Numbers 18:1-7 – Be diligently responsible in our God-given duties

In Numbers 17, the LORD’S choice of Aaron for the priesthood was confirmed and made obvious by the budding of his rod. The rod with his name on it not only budded but also blossomed and yielded almond fruits. When the congregation saw it, a sense of holy fear came over them. For the first time, they understood that it was a fearsome thing to fall into the hand of God. They realized that no one could presume on God. They probably came to realize their thinking that everyone had equal right to approach God’s presence was flawed. So in fear they exclaimed in Numbers 17:12-13 saying, “Behold, we are passing away, we are perishing, we are all perishing! Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, must die.” They even ask a rhetorical question, “Are we to perish completely?”

Here is an indication that they had realized that not everyone was called to the role that God had assigned to the priest. From whatever had happened, we are made to see the need of having a balanced perspective of God. We must know that while God is gracious and merciful, He is also at the same time a God of wrath. While He would deal with us graciously, we cannot afford to take Him for granted and be careless about holy living. We must not live life wantonly and expect God to overlook our sin.  

As a follow-up to what happened, God gave instructions on the assignments of the priest and Levites to allay the undue fear of the people. In Numbers 18:1-7, instruction was given to Aaron concerning him and his sons’ role as priests. They were responsible to approach the Lord to minister in the sanctuary before God on the people’s behalf. God also delineated the task of the Levites. They were assigned to assist Aaron and his sons in taking care of the Tabernacle. They were not to do the work of the priest and draw near to the sanctuary and touch any of the holy furnishings. They were called to assist the priest and must not think they could do the work that was assigned only to the priest. To violate God’s instructions concerning this would mean death not only for the Levites but also the priest. God gave the Levites to Aaron as a gift to assist in his ministry. He also reminded Aaron that the priesthood was also a gift from Him. It was not something he or his sons had earned.

However, from the passage, we can see that while the priesthood was a privilege it also came with responsibility. God would hold Aaron and the priesthood accountable for any violation of the sanctuary. Today in the ministry of the church, there is no specifically assigned priest because all of us have excess to the Father through the ministry of Christ, our great high priest. But here in the church, the full-time leaders are given the task to help people regarding their relationship with God. They are called not only to guard but also to guide the people into wholesome godly living.  

Here are three lessons from these seven verses for us in today’s church. Firstly, that it is God who assigns our ministry according to His gift to us. Hence, we must be diligent in our service, in whatever capacity He has assigned us. Secondly, we must faithfully discharge our duties. And it is wise for us not to meddle with any assignment that is not assigned to us so that chaos in the ministry can be avoided. Thirdly, when all of us do what have been assigned to us, there will be an adequate safeguard in the fellowship. The contribution of everyone goes to making the growth of the ministry to be balanced and unimpeded. So let us be responsible for whatever we need to do.