And Jehovah said to Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And thy brethren also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring near with thee, that they may unite with thee, and minister unto thee; but thou and thy sons with thee [shall serve] before the tent of the testimony.
Korah's rebellion had raised a sharp question: who may come near to God, and in what role? God answers Aaron here by tying the Levites to him, while keeping the place before the tent for Aaron and his sons alone.
God settles two things at once:
In chapter 18 God gives instructions about Aaron's service and the service of the Levites. In this way He confirms Aaron in his priestly service. At the same time He draws a clear line between priesthood and Levite service. This makes clear that Levite service (contrary to Korah's idea) was under the priesthood... True Christian service is in view of, and for, Christ the high priest.
The same writer traces the rebellion to its root:
Korah and his followers were Levites, but they wanted the priesthood for themselves. This was a terrible mistake, and one that has been repeated in Christendom. There, people who should have been carrying out Levite service have interfered with the rights of Christ. They set themselves up as a special class of "priests," as mediators between believers and God.
The tribe's own name carries the word God uses here.
The Levites and their sanctuary service stand out here, joined to Aaron, the high priest. He represented God's people in His immediate presence. This is a beautiful picture of the way Christ bears His own up before God today, without a break, without ceasing. "Levi," meaning joined or united (Gen. 29:34), was divinely marked out for this (Num. 18:2, 4)... In Christ Jesus today the uniting of the saints is still more intimate, for they are "members of His body," He Himself being the glorified Head of that body.
Levite work took its whole character from the one it was attached to.
This stamped its distinct character on the whole range of Levite service. The whole tribe of workers were linked with the great high priest and subject to him. All was under his immediate control and guidance. So it must be now with all God's workers. All Christian service must be rendered in fellowship with our great High Priest, and in holy subjection to His authority. It is of no value otherwise. There may be a great deal of work done, a great deal of activity. But if Christ is not the immediate object before the heart, and if His guidance and authority are not fully owned, the work must go for nothing.
Being joined to one head has a second effect.
All the Levites were "joined to Aaron" in their work, and therefore they were joined to one another. So they had to work together. If a Levite had turned his back on his brothers, he would have turned his back on Aaron.
Yet being joined did not make the workers identical:
There was individual responsibility together with the most harmonious corporate action... We must not try to reduce everyone to a dead level, or cramp the varied energies of Christ's servants by confining them to certain old ruts of our own making.
The boundary between priest and Levite was real, and it ran both ways.
Each time the camp moved there was a reminder. The priest had a place and a service at the tabernacle which no mere Levite could ever reach... Yet the priests were not independent of Levite service. God's work could not be carried out properly without the Levites' service. How perfectly God balanced it all! The work could only be done efficiently and properly as each one filled their post and did their part.
Being brought near to Aaron gave the Levites both a dependence and a duty.
God now commands that the Levites be brought near and given to Aaron and his sons. They are to minister to him and keep charge of the vessels of the tabernacle. It is a weighty service, and for it they need to depend on the Priest... ministry belongs to those who worship, and its first and most urgent duty is to guard and care for the holy things they handle. The tabernacle vessels, as we know, set forth the truth of what Christ is in all His offices; and all ministry must watch over and preserve this.
- Joined by name — "Levi" means joined or united. The name itself marked the tribe out for service tied to the high priest.
- Joined under — God ranked Levite work under priestly work, not equal to it. Korah's error was reaching past the place God gave him.
- Joined to Christ — do all Christian service in fellowship with our great High Priest, in subjection to Him. Otherwise it goes for nothing.
- Joined together — those joined to one head are joined to each other. Turn your back on fellow workers and you turn your back on Him. Yet each still serves in his own way.
- Joined to guard — ministry belongs to worshippers. Its first duty is to guard the holy things, which show what Christ is.
And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of the whole tent only they shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar, that they may not die, and you as well as they.
God speaks to Aaron here and draws a line around His dwelling. The Levites may guard the tent, but they may not touch the sanctuary vessels or the altar — and the warning at that line falls on the priest too.
The charge given to Levi is protective. They stand between the camp and the holy things, while the priests go in to God:
The separation of the Levites to God for the work of the tabernacle is now declared. They are to be the bodyguard of the divine King. The priests go in to God to do their intercessory work on behalf of the people. In the same way, the Levites keep them from the wrath that would follow if a stranger intruded into the tabernacle of God. They carry its holy things through the desert on all their journeys. The Levites are the distinct type of ministry that goes from God to man, as priesthood goes from man to God.
Their work reached the tent and everything about it — but not the furniture inside, and not the altar. Commentators mark off two things that people still mix up:
Others of the tribe of Levi (called Levites) were to be linked with the priests to serve them (v.2). This service covered the day-to-day needs of the priests, but it had a limit: they must not approach the furniture of the tabernacle or the altar (v.3). So their service is clearly distinct from worship. Today too, we must keep worship and service clearly separate. All believers are both priests and servants, but we must be careful not to confuse the two roles.
Guarding is not a lesser job. Its weight comes from what the vessels stand for:
The Levites are now to be brought near and given to Aaron and his sons. They are to serve him and keep charge of the vessels of the tabernacle. It is a weighty service, and for it they need to depend on the Priest. Indeed, they are given wholly to the service of the priests. Ministry belongs to those who worship, and its first and most urgent duty is to guard and care for the holy things they handle. The tabernacle vessels, as we know, set forth the truth of what Christ is in all His offices; and all ministry must watch over and preserve this.
The death penalty does not fall on the Levite alone. The warning names the priest too:
There is another contrast between us and the Levites. They were joined to the priests and served them. They were not allowed to come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar. The penalty for crossing that line was death. It fell not only on the Levite who presumed, but also on the careless priest — "lest they, and you, die." In the church of God there is a distinction between priesthood and Levitical service, but not after the same pattern. In Israel the Levite was not a priest; in the church no one but a priest can be a true Levite.
Levi's whole tribe worked under Aaron. That sets the test for service today:
We all need to keep in mind that service must be done in subjection to priestly authority and guidance, if it is to be intelligent and acceptable… The whole tribe of workers was linked to the great high priest and under him. Everything was under his direct control and guidance. It must be the same now for all God's workers. All Christian service must be done in fellowship with our great High Priest, and in holy subjection to His authority. Otherwise it is of no value.
The same distinction carries into church life, and one writer shows how it got reversed:
Who are the Levites? Those who watch over the saints and care for the flock of God by teaching, by explaining the word, by pastoral work, by rebuke and correction, and by warning against the evil around them. United prayer, thanksgiving and worship are the privileges of all saints. Restricting these privileges — the real functions of the church, which cannot be taken from it — to the ministering servants of God gave rise to the "clergy," a separate class inside the church. That turns the order of Numbers 18 upside down. Then the Levites were joined to the priests to serve them. Now the ministers, that is, the Levites, are put ahead of the church, the priests.
- Charge given. The Levites guard God's dwelling like a bodyguard, while the priests go in to God.
- Charge limited. Their service stops at the vessels and the altar. That line divides service from worship.
- Charge weighty. What they guard sets forth Christ in all His offices. Guarding it is ministry's first duty.
- Charge shared. The penalty falls on both the Levite who presumes and the priest who fails to keep him back.
- Charge subject. All of it runs under the high priest. Work outside His authority and fellowship counts for nothing.
And they shall unite with thee, and keep the charge of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; and no stranger shall come near to you.
Numbers 18 comes after Israel had despised the priesthood and then panicked that they would all die near God's dwelling. Verse 4 answers that fear: the Levites are joined to Aaron for the work of the tent, and everyone else must keep back.
The key word in the verse is "join." The Levites did not serve on their own. Aaron gave their whole work its character.
The Levites were given as a gift to Aaron, to do the service of the tent of meeting. They were to serve under Aaron, the head of the priestly house... "And your brothers also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, bring with you, that they may be joined to you, and minister to you." This stamped its distinct character on the entire range of Levite service.
The same test applies to work done for God today.
The service of the saints has no value — on the contrary, it is sin — unless it is united to the priesthood. That is, united to Christ on high, who is in the presence of God for us. We ourselves share that nearness with Him, priests by grace. So we do everything in direct reference to Him in that heavenly character.
Every Levite belonged to the same man, so they belonged to each other. A Levite could not keep his link with Aaron and walk away from his fellow workers.
All the Levites were "joined to Aaron" in their work, and therefore they were joined to one another. So they had to work together. If a Levite had turned his back on his brothers, he would have turned his back on Aaron. We may imagine a Levite taking offence at something in the conduct of his fellows, and saying to himself, "I cannot get on with my brothers. I must walk alone. I can serve God and work under Aaron. But I must keep away from my brothers, because I cannot agree with them about the way of working." It is easy to see through the mistake in all this.
"All the service of the tent" was wide work, but it stopped at a line.
Also, others of the tribe of Levi (called Levites) were to be linked with the priests to serve them (v.2). This service covered the everyday needs of the priests, but it had a limit. They must not approach the furniture of the tabernacle or the altar (v.3). So their service is clearly different from worship. Today too, we must keep worship and service separate. All believers are both priests and servants. But we must be careful not to confuse the two roles.
The word "guard" raises a question: what were they protecting?
Ministry belongs to those who worship, and its first and most urgent duty is to guard and care for the holy things it has to do with. The tabernacle vessels, as we know, set out the truth of what Christ is in all His offices; and all ministry must watch over and preserve this.
The word "outsider" points to family line, not character.
An outsider, that is, one not of the tribe of Levi, was not to come near to them (v.4). Such coming near of course has to do with one's interfering in the service of the tabernacle. He must not dare to do such a thing.
The same writer sees two dangers today.
Today, all believers are priests. But an unbeliever who tries to take that place exposes himself to the judgment of God. And anyone who takes a place of importance above other believers is in effect taking the place of Christ. He must expect God's judgment too.
The restriction was not God keeping Israel at arm's length out of displeasure. It was the arrangement that kept them alive.
Here God answers the question the people of Israel raised: "Shall we all perish?" "No," says the God of all grace and mercy. And why not? Because "Aaron and his sons with him shall keep the charge of the sanctuary and the charge of the altar, that there be no wrath any more on the children of Israel." So the people learn where their security lies. It is in that very priesthood they had despised and spoken against.
- Joined — Aaron gave the Levites' whole service its character. Work not united to Christ on high has no value.
- Joined together — One head joined them to each other. Turn your back on fellow workers and you turn your back on the one you serve.
- Guarding — Their first duty was to guard the holy things, which show what Christ is in all His offices.
- Bounded — Service and worship stay distinct. The Levites served the priests but never approached the altar. And no one may take a place above other believers.
- Protected — The fence was mercy. The priesthood Israel had despised now stood between them and wrath.
And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar; that there come no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
Numbers 17 ended with Israel in terror at the tabernacle, asking whether they were all about to die. Chapter 18 is God's reply: a permanent guard over the sanctuary and the altar, set there so that wrath never falls on the nation again.
The verse is not first a rule for priests. It is comfort for a people who thought nearness to God would kill them.
Here we have a divine answer to the question raised by the children of Israel, "Shall we be consumed with dying?" "No," says the God of all grace and mercy. And why not? Because "Aaron and his sons with him shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar; that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel." So the people are taught that in that very priesthood which had been so despised and spoken against, they were to find their security.
The guard covers two places, and drawing near to them costs something.
With them rested the charge of the Sanctuary — God's dwelling — and of the altar — the place of intercession for the people. Those in this place of nearness to God — His priesthood — now have things to bear which others do not. Those others keep the more distant place and never take up its exercise, though all His people are priests. We see this among the people of God even now. Those who have never entered on their priestly place in practical power do not bear the reproach of Christ as those who have. Yet they still enjoy the result of that nearness in others, and share in the spiritual things given to those who are in the secret of the Lord.
Verse 5 speaks to the priests. The Levites who help them have a different place.
This shows their service to be completely distinct from worship. Today too, we must keep worship and service separate. While all believers are both priests and servants, yet we must be careful not to confuse the functions of one with the other.
The clause points beyond Aaron. Someone stronger carries the weight the priest carried.
Here there is One who is competent to carry His people through. Now, therefore, we see the "iniquity of the sanctuary" made to rest upon Him, "that there be no wrath upon the children of Israel." So He who died for us carries us on to full, final salvation, "in the power of an endless life." "He ever lives to make intercession for us."
Without that guard, the outcome would have been the one Israel feared.
Without the priestly service, the wrath of God would have consumed them all. Christ is again here in view, He who ever lives and intercedes for His own people; Jesus Christ the righteous, who is the propitiation for our sins. He bore the iniquity and the wrath Himself.
A few stood in the gap so that a nation could live.
The priests and Levites had to give proper attention to the duties of the sanctuary and of the altar, so that God's wrath would not fall on the children of Israel (v.5). They therefore acted as go-betweens on behalf of Israel. The priests were responsible to offer the proper sacrifices at the proper time, and the Levites gave the help needed to carry out every necessary duty. At the present time, all believers being priests, they have the honour of being intercessors for all mankind (1 Tim. 2:1).
Aaron's helpers all worked under him, and that sets the pattern for every worker since.
The whole tribe of workers was linked to the great high priest and under his authority. Everything stood under his direct control and guidance. It must be the same now for all God's workers. We must render all Christian service in fellowship with our great High Priest, and in holy subjection to His authority. It is of no value otherwise. There may be a great deal of work done, and a great deal of activity. But if Christ is not the direct object before the heart, and if His guidance and authority are not fully owned, the work counts for nothing.
- Fear — Israel cried out that nearness to God would kill them. Verse 5 is God's answer: the priesthood they had despised becomes their safety.
- Guard — The charge covers two things: the sanctuary, God's dwelling, and the altar, the place of intercession. Those who draw near bear weight that others, standing further off, never feel.
- Limits — Levites serve and priests worship. Believers are both, so they must keep the two roles clear.
- Wrath — The guard exists so wrath never falls again. The iniquity rests at last on Christ, who bore the wrath Himself and now lives to intercede.
- Now — Every believer is a priest, with the honour of interceding for others. That service counts only when we do it under our great High Priest.
And I, behold, I have taken your brethren, the Levites, from among the children of Israel; to you are they given as a gift for Jehovah to perform the service of the tent of meeting.
Here God gives a whole tribe away: He takes the Levites out of Israel and hands them to Aaron for the work of the tent of meeting. That raises the question every worker faces — whose are you, and under whose authority does your work count?
The Levites do not volunteer here. God says He has taken them. One writer explains whose place this tribe now fills.
The Levites were a separated people — God's special possession. They took the place of all the firstborn in Israel — the ones whom the blood of the lamb saved from the sword of the destroyer. As a picture, they were a dead and risen people, set apart to God, and God presented them as a gift to Aaron the high priest, to do the service of the tabernacle.
The word "gift" has a consequence. A person handed over as a present is no longer his own. One writer applies that to every believer.
If we look at the Levites this way, as a picture of all believers as servants, we learn that the Church is given to Christ for His service on the earth. We were given to Him for salvation, as every believer is; but we also have to remember that we are a gift to Him, completely at His disposal. So the only right attitude for us is that of Saul of Tarsus, who said, "Lord, what will You have me to do?"
God gives the Levites to Aaron, so their whole work leans on the priest. Take the priest away and nothing is left in it.
All the Levites, whatever kind of ministry they had, were given to Aaron and his sons. They were given completely to serve Aaron on behalf of the people of Israel. So the ministry of the tabernacle depended on Aaron's priesthood; apart from that it had no place and no point. The value of the outward service hung entirely on the inner worship. The tribe of Levi was joined to Aaron and served him, and had no other reason to exist… All real service flows from the Lord, and so it depends on Him in the sanctuary and points back to Him there.
This has a sharp practical edge. The test is not how much a worker does, but who is directing him.
They were to serve under Aaron, the head of the priestly house… All Christian service must be carried out in fellowship with our great High Priest, and in holy submission to His authority. Otherwise it has no value. A great deal of work may get done, there may be a great deal of activity; but if Christ is not the immediate object before the heart, and His guidance and authority are not fully acknowledged, the work counts for nothing.
The rule also works the other way round.
The smallest act of service, the lowliest work done under the eye of Christ and done with direct reference to Him, has its value in God's sight, and will certainly receive its due reward.
Writers carry the picture forward. One sees God still handing servants over as gifts, though what they supply has changed.
In a similar way God gives the Lord's servants today as gifts to the Church of God (Eph. 4:7-12), to serve God's people — not in practical, material matters, as the Levites did, but in their spiritual needs.
Another asks what all this service is finally for.
Does this not show that all true Levite service aims at supporting priestly service in the presence of God? This is the real goal of all true ministry: that worship to our God and Father and our Lord Jesus Christ may be the result.
- Taken. God takes the Levites out of Israel first. They are His special possession, and they stand in the place of the firstborn whom the blood of the lamb saved.
- Given. What God owns He hands over as a gift — so the servant is at Christ's absolute disposal, and asks only what He wants done.
- Joined. The gift goes to the priest. Levite work had no other reason to exist, and real service still depends on the Lord in the sanctuary.
- Tested. Activity proves nothing. Work outside His authority counts for nothing, while the smallest task done under His eye gets its reward.
- Aimed. Service is not the destination. It exists to support priestly nearness to God, so that worship is the outcome.
But thou and thy sons with thee shall attend to your priesthood for all that concerneth the altar, and for that which is inside the veil; and ye shall perform the service I give you your priesthood as a service of gift, and the stranger that cometh near shall be put to death.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.