Numbers 3:5–51

So the Levites were commanded to "keep the charge of Aaron" — this was the primary consideration — and to keep "the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle" (Num. 3:7). Christian service is for Christ, but it is carried out for the benefit of God's people and for the sake of the testimony for God.

The Levites are now to be brought near and given to Aaron and his sons, to serve him and to keep the charge of the vessels of the tabernacle. It is a weighty service, and for it they must depend on the Priest. 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, we know, set forth the truth of what Christ is in all His offices; and all ministry must watch over and preserve this.

The priest appointed each Levite's service. Self-will had no more room among the Levites than it had among the men of war. God settled it all, and this was a marked mercy to everyone whose heart was in a right condition. A man whose will was unbroken might feel it a hardship, a tiresome task, to have to stay in the same place and do exactly the same work… But where the will was subdued and the heart adjusted, each one would say, "My path is perfectly plain; I have only to obey."

It was no question at all of picking out those who might seem best for carrying the boards and the curtains, or the vessels of the sanctuary. God arranged it all, taking it completely out of man's hands: He chose suited men Himself.

It is just the same for Christians now. Their exclusive business — their one great work — their absorbing service, is Christ and His belongings… A true Levite of old could say, "To me to live is the tabernacle;" and a true Christian now can say, "To me to live is Christ." In everything that comes before the Christian, the great question is this: "Can I connect Christ with it?" If not, I have nothing whatsoever to do with it.

The Levites now, as then, are to minister to the priests, that is, the church. Who are the Levites? They are the ones who watch over the saints and care for the flock of God: they teach, explain the word, do pastoral work, rebuke, and warn against the evil around them. In Israel there were different orders of Levites, each with its own duties. In the same way, those who had to serve tables (Acts 6:1-4) were doing true Levitical service. All, whether teachers or simply caring for the wants of the poor, ministered to the saints of God. These servants are called by the Master, and they take up the service willingly, not under compulsion… The Lord distributes to each according to his ability.

If Aaron and his sons represent the Church as a holy priesthood offering up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, then the Levites picture the saints as set apart to God for His will and service… Some prize the privilege of being in God's presence as worshippers above everything else. Others count it the highest favour that they are allowed to serve. But the perfection of the Christian life lies in the combination of the two, as seen, for instance, in Elijah. "As the Lord of hosts lives," he says, "before whom I stand." He lived within, and so he was ready to serve without. The one who most enjoys his priestly privilege will be the best qualified for his Master's service.

As well as serving Aaron, the Levites attended to the needs of the whole congregation of Israel (v.7). Those needs centered on the tabernacle and its service. They had to care for all the furnishing of the tabernacle (v.8). Today the answer to this is the ministry God has provided for the Church of God. Are we concerned to minister what will be of real help and blessing to the people? Every believer should have such a concern.

So the Levites were commanded to "keep guard over" Aaron — this was the primary consideration — and to keep guard "over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle" (Num. 3:7). Christian service is for Christ, but we carry it out for the benefit of God's people and for the sake of the testimony for God.

God now commands that the Levites be brought near and given to Aaron and his sons, to serve him and to keep the charge of the vessels of the tabernacle. It is a weighty service, and for it they must depend on the Priest. 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. We know that the tabernacle vessels set forth the truth of what Christ is in all His offices, and all ministry must watch over and preserve this.

All who would be true Levites — proper workmen, intelligent servants — need to weigh this point with all seriousness. The priest's appointment regulated Levite service. Self-will had no more room in the service of the Levites than it had in the position of the men of war. God settled it all, and this was a clear mercy to everyone whose heart was in a right condition.

It was no question at all of picking out those who might seem best for carrying the boards and the curtains, or the vessels of the sanctuary. God arranged it all, taking it completely out of man's hands: He chose suited men Himself. Where is there any happiness except in simply carrying out the will of God?

Their service had to do only with the tabernacle and its belongings. They had nothing else to do. If a Levite had turned his hand to anything else, he would have denied his calling, abandoned the work God gave him, and defied God's commandments… A true Levite of old could say, "To me to live is the tabernacle." A true Christian today can say, "To me to live is Christ."

Verse 12 of Numbers 3 reveals the secret behind the special place of the Levites: God had chosen them "instead of all the firstborn". In Egypt, God had spared the firstborn of the Israelites on the basis of the blood of the Passover lamb. This was the price that redeemed the firstborn. So they belonged to God. A Levite would therefore regard himself as redeemed by God and so as God's possession.

Notice too, on the passage just quoted, that the Levites are first declared to be God's property. Only then are they "WHOLLY GIVEN TO AARON." So we read: "Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word" (John 17:6).

In Numbers 3 we have the Levites set apart, according to the thoughts of God, for service. They are a figure of the church, or rather of the members of the church in their service. The priests are the figure of Christians drawing near to the throne of God. Both are a shadow, not a perfect image.

The Levites were given as a gift to Aaron and to his sons, for service in the tent of meeting. Seen in this light, the Levites picture all believers as servants. So 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 must also remember that we are a gift to Him for His absolute disposal. Our only proper attitude, therefore, is that of Saul of Tarsus, who said, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"

They were separated "from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine." It is no light thing, then, to enter on the Lord's service... They were marked out for their work by the Lord Himself. So every true servant must be marked out by God, and so plainly that his call will be clear to God's people. They were wholly the Lord's. He claimed them completely, for they were His through redemption. In the same way now the servant must recognise that he is not his own, that he is wholly devoted to the Lord's will. He must never allow any other claim to come between him and the Lord. In their service they stood for the whole congregation.

The Levites are now told to be brought near, and to be 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. Indeed, they are wholly given to the service of the priests. Ministry belongs to those who worship. Its first and most urgent duty is to guard and care for the holy things they handle. The tabernacle vessels, as we know, set out the truth of what Christ is in all His offices. All ministry must watch over and preserve this.

What a place for the self-willed, fierce and cruel Levi! What a triumph of grace! What an illustration of the power of the blood of atonement and the water of purification! By nature and by practice they were far off from God. But the "blood" of atonement, the "water" of cleansing and the "razor" of self-judgment had done their blessed work. So the Levites were now fit to be presented as a gift to Aaron and to his sons, and to be joined with them in the holy services of the tent of meeting. In all this the Levites were a striking picture of God's people now... As men of war, we are called to fight; as priests, we are privileged to worship; but as Levites, we are responsible to serve.

As to the appointment of the earthly priest, "no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was." Here again there is an analogy to the priesthood of Christ. No one can truly take the place of priest, in any sense of the word, who is not called of God. The judgment that overtook Korah and those with him shows how serious it is to neglect this great truth. They sought to establish themselves in the priesthood without being called of God.

Aaron's family had a great privilege. It was forbidden — under penalty of death — for an outsider to take up the priest's office (see Numbers 3:10, 38). When king Uzziah presumed to claim this office and tried to burn incense, he was struck with leprosy. He remained a leper until the day of his death (see 2 Chronicles 26:18-21).

The ministry of the tabernacle depended at its root on the priesthood of Aaron; apart from that it had no place and no right to exist. The value and acceptance of the outward service hung entirely on the inner worship... All real service flows from the Lord, and so it depends on Him in the sanctuary and refers to Him there. Otherwise it becomes false — when its source becomes human, or its motives worldly.

Verse 9 insists again that the Levites were to be given to Aaron and his sons, reminding us that all true ministry is subject to the more important function of worship. Ministry done right will lead the hearers to worship the Lord. But if a man who was not a priest or Levite dared to come near, as though he had some place there, he would suffer the penalty of death (v. 10).

Jehovah took them in a very special way as the formal substitute for the firstborn of Israel, who were spared when the destroying angel struck Egypt. They were redeemed by blood, and counted in the fullest sense as belonging to Jehovah... So the Levites, tied in this way to mercy — the great distinguishing mercy that rescued Israel from the doom of Egypt — were all the better fitted to do the service of the sanctuary. Who can presume to undertake the service of God without knowing that God has accepted him on the ground of redemption? Salvation precedes ministry.

First, it is evident that worship is the privilege only of the children of God. Worship is offered "in spirit and truth," and it is offered to Him who cannot admit sin into His presence. So only those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb, and who have received the Spirit, can draw near to God to adore Him. If a man who is not converted thinks he can draw near to God, that only proves he does not know what he is in himself, or who the God is whom he means to serve.

Forgetful or ignorant of the truth that all true believers, and no others, are priests (1 Peter 2), they have devised a way of making priests — of filling their "holy" offices by a human ordination. And such, when appointed this way, claim for themselves the exclusive right of approach to God... God alone makes priests, and everyone who is washed with water (born again) is brought under the value of the one sacrifice of Christ... and is set apart by Him for this office.

The Lord spoke to Moses again (v.11). He insisted that He Himself had set the Levites apart from among the people of Israel to stand in place of every firstborn in Israel. God had declared the firstborn His from the time of the Passover in Egypt, when the firstborn of Egypt were killed. The blood sprinkled on the doorposts and crossbars of their homes had in effect redeemed them. It is good for us too to recognise that God's rights come first.

The Lord took them in a very special way as the formal substitute for the firstborn of Israel. Those firstborn were spared when the destroying angel visited Egypt. They were redeemed by blood, and counted without question as belonging to the Lord. In place of Israel's firstborn He accepted the Levites: "They shall be mine." So they stand as a lasting witness that the firstborn are the Lord's due, from people and animals alike. The grace of God had spared those whom they replaced at the time of judgment. So the Levites were identified with mercy — the great mercy that set Israel apart and rescued them from the doom of Egypt. That fitted them all the better for the service of the sanctuary. Who can presume to take up the service of God without knowing that God has accepted him on the ground of redemption? Salvation comes before ministry.

At the census, the firstborn in Israel outnumbered the Levites by 273. God claimed these 273 just as much as the 22,000 who each had a Levite as a substitute. So five shekels each had to be paid for them as redemption money. According to Exodus 13 the firstborn were to be redeemed at their birth. Our chapter stresses again the principle that redemption comes before the service of God.

The Levites were given to Aaron the high priest, and to him alone. The service of the church, or of its members, depends completely on Christ in the presence of God. It has no other object than what concerns Him. It is tied to the place and service He Himself renders to God in the true tabernacle, and it flows from that... The service of God's people has no value — in fact it is sin — except as it is joined to the priesthood. That is, joined to Christ on high, in the presence of God for us.

The Levites pictured the Church — or the individual Christian — in service, just as the priests pictured the Church in worship. Taking them for the service of the Lord in place of the firstborn gave them a very special character. They were firstfruits to the Lord. So it is that the Church is as the firstfruits, holy to the Lord — "the church of the firstborn ones."

The Levites were in a special way a redeemed company. So they are clearly typical of Christians, both in our redemption and in the claim God has on us for service as redeemed. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God" — redemption-mercies here — "to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

Verse 12 reveals the secret behind the special place of the Levites: God chose them "instead of all the firstborn." In Egypt, God had spared Israel's firstborn because of the blood of the Passover lamb. This was the price by which the firstborn had been redeemed. As a result they belonged to God. Now, this is the place God gave the Levites: He chose them instead of all the firstborn. A Levite would therefore regard himself as redeemed by God and so as God's possession.

In a very special way Jehovah took them as the formal substitute for the firstborn of Israel, the ones spared when the destroying angel struck Egypt. They were redeemed by blood, and counted beyond question as belonging to Jehovah... God's grace had spared the very ones they stood for when judgment fell. So the Levites were identified with mercy — the great mercy that set Israel apart and rescued it from the doom of Egypt. That fitted them all the better for the service of the sanctuary. Who can take up the service of God without knowing that God has accepted him on the ground of redemption? Salvation precedes ministry...

The service of the Levites flowed entirely from their being the Lord's. "The Levites shall be mine." For as it is written, "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20). It is blessed to say, "My beloved is mine," but it is greater progress and a deeper joy to say, "I am His."

The history of the firstborn was this: God had His tabernacle, with its many and varied services. Performing them took a huge number of men. This service belonged to the firstborn, but their places were taken by the tribe of Levi. Each Levite represented a firstborn man in Israel. The eldest sons who outnumbered that tribe were redeemed at five shekels of silver each (Numbers 3:46-48, and 8). So the Levites were in a special way a redeemed company. Clearly they are in this way a picture of Christians, both in our redemption and in the claim God has upon us for service as redeemed... Looked at this way, the firstborn has, so to speak, a double history from his redemption, and so have we. First he dies in his substitute; then he lives as a servant in the Levite.

The Levites were given as a gift to Aaron and to his sons, for service in the tent of meeting. Viewed in this way, the Levites picture all believers as servants. So we learn that God gives the Church to Christ for His service on the earth. We were given to Him for salvation, as every believer is. We must also remember that we are a gift to Him, for Him to use as He pleases. Our only proper attitude, therefore, is that of Saul of Tarsus, who said, "Lord, what will you have me to do?"

God in His grace has always had the firstborn before His mind. So as soon as He had sheltered His people from judgment in Egypt by the blood of the Passover lamb, He claimed all their firstborn, and the firstborn of their cattle too... Later God took the Levites instead of the firstborn and gave them to Aaron and his sons, to do the service of the people of Israel in the tent of meeting. In this way they stood for the firstborn of Israel. They were joined to Aaron, who was himself a firstborn. So they became a shadow, if not a type, of the church of the firstborn.

If we follow the history of the firstborn further, it is full of interest and instruction. The blood at the passover saved the firstborn of Israel. But those redeemed in this way were God's in a special and particular way. "Consecrate to me all the firstborn... is mine." So the firstborn was not only redeemed from death. He was bought for God — "you were bought with a price, so glorify God in your body."

The LORD took them in a very special way as the formal substitute for the firstborn of Israel. Those firstborn were spared when the destroying angel struck Egypt. They were redeemed by blood, and counted emphatically to belong to the LORD. In place of Israel's firstborn He accepted the Levites. "They shall be mine." So God made them the standing witness of the firstborn owed to Him from man as well as beast. The grace of God had exempted those they answered for in the time of judgment.

God had His tabernacle, with its many varied services. Performing them required a huge number of men. This service belonged to the firstborn, but the tribe of Levi took their places. Each Levite represented a firstborn man in Israel. Five shekels of silver redeemed each of the eldest children beyond that number.

Who can dare to take up the service of God without knowing that God has accepted him on the ground of redemption? Salvation comes before ministry. That is clear if we listen to God and take seriously the solemn warning of the Lord and His apostle.

The redemption money went to Aaron for the service of God. This showed that it met His claims on the redeemed. Let us never forget that as redeemed people we belong to God. On this fact rests the life of service to His name, to which we are committed.

The Levites were firstfruits offered to God, for they stood in place of the firstborn in whom God had taken Israel to Himself, when He struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians... The number of the firstborn being greater than that of the Levites, those left over were redeemed, as a sign that they belonged to God, and the Levites became God's possession for His service (verses 12, 13). It is the same with the church: it belongs wholly to God to serve Him down here.

The Levites were a separated people — God's special possession. They took the place of all the firstborn in Israel — those whom the blood of the lamb saved from the sword of the destroyer. In type they were a dead and risen people, set apart to God. God then presented them as a gift to Aaron the high priest, to do the service of the tabernacle.

God gave us to Christ for salvation, as He does every believer. We must also remember that we are a gift to Christ, for Him to use as He pleases. Our only right attitude, then, is that of Saul of Tarsus, who asked, "Lord, what will You have me to do?" How precious to remember that we are wholly the Lord's! As His, there is no room at all for self-will or for pleasing people.

Verse 12 of Numbers 3 unveils the secret behind the special place of the Levites: they had been chosen by God "instead of all the firstborn". In Egypt, God had spared the firstborn of the Israelites on the basis of the blood of the Passover lamb. This was the price by which the firstborn had been redeemed. As a result they belonged to God. Now, this is the place God gave the Levites: He chose them instead of all the firstborn. A Levite would therefore see himself as redeemed by God and so as God's possession.

Those whom He delivers He claims, and only in being His can deliverance be known. This is the joy of salvation, that we then belong to Him, and that He gains in us what He has been seeking.

Who can take up the service of God without knowing that God has accepted him on the ground of redemption? Salvation comes before ministry.

The Levites were then numbered separately from the other tribes of Israel. Yet not only the males twenty years old and above were numbered, but all males from one month old and over. For this was not for military service, but for service to God. They were not to serve in the sanctuary until they were thirty, and their service ended at fifty. Even so, they were plainly trained with that service in view. This reminds us that the Lord Jesus Himself did not begin His public service until He was about thirty years of age (Luke 3:23). His earlier years were an important preparation for it.

Here they are numbered — apart from Israel, but still numbered — from infants of days, marked out for service long before it could begin. (Compare Galatians 1:15.) Strength is given before service is claimed; but from their earliest days they are counted apart according to the grace and intentions of God.

They are numbered from a month old and upward, as the firstborn are, and for the same reason. If only men in their strength were to be redeemed or numbered, would it not look as if God took "pleasure in the legs of a man"? (Psalm 147:10.) But it is the soul He values, and the soul of an infant is precious in His sight: His "delight" is "in the sons of men."

It must have been beautiful to watch God's workers in the wilderness. Each one was at his post, and each moved in the sphere God had appointed him. So the moment the cloud was lifted up and the order came to move, every man knew what he had to do, and he gave himself to that and to nothing else. No man had any right to think for himself. The Lord thought for all.

So, as regards our service, we have these three principles. First, we are redeemed, delivered from the judgments under which the enemies of God lie, and taken out from among those enemies. Second, as a result of this first fact, we belong entirely to God. Bought with a price, we are no longer our own, but God's, to glorify Him in our bodies, which are His. Third, we are entirely given to Christ, who is the Head of the house of God, the Priest, for the service of His tabernacle.

Notice the difference between the numbering of the tribe of Levi and the other tribes. In the previous chapter the count took in those who were twenty years old and over. The count of the Levites took in "every male from a month old and upward." The difference is that the Levites stood in the place of the firstborn — and the firstborn were either redeemed or given up at that tender age of weakness and helplessness (18:16).

Jehovah took them in a very special way as the formal substitute for the firstborn of Israel, who were spared when the destroying angel visited Egypt. Blood had redeemed them, and they were counted as clearly belonging to Jehovah. Instead of Israel's firstborn He accepted the Levites. "They shall be mine." ... Who dares take up the service of God without knowing that God has accepted him on the ground of redemption? Salvation comes before ministry, if we listen to God and take seriously the solemn warning of the Lord and His apostle. (Matt. 7:22; 1 Cor. 9:27)

The count takes them from a month old and upward, as it takes the firstborn, and for the same reason. If God redeemed or counted only men in their strength, would it not look as if He took "pleasure in the legs of a man"? (Ps. 147:10.) But it is the soul He values, and the soul of an infant is precious in His sight: His "delight" is "in the sons of men."

Here the count includes them (apart from Israel, but still counted) from babies whose age is still measured in days. God marks them out for service long before that service can begin. (Compare Gal. 1:15) He gives strength before He claims service. Yet from their earliest days He counts them as a people apart, according to His own grace and purpose.

With the Levites, an exception was made. Everyone was counted, almost from birth (from a month old – Num. 3:15). Does this detail not show that God takes notice of everyone He intends to use in His service, even from the earliest age? Paul tells us that God had 'separated him', and not only from the time of his conversion but 'from his mother's womb' (compare Jer. 1:5).

This count was not for military service, but for the service of God. The Levites did not take up sanctuary service until they were between 30 and 50, yet clearly they were trained with that service in view. This reminds us that the Lord Jesus Himself did not begin His public service until He was about 30 years old (Lk. 3:23). His earlier years were an important preparation for it.

The Levites were arranged by their families, and each one's service was clearly assigned. The servant always has his own particular service from God, to be carried out under responsibility to the Lord. He is never left to choose his service for himself.

Nothing is more important in practice than that each servant of God should know the work He has given him to do, and should stick to it once he knows it. It also matters never to interfere with another's service. The Lord is sovereign in this: He divides the work according to His own will.

In Numbers 3 we get the details of God's order for the tribe of Levi. God took this tribe for the service of His house, working under the priests, in place of all the firstborn from every tribe, whom He had claimed for Himself. Levi had three sons, Gershon, Kohath and Merari, and each of them became the head of a section of the tribe. God gave each section its own special service at the tabernacle, and each pitched its tents in a set position around the tabernacle. They decided nothing for themselves.

God counted the Levites separately from the other tribes, because they had no land of their own as an inheritance. They were also not called to go to war, but to serve the Lord. So their census did not start with men of twenty years old, but with boys one month old. Training in the things of God is to start almost from birth, while training for physical war needs the strength of a grown man.

They are counted from a month old and up, just as the firstborn are, and for the same reason. Suppose God redeemed or counted only men in their strength. Would it not look as if He took "pleasure in the legs of a man"? But it is the soul He values, and the soul of an infant is precious in His sight: His "delight" is "in the sons of men."

Now we come to their special numbering, which marks out the place given to each family. Here they are counted — apart from Israel, but still counted — from infants only days old, marked out for service long before that service could begin. God gives strength before He asks for service. But from their earliest days He sets them apart, according to His own grace and purpose.

So not every Levite had the same area of work — and none of them could choose his own service. If you were born a Merarite, you could not take care of the vessels of the sanctuary; that charge belonged to the Kohathites. It is the same with Christian service: God gives different types of service to different believers.

Each man had his own specific work. There could be no misunderstanding about it. How strange it would have been if these 22,000 Levites had formed committees and sub-committees to divide up the work and direct it! All that would have brought in disorder. All they had to do was the work the Lord had called them into. They had all the instructions already. Obeying them, and carrying the work out faithfully, were the essential things.

When they took the census, the firstborn in Israel outnumbered the Levites by 273. God claimed these 273 just as much as the 22,000 who each had a Levite standing in for them, so five shekels each had to be paid for them as redemption money. In this chapter we again see the principle that redemption comes first, before the service of God.

Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari (Num. 3:17). Their families and descendants formed three different groups, each with different tasks. The Gershonites looked after the tabernacle, the tent and the coverings (v. 25). God entrusted the instruments of the sanctuary to the Kohathites (v. 32). The Merarites took care of the boards, the bars, the pillars and sockets of the tabernacle (v. 37).

The Levites were firstfruits offered to God. They stood in place of the firstborn, in whom God had taken Israel to Himself when He struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians.

In Egypt, God had spared the firstborn of the Israelites on the basis of the blood of the Passover lamb. This was the price by which the firstborn had been redeemed. So they belonged to God. Now, this is the place God gave the Levites: He chose them instead of all the firstborn. A Levite would therefore see himself as redeemed by God, and so as God's possession.

This is what makes the saint "a stranger" in the world — which is what the name Gershon means. If we walk showing the character of the Lord Jesus, and so realise that our place is the wilderness, we can be sure of the result. It will plainly mark us out as strangers in the world.

"Kohath," all are agreed, means "assembly." He does indeed have the ark in his charge, the centre of gathering. God reveals Himself to us in Christ, and as the fruit of His work. So to lift up Christ is to draw people to Him, just as He promised.

So Merari's service has to do with the house of God... with supporting, strengthening and steadying what is His witness in the world. He stands for the workman, as Gershon stands for the "stranger" and pilgrim, and Kohath for the one occupied with Christ. His name — Merari, "bitterness" — speaks of how painful this service is, and self-love will break down under it.

Although the whole tribe of Levi stood "joined with Aaron," for service they fell into different classes. "They did not all have the same office"... Paying careful attention to this important point would save us from much of that "unwise" comparing of ourselves and our service with other people and their service. Such comparing is most unholy, and as a result most unhealthy.

So not every Levite had the same area of work – and none of them could choose his own service. If you were born a Merarite, you could not look after the vessels of the sanctuary, which God had entrusted to the Kohathites. So it is with Christian service: God gives different types of service to different believers.

God puts the families of the tribe into their different places. He is sovereign in appointing them, so of course everything stands in its place, perfectly ordered — Kohath with his precious vessels, Gershon with his fine linen, Merari with his boards and pillars. Service is a gift, and so the gift is what appoints a man to his service, since the Giver can make no mistake.

Here they are counted — apart from Israel, but still counted — from infants only days old, marked out for service long before it could begin. (Compare Gal. 1:15) God gives strength before He asks for service; but from their earliest days He sets them apart, according to His grace and His purposes.

It was not at all a question of picking out the men who seemed best suited to carry the boards and the curtains, or the vessels of the sanctuary. God arranged it all, taking it completely out of man's hands: He chose suited men Himself.

So not every Levite had the same area of work – and none of them could choose his own service. If you were born a Merarite, you could not take care of the vessels of the sanctuary; God entrusted those to the Kohathites. So it is with Christian service: God gives different types of service to different believers.

"Gershon" means "exile." His two sons are Libni, "white," and Shimei, "my report" — names that are not hard to join into one meaning. A true exile is someone who feels his exile from the home of his heart, even if it lasts only a while. Out of that spirit of being a stranger comes power for purity and freedom from defilement. And the last name may well speak of what has the greatest value for him here: the "report" of things he cannot yet see.

There was little to attract anyone in the rams' skins and badgers' skins. But little as there was, it was the Gershonite's high privilege to take them all up and carry them gladly on his shoulders across the trackless sands. So what are we to understand by the covering of the tabernacle? I believe that, in a word, it pictured the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the part that met the eye.

This is what makes the believer "a stranger" in the world — which is what the name Gershon means. If we walk showing the character of the Lord Jesus, and in doing so know our place is in the wilderness, we can be sure it will give our character a very clear mark of the stranger in this world.

The boards and sockets were no use without the curtains, and the curtains were no use without the boards and sockets. And the pins looked so small — yet who could measure how much they did to hold things together and keep the visible unity of the whole? So everything worked to one common end, and each man reached that end by attending to his own special line.

Kohath (which means assembly), with the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites and Uzzielites, numbered 8,600 people. Their place was on the south side, and they had charge of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the screen, and all the service that went with them.

The things the Kohathites carried are all pictures of the objective truths of Christianity — not the subjective ones, as we have seen in Gershon. For all this furniture speaks of Christ and His perfect work. So Kohath stands for the ministry of the glory of the Lord Jesus, set out in unique excellence, far above and apart from any human understanding or appreciation of it. It is absolute, living and real. John's Gospel presents this beautifully, and so does Hebrews 1.

Kohath's first son is Amram, "people of the Exalted One." It is a beautiful name, if we link it with that gathering to Christ which Kohath's own name seems to speak of. The next is Izhar, "oil," the undoubted type of the Spirit as the Anointer. Then we have Hebron, "union," as some put it, or "communion," as we have taken it elsewhere. Either way, it is the effect of the Spirit's work. Last comes Uzziel, "the power of God," the father of Elizaphan. Plainly these names run together in the most natural way, and they harmonize in a blessed picture of what Kohathite ministry produces.

They are counted from one month old and upward, just as the firstborn are, and for the same reason. If God redeemed or counted only strong men, would it not look as if He took "pleasure in the legs of a man"? But it is the soul He values, and the soul of an infant is precious in His sight: His "delight" is "in the sons of men."

The sons of Kohath had the privilege of carrying all that was most precious among the instruments and furniture of the sanctuary. So they received no part of the princes' offering. It was their high and holy service to carry these things on their own shoulders, and not to use wagons or oxen. The more closely we look at the things put in the charge of the Kohathites, the more we shall see that they set forth, in type, the deeper and fuller ways God has shown Himself in Christ.

Korah was the son of Izhar, a son of Kohath. With Dathan and Abiram he led the rebellion against Moses and Aaron, saying that they took too much on themselves, when all the people were holy.

How much better it would have been for Korah if he had stayed content with his Levite service, which was of the very highest order. His work as a Kohathite was to carry some of the most precious vessels of the sanctuary, but he aimed at the priesthood, and fell into the pit.

In Egypt, God had spared the firstborn of the Israelites on the basis of the blood of the Passover lamb. This was the price by which the firstborn had been redeemed. So they belonged to God. Now this is the place God gave the Levites: He chose them instead of all the firstborn. A Levite would therefore regard himself as redeemed by God and so as God's possession.

The last of Levi's three sons is Merari, "bitter," with his two sons, Mahli, "sick," and Mushi, "yielding." These are the strangest names of all for sons of Levi. These families have charge of the boards of the tabernacle and its bars, its pillars and sockets, and those of the court and the pegs and cords. Here it is clear that Merari is taken up not so much with Christ Himself as with the people of the Lord... His work is mainly what we may call church work. And who has ever done this work without finding the bitterness that Merari's name expresses?

The Gershonites looked after the tabernacle, the tent and the coverings (v. 25). The Kohathites were trusted with the vessels of the sanctuary (v. 32). The Merarites had the care of the boards, the bars, the pillars and sockets of the tabernacle (v. 37).

Merari had charge with his sons of the boards, the sockets, pins and cords. These held the building together... In the framework of the tabernacle, bars of acacia wood join the boards. This is a picture of the building Ephesians speaks of, "the whole structure, being joined together" — the church. The work of Merari suggests the thought of union.

Merari, with the Mahlite and Mushite families, numbered 6,200, and their place was on the north side, opposite Dan... Each had his specific work given, and there could be no misunderstanding about it. How strange it would have been if these 22,000 Levites had formed committees and sub-committees to divide the work and direct it! ... God had given all the instructions. Obeying them and doing the work faithfully were the essential things. The same is true in connection with the church. Every member in the body of Christ has a service to render. The Lord Himself puts each member in place, and He gives each one his service. He did the same for these sons of Levi and their families, giving them their specific work in and around the tabernacle.

His name — Merari, "bitterness" — speaks of how painful such service is. Self-love breaks down under it, or runs off into some odd path that is easier on flesh and blood... Who cares for these boards and bars, and pillars and pins and cords? Who thinks of God's plan and pattern, and all the small details of divine appointment? Who wants work of this menial kind, costing so much and bringing in so little? ... It calls only for steady accuracy and careful obedience.

Putting one "pin" in its true place may mean giving up your own will to God. It means willingly taking up what is little, and not counting it little. It means listening carefully to God's words, which is sweeter to Him than much that people think a costlier sacrifice. Service about God's house must own Him as Master, and that He may have things to His taste, not we to ours.

Here they are counted — apart from Israel, but still counted — from babies only days old. They are marked out for service long before that service could begin. God gives strength before He claims service. But from their earliest days He sets them apart according to His grace and His intentions.

The count runs from a month old and upward, as it does for the firstborn, and for the same reason. If God redeemed or counted only men in their strength, would it not look as if He took "pleasure in the legs of a man"? (Ps. 147:10.) But it is the soul He values, and the soul of an infant is precious in His sight.

"Gershon" means "exile"; his two sons are Libni, "white," and Shimei, "my report": these names are not hard to join into one meaning. A true exile is someone who feels his exile, even if it lasts only a while, from the home of his heart. Out of that spirit of being a stranger comes power for purity and freedom from defilement. The last name may point to what has the fullest value for him in this case: the "report" of things not now seen.

Here was Gershon's work, to carry through the waste and howling wilderness the tabernacle and its coverings. There was little that was attractive about the rams' skins and badgers' skins. Yet it was still the high privilege of the Gershonite to take them all up. He was glad to carry them on his shoulders across the trackless sands. What, then, are we to understand by the covering of the tabernacle? I believe it pictured the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was what would meet the eye.

The Gershonites were responsible for the coverings of the tabernacle, the hangings for the entrance of the tabernacle, all the hangings of the court, its entrance hangings and cords, and so on. These all speak of the practical moral character of the Lord Jesus or of His saints. Gershon would therefore stand for the ministry that insists on the moral perfection of the Lord Jesus. It also insists on the practical righteousness that should mark all believers, as a witness to our faith in the perfect one.

This is what makes the believer "a stranger" (as the name Gershon means) in the world. Suppose we walk in the display of the character of the Lord Jesus. Suppose that, in doing so, we realise that our place is in the wilderness. Then we may be sure it will give our character in the world the clear tone of a stranger. The curtain pictured another feature of the stranger character: looking ahead. This was most blessed. God dwelling in curtains made it clear that neither He nor the ark of His strength had found a resting place. Both were still travelling on towards "a rest that remained."

So not every Levite had the same sphere of activity – and none of them could choose his own service. If you were born a Merarite, you could not look after the vessels of the sanctuary. Those were the Kohathites' charge. So it is with Christian service: God gives different types of service to different believers.

In standing, the whole tribe of Levi was "joined with Aaron." In service, they fell into different classes. "All had not the same office." I know of nothing in the walk and service of the Christian that demands more attention than this. Proper attention to it would save us from much of that "unwise" comparing of ourselves and our service with other people and their services.

There were three principal houses — Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. They, with their sons, each have a line of service given into their hands in Numbers 4... In practice, nothing is more important than this: each servant of God should know the work He has given him to do. And once he knows it, he should stick to it. It also matters greatly never to interfere with another's service. The Lord is sovereign in this. He divides according to His own will.

In the first part of this section God puts the families of the tribe into their different places. He is sovereign in appointing them. So everything is of course in its place and perfectly ordered — Kohath with his precious vessels, Gershon with his fine linen, Merari with his boards and pillars. Service is gift, and therefore gift is the appointment to service, since the Giver can make no mistake.

It should be noted that Merari's camping north of the tabernacle is significant. Kohath camps to the south, Gershon to the west, while Moses, Aaron, and his sons camp toward the east. So they fill Judah's place in the inner circle.

Gershon (exile) with his sons, Libni and Shimei, were 7,500 souls. Their place was on the west side of the tabernacle, opposite Ephraim... They had charge of the tabernacle, the tent, the coverings and the hangings of the door of the tabernacle.

God has His people numbered and gathered around Himself. He dwelt in the camp — "in the midst of which I dwell." Could love do more? Impossible! The twelve tribes guarded the tabernacle of the Lord. The Levites camped right around the court. Moses, Aaron, and the priests guarded the entrance through which people came to God... But what gave the camp in the wilderness its unity, strength, and glory was the presence of God in His tabernacle, at the centre of His chosen people.

First, his name — "exile" — speaks plainly of separation from the place he belongs to. For us that place is heaven. Gershon belongs by birth to Canaan, and his life afterward in Egypt fits his name. Is this not to be our character too — "strangers," because we belong to heaven, "partakers of the heavenly calling"?

Notice too that the curtains, coverings, and hangings that Gershon handles are in fact all lines of separation. They define the tabernacle itself, or they mark off the court and separate it from the wilderness around. So they speak easily and naturally of the boundary lines of God's special enclosure — which is what the Church is in the world.

If we walk showing the character of the Lord Jesus, and in doing so realise that our place is in the wilderness, we can be sure of the result. It will mark us out clearly as strangers in the world... The Church has laid down the rams' skins and badgers' skins, and with them the Gershonite character. In other words, the Church has stopped walking in the footsteps of her rejected Lord and Master. So she is no longer the weary, worn stranger she should be, walking the dry and barren desert with the burden on her shoulders. She has settled down in the green places of the world and made herself at home.

It was not at all a matter of picking out those who might seem best for carrying the boards and the curtains, or the vessels of the sanctuary. God arranged it all, taking it completely out of man's hands: He chose suitable men Himself. Where is there any happiness except in simply doing the will of God? Nothing else is so sweet.

His prince is Eliasaph, "God has added" — a name we met before in the leader of the tribe of Gad, and close in meaning to Joseph. "Increase" fits the practical line of Gershon's work. The reminder that increase comes from God is a good one for those on this path. They may be in danger of self-occupation, and that always means self-confidence. He is the son of Lael, "of God," or "belonging to God." The name seems to well up out of the deep joy of a soul that has found here the secret of its strength and progress.

Here the principle of election was displayed. Gershon was the eldest son of Levi, so his descendants might have expected the task of carrying the sacred vessels on their shoulders. Instead God gave that work to the descendants of Kohath, Levi's second son. How often we see in Scripture that blessing and privilege do not run in the order of nature.

Here was Gershon's work: to carry the tabernacle and its coverings through the barren, howling wilderness. This was true Levite service, and most blessed service. There was little that was attractive in the rams' skins and the badgers' skins. Yet it was the high privilege of the Gershonite to take them all up and carry them cheerfully on his shoulders across the trackless sands. What, then, are we to understand by the covering of the tabernacle? I believe, in a word, it pictured the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the part the eye would see.

This is what makes the believer a stranger in the world — and "stranger" is what the name Gershon means. Suppose we walk in the character of the Lord Jesus and, in doing so, realise that our place is the wilderness. Then we may be sure it will give us the clear mark of a stranger in the world… The Church has laid down the rams' skins and badgers' skins, and with them the Gershonite character. She has stopped walking in the footsteps of her rejected Lord and Master. She should be the tired and worn stranger, treading the dry and barren desert with the burden on her shoulders. Instead she has settled down in the green places of the world and made herself at home.

Gershon had nothing to do with the boards and the pins, and Merari had nothing to do with the curtains or the coverings. Yet they were closely connected and depended on each other. The boards and sockets would not do without the curtains, and the curtains would not do without them… Suppose a Gershonite took it into his head to leave the curtains and turn to the pins. He would leave his own work undone and interfere with the work of the Merarite. That would never do.

God appointed the duties of the Levites as it pleased Him. So each Levitical family could set to work, and no one was to interfere with them. They were responsible to God, and from Him they had received authority for their service. Here the principle of election showed itself. Gershon was the eldest son of Levi. His descendants might have expected to be chosen to carry the sacred vessels on their shoulders. But God entrusted that work to the descendants of Kohath, Levi's second son. How often we see in Scripture that blessing and privilege do not run in the order of nature.

These curtains are made of goats' hair or fine twined linen. The coverings are rams' skins and badgers' skins. From Revelation 19:8 we are clear that the "fine linen" is "righteousness" — practical righteousness. The curtains that form the tabernacle itself represent this righteousness in Christ. In His flesh the divine Word "tabernacled," as John 1:14 puts it. The hangings for the court represent the righteousness of saints, shown outside the sanctuary in the world. The hangings for the "door" and "gate" again represent Christ, the only way of access.

The curtains, coverings, and hangings that Gershon has to do with are in fact all lines of separation. They define the tabernacle itself, or mark off and separate the court from the wilderness around. They speak, then, easily and naturally, of the boundary lines of God's special enclosure — which the Church is in the world.

Here was Gershon's work: to carry the tabernacle and its coverings through the waste and howling wilderness. There could be little attractiveness in the rams' skins and badgers' skins. Yet even so, it was the high privilege of the Gershonite to take them all up and carry them cheerfully on his shoulders across the trackless sands. What, then, are we to understand by the covering of the tabernacle? I believe, in a word, it pictured the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was what would meet the eye.

Gershon and his sons had charge of the coverings and the fine linen. Gershon means exile, a stranger. His service shows us that we are separated ones and strangers in the world. This separation must show itself in practical righteousness.

The Church has laid down the rams' skins and badgers' skins, and with them the Gershonite character. In other words, the Church has stopped walking in the footsteps of her rejected Lord and Master. She should be a tired and worn stranger, crossing the parched and barren desert with the burden on her shoulders. Instead she has settled down in the green places of the world and made herself at home. But there was another feature of the stranger character pictured in the curtain — anticipation. God dwelling in curtains showed plainly that neither God nor the ark of His strength had found a resting-place. They were journeying on toward "a rest that remained."

Gershon had nothing to do with the boards and pins, and Merari had nothing to do with the curtains or the coverings. Yet the two depended on each other. "The boards and sockets" would not do without "the curtains," and the curtains would not do without the boards and sockets. Suppose a Gershonite had decided to abandon "the curtains" and turn his hand to "the pins." He would have left his own work undone and interfered with the work of the Merarite.

Seen in this light, it would be a matter of complete indifference whether a man had to carry a pin, a curtain, or a golden lampstand. The great question for each and for all was simply, "Is this my work? Is this what the Lord has given me to do?"

Nothing is more important in practice than this: every servant of God should know the work He has given him to do, and once he knows it he should stick to it. It also matters greatly never to interfere with another's service. The Lord is sovereign in this. He divides according to His own will.

To someone whose will was unbroken, it might seem a hardship and a very tiresome task to have to keep the same position, or to do exactly the same line of work. Such a person might long for something fresh — some variety in his work. But where the will was subdued and the heart adjusted, each one would say, "My path is perfectly plain; I have only to obey."

Revelation 19:8 makes it clear that the "fine linen" is "righteousness" — practical righteousness. The curtains that make up the tabernacle itself represent this righteousness in Christ. In His flesh the divine Word "tabernacled," as John 1:14 puts it. The hangings for the court represent the righteousness of saints, shown outside the sanctuary in the world.

Gershon would therefore stand for the ministry that insists on the moral perfection of the Lord Jesus. It also insists on the practical righteousness that should mark all believers, as a witness to our faith in the perfect One.

Notice that the curtains, coverings and hangings Gershon deals with are all lines of separation. They define the tabernacle itself, or they mark the court off from the wilderness around it. So they speak, easily and without strain, of the boundary lines of God's special enclosure — and the Church is such an enclosure in the world.

Gershon's separation is not imaginary. It is not a line drawn in the air. Practical righteousness keeps it up, as these linen hangings suggest. How much depends on it! If God cannot walk with the world, then my walking with Him needs one thing first: separation from it.

Here, then, was the entrance to the court. There was only one. To see inside, people had to come to that many-coloured hanging. The white curtains on the other three sides were five cubits high, about seven and a half feet — only a giant could look over them.

Why not let this sad-faced Merarite go, with his pins and cords of the tabernacle always getting tangled, and be content with Kohath and Gershon? But if we are to set up the Lord's tabernacle in the wilderness, we must have the pins and cords.

Seen in this light, no one would care whether a man had to carry a pin, a curtain, or a golden lampstand. The great question for each and for all was simply: "Is this my work? Is this what the Lord has given me to do?"

Their number is given, and they were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. Everything was set out with the greatest possible care. God would avoid confusion in the service of the tabernacle, and also room for human will. He would make it the humblest thing on earth — a matter of simple obedience.

Out of Kohath came Aaron and the priestly family, and the sons of Kohath had special charge of the ark and the other vessels of the sanctuary.

Whilst Gershon was the eldest son of Levi, and so his descendants might have expected that they would be selected to carry the sacred vessels on their shoulders, that work was entrusted to the descendants of Kohath, who was Levi's second son. How often do we see in Scripture that blessing and privilege do not run in the order of nature.

Gershon and Merari might need wagons and oxen to carry the boards, but not Kohath. His charge was too precious to hand over to anyone or anything but himself. So it was his high and honoured place to carry it all on his shoulders. What a privilege it was to carry the ark, the table, or the golden lampstand! Would it not show he could not value his high calling at all, if he had looked for oxen to help him in his holy service?

Kohath comes next with his four sons, whose names (with his own) are much harder to read. His charge was the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils belonging to all this. As a picture, the Kohathite service looks outward: he is occupied with what is outside himself, in Christ. Fittingly, his prince is Elizaphan, "whom God has hidden." Here, in the presence of God and taken up with Christ, self is lost. He is the son of Uzziel, the "power of God."

How much better it would have been for Korah if he had stayed content with his Levite service. It was of the very highest order. His work as a Kohathite was to carry some of the most precious vessels of the sanctuary. But he aimed at the priesthood, and fell into the pit.

Not every Levite had the same area of work — and none of them could choose his own service. If you were born a Merarite, you could not care for the vessels of the sanctuary. God had entrusted those to the Kohathites. So it is with Christian service: God gives different types of service to different believers.

Here they are counted — apart from Israel, but still counted — from infants only days old, marked out for service long before that service could begin. God gives strength before He claims service. But from their earliest days He sets them apart according to His own grace and intentions.

They are numbered from a month old and upward, as the firstborn are, and for the same reason. If God redeemed or counted only men in their strength, would it not look as if He took "pleasure in the legs of a man"? But it is the soul He values, and the soul of an infant is precious in His sight.

They are to be the bodyguard of the divine King. The priests go in to God to perform their intercessory service on behalf of the people. In the same way, the Levites keep the people from the wrath that would follow if a stranger intruded into the tabernacle of God. And they carry the holy things of that tabernacle through the desert on all their journeys.

The priests were given the ministry of the sanctuary. There they acted as worshippers and intercessors. The work of the Levites as given in this chapter, and the one that follows, was of a more outward nature. They had to guard the tabernacle. They put it up and took it down. They carried its different parts. The LORD ordered every detail of this work.

God laid it all down with the greatest possible care. He would avoid confusion in the service of the tabernacle, and He would leave no room for human will. He would make it the humblest thing on earth — a matter of simple obedience. Their charge, we gather, was to be a most honourable service: the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary that they minister with, and the screen, and all its service.

They could not choose their burden. They were not even allowed to touch the holy vessels. First the priests covered them in the ordered way and put them on bars or poles. Only then did the Kohathites come forward, each to receive his appointed service and learn what his duty was.

"Kohath," all are agreed, means "assembly." He has indeed in his charge the ark, the centre of gathering. In Christ, and as the fruit of His work, God reveals Himself to us. To lift Christ up in that way is to draw men to Him, just as He promised.

The Church grew weary of the curtains and the boards, and laid aside her Gershonite and Merarite character. In the same way she has laid aside her Kohathite character, because she has stopped carrying the ark and the table on her shoulder.

They must walk together. No vessel of the sanctuary could be carried without a bar, which supposes at the very least two bearers. They had to set aside every personal consideration. One might be stronger than another, or able to walk faster. But neither the strong nor the weak could decide the pace or the time. That depended on the cloud alone, which directed every movement of the camp.

Their number is given; and these were to be on the side of the tabernacle southward. Everything was laid down with the greatest possible care. God would avoid confusion in the service of the tabernacle, and also room for human will. He would make it to be the humblest thing on earth — a matter of simple obedience.

Out of Kohath came Aaron and the priestly family, and the sons of Kohath had special charge of the ark and the other vessels of the sanctuary. Kohath was to pitch tent on the south side of the sanctuary. Aaron and the priests, along with Moses, had to dwell on the east side, facing the entrance to the court. They kept charge there, and no stranger could come near, on pain of death.

Gershon and Merari might need wagons and oxen to carry the boards, and so on, but not Kohath. His charge was too precious to trust to anyone or anything but himself. So it was his high and honoured place to carry it all upon his shoulders. What a privilege, for example, to be allowed to carry the ark, the table, or the golden lampstand! And would it not have shown a complete failure to appreciate his high calling if he had looked for the help of oxen in his holy service?

"Kohath," all are agreed, means "assembly." He has indeed in his charge the ark, the centre of gathering. To lift up Christ as the One in whom, and as the fruit of His work, God reveals Himself to us, is to draw men, according to His assurance, to Him.

Everything the Kohathites carried pictures the truths of Christianity as they are in themselves. They are not truths about our own experience, which is what we saw with Gershon. For all this furniture speaks of Christ and His perfect work. So Kohath stands for the ministry that sets out the glory of the Lord Jesus in unique excellence. That glory is far above and apart from anything we can understand or appreciate of it.

Turn to Numbers 2, which gives the order in which the tribes were to encamp around the tabernacle. Then turn to Numbers 3, which gives similar details about the Levites. We find that both the tribe of Reuben and the Kohathites had their place on the south side. As a result they were close together to discuss and stir up their imagined grievances.

How much better it would have been for Korah had he rested content with his Levite service, which was of the very highest order. His work as a Kohathite was to carry some of the most precious vessels of the sanctuary. But he aimed at the priesthood, and fell into the pit.

Their number is given; and these were to be on the side of the tabernacle southward. Everything was laid down with the greatest possible care. God would avoid confusion in the service of the tabernacle, and also leave no room for human will. He would make it the humblest thing on earth — a matter of simple obedience.

Son of Uzziel, and a 'chief' of the Kohathites. Numbers 3:30; 1 Chronicles 15:8. He is called ELZAPHAN in Exodus 6:22; Leviticus 10:4. With Mishael he had the painful duty of removing the dead bodies of Nadab and Abihu.

Gershon and Merari might need wagons and oxen to carry the boards and so on, but not Kohath. His charge was too precious to hand to anyone or anything but himself. So it was his high and honoured place to carry it all on his shoulders. What a privilege, for example, to be allowed to carry the ark, the table, or the golden lampstand!

Whenever Israel travelled, the Kohathites carried these things, though they did not see them. Before they could carry them, the priests had to cover them with the right coverings and insert the carrying poles.

His charge was the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils belonging to all this... So it is easy to see that, in the picture, the Kohathite ministry looks outward. His occupation is with what is outside himself in Christ... His prince is fittingly Elizaphan, which means "whom God has hidden." For here it is indeed in the presence of God, and in occupation with Christ, that self is lost. He is the son of Uzziel, the "power of God."

Nothing shows higher character in the world than the gathering spirit expressed in the name of Kohath. Should not Christians rebuke man's often-repeated attempts at forming associations, by a real union in everything? And how can they do that? Only by gathering more closely around their common centre, Christ, in all the blessed fullness and variety of that Name.

In the first part of this section God puts the families of the tribe into their several places. He is sovereign in His appointment here, and so of course everything is perfectly ordered in its place — Kohath with his precious vessels, Gershon with his fine linen, Merari with his boards and pillars. Service is gift, and therefore gift is the appointment to service, since the Giver can make no mistake.

Each had his specific work given. There could be no misunderstanding about it. How strange it would have been if these 22,000 Levites had formed committees and sub-committees to divide the work and direct it! All this would have brought in disorder. All they needed to do was the work into which the Lord had called them.

They were responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the two altars together with the utensils and the veil, with all that related to these things. Whenever Israel travelled the Kohathites carried these things, though they did not see them, for before they were allowed to carry them, the priests were required to cover them with their appropriate coverings and insert the carrying poles.

The special service of the Kohathites had to do with the vessels of the tabernacle, the dwelling-place of God among His people. Those vessels each set forth a different aspect of Christ's glory. When the camp moved on — and travelling was the mark of the wilderness — their duty was to carry the holy vessels. They could not choose their burden. They were not even allowed to touch the holy vessels. But after the priests had covered them in the appointed way and put them on bars or poles, the Kohathites came forward. Each one received his appointed service and learned what his duty was.

His charge was the ark, the table, the lamp-stand, the altars, and the utensils belonging to all this. With them went the one linen item, which speaks, as we know well, of the humanity of Christ. So it is easy to see that the Kohathite ministry, as a picture, looks outward. The man is occupied with what is outside himself, in Christ… His leader is beautifully named Elizaphan, "whom God has hidden," for here it is indeed in the presence of God, and in occupation with Christ, that self is lost.

Gershon and Merari might need wagons and oxen to carry the boards and so on, but not Kohath. His charge was too precious to trust to anyone or anything but himself. So it was his high and honoured place to carry it all on his shoulders. What a privilege, for example, to be allowed to carry the ark, the table, or the golden lampstand!

From the outside, no one could tell what these vessels were, though each Kohathite might know his own appointed charge. Nothing in the service itself, or in what could be seen of it, brought glory to the men doing it. To an onlooker, the Kohathites simply looked like the men picked out for the hardest labour.

Not every Levite had the same area of work — and none of them could choose his own service. If you were born a Merarite, you could not take care of the vessels of the sanctuary; those were entrusted to the Kohathites. So it is with Christian service: God gives different types of service to different believers.

Seen in this light, it made no difference at all whether a man carried a pin, a curtain, or a golden lampstand. The great question for each and for all was simply, "Is this my work? Is this what the Lord has given me to do?"

They had no choice in the matter. Their service was one of simple obedience, yet it kept them very near to God, and if their heart was in it, it was a delight like no other. And notice too, they had to walk together. No vessel of the sanctuary could travel without a pole, and a pole needs at least two bearers… Neither the strong nor the weak could decide the pace or the time. That depended only on the cloud, which directed every movement of the camp.

If we knew more of Christ in these blessed aspects of His character, we would not be what we are — a proverb and a byword because of our deep divisions. The Church grew tired of the curtains and the boards, and laid aside her Gershonite and Merarite character. In the same way she has laid aside her Kohathite character, because she has stopped carrying the ark and the table upon her shoulder.

God laid down everything with the greatest possible care. God would avoid confusion in the service of the tabernacle, and would leave no room for human will. He would make it the humblest thing on earth — a matter of simple obedience. Their charge, we gather, was to be a most honourable service.

The order of the service of the Levites, on the other hand, was according to the sovereignty of God, who put each one in his place. So in the service of the church you find the greatest differences, and God gives each one his own place.

Verse 32 tells us that Eleazar the priest, son of Aaron, was chief over the leaders of the Levites. He appointed them to the particular work they had to do.

All of this happened under the priestly supervision of Eleazar, son of Aaron (verse 32) — just as Christ directs Christian service.

The priest's appointment regulated the Levite's service. The Levites had no more room for self-will than the fighting men had. God settled it all, and this was a clear mercy to everyone whose heart was right. To someone whose will was unbroken, it might seem a hardship to be kept in the same position. It might seem a most tiresome task to do the very same line of work. Such a person might long for something fresh — some variety in his work. But where the will was subdued and the heart adjusted, each one would say, "My path is perfectly plain; I have only to obey."

The priest did have a nearer place than the servant, the Levite — a place of enjoyment of the Lord's presence... Eleazar's name means "God is Helper," and he succeeded Aaron in the high priesthood when Aaron died (Numbers 20:23-28). He is therefore a picture of Christ as High Priest in resurrection.

These things the Kohathites carried all picture the objective truths of Christianity — truth that stands outside us, not our inward experience. All this furniture speaks of Christ and His perfect work. So Kohath stands for the ministry of the glory of the Lord Jesus. That glory is shown in unique excellence, far above and apart from anything we can understand or value in it. It is absolute, living and real... May we prize such ministry, and seek grace to present it faithfully.

In Numbers 3 we get the details of God's order for the tribe of Levi. God took this tribe for the service of His house, under the hand of the priests, in place of all the firstborn in the other tribes, whom He had claimed for Himself. Levi had three sons, Gershon, Kohath and Merari, and each of them became the head of a section of the tribe. God gave each section its own service at the tabernacle, and each camped in its own set place around it. Nothing was left for them to arrange.

They camped on the north side of the tabernacle. They were given the work of caring for the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, pillars and sockets, the pillars of the court, their sockets, pegs and cords. The boards of the tabernacle speak of the basic facts of what believers are "in Christ," and as united in one building, the Church of God. They were of acacia wood overlaid with gold, standing upright on sockets of silver — that is, believers upheld on the basis of redemption, covered with Christ (the gold) and united together with bars of the same materials… Merari therefore emphasizes the ministry that unites believers to Christ and to one another as dependent on the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Last of Levi's three sons we find Merari, "bitter," with his two sons, Mahli, "sick," and Mushi, "yielding." These are the strangest words of all to find attached to Levi's sons… Here it is clear that Merari is occupied not so much with Christ Himself as with the people of the Lord… His work is mainly what we may call church work; and who has done this work without finding the bitterness that Merari's name expresses? Anyone who could not feel it would be poorly fitted for ministry.

Mahli may express the faintness that comes from too much labour, while Mushi may point to that spirit of patience and gentleness which, where the truth allows, can give way in everything else. How necessary that spirit is in just such a relation to the Church of God as is hinted at here! The lack of it may be as common a cause of trouble among believers as any. Merari's captain stands in striking, comforting contrast to these names: Zuriel, "my rock is God," the son of Abihail, "the father of valor."

Let anyone take a firm, clear stand for Christ in the world… and there let him begin to set up "the sockets of silver." Be sure of this: he will find that such a course brings much sorrow and bitterness of soul. In a word, he will find it a path where the cross has to be taken up "daily," and not only taken up, but carried… There are very few of the hard-working Merarite character to be found. Why is this? Because showing such a character will always bring much labour and sorrow to nature, and nature loves ease… nothing will make us true Merarites but deep fellowship with Him who was "THE MAN OF SORROWS."

Merari represents the workman, as Gershon does the stranger and pilgrim, and Kohath the one occupied with Christ. Who cares for these boards and bars, and pillars and pins and cords? Who thinks of God's plan and pattern, and all the details of divine appointment? Who desires work of this menial kind, costing so much and bringing in so little? The pattern is old, and will not adapt itself to the fashion of changed times. It gives no room for human invention to display itself in. It requires only plodding accuracy and diligent obedience.

Their service consisted in handling the boards of the tabernacle, pillars, sockets, pins and cords. Each had his specific work given. There could be no misunderstanding about it. How strange it would have been if these 22,000 Levites had formed committees and sub-committees to divide the work and direct in it! All this would have brought in disorder. All they needed to do was to do the work into which the Lord had called them.

Notice the difference between the numbering of the tribe of Levi and the numbering of the other tribes. In the previous chapter the count took those who were twenty years and over. The count of the Levites took "all the males from a month old and upward." The reason for the difference is that they stood in place of the firstborn. At that tender age of weakness and helplessness, the firstborn were either redeemed or given up.

God numbers them from a month old and upward, as He numbers the firstborn, and for the same reason. If He redeemed or numbered only men in their strength, would it not look as if He took "pleasure in the legs of a man"? But He values the soul, and the soul of an infant is precious in His sight.

Verse 12 of Numbers 3 uncovers the secret behind the special place of the Levites. God had chosen them "instead of all the firstborn." In Egypt, God had spared the firstborn of the Israelites because of the blood of the Passover lamb. That blood was the price that redeemed the firstborn. So they belonged to God. Now this is the place God gave the Levites: He chose them instead of all the firstborn. A Levite would therefore regard himself as redeemed by God and so as God's possession.

Last of Levi's three sons we find Merari, "bitter," with his two sons, Mahli, "sick," and Mushi, "yielding." These are the strangest words of all to find among Levi's sons. These families have charge of the boards of the tabernacle and its bars, its pillars and sockets, and those of the court and the pegs and cords… Merari's work is mainly what we may call church work. And who that has taken up this work has not found the bitterness that his name expresses?

If God called people to do His work, He will provide all that is needed to carry it on. The Gershonites and the Merarites had clear proof of this… Moses gave the Gershonites two wagons and four oxen, and the Merarites four wagons and eight oxen. These came from the offering of the princes of the twelve tribes when the Tabernacle was set up. God took thought for both of these great families, and the one which had the heaviest burden had the greatest help… Carrying burdens took strength, and God would not overtax the strength of anyone called to work for Him. So no Levite was called to carry burdens before he was thirty, nor asked to continue after fifty.

Each family had a particular work to do… The family of Merari carried the boards of the tabernacle and the bars, also the pillars around the court and their sockets and pins and cords. It was also their work to set up the tabernacle when they moved to a new site… Each had his own work to do. They were not to covet the work of another. The man who carried the tent-pegs was not to envy the Kohathites, who carried the furniture of pure gold.

It is significant that Merari camps north of the tabernacle, Kohath to the south, and Gershon to the west. Moses, Aaron, and his sons camp toward the east, filling Judah's place in the inner circle.

Their work was caring for the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, pillars and sockets... The boards of the tabernacle speak of the basic facts of what believers are "in Christ," and as united in one building, the Church of God. They were of acacia wood overlaid with gold, standing upright on sockets of silver. That is, believers are upheld on the basis of redemption, covered with Christ (the gold) and united together with bars of the same materials... So Merari highlights the ministry that unites believers to Christ and to one another, a ministry that depends on the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Last of Levi's three sons we find Merari, "bitter," with his two sons, Mahli, "sick," and Mushi, "yielding." These are the strangest words of all to find among Levi's sons... Here it is clear that Merari is taken up not so much with Christ Himself as with the people of the Lord. His work is mainly what we may call church work. Who that has done this work has not found the bitterness which expresses itself in Merari's name? Anyone who could not feel it would be poorly fitted for ministry.

Merari's leader stands in striking, comforting contrast to these names: Zuriel, "my rock is God," the son of Abihail, "the father of valour."

Let anyone take his stand firmly and decisively in the world for Christ. Let him go into those places where "the world" is seen in its full strength. Let him set himself, firm as a rock, against the deep and rapid tide of worldliness. Let him begin there to set up "the sockets of silver," and be sure of it: such a course brings much sorrow and bitterness of soul... There are very few of the hard-working Merarite character to be found. Why is this? Because showing such a character always costs nature much labour and sorrow, and nature loves ease. Nothing will make us true Merarites but close fellowship with Him who was "THE MAN OF SORROWS."

Merari (bitter) with the family of Mahlites and Mushites numbered 6,200, and their place was on the north side, opposite Dan... Each had his specific work given. There could be no misunderstanding about it. How strange it would have been if these 22,000 Levites had formed committees and sub-committees to divide the work and direct it! All that would have brought in disorder. All they needed to do was the work the Lord had called them into.

If the Gershonite and the Merarite had to take a place where they endured much of the burden and heat of the day, the Lord graciously met them in that with a very rich reward... If they had to labour and toil among their brothers, they were richly served by their brothers in return: "Two wagons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service. And four wagons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari according to their service."

All this was clear and distinct. Gershon had nothing to do with the boards and pins, and Merari had nothing to do with the curtains or the coverings. Yet they were closely connected, for each depended on the other. "The boards and sockets" would not do without "the curtains," and the curtains would not do without the boards and sockets. And what about "the pins"? They look so unimportant. Yet who could measure their value in holding things together and keeping the whole visibly one?

The boards of the tabernacle speak of the basic facts of what believers are "in Christ," and of their union in one building, the Church of God. They were made of acacia wood overlaid with gold, standing upright on bases of silver. That is, believers are upheld on the basis of redemption, covered with Christ (the gold), and joined together with bars of the same materials. … So Merari's work stands for the ministry that unites believers to Christ and to one another, and that ministry rests on the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Such ministry matters greatly in our own day.

The bars of acacia wood, covered with the same gold and fitted into golden rings on the boards, speak of special gifts given to hold everything in place. But those gifts need a matching openness in each believer before they can be used: the "bar" was of no use without the "ring."

The pillars of the court rest on bronze bases, and their tops are covered with silver, while the fine linen curtains hang from them on silver hooks. So grace enables us to hold up the character of Christ before the world, and divine strength is what we rest on while we do it. The pins and cords come in as well, bracing everything against opposing forces that are too strong for us on our own.

In the whole world there was nothing to compare with that boarded tent and all its symbolic furnishings. It was a holy dignity and privilege to touch the smallest pin of that wonderful tabernacle in the wilderness. It was far more glorious to be a Merarite looking after the pins of the tabernacle than to sit on the throne of Egypt or Assyria.

Could anything be more unlike than silver and barren sand? But Merari must not shrink back from all this. No — when he reached a spot in the desert where the cloud stopped, he said, "I have come to set up the patterns of things in heaven right in the middle of all the desolation and misery of the wilderness around." All this was very hard work. No doubt it gave Merari's character a tone of sadness or sorrow, and his very name expressed it, for it means "sorrow."

His name — Merari, "bitterness" — speaks of the painful character of such service. Self-love breaks down under it, or runs off into some odd path that is easier on flesh and blood… Who cares for these boards and bars, and pillars and pins and cords? Who thinks of God's plan and pattern, and all the small details He has appointed?… It leaves no room for human invention to show itself. It calls only for plodding accuracy and diligent obedience.

Merari had charge with his sons of the boards, the sockets, pins and cords. These held the building together... The framework of the tabernacle joins the boards with bars of acacia wood. It is a picture of the building we read about in Ephesians — "the whole structure, being joined together" — the church. The work of Merari suggests the thought of union.

The pillars of the court stand on copper sockets and carry silver tops. The fine linen curtains hang from them by silver hooks. So grace enables us to hold up before the world the character of Christ, and divine strength is what we rest on while we do it. The pins and cords come in further to brace it all against opposing forces that are too much for our unaided strength.

The pillars of the court were made of copper and rested on copper sockets. They speak of Christ as the One who holds His people up. The hooks that held up the curtains were silver, the picture of redemption. So in holding His people up, He also unites them together. Merari's work therefore highlights the ministry that unites believers to Christ and to one another, resting on the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Let anyone take his stand firmly in the world for Christ. Let him go into the places where "the world" is seen in its full force. Let him set himself, firm as a rock, against the deep and rapid tide of worldliness, and there let him begin to set up "the sockets of silver." Be sure of it: he will find such a course brings very much sorrow and bitterness of soul. He will find it a path where the cross is to be taken up "daily," and not only taken up, but carried... There are very few of the hard-working Merarite character to be found. Why is this? Simply because showing such a character will always cost nature very much labour and sorrow, and nature loves ease. So human nature never could be a Merarite. Nothing will make us true Merarites but deep communion with Him who was the Man of Sorrows.

Doing what we are told always has moral worth. But there was also a special dignity in the work of a Merarite, even though that work was only looking after a few "pins" or "sockets." Everything connected with the tabernacle was of the deepest interest and highest value... To touch the smallest pin of that wonderful tent in the wilderness was a holy dignity and privilege. It was far more glorious to be a Merarite looking after the pins than to hold the sceptre of Egypt or Assyria.

Nothing is more important in practice than that each servant of God should know the work He has given him to do. And when he knows it, he should stick to it. Be sure of this too: it is of no small importance never to interfere with another's service. The Lord is sovereign in this. He divides according to His own will.

Why not let this sad-faced Merarite go, with his pins and cords of the tabernacle always getting tangled, and be content with Kohath and Gershon? But if the Lord's tabernacle is to be set up in the wilderness, we must have the pins and cords.

To complete the inner circle of residents around the tabernacle, Moses, Aaron and his sons take the east side (v.38). That is the front. They guard, as it were, the entrance of the court, keeping charge of the sanctuary. Any outsider who trespassed on what belonged to the priests was to be put to death.

Three tribes on each side of the court kept the tabernacle of Jehovah. Levi alone was the exception, to be consecrated to the service of God. So the tribe of Levi camped by families right around the court. Moses, Aaron, and the priests took the place facing the entrance, the way of approach to God.

Levi had three sons, Gershon, Kohath and Merari, and each of them became the head of a section of the tribe. God gave each section a special service connected with the tabernacle, and each pitched its tents in a set position round the tabernacle. They arranged nothing for themselves.

All was laid down with the greatest possible care. God would rule out confusion in the service of the tabernacle, and rule out any room for human will. He would make it the humblest thing on earth — a matter of simple obedience.

At the front are Moses and the priestly family of Aaron, so they stand in direct relationship with the tribe of Judah. Priesthood and praise go together. Levi takes the place of the firstborn of all the tribes spared in Egypt. They are "joined" to the priesthood as a connecting link between worship and warfare.

In putting up their religious buildings (cathedrals and the like) men have copied the position. But true priestly instincts will always hold the sunrise in their affections (Numbers 3:38).

Facing the east, the tents of Moses and Aaron guard the entrance to the court of the tabernacle. (Num. 3:38.) … Here, again, the eastward position is that of honour.

They said that anyone who came near the tabernacle would die, and the result is that they are forbidden to come near. From then on the people of Israel must not "come near the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin and die" (Numbers 18:22). Their unbelief and mistrust of God does more damage to their standing before God than their earlier presumption did. They are brought down to the level of the outsider. "Any outsider who came near was to be put to death." Now Israel can come no nearer than the outsider; that privilege is lost.

The grace of God had exempted those whom the Levites answered for in the time of judgment. So the Levites were identified with mercy — the great distinguishing mercy that rescued Israel from the doom of Egypt. That fitted them all the better for the service of the sanctuary. Who can dare to take up the service of God without knowing that God has accepted him on the ground of redemption? Salvation precedes ministry.

Verse 12 of Numbers 3 unveils the secret behind the special place of the Levites: God chose them "instead of all the firstborn." In Egypt, God had spared the firstborn of the Israelites because of the blood of the Passover lamb. This was the price by which the firstborn had been redeemed. As a result they belonged to God. Now, this is the place God gave the Levites: He chose them instead of all the firstborn. A Levite would therefore regard himself as redeemed by God and so as God's possession.

The difference between the numbering of the tribe of Levi and the other tribes must be noted. The previous chapter counted men who were twenty years old and over. The count of Levi took in "every male from a month old and upward." This difference was because they stood in the place of the firstborn. The firstborn were either redeemed or given up at that tender age of weakness and helplessness.

They are numbered from a month old and upward, as the firstborn are, and for the same reason. If only men in their strength were to be redeemed or numbered, would it not look as if God took "pleasure in the legs of a man"? But it is the soul He values, and the soul of an infant is precious in His sight: His "delight" is "in the sons of men."

The number of the Levites is given as 22,000. If we add the number of the Gershonites, Kohathites and Merarites — 7,500, 8,600 and 6,200 — we get 22,300. Here is a difficulty which seems to remain unsolved. The total in verse 39 must be correct. Verse 46 tells us that the firstborn outnumbered the Levites by 273.

Then the day came to count the Levites (remember, they were replacing the firstborn). As it turned out, there were 22,000 Levites, but there were 22,273 firstborn. In other words, the Levites were short of 273 people. A coincidence? A negligible difference? Hardly. God notes the difference and commands a ransom to be paid for the 273 missing Levites.

To make up this difference, the Lord said the 273 would be redeemed by paying five shekels of silver for each person. It is not likely that 273 people each had to give five shekels. More likely the tribes shared the cost of redeeming the 273. This was to be given to the priests, Aaron and his sons, since the Levites were also given to them. Silver was used in such cases to illustrate the truth of redemption. But we must always remember that today "you were ransomed… not with perishable things such as silver or gold… but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Over the course of history, the lack of Levites became more pronounced. In the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, Levites were scarce. We find just 74 in Ezra 2, and when, in chapter 8, Ezra sends eleven men to search for Levites, they find only 38. Today, there is still a search for Levites: people willing to carry the burden that goes with God's testimony.

In Numbers 3 we have the Levites set apart, according to the thoughts of God, for service. They are a figure of the church — or rather of the members of the church in their service. In the same way, the priests are the figure of Christians drawing near to the throne of God. Both are a shadow, not a perfect image.

He had the right to take their number, for they were all His own. If He had no right to them, if He had nothing to look for in them, He would not have counted their total. Scripture says the same about His divine title in another part of His realm: "He determines the number of the stars; He gives to all of them their names." This is the expression of His sovereignty among the heavenly hosts. (Psalm 147:4.)

The Levites were to be dedicated to the Lord in place of the firstborn in Israel. So it was necessary to find out how closely the number of the Levites matched the number of the firstborn. That is why the Lord told Moses to number all the firstborn males, from one month and above, just as Moses had numbered the Levite males (v.40).

If God redeems through sacrifice and judgment, He claims those whom He redeems... So every firstborn son in Israel was bought with a price — the price of the blood of the Passover Lamb, a picture of the precious blood of Christ.

God's grace had spared the firstborn whom the Levites stood for when judgment fell. This tied the Levites to mercy — the great, distinguishing mercy that rescued Israel from the doom of Egypt. It fitted them all the better for the service of the sanctuary. Who dares to take up the service of God without knowing that God has accepted him on the ground of redemption? Salvation comes before ministry, if we listen to God and fear the solemn warning of the Lord and His apostle.

In the previous chapter Moses numbered those who were twenty years old and over. But the Levites were numbered "every male from a month old and upward." The difference was that they stood in the place of the firstborn. At that tender age of weakness and helplessness, the firstborn were either redeemed or given up.

They are numbered from a month old and upward, as the firstborn are, and for the same reason. If only men in their strength were to be redeemed or numbered, would it not look as if God took "pleasure in the legs of a man"? (Ps. 147:10.) But it is the soul He values, and the soul of an infant is precious in His sight.

As it turned out, there were 22,000 Levites, but there were 22,273 firstborn (Num. 3:39-42). In other words, the Levites were short by 273 people. A coincidence? A negligible difference? Hardly. God notes the difference and commands a ransom to be paid for the 273 missing Levites (v. 46, 47).

Over the course of history, the shortage of Levites grew worse. In the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, Levites were scarce... Today the search for Levites goes on: people willing to carry the burden that goes with God's testimony.

Verse 12 of Numbers 3 reveals the secret behind the special place of the Levites: God chose them "instead of all the firstborn." In Egypt, God had spared the firstborn of the Israelites because of the blood of the Passover lamb. That blood was the price that redeemed them. So they belonged to God.

Of course, every creature ought to serve God. But He made this claim only on those whom He had sheltered from judgment. Generation after generation were to learn that claim and the ground it rests on (Exodus 13:14-16)... Christians, as we learn in Hebrews 12:23, are the assembly of firstborn ones... sheltered from divine judgment, like the firstborn males of Israel, we should accept His claim on us to serve Him. It is His claim, and there is no doubt about that. Yet seen in another light, we can and should call it a privilege — the privilege of serving our God, as the Levites did.

Jehovah took them instead of the firstborn sons of the whole nation. The blood in Egypt had sheltered those firstborn sons from judgment, and Jehovah claimed them as His own. But He took the tribe of Levi instead of them for special service in His house and for His Name. They were a privileged people, called to give themselves to God's interests, and He gave them special care (Numbers 3:40-51 tells us all about this).

They are numbered from a month old and upward, as the firstborn are, and for the same reason. If only men in their strength were to be redeemed or numbered, would it not appear as if God took "pleasure in the legs of a man"? (Ps. 147:10.) But it is the soul He values, and the soul of an infant is precious in His sight: His "delight" is "in the sons of men."

This was an expression of His rights as Lord of Israel. He had title to take their number, for they were all His own. If He had no right to them, and no plans for them, He would not have counted their total. The same is said of His divine title in another part of His realm: "He determines the number of the stars; He gives to all of them their names."

When the census was taken, the number of the firstborn in Israel exceeded the number of the Levites by 273. God claimed these 273 just as much as the 22,000 who had a Levite as a substitute. So five shekels each had to be paid for them as redemption money... Our chapter again stresses the principle that redemption comes before the service of God.

It is not likely that 273 people each had to give five shekels. More likely the tribes shared the cost of redeeming the 273... Silver in such cases pictures the truth of redemption. But we must always remember that today we are "ransomed... not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18-19).

The count of Levite males came to 22,000 (v.39). Now the number of the firstborn was very close to the same, but 273 larger than the number of the Levites (v.43). To make up this difference, the Lord set a redemption price of five shekels of silver for each of the 273 (vv.46-47). It is not likely that 273 people were each required to give five shekels, but rather that the tribes should share the cost of redeeming the 273. The money went to the priests, Aaron and his sons, since God had given the Levites to them too. In such cases silver illustrated the truth of redemption. But we must always remember that today we are not ransomed "with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18-19).

They are numbered from a month old and upward, as the firstborn are, and for the same reason. If only men in their strength were to be redeemed or numbered, would it not appear as if God took "pleasure in the legs of a man"? (Ps. 147:10.) But it is the soul He values, and the soul of an infant is precious in His sight.

When counting the people, the normal threshold was 20 years (Num. 1:3). The Levites were an exception. Everyone was counted, almost from birth (from a month old – Num. 3:15). Does this detail not show that God takes notice of everyone He intends to use in His service, even from the earliest age? Paul tells us that God had "separated him", and not only from the time of his conversion but "from his mother's womb".

When the census was taken, the number of the firstborn in Israel exceeded the number of the Levites by 273. These God claimed equally with the 22,000 for whom a Levite was found as a substitute, and so five shekels apiece had to be paid for these as redemption money. According to Exodus 13 the firstborn were to be redeemed at their birth. Our chapter again stresses the principle that redemption comes before the service of God. Did the Levites during Israel's history realize that God brought them into His service only as redeemed people? That may be open to question. But we should not miss the fact pictured here.

All the firstborn among the children of Israel were bought with a price, the price of the blood of the Passover Lamb, a picture of the precious blood of Christ. The basis of the Lord's claim upon the Levites was the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt. If God redeems through sacrifice and judgment, He claims those whom He redeems. Now all these things were pictures, written for our instruction. They show that we belong to the Lord, on the ground of redemption, as completely as the Levites did. We are not speaking here of gifts, or of those called out for service in a special and extraordinary way, but of all Christians. All alike have been redeemed, bought with a price, and are therefore the Lord's servants.

As it turned out, there were 22,000 Levites, but there were 22,273 firstborn (Num. 3:39-42). In other words, the Levites were short of 273 people. A coincidence? A negligible difference? Hardly. God notes the difference and commands a ransom be paid for the 273 missing Levites.

Over the course of history, the lack of Levites became more pronounced. In the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, Levites were scarce. We find just 74 in Ezra 2, and when, in chapter 8, Ezra sends 11 men to search for Levites, they find only 38. Today, Levites are still being looked for: those who are willing to bear the burden connected with God's testimony.

The Lord took them in a very special way as the formal substitute for the firstborn of Israel, who were spared when the destroying angel struck Egypt. They were redeemed by blood, and they plainly belonged to the Lord. In place of Israel's firstborn He accepted the Levites. "They shall be Mine." ... So the Levites were linked with mercy — the great mercy that marked Israel out and rescued them from the doom of Egypt. That link fitted them all the better to serve in the sanctuary.

The substitution was made so solemnly and so exactly that the 273 firstborn of Israel who were more than the number of the Levites all had to be redeemed. The price was God's own estimate of their value. Now all these things were pictures, and they are written to teach us that we belong to the Lord, on the ground of redemption, as fully as the Levites did.

To make up this difference, the Lord commanded that the 273 be redeemed at five shekels of silver each. Probably the 273 men did not each pay five shekels themselves. Instead, the tribes shared the cost of redeeming them. The money went to the priests, Aaron and his sons, because the Levites were also given to them. The total came to 1,365 shekels.

Their fathers had been redeemed with silver and gold. That was a picture of redemption, carried out under Jewish law. Sometimes actual money was paid, as in Exodus 30:11-16 and Numbers 3:44-51. Sometimes it was by sacrifice, as in Exodus 13:13-15. Even then silver and gold came into it, because money was needed to buy the animal for the sacrifice. Silver and gold are the least corruptible of metals, yet they are corruptible. The price of our redemption was incorruptible and precious.

Who can dare to take up the service of God without knowing that God has accepted him on the ground of redemption? Salvation comes before ministry, if we listen to God and take to heart the solemn warning of the Lord and His apostle (Matthew 7:22; 1 Corinthians 9:27).

The Levites were to be offered to God in place of the firstborn. God took all the firstborn to Himself when He struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians. The firstborn outnumbered the Levites, so the rest were redeemed. This is a picture of the saints seen as firstborn ones, and as redeemed. They are wholly claimed as God's, and given to Aaron (that is, to Christ), to serve in God's house. He is set as Lord over that house.

In saying this, we are not speaking of "gifts," or of those called out for service in a special and extraordinary way. We are speaking of all Christians. All alike have been redeemed, bought with a price, and are therefore the Lord's servants.

God notices the difference and commands that a ransom be paid for the 273 missing Levites. ... As history went on, the lack of Levites grew worse. In the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, Levites were scarce. Only 74 are listed in Ezra 2, and when Ezra sends eleven men to look for Levites in chapter 8, they find only 38. Today, Levites are still being looked for: those willing to bear the burden connected with God's testimony.

The LORD took them in a very special way as the formal substitute for Israel's firstborn, who were spared when the destroying angel struck Egypt. Blood had redeemed them, and they were counted, beyond all doubt, as belonging to the LORD. In place of Israel's firstborn He accepted the Levites. "They shall be mine." So they stand as the lasting witness that the firstborn belong to the LORD, from man as well as from beast. In the day of judgment God's grace had spared the very ones they match. The Levites are therefore tied to mercy — the great mercy that set Israel apart and rescued them from the doom of Egypt. That fitted them all the better to serve in the sanctuary.

Since the Levites were to be dedicated to the Lord in place of the firstborn in Israel, it was necessary to ask how closely the number of the Levites matched the number of the firstborn. So the Lord told Moses to number all the firstborn males, from one month old and upward, as the Levite males had been numbered (v. 40). Verse 41 also notes that the livestock of the Levites would take the place of the firstborn livestock of the other tribes, though we are not told that the livestock were numbered.

The normal method, and the one that was to hold good for all time, was a money payment of five shekels to the priest (Num. 18:16). There was one exception, and only on one occasion. It is the one before us now. We call it an exception because this transaction was never repeated, though it held good for ever. The tribe of Levi was taken instead of the firstborn males of the twelve tribes, as far as man could be exchanged for man. The extra firstborn among the people of Israel were then redeemed by five shekels each, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which was fixed at twenty gerahs.

The redemption we are speaking of here was in no sense a redemption from judgment. People have too often confused the two. There is a redemption from divine judgment, and every child of God shares in it. That is provided by the blood of Christ (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14). Now the redemption of the firstborn males was in no way like that. This will be clear to the simplest reader if he notices two things. The clean animal could not be redeemed at all. And the males of Israel were redeemed at the outset, when the Levites were taken in their place, as far as that could be done. Were the Levites chosen to bear divine punishment instead of the firstborn males of the twelve tribes? No. They were taken to minister to Aaron.

When the census was taken, the number of the firstborn in Israel was 273 more than the number of the Levites. God claimed these 273 just as much as the 22,000 who each had a Levite as a substitute. So five shekels had to be paid for each of them as redemption money. According to Exodus 13 the firstborn were to be redeemed at their birth. Our chapter stresses again the principle that redemption comes before the service of God.

Here is the true character of service — "first gave themselves to God," then God employs them… The service of the Levites was entirely the result of their being the Lord's. "The Levites shall be mine." For as it is written, "you are not your own, for you were bought with a price." It is a blessed thing to say, "My beloved is mine." But it is greater progress and a deeper joy to say, "I am His."

The firstborn, seen this way, has a double history from his redemption onward, and so do we. First he dies in his substitute, then he lives as a servant in the Levite… So the Israelite father might say, "My son has died in that lamb." That history ends there. But even so, "I live." Now we have a new life — "Christ who lives in me." At this point we have the Levite before us: saved from death, but devoted to God.

First, notice that the basis of the Lord's claim on the Levites was the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt. If God redeems through sacrifice and judgment, He claims those He redeems... So all the firstborn among the children of Israel were bought with a price — the price of the blood of the Passover Lamb, a picture of the precious blood of Christ.

The normal method, as we would call it, and the one that was to hold good for all time, was a money payment of five shekels to the priest (Num. 18:16). There was one exception to this, and only on one occasion. That is what we are looking at now. We call it an exception because it was a transaction that was never repeated, though it held good for ever. The tribe of Levi was taken instead of the firstborn males of the twelve tribes, as far as man for man such an exchange could be made.

As it turned out, there were 22,000 Levites, but there were 22,273 firstborn (Num. 3:39-42). In other words, the Levites were short of 273 people. A coincidence? A negligible difference? Hardly. God notes the difference and commands a ransom be paid for the 273 missing Levites.

It is not likely that 273 people each had to give five shekels. More likely the tribes shared the cost of redeeming the 273. The money went to the priests, Aaron and his sons, since the Levites were given to them too. The total came to 1365 shekels.

The word comes from a root meaning to weigh — at first, perhaps, to balance. It is what forms a true estimate of the value of things. The shekel of the sanctuary, or sacred shekel, may have been heavier than the usual one... One thing we know: the shekel of the King of kings would be just and unchanging.

So the redemption we are speaking of here was in no sense redemption from judgment, though the two have too often been confused. There is a redemption from divine judgment, and every child of God shares in it. The blood of Christ provides that... This will be clear to the simplest reader if he notices two things: the clean animal could not be redeemed at all, and the males of Israel were redeemed at the outset when the Levites were taken in their place... Were the Levites chosen to bear divine punishment instead of the firstborn males of the twelve tribes? No. They were taken to serve Aaron.

The redemption money was handed to Aaron for the service of God, showing that it met His claims on the redeemed. Let us never forget that as redeemed people we belong to God. On that fact rests the life of service to His Name, to which we are committed.

Each Levite stood for a firstborn man in Israel. The eldest sons who were more than the number of that tribe were redeemed for five shekels of silver each. So the Levites were, in a special way, a redeemed company. Clearly they picture Christians, both in our redemption and in the claim God has on us for service as redeemed people.

The count of the Levite males came to 22,000 (v. 39). Now the number of the firstborn was very close to the same, but 273 larger than the number of the Levites (v. 43). To make up this difference, the Lord told them to redeem the 273 by paying five shekels of silver for each person (vv. 46-47). It is not likely that each of the 273 paid five shekels himself; more likely the tribes shared the cost of redeeming them. The money went to the priests, Aaron and his sons, since the Levites were also given to them. The total amounted to 1,365 shekels.

When the Levites were counted, there were 22,000 of them, but there were 22,273 firstborn (Num. 3:39-42). In other words, the Levites were short of 273 people. A coincidence? A negligible difference? Hardly. God notes the difference and commands a ransom be paid for the 273 missing Levites (v. 46, 47).

Over the course of history, the lack of Levites became more pronounced. In the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, Levites were scarce. We find just 74 in Ezra 2, and when, in chapter 8, Ezra sends 11 men to search for Levites, they find only 38. Today, there is still a search for Levites: those who are willing to bear the burden connected with God's testimony.

The Old Testament mentions two shekels. One goes by "the king's weight," and was probably the standard shekel used for all ordinary business (Ex. 38:29; Joshua 7:21; 2 Sam. 14:26; Amos 8:5). The other is called the "shekel of the sanctuary," and of it we read, "the shekel is 20 gerahs" (Ex. 30:13; Lev. 27:25; Num. 3:47; Num. 18:16). This implies perhaps that the common shekel was different.

One more law held firm through all these dealings. "And all your valuations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel." Israel might wish to pay with whatever coin was most convenient in their dealings with the nations. But as in relation to the temple service and their redemption price, so here they must make their payments "according to the shekel of the sanctuary."

God claimed these 273 extra firstborn just as much as the 22,000 for whom a Levite stood in as a substitute, and so the people had to pay five shekels apiece for them as redemption money. According to Exodus 13 the firstborn were to be redeemed at their birth. Our chapter again stresses the principle that redemption comes first and service follows.

The redemption we are speaking of here was in no way redemption from judgment, though people have too often confused the two. There is a redemption from divine judgment, and every child of God shares in it. That is provided by the blood of Christ (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14). The redemption of the firstborn males was nothing like that. … Were the Levites chosen to bear divine punishment instead of the firstborn males of the twelve tribes? No. They were taken to minister to Aaron.

They knew, and so do we, that we are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. Their fathers had been redeemed with silver and gold — a redemption under Jewish law that pictured something greater. Sometimes they paid actual money, as in Exodus 30:11-16 and Numbers 3:44-51. … Silver and gold are the least corruptible of metals, yet they are corruptible. The price of our redemption was incorruptible and precious.

The Levite males numbered 22,000 (v.39). The number of the firstborn was very close to the same, but 273 larger than the number of the Levites (v.43). To make up this difference, the Lord instructed that the 273 be redeemed by paying five shekels of silver for each one (vs.46-47). It is not likely that 273 men each had to give five shekels. More likely the tribes shared the cost of redeeming the 273. This money went to the priests, Aaron and his sons, since the Levites too were given to them.

The word comes from a root meaning to weigh, and perhaps at first to balance. It is what forms a true estimate of the value of things. The shekel of the sanctuary, or sacred shekel, may have weighed more than the usual one... One thing we know: the shekel of the King of kings would be just and never changing, for "unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD" (Prov. 20:10). This shekel was divided into twenty gerahs.

The normal method, as we would call it, and the one that was to hold good for all time, was a money payment of five shekels to the priest (Num. 18:16). To this there was an exception, but only on one occasion... We call it an exception because it was a transaction that was never repeated, though it held good forever. The tribe of Levi was taken instead of the firstborn males of the twelve tribes, as far as man for man there could be such an exchange.

Aaron received the redemption money for the service of God, which showed that it met His claims on the redeemed. Let us never forget that as redeemed people we belong to God. That fact is the basis of the life of service to His Name that we are committed to.

The redemption we are speaking of here was in no sense redemption from judgment, though people have too often confused the two. There is a redemption from divine judgment, and every child of God shares in it. The blood of Christ provides that (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14). The redemption of the firstborn males was nothing like that. This will be clear to the simplest reader if he notes two things. The clean animal could not be redeemed at all. And the males of Israel were redeemed at the start by the Levites being taken in their place, as far as that could be done. Were the Levites chosen to bear divine punishment instead of the firstborn males of the twelve tribes? No. They were taken to serve Aaron.

The Levites were to be offered to God in place of the firstborn, all of whom God took to Himself when He struck the firstborn of the Egyptians. Since the firstborn outnumbered the Levites, the rest were redeemed. This is a picture of the saints seen as firstborn ones and as redeemed. They are wholly claimed as God's and given to Aaron (that is, to Christ), to serve in God's house, over which He is set as Lord.

They knew, and so do we, that we are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. Their fathers had been redeemed with silver and gold — a redemption in picture form, carried out under Jewish law. Sometimes actual money was given as in Exodus 30:11-16; Numbers 3:44-51... Silver and gold are the least corruptible of metals, yet they are corruptible. The price of our redemption was incorruptible and precious.

All the firstborn among the children of Israel were bought with a price, the price of the blood of the Passover Lamb... From chapters 3 and 4 we learn that afterwards all the Levites were taken instead of the firstborn of the children of Israel. The transaction that made the substitution was so solemn and exact that the 273 firstborn of the children of Israel, who were more than the number of the Levites, all had to be redeemed according to God's estimate of their value.

The count of Levite males came to 22,000. The number of the firstborn was very close to the same, but 273 larger than the number of the Levites. To make up this difference, the Lord told them to redeem the 273 by paying five shekels of silver for each one. It is not likely that 273 people each had to give five shekels. More likely the tribes shared the cost of redeeming the 273. This was to be given to the priests, Aaron and his sons, since the Levites were also given to them.

The Levites were short of 273 people. A coincidence? A negligible difference? Hardly. God notes the difference and commands a ransom be paid for the 273 missing Levites.

The word comes from a root meaning to weigh — at first, perhaps, to balance. It is that which forms a true estimate of the value of things. The shekel of the sanctuary, or sacred shekel, may have been heavier than the usual one... One thing we know: the shekel of the King of kings would be just and unvarying, for "unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD" (Proverbs 20:10).

The normal method, as we would call it, and the one that was to hold good for all time, was a payment of five shekels to the priest (Numbers 18:16). To this there was an exception, but only on one occasion... It was a transaction that was never repeated, though it held good for ever. The tribe of Levi was taken instead of the firstborn males of the twelve tribes, as far as man for man such an exchange could be made. The surplus of the children of Israel were then redeemed by five shekels each.

The redemption we are speaking of here was in no sense redemption from judgment. People have too often confused the two. There is a redemption from divine judgment, and every child of God shares in it. That is provided by the blood of Christ. Now the redemption of the firstborn males was in no sense like that... Were the Levites chosen to bear divine punishment instead of the firstborn males of the twelve tribes? No. They were taken to serve Aaron.

The redemption money was handed to Aaron for the service of God, showing that it met His claims on the redeemed. Let us never forget that as redeemed people we belong to God. The life of service to His Name that we are committed to rests on that fact.

The count of Levite males came to 22,000 (v.39). The number of the firstborn was very close to the same, but 273 larger than the number of the Levites (v.43). To make up this difference, the Lord required five shekels of silver to redeem each of the 273 (vv.46-47). Most likely the 273 did not each give five shekels themselves. Instead the tribes shared the cost of redeeming them. The money went to the priests, Aaron and his sons, since the Levites too were given to them. The total came to 1,365 shekels.

The basis of the Lord's claim on the Levites was the destruction of the firstborn of Egypt. If God redeems through sacrifice and judgment, He claims those whom He redeems. So all the firstborn among the children of Israel were bought with a price — the price of the blood of the Passover Lamb, a picture of the precious blood of Christ. From chapters 3 and 4 we learn that afterwards God took all the Levites instead of the firstborn of the children of Israel. The substitution was so solemn and exact that the 273 firstborn beyond the number of the Levites all had to be redeemed according to God's own estimate of their value.

One law applied without exception throughout these transactions. "And every valuation shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall make a shekel." Israel might wish to pay with whatever coin was most convenient in their dealings with the nations. But as with the temple service and their redemption price, so here they had to make their payments "according to the shekel of the sanctuary." ... We are under grace, not law. But what a serious error to think that we as Christians are left to our own will or wisdom! We are bought with an infinite price, and we are in no way our own.

God required redemption for the males of Israel. For the firstborn male of a donkey it was optional, and depended on the owner's will. For the firstborn male of a clean animal it was impossible. That went onto God's altar. So the redemption we are speaking of here was in no sense redemption from judgment, though people have often confused the two. There is a redemption from God's judgment, and every child of God shares in it. The blood of Christ provides it. But the redemption of the firstborn males was nothing like that. Even the simplest reader can see it. The clean animal could not be redeemed at all. And God redeemed the males of Israel at the start by taking the Levites in their place, as far as that could be done. Did God choose the Levites to bear His punishment instead of the firstborn males of the twelve tribes? No. He took them to serve Aaron.

Our chapter again emphasises the principle that redemption comes before the service of God. Did the Levites through Israel's history realise that they came into God's service only as a redeemed people? That may be open to question. But we should not miss this fact, which is set out here in picture form.

Their fathers had been redeemed with silver and gold — a redemption in picture form, carried out under Jewish law. Sometimes they gave actual money, as in Exodus 30:11-16 and Numbers 3:44-51... Silver and gold are the least corruptible of metals, yet they are corruptible. The price of our redemption was incorruptible and precious.

The count of Levite males came to 22,000 (v.39). The number of the firstborn was very close to that, but 273 larger (v.43). To make up this difference, the Lord told them to redeem the 273 by paying five shekels of silver for each person (vs.46-47). Probably the 273 did not each pay five shekels themselves. Instead the tribes shared the cost of redeeming them. The money went to the priests, Aaron and his sons, since the Levites were also given to them. The total amounted to 1365 shekels.

When they took the census, the firstborn in Israel outnumbered the Levites by 273. God claimed these 273 just as He claimed the 22,000, who each had a Levite as a substitute. So five shekels of redemption money had to be paid for each of them. According to Exodus 13 the firstborn were to be redeemed at their birth. Our chapter again stresses the principle: redemption comes first, before the service of God.

The redemption money was handed to Aaron for the service of God, showing that it met His claims upon the redeemed. Let us never forget that as redeemed people we belong to God. On this fact rests the life of service to His Name, the life we are committed to.

The Levites were to be offered to God in place of the firstborn, all of whom God took to Himself when He struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians. The firstborn outnumbered the Levites, so the rest were redeemed. This is a picture of the saints, seen as firstborn ones and as redeemed. They are wholly claimed as God's, and given to Aaron (that is, to Christ). They serve in God's house, and He is set as Lord over it.

So the redemption we speak of here was in no sense redemption from judgment. People have too often confused the two. There is a redemption from divine judgment, and in that every child of God shares. That is provided by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14). Now the redemption of the firstborn males was in no sense like that. Even the simplest reader will see this clearly. Notice that the clean animal could not be redeemed at all. Notice too that the Levites were taken in place of the males of Israel at the outset, and so redeemed them as far as that could be done. Were the Levites chosen to bear divine punishment instead of the firstborn males of the twelve tribes? No. They were taken to minister to Aaron.

They knew, and so do we, that we are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. Their fathers had been redeemed with silver and gold. That redemption under Jewish law was a picture of something greater. Sometimes actual money was given, as in Exodus 30:11-16 and Numbers 3:44-51. Sometimes it was by sacrifice, as in Exodus 13:13-15. Even then silver and gold came into it, since they bought the animal used for sacrifice. Silver and gold are the least corruptible of metals, yet they are corruptible. The price of our redemption was incorruptible and precious.