Numbers 3:1-51
1 These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.
2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.
4 And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.
5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
6 Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
7 And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.
8 And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
9 And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.
10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
12 And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;
13 Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.
14 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,
15 Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.
16 And Moses numbered them according to the worda of the LORD, as he was commanded.
17 And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei.
19 And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
20 And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers.
21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites.
22 Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred.
23 The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.
24 And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael.
25 And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
26 And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.
27 And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites: these are the families of the Kohathites.
28 In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary.
29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.
30 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
31 And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.
34 And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.
35 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.
36 And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto,
37 And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
38 But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
39 All that were numbered of the Levites, which Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.
40 And the LORD said unto Moses, Number all the firstborn of the males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names.
41 And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.
42 And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the firstborn among the children of Israel.
43 And all the firstborn males by the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.
44 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.
46 And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threescore and thirteen of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites;
47 Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them: (the shekel is twenty gerahs:)
48 And thou shalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons.
49 And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites:
50 Of the firstborn of the children of Israel took he the money; a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:
51 And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.
THE SONS OF AARON
(vs.1-4)
Aaron was the high priest, and in Israel a natural succession was practiced, as is not true in the Church of God today In fact, a special priesthood is not scriptural now, for all true believers are priests (1 Peter 2:5), not by natural birth, but by spiritual birth. However, Aaron had four sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar (v.2), all consecrated as priests. But the weakness of the principle of natural succession was demonstrated at the very beginning of their service, for Nadab and Abihu, in disobedience to the Lord, offered forbidden incense, and died for this sin (Leviticus 10:1).
God's swift judgment in this case had deeply affected Aaron (Leviticus 10:19), and no doubt also Eleazar and Ithamar, who alone were left to serve as priests with Aaron. After such an experience they would certainly have a more serious and careful regard for the holiness of God.
THE SERVICE OF THE LEVITES
(vs.5-13)
The Lord now requires the Levites to be presented before Aaron, to serve him. The function of the Levites was for ministry, for true ministry will always serve to encourage worship, which is illustrated in the priesthood. As well as serving Aaron, the Levites were engaged in attending to the needs of the whole congregation of Israel (v.7), these needs being centered in the tabernacle and its service. They were responsible for the care of all the furnishing of the tabernacle (v.8). Today the answer to this is in the ministry God has furnished for the Church of God. Are we concerned to minister what well be of real help and blessing to the people? Every believer should have such a concern. To do this rightly we should have a good apprehension of the many precious truths that are pictured in the tabernacle and its furnishings. For instance, the ark pictures Christ as the Sustainer of the throne of God. The lampstand is typical of Christ as the Sustainer of all testimony for God. The table tells of Christ as the Sustainer of communion, and the golden altar speaks of Him as the Sustainer of worship. Outside, the copper altar reminds us of His holy person sanctifying the sacrifice, and every sacrifice being a picture of His one sacrifice at Calvary. The laver indicates the moral cleansing of water by the word. All of these things, as well as the materials of the tabernacle, provide subjects of helpful ministry for all the saints of God.
Again, it is insisted in verse 9 that the Levites were to be given to Aaron and his sons, reminding us that all true ministry is subject to the more important function of worship. Ministry, properly exercised, will lead the hearers to worship the Lord. But one who was not a priest or Levite, if he dared to come near as though he had some place there, would suffer the penalty of death (v.10).
The Lord again spoke to Moses (v.11), insisting that He Himself had separated the Levites from among the children of Israel as a substitution for every firstborn in Israel, for the firstborn were pronounced His from the time of the Passover in Egypt, when the firstborn of Egypt were slain. They had been virtually redeemed by the blood sprinkled on the door-posts and cross-bars of their homes. It is good for us too to recognize God's rights as being first.
NUMBERING OF THE LEVITES
(vs.14-39)
The Levites where then numbered separately from the other tribes of Israel. Yet, not only the males 20 years old and above were numbered, but all males from one month old and over. For this was not for military service, but for service to God, and though they were not to engage in sanctuary service until age 30 through 50 (Leviticus 4:3), they were evidently trained in view of that service. This reminds us that the Lord Jesus Himself did not begin His public service until He was about 30 years of age (Luke 3:23), but His earlier years were an important preparation for it.
There were three divisions of the Levites, names for Levi's three sons, Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Gershon had two sons, Kohath four, and Marari two. From the two in Gershon's family there had been such increase that his family numbered 7,500. They were to camp on the west side of the tabernacle, close to the court. The name of the leader of the Gershonites was Eliasaph. The Gershonites were responsible for the coverings of the tabernacle, the hangings for the entrance of the tabernacle, all the hangings of the court, its entrance hangings and cords, etc. These all speak of the practical moral character of the Lord Jesus or of His saints. Gershon would therefore stand for that ministry that insists on the moral perfection of the Lord Jesus and the practical righteousness that should be seen in all believers as a witness to our faith in the perfect one.
The Kohathites descending from the four sons of Kohath, numbered 8,600 (vs.27-28). They camped along the south side of the tabernacle (v.29). Their leader was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel (v.30). They were responsible for the care of the Ark, the table, the lampstand, the two altars together with the utensils and the veil, with all that related to these things (v.31). This no doubt included the laver. Whenever Israel traveled the Kohathites carried these things, though they did not see them, for before they were allowed to carry them, the priests were required to cover them with their appropriate coverings and insert the carrying poles (Leviticus 4:5).
These things the Kohathites carried are all typical of the objective truths of Christianity, -- not subjective, as we have seen in Gershon. For all this furniture speaks of Christ and His perfect work. Therefore Kohath stands for the ministry of the glory of the Lord Jesus set forth in unique excellence, altogether above and apart from human understanding or appreciation of it. It is absolute, living and real. John's Gospel presents this beautifully, as does Hebrews 1:1. May we deeply value such ministry, and seek grace also to present it faithfully.
Verse 32 tells us that Eleazar the priest, son of Aaron, was chief over the leaders of the Levites, appointing them to the particular work they were required to do (cf.v.19).
Merari had two sons, from whom were 6,200 descendants, males a month old and over (vs.33-34). Their leader was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They camped on the north side of the tabernacle. They were given the work of caring for the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, pillars and sockets, its related utensils, the pillars of the court, their sockets, pegs and cords. The boards of the tabernacle speak of the basic facts of what believers are "in Christ," and as united in one building, the Church of God. They were of acacia wood overlaid with gold, standing upright on sockets of silver, that is, believers upheld on the basis of redemption, covered with Christ (the gold) and united together with bars of the same materials. The pillars of the court made of copper and resting on copper sockets speak of Christ as the Upholder of His people, for the hooks that held up the curtains were of silver, the picture of redemption. Thus, in upholding them, He also unites them together. Merari therefore emphasizes the ministry that unites believers to Christ and to one another as dependent on the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Such ministry is of great importance in our present day.
To complete the inner circle of residents around the tabernacle, Moses, Aaron and his sons are seen on the east side (v.38), that is the front, as it were guarding the entrance of the court, keeping charge of the sanctuary. Any outsider who infringed on that which was for the priests, was to be put to death. The total number of males among the Levites from one month old and above was 22,000 (v.39). This was much lower than any of the other tribes in spite of the added number of young males.
THE LEVITES SUBSTITUTED FOR THE FIRSTBORN
(vs.40-51)
Since the Levites were to be dedicated to the Lord in place of the firstborn in Israel, it was necessary to enquire how closely the number of the Levites corresponded to the number of the firstborn. So the Lord told Moses to number all the firstborn males, from one month and above, as the Levite males had been numbered (v.40). Verse 41 also notes that the livestock of the Levites would substitute for the firstborn livestock of the other tribes, though we are not told that the livestock were numbered.
The number of the Levite males had been found to be 22,000 (v.39). Now the number of the firstborn was very close to the same, but 273 larger than the number of the Levites (v.43). To compensate for this difference, the Lord instructed that the 273 would be redeemed by the paying of five shekels of silver for each individual (vs.46-47). It is not likely that 273 individuals were required to give five shekels each, but rather that the tribes should share in the cost of redeeming the 273. This was to be given to the priests, Aaron and his sons, since actually the Levites were also given to them. The total amounted to 1365 shekels (v.50. While silver was used in such cases to illustrate the truth of redemption, we must always remember that today "we are not redeemed by corruptible things such as silver or gold, -- but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18).