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.