“Count the Levites”
Numbers: Life in the Wilderness
January 21, 2007
Numbers 3:1-4:49
The title of this morning’s message is what happens in Numbers 3&4, Moses is told to “Count the Levites.”
Last week, we studied chapters 1 and 2, where Moses was commanded to take a census of all of the fighting men of Israel.
And we thought that it might as exciting as reading the Verizon Yellow Pages!
Maybe something you do to try to fall asleep at night instead of counting sheep.
But we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was exciting! Israel is getting ready to go to war and mustering the troops to march into the Promised Land.
And the entire army and people of God are now camped by their tribes in a circle around the Tent of Meeting, the Royal Tent, Command Central.
But there was one tribe that wasn’t included in the first census.
One tribe that isn’t counted as part of the army.
The tribe of Levi.
And this tribe, the Levites, have a special job to do.
They are the tribe of the priests and the priests’ support staff.
And chapters 3 and 4 are all about them.
Now, you may be wondering, “How is Pastor Matt going to make this interesting?”
And the answer is: It’s not my job to make this interesting. Numbers is already interesting! It’s my job to discover how interesting it is and to help you see it, too.
This is God’s Holy Word. It is God’s revelation of Himself!
And as we worshipfully open its pages, and “crunch the numbers” by faith, we will see things about God, and He will reveal Himself to us in ways that change us forever.
So let’s pray and then dive into Numbers chapter 3.
[prayer]
Let’s read verses 1 through 4.
“This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD talked with Moses on Mount Sinai. The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the firstborn and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Those were the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. Nadab and Abihu, however, fell dead before the LORD when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons; so only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.”
Aaron and Moses [notice the order here] are from the tribe of Levi themselves. And this is the story of their family.
Aaron’s family was to be the family that the priests came from.
For a long time, I didn’t understand that not all of the Levites were priests. All of the Levites were all part of the support staff of the priests, but only those who were Aaron’s sons were to be the priests themselves.
How many sons did Aaron have?
Four. And how many ended up as priests? Only 2. Why?
Because two of Aaron’s sons were killed by the LORD. Look at verse 4.
“Nadab and Abihu, however, fell dead before the LORD when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons; so only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.”
What happened?
The full story is found in Leviticus chapter 10 (verses 1-3).
“Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire [KJV: strange fire] before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Moses then said to Aaron, ‘This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: ‘'Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.'’ Aaron remained silent.”
What a sad day for Aaron.
He was the high priest, and his four sons were to be priests of God.
But two of them got ideas in their heads of how they would want the worship of the LORD to be conducted. And they introduced some kind of innovation–perhaps not even that different that what they were commanded to do.
But different than what they were commanded to do. The Bible says, “unauthorized fire...contrary to [the LORD’s] command.”
And Nadab and Abihu were burnt to a crisp.
Nearly every time they are mentioned in the Bible it says that the LORD killed them.
And neither one of them had sons, so they left no descendants to be priests after them.
Now, what does this show us about God?
This shows us #1. GOD’S HOLINESS AND JUDGMENT.
God has come to dwell with His people. He is present in the midst of His people.
But He is still holy. He is not tame. He is not safe!
God is holy.
And Nadab and Abihu learned that the hard way.
Last week, we saw that the Levites were to camp around the Tent of Meeting, to guard it.
Or actually, to guard the people from getting too close to it so that God’s wrath would not break out against them. Which was God’s mercy to protect them.
God is holy, and those who transgress His holiness will meet His judgment.
This whole chapter and the next are full of details that point to God’s holiness.
We’ll see them as we move along.
But right here and now, we are called to apply what we’ve read.
Take God Seriously!
Nadab and Abihu didn’t take God seriously enough.
They thought they could bend God’s rules.
They thought they could get away with a little playing around with holy things.
They thought they could cut the corners.
But they were wrong.
God was not impressed by their unauthorized fire.
Take God Seriously.
A lot of people act like God is a joke.
Or if not a joke, least that God doesn’t matter very much.
After all, He’s just a big old softie, a grandpa in the sky.
But our God is a consuming fire! The Bible says that it is a “dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
Take God seriously.
The reason why abortion is legal and that more than 40 million American babies have been killed in the womb, is that America as a whole has not taken God seriously.
But God is holy, and God is just, and He will not mocked.
Take God seriously.
But you say, Pastor Matt, “Nadab and Abihu were Old Testament priests. What they were doing was really important. I’m just me!”
And I say, raise your hand if you are a New Testament priest.
1 Peter 2:9 says this about you: “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
In the New Testament, all of God’s people are priests.
And we all need to take God seriously.
Because He’s holy.
Now, we’ve been introduced to the priests. What about the rest of the Levites? V.5
“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the Tent of Meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle. They are to take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him. Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death.’” [Like Nadab and Abihu.]
Again, notice here that all of the Levites are not the priests. The Levites are (v.9) “given” to the priests as “support-staff” (for lack of a better term).
They take care of all of the things around and in the tabernacle, but they don’t serve as priests themselves.
And they don’t serve in the army, either.
They have a special role within Israel.
And special to the LORD. Verse 11.
“The LORD also said to Moses, ‘I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the LORD.’”
This is the most important section of our text for today. We’re going to come back to this in a minute.
But to fully understand it, we first have to count the Levites. V.14
“The LORD said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai, ‘Count the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more.’ So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the LORD. These were the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.”
Now, notice that we’re counting something different here. We’re not counting fighting men any more, we’re just counting males 4 weeks old and up.
Why? Pay special attention to this count. It’s going to point to something important about God.
There are three family groupings within the tribe of Levi: named after Levi’s three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Verses 18-38 divide the the Levites up by these 3 family groupings and their clans and tell us where they were to camp. Here’s a picture of it.
Verses 21-26 tell us that the Gershonites camped to the West and that there were 7,500 males. They were responsible for the care of and transportation of the 3 major curtains of the tabernacle.
Verses 27-31 tell us about the Kohathites who were parked to the South of the Tent of Meeting and responsible for the care and transportation of the holy things inside of the tabernacle. Verse 32 says that Aaron’s son Eleazar was in charge of them.
Verses 33-37 tell us about the Merarites who camped to the North of the Tent of Meeting and took care of all of the frames and other structural equipment for the tabernacle. There was 6,200 of them.
And in v.38 we read, “Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the Tent of Meeting [the most important spot]. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.”
So here, we have the priests and Moses.
Now, what’s the total and what’s the big deal? V.39
“The total number of Levites counted at the LORD's command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000. The LORD said to Moses, ‘Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more and make a list of their names. [Not fighting men, firstborn males.] Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the LORD.’ So Moses counted all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the LORD commanded him.
How many do you think there are?
“The total number of firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.”
What’s the difference? 273 males.
So what?
Here we have a picture of #2. GOD’S GRACE AND REDEMPTION. V.44
“The LORD also said to Moses, ‘Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be mine. I am the LORD. To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. Give the money for the redemption of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons.’ So Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites. From the firstborn of the Israelites he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as he was commanded by the word of the LORD.”
Now, all of that has always been almost gibberish to me until I studied it intently this week.
What happened here?
Do you remember the Passover? What happened to the firstborn sons of Egypt when the angel of the LORD passed through at the 10 plague?
Every firstborn son died.
What happened to the firstborn sons of Israel in the land of Goshen?
If they had painted the blood of a unblemished lamb on their doorposts, what happened?
Pass-OVER. They lived!
Who owns those firstborn sons?
The LORD does! Remember the consecration of the firstborn in Exodus chapter 13?
They are owned in a special way by the LORD.
How many firstborn’s? 22,273. How many Levites? 22,000.
The LORD says, “I’ll trade you.”
And you can pay some money to redeem the other 273.
Now go back to verse 11.
“The LORD also said to Moses, ‘I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the LORD.’”
God is not only holy and just. He is also gracious and redeeming!
He provided a Passover so that His people would be spared.
It required a blood sacrifice–a spotless lamb.
But He saved His people.
And He made them His own by paying for them.
Grace and redemption.
Do you see where these numbers are heading?
They are heading to the Cross. The Levites are picture for us of a people who are saved and paid for and special to the LORD.
1 Peter chapter 1, verses 18 and 19.
“You know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
You are bought. You are purchased. You are redeemed.
Application? Rejoice, and Think of Yourself as God’s!
Rejoice that you are saved!
Rejoice that you are bought with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without with blemish or defect!
Unless you are not saved. Not yet.
To be saved, you must turn from your sins and trust in the Savior, Jesus Christ.
He died on the Cross for the sins of all who believe in Him.
The precious blood of Christ, a lamb without with blemish or defect. Sacrificed for you.
Have you put your faith in Him alone?
If you have, you are redeemed.
If you have not, you are headed to Hell.
Turn now, while you still can.
Put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His precious blood and you will be redeemed.
And if you are redeemed, then you belong to Him!
See yourself as God’s.
What is the key word in those verses 11-23?
“MINE.”
“I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the LORD.’”
Do you think of yourself as a possession?
Do you think of yourself as owned?
You are God’s twice!
You are God’s by creation, but also by redemption.
You are doubly His if you are a Christ-follower.
Do you act like it?
My friend Dan Ledford sent me a quote last week by Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon says, “‘Ye are Christ’s.’ You are his by donation, for the Father gave you to the Son; his by his bloody purchase, for he counted down the price for your redemption; his by dedication, for you have consecrated yourself to him; his by relation, for you are named by his name, and made one of his brethren and joint-heirs. Labour practically to show the world that you are the servant, the friend, the bride of Jesus. When tempted to sin, reply, ‘I cannot do this great wickedness, for I am Christ’s.’ Immortal principles forbid the friend of Christ to sin. When wealth is before you to be won by sin, say that you are Christ’s, and touch it not. Are you exposed to difficulties and dangers? Stand fast in the evil day, remembering that you are Christ’s. Are you placed where others are sitting down idly, doing nothing? Rise to the work with all your powers; and when the sweat stands upon your brow, and you are tempted to loiter, cry, ‘No, I cannot stop, for I am Christ’s. If I were not purchased by blood, I might be like Issachar, crouching between two burdens; but I am Christ’s, and cannot loiter.’ When the siren song of pleasure would tempt you from the path of right, reply, ‘Thy music cannot charm me; I am Christ’s.’ When the cause of God invites thee, give thy goods and thyself away, for thou art Christ’s. Never belie thy profession. Be thou ever one of those whose manners are Christian, whose speech is like the Nazarene, whose conduct and conversation are so redolent of heaven, that all who see you may know that you are the Saviour’s, recognizing in you his features of love and his countenance of holiness. ‘I am a Roman!’ was of old a reason for integrity; far more, then, let it be your argument for holiness, ‘I am Christ’s!’”
How would your life be different if you thought of yourself as being someone else’s possession?
How many Christian women would not have had abortions (and there are Christian women who abortions) if they thought of their bodies as Christ’s?
How many Christian men would not have pressured the women in their life to have abortions if they had thought of themselves as Christ’s?
Numbers 3 is a picture of redemption. Bought with blood and specially owned.
Rejoice and see yourself as God’s.
And if, like the Levites, you are God’s, then you are saved to serve.
Chapter 4 is a description of the work of the Levites.
It begins with yet another census. Chapter 4, verse 1.
“The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: ‘Take a census of the Kohathite branch of the Levites by their clans and families. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting.”
Notice whose being counted here. It’s the men who are on active duty 30-50 years of age. Active Levitical duty.
Their job is to take care of and move the holy things inside of the Tent of Meeting. V.4
“‘This is the work of the Kohathites in the Tent of Meeting: the care of the most holy things. When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the shielding curtain and cover the ark of the Testimony with it. Then they are to cover this with hides of sea cows, spread a cloth of solid blue over that and put the poles in place. ‘Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes and bowls, and the jars for drink offerings; the bread that is continually there is to remain on it. Over these they are to spread a scarlet cloth, cover that with hides of sea cows and put its poles in place. They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand that is for light, together with its lamps, its wick trimmers and trays, and all its jars for the oil used to supply it. Then they are to wrap it and all its accessories in a covering of hides of sea cows and put it on a carrying frame. Over the gold altar they are to spread a blue cloth and cover that with hides of sea cows and put its poles in place. They are to take all the articles used for ministering in the sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover that with hides of sea cows and put them on a carrying frame. They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth over it. Then they are to place on it all the utensils used for ministering at the altar, including the firepans, meat forks, shovels and sprinkling bowls. Over it they are to spread a covering of hides of sea cows and put its poles in place.”
Now, who was supposed to do that? The Kohathites? Nope. Aaron and the priests. V.15
“After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites are to come to do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the Tent of Meeting.
Wow. The Kohathites are just to carry. They aren’t allowed to touch.
That reminds us again of God’s holiness.
Verse 20 tell us that they aren’t even allowed to look at the holy things unless they are wrapped up for transporting or they will die.
Think about how intricate and beautiful this must have been.
When it was time for this camp to move [And it will soon be time for this camp to move!], they had to pack the whole thing up in all of these colorful wrappings.
What does that show us?
#3 (and last). GOD’S BEAUTY, WISDOM, AND ORDER.
Remember all of things that went into building the Tabernacle? Half of the book of Exodus described the process of building this tabernacle. It was an amazing tent with intricate, ornate, colorful, smellful, beautiful design.
And it was all portable!
And when it was time to march, they had to wrap the whole thing up and then then the Kohathites would carry the holy things. That’s quite a job.
Eleazar was to oversee it.
Verses 21-28 tell us that the Gershonites were to do pretty much the same thing with the curtains and the outer coverings.
And verses 29-33 tell us that the Merarites were to do pretty much the same thing with the joints and posts and other structural parts of the Tabernacle.
This was important work. That’s why it gets recorded in God’s word.
And verses 34-45 tell us that Moses actually did the counting that he was supposed to.
Kohathites (v.36) 2,750, Gershonites (v.40) 2,630, Merarites (v.44) 3,200
Total? Verse 46
“So Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans and families. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting numbered 8,580. At the LORD's command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry. Thus they were counted, as the LORD commanded Moses.”
Now, I’ve gone over this really quickly, because we don’t have time today to spell it all out.
And you might be tempted to not care.
But if you were an Israelite living in Moses’ day, these numbers and these descriptions of the Levites’ work would be fascinating to you.
Because the Levites were serving the Lord!
They were special to the Lord, saved to serve.
V.39 “At the LORD's command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry.”
We Are Saved to Serve!
Are you serving the Lord?
Last night, we had a special speaker talk to the men about bowhunting the white tailed deer.
Not being a hunter, I don’t know if he gave us good advice or not.
But he also talked about giving over your whole life to doing whatever God calls you to do.
That you are saved to serve. Like the Levites.
It might not have been very glamorous. They didn’t get to fight. They didn’t get to even look at the holy things that they were to carry!
But they were doing the Lord’s service.
They were obeying. They were serving.
Are you serving?
On Thursday night, our living room was packed with 16 people who are taking up the ministry of the Connection Team. I’ll be telling you more about that next week.
But I was so encouraged to see 16 people come out on Thursday night to dedicate themselves to serve.
We had a ton of men serve yesterday. Our ladies have gotten a meal ready to serve us today.
And we’re going to listen to the Annual Report about how many of you have served the Lord over the last 12 months.
What is God calling you to do for Him now? Today? This week? This month?
Nadab and Abihu went their own way and they met the holiness and judgment of the Lord.
But the rest of the Levites were set apart as special to the Lord and redeemed, substituting for the firstborn of Israel. They experienced the Lord’s grace and redemption.
And they were saved to serve. And so should we.
Numbers: Life in the Wilderness
January 21, 2007
Numbers 3:1-4:49
The title of this morning’s message is what happens in Numbers 3&4, Moses is told to “Count the Levites.”
Last week, we studied chapters 1 and 2, where Moses was commanded to take a census of all of the fighting men of Israel.
And we thought that it might as exciting as reading the Verizon Yellow Pages!
Maybe something you do to try to fall asleep at night instead of counting sheep.
But we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was exciting! Israel is getting ready to go to war and mustering the troops to march into the Promised Land.
And the entire army and people of God are now camped by their tribes in a circle around the Tent of Meeting, the Royal Tent, Command Central.
But there was one tribe that wasn’t included in the first census.
One tribe that isn’t counted as part of the army.
The tribe of Levi.
And this tribe, the Levites, have a special job to do.
They are the tribe of the priests and the priests’ support staff.
And chapters 3 and 4 are all about them.
Now, you may be wondering, “How is Pastor Matt going to make this interesting?”
And the answer is: It’s not my job to make this interesting. Numbers is already interesting! It’s my job to discover how interesting it is and to help you see it, too.
This is God’s Holy Word. It is God’s revelation of Himself!
And as we worshipfully open its pages, and “crunch the numbers” by faith, we will see things about God, and He will reveal Himself to us in ways that change us forever.
So let’s pray and then dive into Numbers chapter 3.
[prayer]
Let’s read verses 1 through 4.
“This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD talked with Moses on Mount Sinai. The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the firstborn and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Those were the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. Nadab and Abihu, however, fell dead before the LORD when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons; so only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.”
Aaron and Moses [notice the order here] are from the tribe of Levi themselves. And this is the story of their family.
Aaron’s family was to be the family that the priests came from.
For a long time, I didn’t understand that not all of the Levites were priests. All of the Levites were all part of the support staff of the priests, but only those who were Aaron’s sons were to be the priests themselves.
How many sons did Aaron have?
Four. And how many ended up as priests? Only 2. Why?
Because two of Aaron’s sons were killed by the LORD. Look at verse 4.
“Nadab and Abihu, however, fell dead before the LORD when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons; so only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.”
What happened?
The full story is found in Leviticus chapter 10 (verses 1-3).
“Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire [KJV: strange fire] before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Moses then said to Aaron, ‘This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: ‘'Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.'’ Aaron remained silent.”
What a sad day for Aaron.
He was the high priest, and his four sons were to be priests of God.
But two of them got ideas in their heads of how they would want the worship of the LORD to be conducted. And they introduced some kind of innovation–perhaps not even that different that what they were commanded to do.
But different than what they were commanded to do. The Bible says, “unauthorized fire...contrary to [the LORD’s] command.”
And Nadab and Abihu were burnt to a crisp.
Nearly every time they are mentioned in the Bible it says that the LORD killed them.
And neither one of them had sons, so they left no descendants to be priests after them.
Now, what does this show us about God?
This shows us #1. GOD’S HOLINESS AND JUDGMENT.
God has come to dwell with His people. He is present in the midst of His people.
But He is still holy. He is not tame. He is not safe!
God is holy.
And Nadab and Abihu learned that the hard way.
Last week, we saw that the Levites were to camp around the Tent of Meeting, to guard it.
Or actually, to guard the people from getting too close to it so that God’s wrath would not break out against them. Which was God’s mercy to protect them.
God is holy, and those who transgress His holiness will meet His judgment.
This whole chapter and the next are full of details that point to God’s holiness.
We’ll see them as we move along.
But right here and now, we are called to apply what we’ve read.
Take God Seriously!
Nadab and Abihu didn’t take God seriously enough.
They thought they could bend God’s rules.
They thought they could get away with a little playing around with holy things.
They thought they could cut the corners.
But they were wrong.
God was not impressed by their unauthorized fire.
Take God Seriously.
A lot of people act like God is a joke.
Or if not a joke, least that God doesn’t matter very much.
After all, He’s just a big old softie, a grandpa in the sky.
But our God is a consuming fire! The Bible says that it is a “dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
Take God seriously.
The reason why abortion is legal and that more than 40 million American babies have been killed in the womb, is that America as a whole has not taken God seriously.
But God is holy, and God is just, and He will not mocked.
Take God seriously.
But you say, Pastor Matt, “Nadab and Abihu were Old Testament priests. What they were doing was really important. I’m just me!”
And I say, raise your hand if you are a New Testament priest.
1 Peter 2:9 says this about you: “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
In the New Testament, all of God’s people are priests.
And we all need to take God seriously.
Because He’s holy.
Now, we’ve been introduced to the priests. What about the rest of the Levites? V.5
“The LORD said to Moses, ‘Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the Tent of Meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle. They are to take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him. Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death.’” [Like Nadab and Abihu.]
Again, notice here that all of the Levites are not the priests. The Levites are (v.9) “given” to the priests as “support-staff” (for lack of a better term).
They take care of all of the things around and in the tabernacle, but they don’t serve as priests themselves.
And they don’t serve in the army, either.
They have a special role within Israel.
And special to the LORD. Verse 11.
“The LORD also said to Moses, ‘I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the LORD.’”
This is the most important section of our text for today. We’re going to come back to this in a minute.
But to fully understand it, we first have to count the Levites. V.14
“The LORD said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai, ‘Count the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more.’ So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the LORD. These were the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.”
Now, notice that we’re counting something different here. We’re not counting fighting men any more, we’re just counting males 4 weeks old and up.
Why? Pay special attention to this count. It’s going to point to something important about God.
There are three family groupings within the tribe of Levi: named after Levi’s three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Verses 18-38 divide the the Levites up by these 3 family groupings and their clans and tell us where they were to camp. Here’s a picture of it.
Verses 21-26 tell us that the Gershonites camped to the West and that there were 7,500 males. They were responsible for the care of and transportation of the 3 major curtains of the tabernacle.
Verses 27-31 tell us about the Kohathites who were parked to the South of the Tent of Meeting and responsible for the care and transportation of the holy things inside of the tabernacle. Verse 32 says that Aaron’s son Eleazar was in charge of them.
Verses 33-37 tell us about the Merarites who camped to the North of the Tent of Meeting and took care of all of the frames and other structural equipment for the tabernacle. There was 6,200 of them.
And in v.38 we read, “Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the Tent of Meeting [the most important spot]. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.”
So here, we have the priests and Moses.
Now, what’s the total and what’s the big deal? V.39
“The total number of Levites counted at the LORD's command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000. The LORD said to Moses, ‘Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more and make a list of their names. [Not fighting men, firstborn males.] Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the LORD.’ So Moses counted all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the LORD commanded him.
How many do you think there are?
“The total number of firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.”
What’s the difference? 273 males.
So what?
Here we have a picture of #2. GOD’S GRACE AND REDEMPTION. V.44
“The LORD also said to Moses, ‘Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be mine. I am the LORD. To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. Give the money for the redemption of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons.’ So Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites. From the firstborn of the Israelites he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as he was commanded by the word of the LORD.”
Now, all of that has always been almost gibberish to me until I studied it intently this week.
What happened here?
Do you remember the Passover? What happened to the firstborn sons of Egypt when the angel of the LORD passed through at the 10 plague?
Every firstborn son died.
What happened to the firstborn sons of Israel in the land of Goshen?
If they had painted the blood of a unblemished lamb on their doorposts, what happened?
Pass-OVER. They lived!
Who owns those firstborn sons?
The LORD does! Remember the consecration of the firstborn in Exodus chapter 13?
They are owned in a special way by the LORD.
How many firstborn’s? 22,273. How many Levites? 22,000.
The LORD says, “I’ll trade you.”
And you can pay some money to redeem the other 273.
Now go back to verse 11.
“The LORD also said to Moses, ‘I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the LORD.’”
God is not only holy and just. He is also gracious and redeeming!
He provided a Passover so that His people would be spared.
It required a blood sacrifice–a spotless lamb.
But He saved His people.
And He made them His own by paying for them.
Grace and redemption.
Do you see where these numbers are heading?
They are heading to the Cross. The Levites are picture for us of a people who are saved and paid for and special to the LORD.
1 Peter chapter 1, verses 18 and 19.
“You know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
You are bought. You are purchased. You are redeemed.
Application? Rejoice, and Think of Yourself as God’s!
Rejoice that you are saved!
Rejoice that you are bought with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without with blemish or defect!
Unless you are not saved. Not yet.
To be saved, you must turn from your sins and trust in the Savior, Jesus Christ.
He died on the Cross for the sins of all who believe in Him.
The precious blood of Christ, a lamb without with blemish or defect. Sacrificed for you.
Have you put your faith in Him alone?
If you have, you are redeemed.
If you have not, you are headed to Hell.
Turn now, while you still can.
Put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His precious blood and you will be redeemed.
And if you are redeemed, then you belong to Him!
See yourself as God’s.
What is the key word in those verses 11-23?
“MINE.”
“I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be mine. I am the LORD.’”
Do you think of yourself as a possession?
Do you think of yourself as owned?
You are God’s twice!
You are God’s by creation, but also by redemption.
You are doubly His if you are a Christ-follower.
Do you act like it?
My friend Dan Ledford sent me a quote last week by Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon says, “‘Ye are Christ’s.’ You are his by donation, for the Father gave you to the Son; his by his bloody purchase, for he counted down the price for your redemption; his by dedication, for you have consecrated yourself to him; his by relation, for you are named by his name, and made one of his brethren and joint-heirs. Labour practically to show the world that you are the servant, the friend, the bride of Jesus. When tempted to sin, reply, ‘I cannot do this great wickedness, for I am Christ’s.’ Immortal principles forbid the friend of Christ to sin. When wealth is before you to be won by sin, say that you are Christ’s, and touch it not. Are you exposed to difficulties and dangers? Stand fast in the evil day, remembering that you are Christ’s. Are you placed where others are sitting down idly, doing nothing? Rise to the work with all your powers; and when the sweat stands upon your brow, and you are tempted to loiter, cry, ‘No, I cannot stop, for I am Christ’s. If I were not purchased by blood, I might be like Issachar, crouching between two burdens; but I am Christ’s, and cannot loiter.’ When the siren song of pleasure would tempt you from the path of right, reply, ‘Thy music cannot charm me; I am Christ’s.’ When the cause of God invites thee, give thy goods and thyself away, for thou art Christ’s. Never belie thy profession. Be thou ever one of those whose manners are Christian, whose speech is like the Nazarene, whose conduct and conversation are so redolent of heaven, that all who see you may know that you are the Saviour’s, recognizing in you his features of love and his countenance of holiness. ‘I am a Roman!’ was of old a reason for integrity; far more, then, let it be your argument for holiness, ‘I am Christ’s!’”
How would your life be different if you thought of yourself as being someone else’s possession?
How many Christian women would not have had abortions (and there are Christian women who abortions) if they thought of their bodies as Christ’s?
How many Christian men would not have pressured the women in their life to have abortions if they had thought of themselves as Christ’s?
Numbers 3 is a picture of redemption. Bought with blood and specially owned.
Rejoice and see yourself as God’s.
And if, like the Levites, you are God’s, then you are saved to serve.
Chapter 4 is a description of the work of the Levites.
It begins with yet another census. Chapter 4, verse 1.
“The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: ‘Take a census of the Kohathite branch of the Levites by their clans and families. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting.”
Notice whose being counted here. It’s the men who are on active duty 30-50 years of age. Active Levitical duty.
Their job is to take care of and move the holy things inside of the Tent of Meeting. V.4
“‘This is the work of the Kohathites in the Tent of Meeting: the care of the most holy things. When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the shielding curtain and cover the ark of the Testimony with it. Then they are to cover this with hides of sea cows, spread a cloth of solid blue over that and put the poles in place. ‘Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes and bowls, and the jars for drink offerings; the bread that is continually there is to remain on it. Over these they are to spread a scarlet cloth, cover that with hides of sea cows and put its poles in place. They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand that is for light, together with its lamps, its wick trimmers and trays, and all its jars for the oil used to supply it. Then they are to wrap it and all its accessories in a covering of hides of sea cows and put it on a carrying frame. Over the gold altar they are to spread a blue cloth and cover that with hides of sea cows and put its poles in place. They are to take all the articles used for ministering in the sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover that with hides of sea cows and put them on a carrying frame. They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth over it. Then they are to place on it all the utensils used for ministering at the altar, including the firepans, meat forks, shovels and sprinkling bowls. Over it they are to spread a covering of hides of sea cows and put its poles in place.”
Now, who was supposed to do that? The Kohathites? Nope. Aaron and the priests. V.15
“After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites are to come to do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the Tent of Meeting.
Wow. The Kohathites are just to carry. They aren’t allowed to touch.
That reminds us again of God’s holiness.
Verse 20 tell us that they aren’t even allowed to look at the holy things unless they are wrapped up for transporting or they will die.
Think about how intricate and beautiful this must have been.
When it was time for this camp to move [And it will soon be time for this camp to move!], they had to pack the whole thing up in all of these colorful wrappings.
What does that show us?
#3 (and last). GOD’S BEAUTY, WISDOM, AND ORDER.
Remember all of things that went into building the Tabernacle? Half of the book of Exodus described the process of building this tabernacle. It was an amazing tent with intricate, ornate, colorful, smellful, beautiful design.
And it was all portable!
And when it was time to march, they had to wrap the whole thing up and then then the Kohathites would carry the holy things. That’s quite a job.
Eleazar was to oversee it.
Verses 21-28 tell us that the Gershonites were to do pretty much the same thing with the curtains and the outer coverings.
And verses 29-33 tell us that the Merarites were to do pretty much the same thing with the joints and posts and other structural parts of the Tabernacle.
This was important work. That’s why it gets recorded in God’s word.
And verses 34-45 tell us that Moses actually did the counting that he was supposed to.
Kohathites (v.36) 2,750, Gershonites (v.40) 2,630, Merarites (v.44) 3,200
Total? Verse 46
“So Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans and families. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting numbered 8,580. At the LORD's command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry. Thus they were counted, as the LORD commanded Moses.”
Now, I’ve gone over this really quickly, because we don’t have time today to spell it all out.
And you might be tempted to not care.
But if you were an Israelite living in Moses’ day, these numbers and these descriptions of the Levites’ work would be fascinating to you.
Because the Levites were serving the Lord!
They were special to the Lord, saved to serve.
V.39 “At the LORD's command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry.”
We Are Saved to Serve!
Are you serving the Lord?
Last night, we had a special speaker talk to the men about bowhunting the white tailed deer.
Not being a hunter, I don’t know if he gave us good advice or not.
But he also talked about giving over your whole life to doing whatever God calls you to do.
That you are saved to serve. Like the Levites.
It might not have been very glamorous. They didn’t get to fight. They didn’t get to even look at the holy things that they were to carry!
But they were doing the Lord’s service.
They were obeying. They were serving.
Are you serving?
On Thursday night, our living room was packed with 16 people who are taking up the ministry of the Connection Team. I’ll be telling you more about that next week.
But I was so encouraged to see 16 people come out on Thursday night to dedicate themselves to serve.
We had a ton of men serve yesterday. Our ladies have gotten a meal ready to serve us today.
And we’re going to listen to the Annual Report about how many of you have served the Lord over the last 12 months.
What is God calling you to do for Him now? Today? This week? This month?
Nadab and Abihu went their own way and they met the holiness and judgment of the Lord.
But the rest of the Levites were set apart as special to the Lord and redeemed, substituting for the firstborn of Israel. They experienced the Lord’s grace and redemption.
And they were saved to serve. And so should we.
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