Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Chapter three brings us a census of the tribe of Levi and a separation of the tribe into family groups and duties with only Aaron’s descendants being priests. All Levites worked with and in the tabernacle, but it was only Aaron and his sons who officiated, offered sacrifices, and taught the Law (Torah).

Levi was not counted to military service, but to spiritual service and their position as firstborn (more later). This determined what clan camped where – in orientation to the tabernacle – and the pieces of it that they were responsible for. This was a strict separation of Levi to the tabernacle. If another tribe tried to horn in on their duties, that person (or people) were put to death. God had separated out levi as holy and they were to guard that position at His bequest. God was serious about place, position, and role. The Levites were replacing the firstborn to God (Exodus 13:1; Numbers 3:11).

Prior to the Levites being separated out, the individual heads of the families (the firstborn) were responsible for the various priestly duties necessary for the families (burials, making sacrifice, etc). These firstborn were the priests mentioned in Exodus 19:22. The switch to the Levites being the ONLY priests for ALL the duties in relation to God would have really made Israel separate from the rest of the nations around them – a set apart people (Leviticus 20:26). It may also have been the foundation of Korah’s gripe against Moses and Aaron that only got worse once only Aaron’s descendents were chosen to serve as actual officiating priests (we get to that later in Numbers 16).

It should be noted here that the firstborn were not an order of birth thing, but more an office of duty thing. These were the duties and responsibilities that had to be carried out for the family to function and thrive. A lot of pressure because so much of the legal status and spiritual health of the family was in the hands of the firstborn. That’s why this office could be taken away and transferred to another son (Genesis 25:31; 1 Chronicles 5:1). There was a lot of status and an extra portion of inheritance to compensate for that (Deuteronomy 21:17). Levi was replacing the firstborn of all Israel, but within Levi the family of Aaron was assuming the role of firstborn for all Levi (the office of High Priest).

Levi fathered Gershon (who had Libni and Shimei), Kohath (who had Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel), and Merari (who had Mahli and Mushi). These were the tribes and families of Levi.

Gershon clans camped to the west behind the tabernacle. They were in charge of the tabernacle itself, the inner and outer coverings, the screen for the entrance, all the fixtures and ropes, and the maintenance of all that.

Kohath camped beside the tabernacle to the south. They were in charge of the ark, the table, the menorah, the altars, the utensils the priests used in the Holy Place, the curtain, and the maintenance of all of it. Eliezer was the head honcho in charge of all that had to do with the Holy Place – everything got wrapped before anyone else saw it or came near to it.

Merari camped next to the tabernacle to the north. They were in charge of the frames of the tabernacle, the crossbars, the pillars, the sockets, the fittings, the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their sockets, pegs, and ropes; and the maintenance of all of it.

Moses, Aaron, and his descendants camped in front of the tabernacle in the east. They were in charge of the Holy of Holies. They carried the responsibility for all the people of Israel. They had priests in charge of overseeing the other groups to make sure no one saw anything they shouldn’t or touched it. God was setting things up so that everyone was protected.

The total number of the Levites (a month old and up) was 22,000 – only the non-priest families were counted, not the priestly families. The firstborn of all Israel were now counted (a month old and up), and that number was 22,273. The Levites and their cattle were taking the place of the firstborn and their cattle (Exodus 34:19-20). The difference between the numbers was to be redeemed. Five shekels per male, and the money (1,365 shekels) was given to Aaron and his sons. This became the standard and all firstborn non-Levite sons were redeemed (Exodus 19:5; Luke 2:22-23). Jesus did this for all humanity (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5), which is why it was in place as a practise. To understand what Jesus would do (Hebrews 9:15).

“from thirty years old and above, up to fifty years old, everyone who comes to the service to do the work in the tent of assembly.” (Numbers 4:3)

Heavy lifting and dangerous duties (getting that near to holiness is dangerous because we are NOT holy), plus a need to physically defend the tabernacle if required gave an age range from thirty to fifty. This was the criteria for all Levites who served in the temple, whether from the line of Kohath, Gershon, or Merari. Each group had charge over different items and each was watched over/supervised by a priest of Aaron’s line. All the most Holy things had to be wrapped in particular cloths, draped with waterproof coverings (probably porpoise or dolphin, of which there were a lot in the Red Sea and would have been brought up out of Egypt), and brightly coloured drapery. Some items were carried on poles, others on wooden platforms. Everyone did work, and everyone helped get the tent of meeting taken down, transported, and put back up again. True gifting causes you to serve one another, which prevents lack because there will be an overlap of helping and no one does without or gets forced to carry loads alone (2 Corinthians 9:6-10; Luke 6:38).

In regards to the Most Holy Place, it was a serious job. If ANYONE (Levite or non-Levite) who wasn’t appointed by God to touch the holy things touched them, they were killed. If anyone who wasn’t appointed by God to serve in the Holy Place saw them, they were killed. The instructions God gave were detailed and left NOTHING to chance. If they followed them as He gave them, there would be no problems and no one would suffer. If they did not follow them as He gave them (which they trespassed in King David’s time), there was suffering.

God is serious about holiness (re-read the book of Leviticus). He doesn’t make exceptions. If you want to get close to Him, you have to do it carefully. You have to do it His way. It MUST be done with reverence and intent. There are no whims. Digest that and then thank Yah for the sacrifice and covering of Jesus for us New Covenant believers. Jesus enables us to approach the Throne with boldness (Hebrews 4:16) and without Him, we would be LOST before that TREMENDOUS Righteousness that is the nature and person of Yahweh, God Almighty (Isaiah 40:22). Being near to God always brings danger, not just blessing because God is HOLY. We NEED Jesus to get near to God. We NEED Jesus’ sacrifice to partake of His righteousness. But in Jesus we can and do (2 Corinthians 5:21). Amen. A better covenant with better promises indeed (Hebrews 8:6-9).

Summary

Key Players: Moses, Aaron, Levites

Key Themes: Priesthood, Firstborn, Set Apart

Key Verse(s): Numbers 3:39, 42-43, 49-51; 4:2,