Numbers 8:5-26 - Consecrated to serve

God spared all the firstborn of Israel on the night of the first Passover in Egypt. The angel of death bypassed the house of the people of Israel that had the blood of the Passover Lamb applied to the doorpost of their houses. God took the lives of all the firstborn of Egypt from men to animals but spared the firstborn of the people of Israel. Rightly speaking all the firstborn of Israel, whom God had spared, belonged to Him. But instead of taking them to serve Him, God now wanted them to be substituted by the Levites. So He instructed Moses to take the Levites, replacing the firstborn of Israel, for the service through a process of consecration for the work of the ministry.

Numbers 8:6-12 describe the consecration and ordination ceremony of the Levites. They were publicly consecrated and set apart to God for service. The whole process is narrated in these verses. The procedure of consecration began first with their purification. The Levites were brought before the community assembled at the entrance of the Tent of meeting. There they would first be sprinkled with water before their bodies were shaved and their clothes washed. Then there would be the presentation of the consecrated Levites. Since they were representing the firstborn of Israel, they would receive the laying on of hands. This was probably carried out by the representatives of each of the tribes of Israel. It was Aaron who would then present them as a wave offering to the Lord. The process would not be complete without the sacrifices. So the Levites who were to be consecrated were made to lay hands on the head of two bulls, one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering.   

After their consecration they began their service in the Tabernacle. The Levites were given to Aaron to assist him and the priests in the work of the Tabernacle. They were to serve God actively in the prime of their lives. They would begin serving at age 25 and retire at age 50. After their retirement, they could assist their brethren, but they would not be expected to do active service.  

Lessons to be learned: serving God is a holy privilege that cannot be taken lightly. Anything short of a holy, active, and total consecration would be an unfitting response. And as vessels of God, we must cultivate sanctified habits. Paul in 2 Timothy 2:20-21 reminds us to be cleansed so that we can be a vessel of honor “…sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” And like the Levites, we are to actively serve God in the prime of our life. We must give Him the best years of our life. However, service to God does not stop when we grow old. We can still serve Him according to our capacity in a less active role. So serving God should not stop. We owe God so much that we must offer Him our whole life, young or old.    

   

Numbers 8:1-4 – Walking in God’s light.

The presence of God was central to the life of His people. Hence the tabernacle was an important feature of the nation of Israel. Essentially, the Tabernacle had two key compartments separated by a veil. The inner sanctuary is known as the Holy of holies and the outer part, the holy place. In the Holy of holies was the golden Ark of the Covenant and its cover, also referred to as the mercy seat. This was where God communed with Moses. Three pieces of furnishing: the table of showbread, the altar of incense, and the lampstand, were placed in the holy place.  Of these three pieces of furniture, only the golden lampstand was made of pure gold. The other two pieces only had gold plated over wooden structures.

Numbers 8:3-4, briefly summarised how the golden lampstand was made. Moses was said to have it made exactly like the pattern that God had shown him. Details of how the golden lampstand was to be made were given in Exodus 25:31-39. However, more important than how the golden lampstand was made was how it should be set up in the holy place. So in Numbers 8:1-2, God told Moses to instruct Aaron how it was to be set up, which Aaron did as he was instructed. How it was set up was important because the Tabernacle was a four-layered tent where no light from outside could pierce through it. The only light in the Holy place would come from the golden lampstand. If not for the light the tent would be engulfed by thick darkness.  

We need to know first and foremost that the golden lampstand is a symbol of God. That was why it was made of pure solid gold. The seven sprouts represent God’s complete and perfect presence. This golden lampstand and the light it would give was a picture of the Aaronic blessing in Numbers 6:22-27 which was essentially pronouncing God’s blessings on the people. It was an invocation for the Lord to make His face shine on His people and for His countenance to be lifted upon them to give them light. The light of the lampstand was to be placed where its light would shine in front where the table of shewbread stood. On that table were two stacks of six loaves of bread each. They represented the twelve tribes of Israel. God’s light shining on the loaves of bread was to be a symbol of His favor on His people.   

What do we make out of these four verses? The golden lampstand is a symbol of God, the light giver. Can we now understand why John in his Gospel presented Christ as the Light of the world? John 1:9 tells us that Jesus Christ, the true light has come into the world.  Again in John 8:12, Jesus declared saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” In a world of pitch darkness, we need Christ the Light. Without Him, we will continue to walk in darkness. Imagine the Tabernacle without the golden lampstand giving out its light. Then imagine our life without the light of Christ. Praise God  that in Christ our Lord, we no longer need to grope in darkness. But we must allow the light of Christ to show us how we should live moment by moment!  So let His light shine!

Numbers 7:89 – Access to God, our priceless privilege

The Tabernacle, we have established, was the representation of the visible presence of the invisible God. It was the place of divine transaction. The cover of the ark was known as the mercy seat.  This was where God would speak from. On the mercy seat was the two golden cherubim made of one piece of hammered gold together with the cover. The cherubim were located at both ends of the mercy seat. Each at one end. They were made facing each other inward with their wings spreading upward, touching each other’s and overshadowing the cover.

Here this last verse of Numbers 7 reads,  “And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and it spoke to him.” This last verse was written not as an afterthought. It was intentionally written to show us that God speaks to His people. In fact in the construction of the Tabernacle, God already instructed how the mercy seat was to be made and for what purpose. He told Moses in Exodus 25:22 saying, “There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.” 

Notice it was only after the offerings were made by the various tribes that Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord. The holy God could not be approached casually. Atonement had to be made for sin to restore man’s relationship with Him. Without the atonement, man’s relationship with Him remained broken. It would be impossible to hear from Him with a broken relationship. Just as God had the mercy seat constructed for the purpose of communicating with His people, He had sent Jesus Christ as our atoning sacrifice to restore our relationship with Him. God’s desire to commune with us is made possible through the finished works of Christ at Calvary, our atoning sacrifice. Christ is our mercy seat through whom God would connect with us and speak to us. We have the priceless privilege of access to God through Christ, so let’s draw near to hear from Him. What a privilege to be forfeited if we don’t!

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

Numbers 7:10-89 – What constitutes commendable giving?

On the day that the Tabernacle was dedicated to God, apart from the wagons and oxen that were brought, the chiefs of the 12 tribes of Israel also brought other items for the dedication. What they brought to God indicates that they fully understood the purpose of the Tabernacle. They knew that if they wanted to offer any sacrifice, the Tabernacle would be the place to make their offering to God. So what they brought were materials for offering to God, who in His wisdom, instructed Moses to have only one tribe offer their gifts a day. This was probably to avoid overcrowding. Hence, offerings were offered 12 times over a course of 12 days. Each day only one tribe would offer what they had brought. In these verses, we can see that every chief of the tribes brought the same resources for the dedication. Hence, there is a repetition of all that were brought to Moses from verses 12-83.  

In verses 84-87 we see all the total contributions of the 12 tribes of Israel. But in verses 12-83, what each tribe brought was repeatedly enumerated.

(1)    One silver plate weighing 130 shekels, one silver basin 70 shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. Both the plates filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering. The grain offerings were an indication of their submission to God and their willingness to obey Him.  

(2)    One golden dish weighing 10 shekels, full of incense to provide the sweet aroma mixed with the burning of the sacrifice. The incense would symbolize the prayers and praises of the people ascending to God.  

(3)    One bull from the herd, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering. These animals were offered to God as a burnt offering to atone for their sin. When the smoke of the burnt offerings arose to God, His wrath for their sin would be appeased.

(4)    One male goat for a sin offering. This was for the purpose of purifying the sanctuary so that the noxious consequence of sin would not hinder the presence of God.  

(5)    Two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old for the sacrifice of peace offerings. These animals were given for the fellowship offerings. They were ceremonial feasts eaten in the presence of God.

Here are the lessons we glean from this lengthy passage.  Firstly, our relationship with God must be enhanced. Through our willingness to make sacrifices in our giving, we show how much we value our relationship with Him. Like the 12 tribes of Israel, our giving to God ought to be generous and willing. Secondly, every one of us is equally responsible to give to the work of God. This is seen in every tribe giving the same amount to God. Regardless of their size, each tribe gave the same amount. Thirdly, this equal giving by each of the tribes of Israel teaches us that in giving to God, we do our best. No excuse should be made saying we have lesser means so we cannot give our best. It also shows us not to be arrogant in giving, thinking that we have given more to God, so we deserve greater blessings. God expects our best in giving whether we are rich or poor. Finally, never put the cart before the horse in giving. The reason we give to God is not to get His blessings, but because He has so richly blessed us so that we can willingly give to Him.  Do make giving to God a joyful practice!

 

 

Numbers 7:1-9 – Thoughtful gifts and service to the Lord

Numbers 7 is a long chapter of 89 verses. Let us begin by exploring the first nine verses. In verse 1, we learn that Moses had already set up the Tabernacle. He then had it, the altar and all the furnishings for the service to the Lord anointed and consecrated. The Tabernacle as we know was the place of worship representing the visible presence of God. What’s heartening when we read this chapter is the fact that the chiefs of all the tribes took initiative and brought to Moses “six wagons and twelve oxen, a wagon for every two of the chiefs, and for each one an ox.”

Moses was instructed to accept them and to distribute them to the Levites for the transportation of the Tabernacle. Two wagons and four oxen were given to the sons of Gershon, and four wagons and eight oxen to the sons of Merari. They were given these wagons for the transportation of the material of the tent. The numbers of wagons and oxen given were according to how heavy the materials they had to transport. The reason that the sons of Merari were given more wagons and oxen than the sons of Gershon was that what they were entrusted to transport were heavier than the latter. They were responsible for the ferrying of all the frames, poles, and bases of the Tabernacle. The duty of the sons of Gershon was to ferry the curtains and coverings of the Tabernacle which were lighter. The sons of Kohath were given none of the wagons and oxen because they were responsible to ferry the furnishings of the Tabernacle. These articles were more important and had to be carried on shoulders and not to be ferried by carts.   

Here we see how thoughtful all the tribes of Israel were for those who were responsible for ferrying the heavy stuff of the Tabernacle. God did not mention that wagons were needed for the transportation of the physical structure of the Tabernacle, yet they took their own initiative. It also showed how much they cared for the people in service and facilitated their work by providing the oxen drawn carts. In giving to God, they had consideration for the people in service. Here’s a lesson for us. We should also seek to assist those in full-time ministry by helping to lessen their load. For us, giving to the Lord should not just about offering financially. We must also explore other means of giving to the work of God. We should explore what areas of ministry we can fit in, then offer our services. In offering ourselves to the Lord, we need to be thoughtful. Remember, many hands make light work. We should consider offering ourselves in areas where we have the expertise. This will certainly contribute to a complete and effective ministry to advance God’s work.      

Numbers 6:22-27 - True blessing

Everyone wants a blessed life. For many, blessing is about the things one possesses. But we know that there are situations in life where people who have abundant possessions found that their life had been turned upside down by their plenty. Also, if a blessing is about one’s possessions and positive life, why then did Jesus in the Beatitudes say that it is more blessed to be poor in spirit, or to mourn or to be meek and, etc? Is blessing really found in the things we possess? We all pray and wish for blessings upon ourselves and those we love, but we all will probably struggle when ask what exactly is a blessing? Truthfully speaking, what really is a blessing? Let’s explore!

In Numbers 6:22-27, God through Moses instructed Aaron and his sons what to include in the priestly benediction to be pronounced over the people. A benediction in the believer’s context is essentially a prayer of blessing bestowed upon the people in the believer’s community by the leader. These six verses have come to be known as the Aaronic benediction.  From this instruction to Aaron and his sons, we deduce several truths about what a blessing by God truly constitutes.   

Firstly, we learn that God is the source of the blessing. We learn that the blessing to be bestowed comes from our personal and covenant-keeping God. While the person who makes the pronouncement is the leader, God is the one who will keep us and release the blessing unto us. He is the source of all our blessings in life. Secondly, He will keep us. Not only will He provide what we need in life, but He will also protect us from harm. Thirdly, the key part of the blessing is about an intimate relationship with God. Here the description is a face-to-face relationship. Nothing can be more wonderful in life than a relationship where we engage God intimately. Fourthly, the blessing is about being the recipient of the grace of God. He knows that we are made of feet of clay and will deal with us according to His mercy and not according to what we deserve. Fifthly, the blessing includes God keeping us within His view. For God to lift up His countenance on us is for God to keep His eye on us. Nothing can be more tragic than to have God turn His face away from us. That would be a signal of His disapproval and rejection. Sixthly, the blessing includes peace. This is not just talking about the absence of strife or a state of rest. It suggests harmony and wholeness. It is about a whole relationship with God, with others, and with self.   

In Christ, we are truly blessed. What can be more wonderful than to have God’s favor? In Christ, God has bestowed His blessing upon us. By His grace, He is keeping us safe, protecting us from harm, and preserving us in our journey. He counsels us with His eye upon us, guiding us to the goals He has for us. His peace is the fortress over our minds and will keep us in the knowledge of Christ Jesus. What a blessing!

Numbers 6:13-21 - Total Surrender

A Nazirite, as defined, was a person who had set apart a season to devote himself or herself to God. He or she would make a vow of separation and observed a self-imposed discipline. During the period of the vow, the Nazirite would abstain from three things: to abstain drinking strong drinks, such as wine or vinegar; to abstain from shaving off his or her hair; and from contact with anything unclean, especially a corpse. So serious was a Nazirite’s consecration that in Numbers 6:9-12, God literally prescribed what must be done when the vow had been broken unintentionally. Now in Numbers 6:13-21, God gave instructions on what must be done at the conclusion of the period of the vow before the person could return to resume ordinary life.

A person who had completed the Nazirite vow would be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting. There he would bring to God an unblemished one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering and an unblemished one-year-old ewe lamb for a sin offering. Then he would also bring an unblemished ram as a peace offering. These offerings signified his total consecration and the atonement of his sin. And on top of these three offerings, he would also indicate his total submission to God as master and king by presenting a grain offering. This grain offering would consist of “a basket of unleavened bread, loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their drink offerings.” Next, the Nazirite should shave off the hair from his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting. He would take the hair and place them on the fire under the fire of the peace offering.

When that was done, verse 19 and 20 tell us that “…the priest shall take the shoulder of the ram, when it is boiled, and one unleavened loaf out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the hair of his consecration,  and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord.” With  all the sacrifices done, a fellowship and celebration meal would follow before the Nazirite would return to normal life where he could drink wine and cut his hair.

Devotion and yielding to God is a crucial matter and must be done with serious intention. Like the Nazirite, we must be willing to give up a self-indulgent life. We must be willing to surrender the worldly values of the fallen life. What we give up, know it or not, are but only temporary stuff. But what we will gain from our surrendered life would be a life of eternal fellowship with God. Hear the words of Jim Elliot as we close this reflection: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”    

Numbers 6:9-12 – Be assiduous in our journey with God

A Nazirite would attempt to do his best to keep the vow he had made. But what could he do when the vow he had made was broken unintentionally? Here Numbers 6:9-12, present a scenario where someone collapsed before a Nazirite and died unpredictably, what was he to do? He could not possibly just walk away, could he? In this case, he was not at fault because what had happened was not his making. However, he had contacted the unclean and the vow that he had made had been broken and his consecration to the Lord defiled. Note that even this unintentional break was not to be treated lightly. He had to make atonement even though what happened was not deliberate.  

This Nazirite who had inadvertently broken the vow would first have to go through a period of separation. He needed to separate himself from divine services for a duration of seven days. And on the seventh day, he would shave off his hair. Then on the eighth day, he would bring two turtledoves or pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting. One was for sin offering and the other for burnt offering. He also had to make restitution by offering a one-year-old lamb as a guilt offering. Only after the cleansing and shaving off his hair on the seventh day; and the offering of the sin, burnt, and guilt offerings on the eighth day, then could he restart his vow of consecration.

The question is why did God exact such a demand even when what happened was unintentional? The message is clear. Sin is repulsive and the slightest breach is unacceptable to our holy God. Consecrating oneself to God must not be taken lightly and casually. Any breach in our commitment to Him, even when it is unintentional, must be dealt with. To offer oneself to our holy God demands that even the slightest stumble be made right. The requirements God expected of the Nazirite would certainly cause him to be more watchful and attentive to his vow. In the same way, we are expected to be conscientious in our consecration and walk with the Lord. We must assiduously offer to God our unblemished self and service. It is the best that we must give to Him.  

Numbers 6:1-8 – The call to be God’s consecrated people

What is a Nazirite? Numbers 6:1-21 provides the best answer to this question. The term Nazirite is derived from a Hebrew word that means “to consecrate” or “to devote.” Thus, a Nazirite is defined as a person who had set apart a season in his or her life by making a vow of separation and taking a self-imposed discipline. During that period he or she would devote himself or herself to the Lord. 

The Nazirite vow consists of three components. During the period of the vow, a Nazarite, firstly, would not consume strong drinks. He or she would not partake of any grape juice, wine, vinegar, and even grapes and raisins. Secondly, he or she would not shave his or her hair for that season but to let the hair grow long. And thirdly, a Nazirite would avoid contact with anything unclean, especially a dead body. 

A Nazirite is different from a hermit. In making a Nazirite vow, a person was only committing himself or herself for a season. But a hermit would make a lifelong commitment to live a whole life of asceticism. Unlike a hermit, apart from the three requirements, a Nazirite could still engage in the ordinary activities of life such as eating, drinking, sleeping, and working. Whereas a hermit would abstain from even the normal activities of life.  

What was the purpose for making a Nazirite vow? Since wine and strong drink are symbols of a life of indulgence, deliberately abstaining from them was a commitment to live a life of non-indulgence. And in not shaving one’s hair, a Nazirite was signaling that he or she was giving full control of his or her life to God. The requirement of not touching anything unclean indicates their call to live a life of purity. The life of a Nazirite was essentially to remind the people of Israel concerning their unique relationship with God. The presence of Nazirites would help them to recall their unique relationship with God and hence to conduct their lives so that others could recognize them as God’s chosen people.   

The best way to see how the life of a Nazirite is relevant to us is to see ourselves as being called to be stewards of God’s grace.  Hence, we heed the call of 1 Peter 4:2 to “…live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” And we must also take heed to 1 Peter 4:7 that calls us “…to be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.” 

   

Numbers 5:11-31 – Be faithful, especially in our marriage.

Marriage has frequently been used in the Bible to illustrate God’s relationship with His people. Like Israel, the church is married to God. Like every marital relationship, faithfulness is required and valued. So God also values faithfulness in a wife’s relationship with her husband. When Israel committed idolatry, God reckoned it to be spiritual adultery and a breach of relationship with Him. Just as spiritual adultery is a breach in relationship with Him, a physical adultery committed by a wife is a breach in a marital relationship with her husband. Just as God expects fidelity from His people, He also expects a wife to be faithful to her husband.

In the first 10 verses of Numbers 5, God dealt with the sins of defilement and transgression. In Numbers 5:11-31, He sets out to deal with the issue of unfaithfulness, a sin commonly found in a marriage. While the account here talks about the unfaithfulness of a wife, we need to know that infidelity is not just an issue with a wife. In fact, a husband is equally if not more capable of being unfaithful in marriage. The intention of the passage is not to denigrate wives, but to show us how God detests unfaithfulness and wants it to be dealt with.

When a husband suspects his wife to be unfaithful, she would be made to go through a very unusual procedure to ascertain her guilt or innocence. The whole process of determining the unfaithfulness of a wife is described in these verses. What is important for us to know in a situation like this is that firstly marital unfaithfulness, though hidden from one’s spouse, is never hidden from the eye of God. He knows every infidelity of His people. Secondly, because nothing is hidden from God, besides confronting our spouse, we should bring the suspicion of infidelity before God in prayer and trust Him to help us deal with it. Thirdly, God wants us to know that it will be a painful and bitter experience for a person when He exposes the infidelity. Wisdom suggests that every marital infidelity should be dealt with and resolved soonest before God exposes it.  

Living together as husband and wife requires tenacity, and faithfulness to the marriage will make it easier. Keeping faith in a marriage is not an option but a priority. With the help of God, make loyalty our goal in marriage!         

         

Numbers 5:5-10 – Ensuring right relationship with God and with men

Sin is essentially any reprehensible action a person had committed against God’s moral law. Simply put, it is missing the mark of the moral standard that God requires of us. In Numbers 5:1-4 sin is seen as a defilement. Like leprosy, discharges from a person, or touching a dead body, sin defiles a person and makes a person odious and unfit to be in God’s presence. In Numbers 5:5-10, we see a different facet of sin. Here we see sin as an act of transgression. In its simplest definition, transgression is overstepping the line. Transgression often has two aspects - against God and against man. It is breaking faith with God and the person one has offended. Here we see God’s given instruction on how to deal with transgression. Regardless of gender, a person who transgressed, he or she must make it right.

Numbers 5:5-10 show the two things a person must do to make amends for a transgression committed. The first is confession and the second is restitution. One is the acknowledgment of one’s wrong and the second is taking action to make good by doing what is right. So long as a person refuses to admit and recognize his or her wrong, it will be hard to deal with the transgression. When a person has transgressed, the right thing to do then is to admit and be responsible for the offense committed. To own up to the wrong, the person must first make a confession. It presupposes the person is repentant.

 These verses also suggest that the confession must be made to God. In these verses, the involvement of the priest suggests that any offense a person commits is always against God first although the wrong is done to a fellow man. David knew it well so in Psalm 51: 3-4 he said, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you (God), you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.” So in confession, one agrees with God that what one has done is wrong. Notice that verse 9 talks about the atonement of a ram is to be made. For us believers, any forgiveness granted us is on the basis of Christ being our atoning sacrifice.     

The second step that had to be taken is to make restitution or making right for the offense one had committed. In making the restitution one must compensate the person whom one had offended. If that person was no longer alive, the compensation would go to the next of kin. If the person did not have a next of kin, then it would go to the priest.

In living right, we must not only take care of our vertical relationship with God but also our horizontal relationship with our fellow men. That’s why we not only need to be right with God but also right with men. One principle that Jesus has laid down for us regarding all these is found in Matthew 5:23-24. He says, “…if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” Meaningful relationship means harmonious living with God as well as with men.  So Be sure to be right with God and also with fellowmen!  

Numbers 5:1-4 - Living life scrupulously.

God must be the center of the life of His people. We see it in the way God had the whole camp of Israel set. The Tabernacle was placed in the center of the community. It indicates that worship of God must be central in the life of God’s people. The nation was to be a worshipping community having God’s presence in focus. As God’s people, like Israel, we must factor God into everything we do. However, we are aware that being fallen people, keeping God in focus is not our natural tendency. So God had to leave instructions on how to do life in His presence. The whole instruction must take into consideration that at the root of everything is the fact that God is holy. His instruction we know is: Be holy even as God is holy. Hence any contaminant that can affect life with God has to be dealt with. Numbers 5-6 leave us with instructions on how to deal with sin in our lives.

In the book of Leviticus God had already given more detail on how to deal with the issue of the unclean, such as a person who had contracted leprosy, or had a discharge, or had touched a dead body. In these first four verses of Number 5, God in a thumbnail reiterated how to deal with the unclean again. They had to be put out of the camp. The reason is stated in the last part of verse 3. It says, “…that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.” This is the crux of the whole matter. The whole purpose of God is not so much about the alienation of the unclean from God, but that the issue of sin is so deplorable that it must not be allowed in the presence of God.

Leprosy, bodily discharges, or touching the dead are likened to the sinful things we commit that reflect the remnant of the sinful nature in our lives. Like these conditions, the wrong things we do are but manifestations of the sinful nature that we still need to deal with so that they will not become an impediment to our access to God’s presence. We need to be spiritually scrupulous in our life with God. Learn from Psalm 139: 23-24 where David contritely cried:

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!

 

Numbers 4:21-49 – Let’s discharge our God-given assignments

The more important roles of transporting the furnishings of the Tabernacle were given to the Kohathites. It took some 20 verses to cover what they needed to know. The roles of the  Gershonites and the Merarites were less important so fewer verses were needed to cover the instructions.

The Gershonites were assigned to deal with everything that had to do with the curtains as well as both the cloth and goatskins covering of the Tabernacle. Verses 25-26 described their role. “They shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering of goatskin that is on top of it and the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting and the hangings of the court and the screen for the entrance of the gate of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service. And they shall do all that needs to be done with regard to them.” Then in verses 29-33 we see the description of the roles of the Merarites. Their roles had to do with everything that concerned the frames of the Tabernacle. These included the bars, pillars, bases, pegs, cords, and all the equipment and accessories needed to assemble the Tabernacle and keep it properly set up. The Kohathites reported to Eleazar. But the Gershonites and Merarites worked under the direction and supervision of  Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.  

On the instructions in the counting of the men from the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites, fit for the task of ferrying the Tabernacle, Moses was told to count those between thirty to fifty years of age. For guard duty of the Tabernacle, it appears that Levites of all ages could be used but for the ferrying job, only Levites 30-50 years were deployed.  So a total of 8,570 men, thirty to fifty years from the clans of Kohath, Gershon, and Merari, were enlisted for the duty to ferry the different parts of the Tabernacle. The number of the Kohathites total 2,750, the Gershonites 2,620,  and the Merarites 3,200.

Two lessons to apply:  firstly know that a person is at the prime of his or her life at the age of thirty to fifty. And the best service to God must be offered at the prime of our life. Like what Solomon said in the closing chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes, we don’t wait till every part of our body is failing then offer to God our ailing bodies. No, never should we give to God the leftovers of our lives. He deserves the best of who we are. So be sure to give Him the best of who we are at the prime of life.

Secondly, details in God’s work matter. He saw to every minute detail of the Tabernacle, including how it should be transported and how it should be set up and who to do it. Coordination and co-operation between workers would be needed to ensure effectiveness and efficiency in carrying out each person’s duties. So it was in the task of the Tabernacle, and it shall be in the advancement of the work of God through the church. Each one of us must seek to know our God-given assignments, and then put them to work to actively and diligently serve Him. Paul in Colossians 3:17 reminds us that, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

 

Numbers 4:1-20 – Worthy service for the Holy God

Numbers 4 described the roles of the three clans of Levites. Verses 1-20 began with the Kohathites, the descendants of Kohath. They were assigned to carry and transport the furnishings in the Holy of holies, the holy place, as well as those at the courtyard of the Tabernacle. The furnishings in the Holy of holies and the holy place were the Ark of the covenant, the table of shewbread, the golden lampstand, and the golden altar of incense. The articles in the courtyard included the brazen altar, the firepans, the forks, the shovels, and the basins as well as the laver. These were the more important articles pertaining to the Tabernacle. The transportation of them should have rightly been assigned to the clan of Gershon, who was the older of the three clans of the Levites. But God had assigned the role to the clan of Kohath.  

What lesson can we draw from why God chose the Kohathites to handle the more important articles? It tells us that God is no respecter of persons. He does not assess us based on our looks, position, or status. He often uses people deemed less popular for the more important task. How man values us is often quite different from how God will value us. He knows best who to use for what ministry.  

Here in these verses are also the description of how the articles were carefully wrapped. The more important articles were wrapped more elaborately than the less important ones. So beginning from the Ark of the covenant, the table of shewbreads, the golden lampstand to the brazen altar of the courtyard, verses 7-14 describe how each of the articles was wrapped. While the Kohathites were assigned to carry and transport these articles, it was the priests’ responsibility to pack them. Why? It was because they were consecrated articles and considered holy and must not be mindlessly and carelessly handled by anyone. The Kohathite's task was to carry them only after they were safely wrapped. All these God did to protect the Kohathites so that they would not be destroyed for touching the holy things of God.  

What lessons can we learn? How God views us for a role may not be the same as how others would view us. The joy is that in whatever role we are to play in the ministry, it is God who qualifies us for the task. And when He assigns us, He will enable us and even protect us. We also need to know that God will consecrate us for the role. Hence, no one consecrated for a task should offer Him shoddy service. To God, only the very best from us will do!      

Numbers 3:14-51 - We are the redeemed of God

Having counted and arranged the rest of Israel, Moses was instructed to count the Levites. For the other tribes of Israel, only able men 20 years and above were counted. Whereas all the boys and men of the Levites from birth were counted. Verse 17 named the three sons of Levi and they were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Gershon and his family, a total of 7,500, was assigned to station on the west side just behind the Tabernacle. Led by Eliasaph, their duties were specified in verses 25-26 saying, “And the guard duty of the sons of Gershon in the tent of the meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords—all the service connected with these.”

For the sons of Kohath, the Kohathites from one month upward totaled 8,600. They would camp on the south side of the Tabernacle. Led by Elizaphan, their main duty was to keep guard of the Sanctuary. Verse 31 says, “And their guard duty involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the screen; all the service-connected with these.” Verse 32 tells us that the Kohathites reported to Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest. He was appointed as the supervisor, “…the chiefs of the Levites.” He was also given oversight of all those assigned to guard over the sanctuary.

The sons of Merari from one month and upwards totaling 6,200, were assigned the north side of the Tabernacle. Their duties according to verses 36-37 “…involved the frames of the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories; all the service connected with these; also the pillars around the court, with their bases and pegs and cords.” The total number of the Levites from Gershon, Kohath, and Merari was put as 22,000, according to verse 39. But the real number of the three groups adds up to 22,300. Why the discrepancy? This is a tough question to answer. So far no one has a satisfactory answer. Let us venture a guess. Of the 22,300. It could be that the 22,000 of them were firstborn of the Levites and 300 of them were not. Hence the number was rounded to 22,000. We will see this more clearly when we take into account verses 40-51. Moses was instructed to count the firstborn of Israel. The total was 22,237. Since they were the firstborn, they were rightly G0d’s. But 22,000 of them had been replaced by the firstborn of the Levites. That left 237 of them to be redeemed with the redemption price of 5 shekels each. So the redemption price paid for the shortfall was 1,365 shekels. And Moses gave it to Aaron and his sons.

One key lesson that can be gleaned from all these is that God deals with precision. Whatever due to Him must be returned to Him. Every one of us is redeemed by Christ and has become God’s firstborn. We owe all that we are to Him, and must give Him a hundred percent commitment to serve as priests and Levites for His glory.

Numbers 3:11-13 – All of us belong to God

We know that while all the people of Israel belonged to God, the firstborn sons of every family held a unique relationship with Him. They owed God their lives. Why? On the night of the first Passover in Egypt, the angel of death sent by God only destroyed all the firstborn of Egypt from all men to all animals. But all the firstborns of the people of Israel were spared and their lives were not taken from them. As a result, all their firstborn sons belonged to God. He had a claim on them.  

In these three verses God told Moses He was making a claim for all the Levites to be His own. They were taken to substitute for all the firstborn of Israel. Therefore, God had the right to consecrate and have them serve Him doing tedious and basic tasks around the Tabernacle. Their jobs might seem unglamorous, but we need to think of it this way: any task for God, no matter how simple it may seem, is an honor and must not be treated lightly or casually.  

Here is a thought. Every one of us who is a born-again believer is God’s firstborn. It is said that God has no grandchildren. Everyone is the firstborn of God. No one can claim to belong to God because of their parents’ faith and relationship with God. Everyone needs to encounter Christ personally and make Him the Lord and Saviour of his or her life to become a child of God. In that sense, all of us are God’s firstborn. And in Christ, there should be no distinction in gender when it comes to serving God. Male or female, all of us are called and gifted to serve Him in some capacity. As we have said earlier each of us has a role to play in the church. Through Christ, God has consecrated us to Himself to serve Him. And we must give our best to serve Him. It is only right to do so.

Numbers 3:5-10 – Being faithful to our calling

The task of caring for the Tabernacle was too important and just Aaron’s family alone was not enough to handle it adequately. So the Levites were appointed to assist Aaron. This one tribe was completely dedicated to looking after the Tabernacle. They were made to serve Aaron as well as the community in taking care of everything pertaining to the Tabernacle. While only the able men 20 and above from other tribes were counted and conscripted, every Levite was dedicated to serving the Lord from birth.  

Essentially, the job of the Levites firstly was to guard the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Wherever the people of Israel had stopped, and the sacred tent was pitched, they had to protect it. Secondly, they were responsible for dismantling and assembling the Tabernacle so that it could be safely transported. So whenever the nation of Israel was on the march, they were responsible to care for the safe transportation of the Tabernacle and all its furnishings. Numbers 4 will give us greater detail on the transportation of the Tabernacle. Now in Numbers 3, their role of guarding the Tabernacle was the focus. Verse 1o tells us that Aaron and his sons were appointed priests to serve in the Tabernacle. Anyone else found trespassing the holy ground would be executed. It appears that the Levites were also responsible to execute those trespassers. 

In Christ all of us are called into the Levitical function from the day of our spiritual birth. Like the priests and the Levites, we all have a ministry in the church we are attending. And like them, we are all called to serve God’s purpose. We are each assigned our role to play. Each one of us is given our necessary and unique gifting to do what is required of us. While God has imparted to all of us some gifts to do His work, He did not give to anyone all the gifts. Hence, none of us has to do what we are not gifted to do.

The priests and the Levites, all have their respective roles to play. So like them, each one of us also has our respective role to play. In God’s work, He requires everyone’s participation. When we all do the part assigned to us, the work of God will be efficaciously completed. Besides, when all of us do our part, none will need to suffer a burn-out. So whatever tasks we are assigned, we must be committed to responsibly do it. So that no one needs to step up to do our job. When every one of us does what is required of us, no one will be overloaded. Meanwhile, no one should envy another person’s gift. God will not hold a person responsible for the work He has not gifted him or her to do. So let us just bloom where God has planted us! It is the best way to ensure effectiveness in the ministry.

Numbers 3:1-4 – Worshipping God rightly matters.

Numbers chapters 3-4 are two chapters that talk about the Levites. Here the children of Levi would be counted, specified, and assigned to their specific duties. Once again, we will see the specificity of God. 

While Moses was the leader whom God had appointed to lead the people of Israel, Aaron was the elder of the two. Verse 2 tells us that Aaron had four sons, namely Nadab Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Nadab was the eldest and firstborn of Aaron. All four of them were ordained as priests to the nation of Israel. Sadly Nadab and Abihu were smitten dead for offering strange fire to God in the wilderness of Sinai.  It was also unfortunate that both did not have any children to succeed them. So the remaining two of Aaron’s sons, Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in Aaron’s lifetime.

What Nadab and Abihu did were briefly described in Leviticus 10:1. We are told that “…Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them.” Consequently, Leviticus 10:2 said, “And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.” These two sons of Aaron had shown themselves unworthy of serving God. They had profaned the worship of God and acted presumptuously. They left us with a lesson of how important it is to approach God with an appropriate attitude and worship Him in sanctity.

What did Jesus say about how we should worship God? We must honor Him with our whole heart. In John 4:23, Jesus said that worship must be offered in spirit and truth. He said, “…the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” Sincerity and honesty are what God is looking for in His worshippers. So we must approach God with such attitudes. We must never worship God in false pretence. Don’t just be physically present, be sure our heart and soul are totally present! This is what we must do to honor God. He deserves our total attention!  

Numbers 2:1-34 – The need for orderliness

The military men had been numbered and the roles of the Levites had been assigned. In Numbers 2, God turned to assign specifically where each tribe of Israel should be located. All 12 tribes of Israel were instructed to pitch their camps facing the Tabernacle which would be right in the center of the whole compound. On the East side facing the sun would be the tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun under the collective banner of Judah. On the  south side would be  the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad, under the collective banner of  Reuben. On the west would be the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin under the collective banner of Ephraim. And on the north side would be the tribes of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali under the collective banner of Dan. The Levites being ministers of the Tabernacle would pitch their tents around it. The figure given for each of the four groups was only the total of the military men.

What can we learn from a passage like this? There are many lessons that could be gleaned but here are four:

Firstly, the Tabernacle was placed at the center where the camp of each tribe would take their alignments. In much the same way, God being at the center of our lives help us to align life around Him. Worship must come first before service. Effective ministry starts with worship. One of the lines Jesus used to retort the tempter in the wilderness was “you shall worship the Lord and Him only shall you serve.” Notice worship comes before service. Worship must always be the first order of the day before we get going.

Secondly, we learn that our God loves order. It is said that the first law of heaven is order. Even from the account of creation, we see the orderliness of God. He created the habitat before He created the life forms. For plants, land, air or sea creatures, and even man, God first created the environment before He created the life forms. Now we see orderliness in how He had the 12 tribes of Israel arranged around the Tabernacle. Just imagine if all 12 tribes were left to their own design how cluttered and messy the whole camp would look. It is true that God loves orderliness.

Thirdly, this arrangement also ensures security because God would be at the center of their community. Besides, this arrangement would also facilitate easy movement. It allowed the whole mass of people to be moved together in orderliness. Without the arrangement, moving the whole group would be chaotic. It could even cause stampedes. With this arrangement, the movement could be better facilitated.

Fourthly, we see in the instruction a scheme for unity in diversity. If no instruction was given concerning where each tribe should be located, they would possibly be fighting to occupy what they think was a better location. In specifying where each tribe should be located, unity in diversity was ensured. This has always been what God is after. In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, we learned that God has given each of us different gifts. They are to be exercised for the common good of the body. Each must exercise his or her gifts to complement others in the fellowship or supplement what others may lack. Let us move according to God’s instruction, even as we serve Him in the Church.

Numbers 1:47-54 – Consecrated to serve

The Levites were the descendants of Levi, the third son of Jacob whom Leah bore to him. They were made the custodians of the temple and were also given the role to guide the people of Israel in worship. The three well known of the Levites were Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, whom God used while the people of Israel were in bondage in Israel. Moses  of course was the leader and Aaron the priest, and Miriam was the prophetess.

In this first census taken to list the number of military men of Israel, God specifically instructed Moses to exclude the Levites. They were given a dedicated function to be custodians of the Tabernacle. Their key roles included taking charge of the Tabernacle and all its furnishings. It was their duty to assemble and dismantle the Tabernacle and to ensure its safe transportation. Being a consecrated tent, the Tabernacle was holy to the Lord and had to be handled with care. Hence anyone other than the Levites who were assigned to the task would be put to death if they unworthily drew near to the Tabernacle and touched it. The Tabernacle, the place of worship, was the central feature for the nation of Israel in their journey. Hence, the other tribes of Israel were instructed to set their camps around the Tabernacle to avoid any desecration of this consecrated place of worship. Being custodians of the Tabernacle, the Levites were responsible to guard it. And so the people did as Moses instructed them to do, for this was what God had commanded.  

Let us draw lessons for our application from these verses. Firstly, we can see how God values worship. It is central to the believers and must take the central place in the community of the redeemed. God deserves only the best. When it comes to the worship of God, the best must be given to Him. Every person, every instrument, and every program designated for this sacred purpose must be wholly dedicated and consecrated. Any offering to God must be offered with the utmost seriousness of intent.

Secondly, when it comes to handling sacred articles, we are told in the last sentence of verse 51 that God forbade “outsiders” from touching them. This suggests that only consecrated people should be used in worship. No one should serve God without the repentance of sin. The instruction that the Levite should camp around the Tabernacle was by way of protecting the place of worship from unwanted elements, so that wrath would not come upon the people. God will not allow pure worship to be desecrated, so must we.

Thirdly, the best worship always begins with our attitude. This is a function of the mind that sets the motivation and manner we will approach God. The attitude we adopt to approach God reveals how much we value and esteem Him. Thus to adopt an attitude of reverence is critical when we come to worship. Great worship must always begin with an attitude of reverence. No one can afford to be nonchalant or careless when we come to worship God. We must offer to Him worship with the best of attitude.

Like the Levites, we are consecrated by Christ to serve. We have been cleansed by His blood so that we can draw near confidently to serve the Mighty God. It is an honor to serve God, so make sure to offer only the very best to Him.    

Numbers 1:17-46 – Everyone playing a part makes a difference

Moses, together with the 12 men, each the head of 12 tribes of Israel minus the tribe of Levi, carried out the census. It took place on the first day of the second month in the second year after they had departed from Egypt. The whole company of people of Israel at this point easily tops two million people. Just imagine that out of the 70 or so who came to Egypt with Israel, had grown and become a nation. But the total number of fighting men 20 years and above named according to their tribes, clan by clan, was 603,550. What a massive force!

This number of 603,550 did not include those below the age of 20 - the infants, toddlers, and the teens. It also did not include the old, feeble, and sick. It certainly did not include the women. In these verses, we are given the breakdown of the figure of fighting men from each tribe. However, the number of military men each tribe had was a moot point. It would only be important if all of them were willing to do the job required of them.

Herein lies an important principle: effectiveness results only when everyone is willing to do their part in the work. Even if some of them should refuse to do their job, the work of the rest would be hampered. All of us whom God had enlisted into His redemptive force must do our part. When we do so, we will hasten the completion of the work God has assigned us. If we don’t, someone else has to stand in. And this would slow down the work and delay the completion.  

Another thing to remember is that none of us should think that our individual contribution is unimportant. Remember that the whole is the sum total of the parts. Everyone matters! Big things always begin small. A big door swings on small hinges. Every big thing begins with a seed. While we are destined for a great thing in God, yet it always starts with a small beginning. Zachariah 4:10 suggests that we should not despise the day of the small beginning. But each one must do his or her part. Nothing becomes great overnight. It always begins small. When everyone takes the first step and continues with the next and then the next, momentum will gather. All of us matter to the church. What each one of us contributes today will determine what will become of us as a whole tomorrow. Let us be the fighting force of Christ!