of the tree held the 7th lamp. The *Israelites gave oil to burn in the lamps.
There were no windows in the *Holy Place. The lamps provided the light so that the priests could do their work. It was the priests’ duty to look after the lamps so that there was light always.
The table with the special bread was in front of the lamps. When the light shone towards the front, it shone on this table. The 12 loaves were a *symbol of the 12 *tribes. The light was a *symbol of God. It reminded the *Israelites that God was with them always. It reminded them that he wanted to *bless them.
Also, it reminds us that Jesus described himself as ‘the light of the world’ (John 8:12). Jesus is like a light for all people. He shows us the way to live. He guides us. He *blesses us. Nothing can hide in the light. Jesus knows everything about us.
But also the *stand is very important because it is a *symbol of *Christ and his people. Jesus said that he is like a *vine (John 15:1-8). And we, his people, are like the branches. The branches stay strong and alive because they are part of the *vine. The branches cannot live away from the *vine. They cannot produce fruit if they are not part of the *vine.
People had made this *stand from one piece of metal. It would have been easier for them to stick different pieces of metal together. But they had not done this. They had made the main part of the *stand and its branches from one piece of metal. This reminds us that we are one with *Christ. He is like a *vine and we are like its branches. We cannot do God’s work if we are not united with *Christ. Jesus said this (John 15:5).
The *dedication of Levi’s *tribe – Numbers 8:5-26
v5 The *LORD said to Moses, v6 ‘Separate Levi’s *tribe from the rest of the *Israelites. Make them *clean. v7 To do this, you must splash special water that *purifies on them. They must shave their whole bodies and they must wash their clothes. Then they will be *clean.
v8 They must bring a young *bull, with the proper *grain offering of flour and oil. They must bring another young *bull as a *sin offering. v9 Bring Levi’s *tribe to the front of *God’s Tent. Call all the *Israelites to meet together. v10 You must bring Levi’s *tribe in front of me. Then the *Israelites must put their hands on Levi’s *tribe. v11 Aaron must give Levi’s *tribe to me as an *offering from the people. Then Levi’s *tribe will be ready to do my work.
v12 Then Levi’s *tribe must put their hands on the heads of the *bulls. They must offer to me one *bull as a *sin offering and the other *bull as a *burnt offering. These *sacrifices are on behalf of Levi’s *tribe. v13 Levi’s *tribe must stand in front of Aaron and his sons. Aaron and his sons will then give Levi’s *tribe to me, as an *offering. v14 In this way, you must show that Levi’s *tribe are different from the other *Israelites. They belong to me.
v15 After you have done all these things, Levi’s *tribe can work in *God’s Tent. v16 They are mine. They belong to me instead of the *Israelites’ *first-born sons. v17 When I killed all the *Egyptians’ *first-born sons, all the *Israelites’ *first-born sons became mine. I decided that they belonged to me, together with all the *first-born male animals. v18 But now I have chosen Levi’s *tribe to be mine, instead of the *Israelites’ *first-born sons. v19 I have given Levi’s *tribe as gifts to Aaron and his sons. They must work in *God’s Tent on behalf of the *Israelites. Levi’s *tribe must not allow any *Israelite to come near to the *Holy Place. Then no bad thing will happen.’
Verses 5-7 Levi’s *tribe belonged to God in a special way. God accepted them instead of the *Israelites’ *first-born sons (see note on Numbers 3:40-51). Levi’s *tribe had remained loyal to God when the other *Israelites had *rejected him (Exodus 32:25-29). He had chosen them to belong to him and to serve him.
But before they could work in *God’s Tent, Moses had to make them *clean. He had to splash on them the special water that *purifies. This was important because they had to carry *sacred objects. Also, they had to camp near to *God’s Tent.
‘The special water that *purifies’ (verse 7). Numbers 19:1-10 describes how people made this special water. They mixed water with the ashes of the reddish brown cow that they had burnt in a special ceremony. Also, this water was called ‘the water of the *sin offering’.
This special water made Levi’s *tribe *clean. The water washed away the physical dirt. Also, it was a *symbol to show that they were *clean from their *sins. Then God could accept them, because they were *clean physically and *spiritually. Then they could serve God properly. Hebrews Chapter s 9 to 11 explain how Jesus’ blood makes us *clean inside our hearts so that we can serve God properly. Hebrews 9:13 refers to the water of the *sin offering. Jesus’ *sacrifice of himself on the *cross is the *sin offering on behalf of all people. His blood makes us *clean so that God will accept us. Moses had to splash the special water on Levi’s *tribe. In the same way, we must allow the *Holy Spirit to make us *clean by means of Jesus’ blood.
Verses 8-19 Levi’s *tribe had to bring *sacrifices. Then, the *Israelites had to put their hands on Levi’s *tribe. This act showed that the other *tribes recognised Levi’s *tribe as God’s choice. (To recognise means to accept as correct and legal). Also, this showed that they agreed with God’s choice.
After this, Levi’s *tribe had to put their hands on the animals. When they did this, they passed on their *sins to the animals. The animals died instead of Levi’s *tribe. They had to die because death was the punishment for *sin. The animals became *sacrifices instead of Levi’s *tribe.
There was a *burnt offering and a *sin offering. The *burnt offering showed that Levi’s *tribe were giving themselves to God completely. The *sin offering made them *clean from *sin. In this way, they showed that they would serve God instead of the *Israelites’ *first-born sons.
*Sin is like a wall that separates all people from God. In the period of the *Old Testament, people could offer *sacrifices for *sins that they had done by accident. This might be if they touched something that was *unclean. They could offer *sacrifices with payment for a few particular *sins that they had done on purpose (Leviticus 6:1-7). But in general, if someone *sinned on purpose, they could not make this right with a *sacrifice. That person had to *repent and ask God to forgive them. King David did this (Psalms 51).
Jesus died on behalf of us. He received the punishment that we deserve for our *sins. He became the one *sacrifice for all people, for all time. Jesus removed the wall (*sin) that separates us from God. Every time that we *sin, we must ask God to forgive us. If we are sincere, he will forgive us.
Levi’s *tribe belonged to God. But the work that they did in God’s Tent was God’s gift to the priests. Levi’s *tribe could never become priests. God did not allow Levi’s *tribe to serve him at the *altar. He did not allow them to wear special clothes or to enter the *Holy Place (Numbers 3:10-38 and 18:1-7; Exodus 28:1 and Exodus 29:8-9). They had to guard *God’s Tent, so that the *Israelites did not come too near (see note on Numbers 1:47-54). The *Hebrew word for ‘bad things’ (verse 19) means a disease that can cause death.
v20 Moses, Aaron and all the *Israelites obeyed the *LORD’s instructions about Levi’s *tribe. v21 Levi’s *tribe made themselves *clean with the special water. And they washed their clothes. Then Aaron offered them in front of the *LORD. Aaron offered *sacrifices so that they would be able to perform their duties. v22 After this, Levi’s *tribe helped Aaron and his sons in *God’s Tent, as the *LORD had ordered.
v23 The *LORD gave to Moses more instructions about Levi’s *tribe. He said, ‘The men will begin to work in *God’s Tent when they are 25 years old. v25 But they must stop this work when they are 50 years old. v26 After this, they can help the younger men. But they must not have any responsibilities. Remember this when you give Levi’s *tribe jobs to do in *God’s Tent.’
Verses 20-22 Again, this passage emphasises that the people obeyed God’s instructions. God had decided to accept Levi’s *tribe instead of the *Israelites *first-born sons. Aaron offered them to God by means of a special ceremony. They *sacrificed the *bulls on behalf of Levi’s *tribe. Levi’s *tribe made themselves *clean, so that God could accept them.
Verses 23-26 From the ages of 25 to 50, men from Levi’s *tribe did heavy work. They carried the parts of *God’s Tent when the *Israelites moved. But they did not help the priests in *God’s Tent until they were 30 years old (Numbers 4:3). When they were 50 years old, they did not have to work any longer. But if they wanted to work, they could do other things to help. For example, they could help to teach the young men who had just started their duties.
LORD ~ a special name for God that his people use. In Hebrew, it is Yahweh. This name means something like ‘I am’ or ‘always alive’.Lord ~ one who rules. God is the Lord who rules everyone.
Hebrew ~ the language of the *Jews.
stand ~ an object that supports another object, for example, a lamp.
holy ~ what God is like. God’s character: perfect, completely good with nothing bad in it. Separate from sin.
sin ~ the nature of all people since Adam chose not to obey God. People’s lives are not acceptable to God because of sin. ‘Sins’ are states, attitudes and acts that are not acceptable to God. A person sins whenever that person is guilty of a sin.
altar ~ a special table where the priests burned animals or other gifts as a *sacrifice to God (or, to a false god).
Israel ~ the Israelites and their nation.
bless ~ 1. To ask God to do good things for a person or people. 2. God blesses us when he does good things for us. He guards us and he keeps us safe from evil things.
Christ ~ a title for Jesus. It means ‘the person whom God anointed’. This means that God chose him to save us from the results of our sins.
anoint ~ to pour oil over a person. This shows that God has chosen that person for a special purpose.
sin ~ the nature of all people since Adam chose not to obey God. People’s lives are not acceptable to God because of sin. ‘Sins’ are states, attitudes and acts that are not acceptable to God. A person sins whenever that person is guilty of a sin.
vine ~ a plant that grows *grapes.
dedication ~ a ceremony in order to dedicate something.
dedicate ~ to say that something belongs to someone for a special purpose.
clean ~ in the Jewish religion, this means something or someone that God accepts. People had to be clean in order to approach *God’s Tent. People had to be clean to be in the Israelites’ camp. There is no human way to explain what was clean or unclean. We know only because God has shown us, in the Bible.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a *Jew or anything that belongs to the *Jews.
Israel ~ the Israelites and their nation.
unclean ~ in the Jewish religion, an unclean person could not go near to *God’s Tent or into the Israelites’ camp, depending on the type of uncleanness. There is no human way to explain what was clean or unclean. We know only because God has shown us, in the Bible.
uncleanness ~ the state of something that is unclean.
'purify/purification ~ to make something or someone clean.clean ~ in the Jewish religion, this means something or someone that God accepts. People had to be clean in order to approach *God’s Tent. People had to be clean to be in the Israelites’ camp. There is no human way to explain what was clean or unclean. We know only because God has shown us, in the Bible.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a *Jew or anything that belongs to the *Jews.
Israel ~ the Israelites and their nation.
unclean ~ in the Jewish religion, an unclean person could not go near to *God’s Tent or into the Israelites’ camp, depending on the type of uncleanness. There is no human way to explain what was clean or unclean. We know only because God has shown us, in the Bible.
uncleanness ~ the state of something that is unclean.
'grain offering ~ an *offering of something that people made from grain.sin ~ the nature of all people since Adam chose not to obey God. People’s lives are not acceptable to God because of sin. ‘Sins’ are states, attitudes and acts that are not acceptable to God. A person sins whenever that person is guilty of a sin.'burnt offering ~ an animal that the priests burnt on the altar as a *sacrifice.
altar ~ a special table where the priests burned animals or other gifts as a *sacrifice to God (or, to a false god).
'first-born ~ the first child to be born to a mother; the oldest child in a family. The word can refer to animals as well as people.reject ~ not to accept or not to believe in someone or something.
sacred ~ special for God. ‘Sacred’ means that something is separate from other things, for God’s purposes only.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that someone has fixed together. The Romans fixed people to a cross in order to execute them. (The Romans were people from the city called Rome. They ruled many countries during Jesus’ life on the earth.) Jesus died on a cross. The cross is now the sign of the *Christian *church.
execute ~ to kill a person legally because they are guilty of a crime.
sin ~ the nature of all people since Adam chose not to obey God. People’s lives are not acceptable to God because of sin. ‘Sins’ are states, attitudes and acts that are not acceptable to God. A person sins whenever that person is guilty of a sin.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the *Jews’ holy book. The writers wrote this before the life of Jesus.
unclean ~ in the Jewish religion, an unclean person could not go near to *God’s Tent or into the Israelites’ camp, depending on the type of uncleanness. There is no human way to explain what was clean or unclean. We know only because God has shown us, in the Bible.
Jewish ~ the word that describes a *Jew or anything that belongs to the *Jews.
Israel ~ the Israelites and their nation.
uncleanness ~ the state of something that is unclean.
clean ~ in the Jewish religion, this means something or someone that God accepts. People had to be clean in order to approach *God’s Tent. People had to be clean to be in the Israelites’ camp. There is no human way to explain what was clean or unclean. We know only because God has shown us, in the Bible.
repent ~ to decide not to do bad things that you did before. To decide to do what God wants.
Hebrew ~ the language of the *Jews.