Numbers 6:1-27 - Devoted and Blessed

Numbers 6:1-27

The Law of the Nazirite

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.

5 ‘All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. 6 All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he shall not go near a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. 8 All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the LORD.

9 ‘And if anyone dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. 10 Then on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting; 11 and the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned in regard to the corpse; and he shall sanctify his head that same day. 12 He shall consecrate to the LORD the days of his separation, and bring a male lamb in its first year as a trespass offering; but the former days shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.

13 ‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 14 And he shall present his offering to the LORD: one male lamb in its first year without blemish as a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish as a sin offering, one ram without blemish as a peace offering, 15 a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their grain offering with their drink offerings.

16 ‘Then the priest shall bring them before the LORD and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering; 17 and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of a peace offering to the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall also offer its grain offering and its drink offering. 18 Then the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.

19 ‘And the priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them upon the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated hair, 20 and the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the LORD; they are holy for the priest, together with the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.’

21 “This is the law of the Nazirite who vows to the LORD the offering for his separation, and besides that, whatever else his hand is able to provide; according to the vow which he takes, so he must do according to the law of his separation.”

The Priestly Blessing

22 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:

24 “The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.“‘

27 “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Just as the people of God then, we too are consecrated in Christ to Him in devotion of heart and soul, in a life surrendered to live for the Lord.  We are also blessed by Him because His name is written on us (Isaiah 56:5, Acts 15:17, Revelation 2:17, 3:12) to identify us as His children.  Like the Nazirite who made vows to the LORD to be set apart (holy by definition) and devoted to love for God, we who repent and trust God’s word and work in Jesus Christ by receiving Him (John 1:12, 5:24) also devote our lives to die to self as we carry His cross of mortification of sin each day.  The vow we make is to receive Jesus and follow Him day by day in the direction of sanctification to be made more like Him (Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 3:18) and receive His blessings.  The Lord has blessed us to keep us in His hand from which it is impossible to remove us from as we are also sealed (Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 5:5) by Himself in us.  He has blessed us in Christ by shining His face of acceptance in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6) on us in this grace poured out on such undeserving sinners.  He has blessed us with peace (Romans 5:1) between us and Himself and shown us a glimpse of His glorious face until the day we stand before Him (Job 19:26-27, Revelation 22:4) to experience the ultimate and eternal blessing of His presence forevermore!  We are devoted to and blessed in and for Him. 

Numbers 5:11-31 - Jealousy and Adultery

Numbers 5:11-31

Concerning Unfaithful Wives

11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him, 13 and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and it is concealed that she has defiled herself, and there was no witness against her, nor was she caught— 14 if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, who has defiled herself; or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, although she has not defiled herself— 15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest. He shall bring the offering required for her, one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, an offering for remembering, for bringing iniquity to remembrance.

16 ‘And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD. 17 The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water. 18 Then the priest shall stand the woman before the LORD, uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering for remembering in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse. 19 And the priest shall put her under oath, and say to the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray to uncleanness while under your husband’s authority, be free from this bitter water that brings a curse. 20 But if you have gone astray while under your husband’s authority, and if you have defiled yourself and some man other than your husband has lain with you”— 21 then the priest shall put the woman under the oath of the curse, and he shall say to the woman—“the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the LORD makes your thigh rot and your belly swell; 22 and may this water that causes the curse go into your stomach, and make your belly swell and your thigh rot.”

‘Then the woman shall say, “Amen, so be it.”

23 ‘Then the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall scrape them off into the bitter water. 24 And he shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter her to become bitter. 25 Then the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman’s hand, shall wave the offering before the LORD, and bring it to the altar; 26 and the priest shall take a handful of the offering, as its memorial portion, burn it on the altar, and afterward make the woman drink the water. 27 When he has made her drink the water, then it shall be, if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her husband, that the water that brings a curse will enter her and become bitter, and her belly will swell, her thigh will rot, and the woman will become a curse among her people. 28 But if the woman has not defiled herself, and is clean, then she shall be free and may conceive children.

29 ‘This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, while under her husband’s authority, goes astray and defiles herself, 30 or when the spirit of jealousy comes upon a man, and he becomes jealous of his wife; then he shall stand the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute all this law upon her. 31 Then the man shall be free from iniquity, but that woman shall bear her guilt.’”

Laws concerning suspected and proven adultery are covered here.  Just the suspicion that a man’s wife was being unfaithful to their marriage covenant was not enough; proof had to be found before accountability and punishment could be given.  This seems strange to modern age ears because such immorality is seldom seen with the same accountability before God is a society that seeks self over the seriousness of the marriage vows.  In God’s theocracy this was taken very seriously and had rules to follow if a husband suspected an unproven extramarital affair between his wife and another man.  The feeling might have been true, but it had to be proven if it was well hidden.  Justice demanded more than a feeling, even if it was based on truth.  The husband therefore would bring the suspected wife to the priest with a jealousy offering.  The priest would put her under oath and make her drink a bitter mixture to let the LORD prove of disprove the accusation by whether she got sick or not after swearing her innocence and drinking the water while waving the jealousy offering in the presence of God and her.  If she was guilty, her belly would swell and if not she would still be able to have children in her validated innocence.  The husband had to do these procedures before the LORD to remain free from his own sin if he falsely accused her or if he looked the other way and ignored the sin.  This law of jealousy and adultery therefore was for the good of the marriage and not just to protect the husband.  The same could be said if the man was the adulterer even if it is not specifically stated here because adulterers of both husbands and wives are addressed (Leviticus 20:10) in other scriptures, along with other sexual perversions (Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26-27) of both man and woman.  Marriage is the divine covenant between one man and one woman only and forever, not to be defiled (Hebrews 13:4) with adultery or other relationships sought in any way different from God’s design (Genesis 1:27-28, Matthew 19:4, 6, 1 Corinthians 7:2-4) of man and woman in this sacred promised covenant of marriage between the two and no others before God.  Just as marriage is a picture of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32), so we in the Lord are not to join to any other false gods but remain committed in the New Covenant of His blood to Him and not any other to remain in spiritual faithfulness to Him. 

Numbers 5:1-10 - Sacrifice and Confession for Body and Soul

Numbers 5:1-10

Ceremonially Unclean Persons Isolated (Leviticus 15:1–33)

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, everyone who has a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse. 3 You shall put out both male and female; you shall put them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camps in the midst of which I dwell.” 4 And the children of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp; as the LORD spoke to Moses, so the children of Israel did.

Confession and Restitution (Leviticus 6:1–7)

5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Speak to the children of Israel: When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit in unfaithfulness against the LORD, and that person is guilty, 7 then he shall confess the sin which he has committed. He shall make restitution for his trespass in full, plus one-fifth of it, and give it to the one he has wronged. 8 But if the man has no relative to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for the wrong must go to the LORD for the priest, in addition to the ram of the atonement with which atonement is made for him. 9 Every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his. 10 And every man’s holy things shall be his; whatever any man gives the priest shall be his.’”

Here how to deal with uncleanliness of body and soul are addressed.  Those sick with contagious diseases like leprosy or other skin discharges were quarantined away from the congregation to not defile others.  Those caught and proven guilty of sins of the soul and body were expected to confess the sin and make restitution for the offense to the victim while simultaneously making an offering to the LORD to find absolution from the Almighty as well as the victim.  It even covered the eventuality of no relation to make restitution with, giving the right for wrong to the priests for the LORD instead for atonement.  Every holy offering given to the priests was to be theirs as well.  In the end, confession and atonement for sin was akin to maintaining the cleanliness of body and soul with appropriate confession with sacrifices and restitution made for each.  Do we do the same with others as Jesus told us in Matthew 5:23-24 to reconcile before offering anything to the Lord.

Numbers 4:21-49 - Levites and their Duties Count

Numbers 4:21-49

Duties of the Sons of Gershon

21 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 22 “Also take a census of the sons of Gershon, by their fathers’ house, by their families. 23 From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, all who enter to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting. 24 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and carrying: 25 They shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tabernacle of meeting with its covering, the covering of badger skins that is on it, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, 26 the screen for the door of the gate of the court, the hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and altar, and their cords, all the furnishings for their service and all that is made for these things: so shall they serve.

27 “Aaron and his sons shall assign all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, all their tasks and all their service. And you shall appoint to them all their tasks as their duty. 28 This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting. And their duties shall be under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

Duties of the Sons of Merari

29 ”As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families and by their fathers’ house. 30 From thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 31 And this is what they must carry as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, 32 and the pillars around the court with their sockets, pegs, and cords, with all their furnishings and all their service; and you shall assign to each man by name the items he must carry. 33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, as all their service for the tabernacle of meeting, under the authority of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

Census of the Levites

34 And Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers’ house, 35 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting; 36 and those who were numbered by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37 These were the ones who were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all who might serve in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

38 And those who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families and by their fathers’ house, 39 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting— 40 those who were numbered by their families, by their fathers’ house, were two thousand six hundred and thirty. 41 These are the ones who were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all who might serve in the tabernacle of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD.

42 Those of the families of the sons of Merari who were numbered, by their families, by their fathers’ house, 43 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tabernacle of meeting— 44 those who were numbered by their families were three thousand two hundred. 45 These are the ones who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

46 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers’ houses, 47 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who came to do the work of service and the work of bearing burdens in the tabernacle of meeting— 48 those who were numbered were eight thousand five hundred and eighty.

49 According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, each according to his service and according to his task; thus were they numbered by him, as the LORD commanded Moses.

The first and third sons of Levi, Gershon (meaning “exile”) and Merari (meaning “bitter”), also were assigned helper duties in the tabernacle.  Gershon’s children carried the curtains, coverings, screens, hangings, and other furnishings of the tabernacle when it was moved from place to place as the LORD led the people with the cloud by daylight.  Merari’s sons likewise carried the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, and the pillars around the court with their sockets, pegs, and cords, along with all their furnishings.  This allowed an orderly move from place to place as the children of Israel were led through the wild before entering the promised land after leaving the four hundred years of Egyptian bondage.  All of the Levites of the sons Kohath (meaning “assembly”), Gershon, and Merari were counted in a census by God’s word of direction by Moses and Aaron with help from the leaders of the congregation to show us they all mattered to God and that He knew and shows us that each one counted.  They were also identified by the assigned tasks in God’s house as recorded for posterity here, both to remind the people then of their callings and to give us the examples now of the callings of God and how each of us matters, everyone counts, to the Lord God.  We are precious in His sight and have work to do (Ephesians 2:10) as we have been called and chosen to serve and worship our Lord Jesus Christ and the Father in heaven above by the power and understanding of His Spirit living now in each of us as His temples and corporately as the house of God not made with stones but God’s mighty hands of grace.  We are the assembly once exiled and embittered by sin who have been released from bondage to worship Him who called us and gifted each one to serve, reminding us we all count and are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life for eternal remembrance. 

Numbers 4:1-20 - Warnings for Holy Service

Numbers 4:1-20

Duties of the Sons of Kohath

1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 2 “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ house, 3 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting.

4 “This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting, relating to the most holy things: 5 When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil and cover the ark of the Testimony with it. 6 Then they shall put on it a covering of badger skins, and spread over that a cloth entirely of blue; and they shall insert its poles.

7 “On the table of showbread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the pans, the bowls, and the pitchers for pouring; and the showbread shall be on it. 8 They shall spread over them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles. 9 And they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand of the light, with its lamps, its wick-trimmers, its trays, and all its oil vessels, with which they service it. 10 Then they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of badger skins, and put it on a carrying beam.

11 “Over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of badger skins; and they shall insert its poles. 12 Then they shall take all the utensils of service with which they minister in the sanctuary, put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of badger skins, and put them on a carrying beam. 13 Also they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 They shall put on it all its implements with which they minister there—the firepans, the forks, the shovels, the basins, and all the utensils of the altar—and they shall spread on it a covering of badger skins, and insert its poles. 15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them; but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.

“These are the things in the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

16 “The appointed duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the daily grain offering, the anointing oil, the oversight of all the tabernacle, of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”

17 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 18 “Do not cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; 19 but do this in regard to them, that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint each of them to his service and his task. 20 But they shall not go in to watch while the holy things are being covered, lest they die.”

There was a responsibility as well as a stern warning for the Sons of Kohath in their assigned ministry tasks which other Levites did not have given directly to them.  In all their duties they were strictly prohibited from touching the holy things dedicated to the LORD and from even watching them being covered from unholy eyes by anyone other than the priests given the authority to touch and look at them.  The penalty for disobedience was death.  The death was by God Himself.  This kept them in line and instilled great fear and reverential awe as later when the ark of the Covenant which was kept in the holiest place behind the veil under the mercy seat in the tabernacle was moved and touched when it appeared to be falling (2 Samuel 6:6-7) off a cart.  Only the priests of Aaron could handle the Ark (Numbers 4:4-5) to move it.  Even the Kohathites were prohibited from touching or gazing inside at the contents of the holy items stored as a reminder of God’s presence and work among the people.  There are various other responsibilities listed for the Aaronic priests and the Kohathites here that are no longer relevant since the traveling tabernacle and later permanent temple were done away with.  The church is the dwelling of the Lord as His temple, composed of individual stones of each believer in Christ in whom He also dwells.  We all serve the Lord now but are able to touch and see Him and His holiness of person and work since Jesus tore down the veil separating us (Luke 23:45, Hebrews 6:19-20, 9:3, 8, 10:19-20) from His face when Jesus died on the cross of our sin’s curse.  He has made a new and living way for all who are made His to enter into His presence (Romans 5:1-2, Ephesians 2:18, 3:11-12) as priests to serve and worship without dying when approaching Him now!  The warnings for holy service now are to live in conforming daily to be like Christ without fear but with reverent awe in sober living as we mortify our sins of body and soul.  We will not die, but live in Him and His righteousness. 

Numbers 3:14-51 - Numbered and Dedicated Levites

Numbers 3:14-51

Census of the Levites Commanded (Numbers 1:47–54)

14 Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying: 15 “Number the children of Levi by their fathers’ houses, by their families; you shall number every male from a month old and above.”

16 So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded. 17 These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei. 19 And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their fathers’ houses.

21 From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimites; these were the families of the Gershonites. 22 Those who were numbered, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above—of those who were numbered there were seven thousand five hundred. 23 The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward. 24 And the leader of the father’s house of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael. 25 The duties of the children of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting included the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, 26 the screen for the door of the court, the hangings of the court which are around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords, according to all the work relating to them.

27 From Kohath came the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites. 28 According to the number of all the males, from a month old and above, there were eight thousand six hundred keeping charge of the sanctuary. 29 The families of the children of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. 30 And the leader of the fathers’ house of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31 Their duty included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, the screen, and all the work relating to them.

32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the leaders of the Levites, with oversight of those who kept charge of the sanctuary.

33 From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari. 34 And those who were numbered, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above, were six thousand two hundred. 35 The leader of the fathers’ house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 And the appointed duty of the children of Merari included the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, its utensils, all the work relating to them, 37 and the pillars of the court all around, with their sockets, their pegs, and their cords.

38 Moreover those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of meeting, were Moses, Aaron, and his sons, keeping charge of the sanctuary, to meet the needs of the children of Israel; but the outsider who came near was to be put to death. 39 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, by their families, all the males from a month old and above, were twenty-two thousand.

Levites Dedicated Instead of the Firstborn

40 Then the LORD said to Moses: “Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and above, and take the number of their names. 41 And you shall take the Levites for Me—I am the LORD—instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel.” 42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel, as the LORD commanded him. 43 And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names from a month old and above, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three.

44 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine: I am the LORD. 46 And for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who are more than the number of the Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels for each one individually; you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, the shekel of twenty gerahs. 48 And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.”

49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those who were redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 And Moses gave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Here is the detailed account of the Levites, the servants of the priests of God’s house, and their dedication to the LORD.  They were presented to God as representatives of the firstborn of the people of God for their redemption by proxy as commanded by the word of the LORD to Moses with the price of their redemption and gave it to Aaron and the priests to intercede for the people.  These kept charge of the sanctuary to meet the needs of the children of Israel as helpers and were given in place of the firstborn to be dedicated and substitutes for the sins of the people of God in that sense.  The priests took the price of their substitution to be the redemption of the rest of Israel, a pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ who was the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18, 1 Corinthians 15:20-21, Revelation 1:5) who was sacrificed by Himself as our High Priest to atone for our sins as the penal substitute, the payment made by Himself in our place (1 Peter 2:24) 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Hebrews 9:28), for our sins that separated us from our Creator and Sovereign Lord from birth.  He has redeemed us at the ultimate price of His own life as the firstborn like the Levites and ministered our redemption (Ephesians 1:14, Colossians 1:14, Hebrews 9:12, 14) like the Aaronic priests.  We have been counted righteous in Christ and are now numbered in His Book of Life as devoted and dedicated to serve and worship Him.  It is finished! 

Numbers 3:1-13 - God’s Priests and their Helpers

Numbers 3:1-13

The Sons of Aaron (Leviticus 10:1–7)

1 Now these are the records of Aaron and Moses when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he consecrated to minister as priests. 4 Nadab and Abihu had died before the LORD when they offered profane fire before the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the presence of Aaron their father.

The Levites Serve in the Tabernacle

5 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. 7 And they shall attend to his needs and the needs of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of meeting, to do the work of the tabernacle. 8 Also they shall attend to all the furnishings of the tabernacle of meeting, and to the needs of the children of Israel, to do the work of the tabernacle. 9 And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are given entirely to him from among the children of Israel. 10 So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall attend to their priesthood; but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

11 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 12 “Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine, 13 because all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the LORD.”

The priests came from the sons of Aaron the brother of Moses who spoke for him before Pharaoh with the plagues on Egypt to let God’s people go out of bondage into glorious freedom to worship the LORD; the Levites from that tribe of Israel’s sons were appointed as helpers for the priests in regards to all things of the temple, similar to New Testament deacons.  These Levites served Aaron and his sons by attending to their needs as well as the congregation’s.  They also maintained the tabernacle’s furnishings and kept the lights of the candles burning night and day.  The dedication of these helpers allowed the firstborn of Israel to be excluded from being devoted to the LORD as all firstborn were commanded to be (Exodus 13:2) of both man and beast.  Not that the firstborn of people would be sacrificed as those of the animals, but that they would have been dedicated to the service of God as the Levites were.  This kept a smaller group of men as chosen to serve the priests, the tabernacle, and the congregation.  In Christ, by contrast, we all are priests to the Lord (Revelation 1:6, 5:10) and serve the temples of these individual bodies where God dwells as Spirit now (1 Corinthians 6:19) as well as the greater congregation (1 Peter 2:5) which is the body of Christ, the church of the living God.  We still have pastors and elders as under-shepherds loosely acting as priests over the household of God in local congregations and deacons somewhat as Levites who administer the house and its running along with the people, but it is now a different and more complete ministry to all in the local body and the universal church.  We see the pattern set in under the Old Covenant Testament made complete therefore in the new for God’s priests and their helpers in the church. 

Numbers 2:1-34 - Camping by Assigned Standards

Numbers 2:1-34

The Tribes and Leaders by Armies

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: 2 “Everyone of the children of Israel shall camp by his own standard, beside the emblems of his father’s house; they shall camp some distance from the tabernacle of meeting. 3 On the east side, toward the rising of the sun, those of the standard of the forces with Judah shall camp according to their armies; and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be the leader of the children of Judah.” 4 And his army was numbered at seventy-four thousand six hundred.

5 “Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Issachar, and Nethanel the son of Zuar shall be the leader of the children of Issachar.” 6 And his army was numbered at fifty-four thousand four hundred.

7 “Then comes the tribe of Zebulun, and Eliab the son of Helon shall be the leader of the children of Zebulun.” 8 And his army was numbered at fifty-seven thousand four hundred. 9 “All who were numbered according to their armies of the forces with Judah, one hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred—these shall break camp first.

10 “On the south side shall be the standard of the forces with Reuben according to their armies, and the leader of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur.” 11 And his army was numbered at forty-six thousand five hundred.

12 “Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Simeon, and the leader of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.” 13 And his army was numbered at fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

14 “Then comes the tribe of Gad, and the leader of the children of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel.” 15 And his army was numbered at forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty. 16 “All who were numbered according to their armies of the forces with Reuben, one hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty—they shall be the second to break camp.

17 “And the tabernacle of meeting shall move out with the camp of the Levites in the middle of the camps; as they camp, so they shall move out, everyone in his place, by their standards.

18 “On the west side shall be the standard of the forces with Ephraim according to their armies, and the leader of the children of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud.” 19 And his army was numbered at forty thousand five hundred.

20 “Next to him comes the tribe of Manasseh, and the leader of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.” 21 And his army was numbered at thirty-two thousand two hundred.

22 “Then comes the tribe of Benjamin, and the leader of the children of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni.” 23 And his army was numbered at thirty-five thousand four hundred. 24 “All who were numbered according to their armies of the forces with Ephraim, one hundred and eight thousand one hundred—they shall be the third to break camp.

25 “The standard of the forces with Dan shall be on the north side according to their armies, and the leader of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.” 26 And his army was numbered at sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

27 “Those who camp next to him shall be the tribe of Asher, and the leader of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran.” 28 And his army was numbered at forty-one thousand five hundred.

29 “Then comes the tribe of Naphtali, and the leader of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan.” 30 And his army was numbered at fifty-three thousand four hundred. 31 “All who were numbered of the forces with Dan, one hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred—they shall break camp last, with their standards.”

32 These are the ones who were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers’ houses. All who were numbered according to their armies of the forces were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty. 33 But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel, just as the LORD commanded Moses.

34 Thus the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses; so they camped by their standards and so they broke camp, each one by his family, according to their fathers’ houses.

The twelve tribes of Israel were told to setup camp by their standards (banners) in their assigned places as given to them by Moses who was doing as God directed him under His authority.  They were told that they would setup their camps near their own family banners  at a set distance from the tabernacle where the priest met with the LORD to hear Him and sacrifices were made for their sins.  They were numbered as they assembled into their respective areas as well, listed here to account for them all as we look back at how God had multiplied them in their wandering journey out of the bondage of Egypt that represents the enslavement of sin in idolatry and immorality.  Only the Levites as servants of the temple were not specifically numbered for an account of their fruitful growth.  These families then broke camp and reassembled when told to move on and to stop and stay in a place for as long as they were told, learning obedience to hear God’s voice and willingly obey the directions they were to be given.  Do we find peace in the places where the Lord puts us in life as we sojourn through the places where we are led?  Do we serve and multiply in fruitful labors to worship as loving sacrifices as we gather together in worship?  May we learn from the example of the children of Israel to be faithful and attentive listeners to God’s word and directions in our lives (Isaiah 30:21) as they were being (Hebrews 5:14) taught (John 6:45, Romans 8:14) and guided by the sovereign hand of Almighty God.  May we camp but our assigned banners according to our gifts and callings together. 

Numbers 1:1-54 - Numbering the People of God

Numbers 1:1-54

The First Census of Israel (cf. 2 Samuel 24:1–9; 1 Chronicles 21:1–6)

1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male individually, 3 from twenty years old and above—all who are able to go to war in Israel. You and Aaron shall number them by their armies. 4 And with you there shall be a man from every tribe, each one the head of his father’s house.

5 “These are the names of the men who shall stand with you: from Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur; 6 from Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; 7 from Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab; 8 from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar; 9 from Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon; 10 from the sons of Joseph: from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; from Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; 11 from Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni; 12 from Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; 13 from Asher, Pagiel the son of Ocran; 14 from Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel; 15 from Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.” 16 These were chosen from the congregation, leaders of their fathers’ tribes, heads of the divisions in Israel.

17 Then Moses and Aaron took these men who had been mentioned by name, 18 and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month; and they recited their ancestry by families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, each one individually. 19 As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.

20 Now the children of Reuben, Israel’s oldest son, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: 21 those who were numbered of the tribe of Reuben were forty-six thousand five hundred.

22 From the children of Simeon, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, of those who were numbered, according to the number of names, every male individually, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: 23 those who were numbered of the tribe of Simeon were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.

24 From the children of Gad, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: 25 those who were numbered of the tribe of Gad were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.

26 From the children of Judah, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: 27 those who were numbered of the tribe of Judah were seventy-four thousand six hundred.

28 From the children of Issachar, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: 29 those who were numbered of the tribe of Issachar were fifty-four thousand four hundred.

30 From the children of Zebulun, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: 31 those who were numbered of the tribe of Zebulun were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.

32 From the sons of Joseph, the children of Ephraim, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: 33 those who were numbered of the tribe of Ephraim were forty thousand five hundred.

34 From the children of Manasseh, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: 35 those who were numbered of the tribe of Manasseh were thirty-two thousand two hundred.

36 From the children of Benjamin, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: 37 those who were numbered of the tribe of Benjamin were thirty-five thousand four hundred.

38 From the children of Dan, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: 39 those who were numbered of the tribe of Dan were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.

40 From the children of Asher, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: 41 those who were numbered of the tribe of Asher were forty-one thousand five hundred.

42 From the children of Naphtali, their genealogies by their families, by their fathers’ house, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war: 43 those who were numbered of the tribe of Naphtali were fifty-three thousand four hundred.

44 These are the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, with the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each one representing his father’s house. 45 So all who were numbered of the children of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and above, all who were able to go to war in Israel— 46 all who were numbered were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.

47 But the Levites were not numbered among them by their fathers’ tribe; 48 for the LORD had spoken to Moses, saying: 49 “Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, nor take a census of them among the children of Israel; 50 but you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its furnishings, and over all things that belong to it; they shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they shall attend to it and camp around the tabernacle. 51 And when the tabernacle is to go forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall set it up. The outsider who comes near shall be put to death. 52 The children of Israel shall pitch their tents, everyone by his own camp, everyone by his own standard, according to their armies; 53 but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the Testimony, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony.”

54 Thus the children of Israel did; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they did.

The twelve tribes of Israel from Jacob’s sons multiplied in their wandering in the wilderness after leaving the bondage of Egypt and now were to be numbered at the command of the LORD.  They were counted by Moses at the command of the LORD to demonstrate the promise to Abraham of his descendants (Genesis 15:13, Exodus 12:40-41, Acts 7:6-7), God’s chosen nation, that they would indeed be fruitful and multiply.  The seventy people who went to Egypt (Genesis 46:27) with Joseph to avoid the famine were transformed into this mighty group of people to demonstrate that the LORD God keeps His promises to His children for the kingdom. We can therefore hold fast to the more certain promises in Christ of a better kingdom to come as He has numbered us in the Lamb’s Book of Life to be read out in the resurrection to come at the final judgment.  Our heavenly eternal census will include these twelve patriarchs and the twelve apostles (Ephesians 2:19-20, Revelation 21:12, 14) with our names counted in their number (Luke 10:20, Philippians 4:3, Hebrews 12:23, Revelation 20:12, 15) as well according to the promise we have in Christ Jesus our Lord!  This numbering of God’s people in the Sinai wilderness is the written assurance of our own numbering in heaven which we confidently and eagerly (Romans 8:23, 25, Hebrews 9:27-28) look forward to the promise of eternal life fulfilled at last and our heavenly country as our forever promised land.  Yes, this was the Numbering the People of God after the release from Egyptian bondage as a reminder of our hope of an eternal promised land to all written and numbered in the Lamb’s Book of Life.