LIGHTS AND LEVITES
Opening Prayer
In my life Lord, be glorified today. I want to live in such a way that you are recognized as the great God you are.
Read NUMBERS 7:89–8:26
89 When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law. In this way the Lord spoke to him.
Setting Up the Lamps
8 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.’”
3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold—from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.
The Setting Apart of the Levites
5 The Lord said to Moses: 6 “Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. 7 To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. And so they will purify themselves. 8 Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering.[a] 9 Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. 10 You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. 11 Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.
12 “Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, using one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord. 14 In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.
15 “After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting. 16 They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. 17 Every firstborn male in Israel, whether human or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. 18 And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. 19 From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.”
20 Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them. 22 After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.
23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, 25 but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. 26 They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 8:8 Or purification offering; also in verse 12
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Rejoice that we have a God who speaks to us and whose word we can hear today.
Think Further
Throughout this passage we have the repeated note that everything was done as God had instructed Moses. The task of worship was committed to Aaron and other priests and Levites, but hearing and proclaiming God’s word was the task of Moses. We have a living God who speaks to his people and wants them to live according to his revealed word. There were in the tabernacle symbolic representations of the nature of God, like the lamps which were always burning, but the prime manifestation of God was when he spoke. That word was heard at the place where atonement was made for the people.
We have earlier (in chapters 3 and 4) seen the designation of the different tasks of the Levites. Now they are set apart for their ministry. They must be purified, both physically and with offerings for their sins. Their role as substitutes for the firstborn sons of Israel is symbolized by the hands of the people upon them. They are presented as an offering to God to be a living sacrifice1 – which under the new covenant can be applied to all God’s people who serve our Lord Jesus Christ, who is both our substitute and the temple in which we worship.2
Alongside the spiritual, ritualistic, and symbolic significance of the Levites, we also have the strictly practical. There is an appointed age range during which Levites are to be acting in ministry: 25–50, the prime years of a man’s life. Immaturity has passed and they are ready to take responsibility seriously. And then at 50, when strength is lessening and others are ready to carry the daily burden, they are to retire. But the difficulty of retiring is recognized in that they may still assist. Finish well!
Apply
Consider how you are a living sacrifice, day by day.
Closing prayer
Lord, I praise you for the body of Christ, the church. It is so amazing how you do extraordinary things through your church.
Last Updated on January 27, 2023 by kingstar
