And it came to pass on the day that Moses had completed the setting up of the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and hallowed it, and all the furniture thereof, and the altar and all its utensils, and had anointed them, and hallowed them,
The verse opens with a date. Moses has finished the tabernacle, the tent where God lived among His people. He has anointed it and set it apart, with everything inside it. Only then do the leaders of Israel come forward with gifts. Two questions follow: what does a finished, anointed sanctuary picture, and why does God give the longest chapter in Numbers to what people gave?
Older translations read "fully set up," and that word carries weight:
The word "fully" means completely. So here we have a complete divine anointed system. It is a picture of Christianity in all its details, available to us in the power of the Spirit of God. All of it is established in Christ at the right hand of God in glory. We may well thank God for the gift of the Spirit, for we could not understand one bit of this apart from the Spirit of God.
Oil, not blood, marks this day. The anointing left nothing out:
It is remarkable that on this occasion the tabernacle and all within it were anointed with oil. So, whatever sin on our part may call for, here the whole scene of creation is claimed in the power of the Spirit — all things in heaven and all things on earth. The claim rests on Christ's person and title. It matches the fact that He Himself was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, apart from the shedding of blood.
The same verse says Moses set the tent apart. Where he set it up gives that word its force:
The wilderness is marked by disorder and defilement, with its bones and its dead bodies. Yet even so, there was a sanctified sphere there, where God lived with His people in infinite grace. Despite the corruption around us on every side, there is a new spiritual order, and God has brought us into it. It stands completely apart from that corruption. This is what we have in the wilderness to sustain and guide us.
The chapter before this one ends with God blessing His people. The order matters:
Coming in at this point, it reminds us of two thoughts of God. It is God's thought to bless His people richly, as at the end of chapter 6. It is just as much His thought that His people should respond with their offerings to Him. All of those offerings are connected with the carrying and work of His sanctuary.
God had commanded nothing here:
This is the longest chapter in Numbers. The princes of Israel appear to bring their free-will offerings in six covered wagons, each drawn by two oxen. No command had been given. With a willing heart they devoted part of their possessions to the service of the sanctuary.
Notice who moved first, and what they honoured:
In this 7th chapter we see that the first people to move towards the tent of meeting were the princes, the leaders of the people… This chapter puts to their credit that they brought gifts to sanctify the altar. The altar stands for the claims of God. The first thing said of these princes is this: when the tabernacle was completely set up, they had regard for the rights of God.
The word for "prince" carries the sense of open-handedness. Darby ties it to Psalm 110, quoting an older wording:
Prince, in verse 2 of our chapter, means liberality. "My people shall be willing." (Psalm 110) "Willing" and "liberal" are the same word… Grace worked it in them, and God calls it their own voluntary will.
Twelve leaders bring gifts, and God writes out every name and every item:
Each name shines out in its own distinctness. Each offering is described in detail and properly valued… He delights to record every little act of service, every little loving gift. He never forgets the smallest thing. More than that, He takes special care that untold millions will read the record. How little those twelve princes imagined that their names and their offerings would be handed down from age to age, for countless generations to read!
The gifts went where the work needed them:
For all service into which He calls His people, He also provides the strength and the means for the service. The sons of Kohath received nothing. They needed no wagons and oxen; their service was to carry the precious things upon their shoulders.
- Finished — the day is dated from a completed work: the tent stands fully set up before anyone gives a thing.
- Anointed — oil covers the whole structure and every vessel, claiming all of it in the power of the Spirit.
- Sanctified — a set-apart place stands in a wilderness of bones and defilement, and God brings us into it.
- Answered — God blesses first, in chapter 6. The leaders answer with gifts nobody commanded, and lead the way in honouring God's claims.
- Recorded — God writes out each name and each gift in full, so that "untold millions" would read what God refuses to forget.
that the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers' houses, the princes of the tribes, they that were over them that had been numbered, offered;
The tabernacle now stands finished and anointed, and the first men to step forward are the tribal leaders, with gifts nobody asked them for. What moves them, and what does God do with what they bring?
Leadership among God's people is real, and one writer sees it here in who moved first.
In this seventh chapter we see that the first people to move towards the tent of meeting were the princes, the leaders of the people. There is such a thing as leadership among the people of God, and if we are to grow in our souls we need to pay attention to it. There were twelve princes, the heads of each of the tribes, so not one tribe was without leadership… What counts to their credit in this chapter is that they brought gifts to sanctify the altar. The altar stands for the claims of God. The first thing said of these princes is that once the tabernacle was fully set up, they had regard for the rights of God.
One commentator digs into the word itself. He ties "prince" to open-handedness, and then to a New Testament order: give yourself first, then your goods.
This book shows us service — not just doing certain things, but freely offering yourself up as a living sacrifice. Prince, in verse 2 of our chapter, means liberality. "My people shall be willing." (Psalm 110) "Willing" and "liberal" are the same word… Again, in 2 Corinthians 8:5, Gentiles had been made willing — "they gave themselves first to the Lord." First the Lord recognizes and owns them; then comes the generosity. Grace worked it in them, and God calls it their own voluntary will.
(Older translations read "prince" where the ESV has "chief"; the Psalm 110 line is quoted from an older version too.)
No command told the leaders to bring wagons and oxen. The gift starts with them — and God matches what they bring to the work He has assigned.
The princes of Israel come forward to bring their freewill offerings in six covered wagons, each drawn by two oxen. No command had been given. With a willing heart they gave from what they owned to the service of the sanctuary… The gift matched the service the Lord had called them to. The Merarites had to take care of the heavy boards, and the Lord provided the means to carry the load and do the work. For every service He calls His people to, He also provides the strength and the means.
What they brought was ordinary — farm carts and oxen. Handed on, the same gift marks a difference between two kinds of service, and the more visible kind is not the higher one.
There is the privilege of taking ordinary, everyday things and offering them to the Lord for "the service of the tabernacle." These wagons and oxen went to the sons of Gershon and Merari. Theirs was the showiest, most outward service, but it was less intimate with God, and so it had less real honour… Kohath had to carry on their shoulders. There may be less to see in that; but we value most what we carry on our own shoulders… If God has called us to Gershon's kind of service, do it well.
The names could have been summed up in a sentence. One writer argues that the length is the point.
Nothing could satisfy Him but the fullest and most detailed account of each man's name, of the tribe he represented, and of the offering he made to the sanctuary of God. That is why this chapter runs to eighty-nine verses. Each name stands out on its own… He delights to record every little act of service, every little loving gift. He never forgets the smallest thing. And He does more than remember it Himself: He takes special care that untold millions will read the record. Those twelve princes had no idea that their names and their gifts would be handed down, age after age, for countless generations to read!
The same writer points to two more pages like it.
Turn to 2 Samuel 23 and Romans 16, and you will find two similar pages. In the first, the names and deeds of David's mighty men; in the second, the names and deeds of Paul's friends at Rome… Each one has his own special place on the roll, and each one his place in the Master's heart; and it will all come to light in time.
- First. The leaders moved to the tent before anyone else, and no tribe was without one. Their leadership showed itself in regard for what God is owed.
- Willing. Their very title is bound up with open-handedness. The giving starts in the heart, before it reaches the wagon.
- Unprompted. No command asked for these gifts. Grace produced them, and God still calls the choice their own.
- Matched. God fitted the gift to the job: wagons for the heavy boards, shoulders for Kohath's load. He gives the means for the work He assigns.
- Recorded. God forgets no name and no gift. He wrote each one down, and He means untold millions to read it.
and they brought their offering before Jehovah, six covered waggons, and twelve oxen; a waggon for two princes, and an ox for each; and they presented them before the tabernacle.
The tabernacle was finally standing, anointed and set apart, and the first move toward it came not from a command of God but from the leaders of the twelve tribes. They brought carts and oxen — ordinary working things that God then records in close detail.
The offering met a practical need. The tabernacle was finished, Israel was about to travel, and the whole tent had to travel with them.
Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle. He anointed it and set it apart, along with its furnishings and the copper altar outside (v.1). Now, to be fully ready for the work of moving the tabernacle from place to place, they needed a way to carry it. So the leaders of each tribe gave an offering for this purpose (vs.2-3).
No instruction had gone out for wagons and oxen. The leaders moved first. God then directed where the gift should go.
The princes of Israel come forward to bring their freewill offerings in six covered wagons, each drawn by two oxen. No command had been given. With a willing heart they gave from what they owned for the service of the sanctuary. The Lord accepted the offerings and then directed that the Gershonites and Merarites should receive the wagons and the oxen for their service.
The title given to these men is itself tied to generosity. What looks like a rank turns out to describe a heart — and one God Himself produced.
This book shows us service — not just doing certain things, but freely offering up yourself, a living sacrifice. The word "prince" in verse 2 of our chapter means generosity. "My people shall be willing." (Psalm 110) "Willing" and "generous" are the same word… Again, in 2 Corinthians 8:5, Gentiles had been made willing — "they gave themselves first to the Lord." First the Lord recognizes and owns them; then comes the generosity. Grace worked it in them, and God calls it their own free choice.
(The ESV translates Psalm 110:3 as "Your people will offer themselves freely.")
Carts and oxen were farm equipment, not sacred vessels. That is part of the point.
"Accept these from them." (v. 5.) The Spirit of God shows them exactly what is needed. Since it is already what is in every man's heart, they share it all in common, and each one still has his own privilege. Here is the privilege of taking ordinary, everyday things and offering them to the Lord for the service of the tabernacle.
A wagon from every two leaders and an ox from each meant no single tribe could claim the gift. They arranged it between them.
The princes gave with a common understanding, each offering the same, and they gave the wagons jointly… They gave tribe by tribe. These were Israel's gifts in the complete unity of the twelve — none missing from that ordered unity.
Moses did not split the gift evenly. The families with the heaviest loads received the most. The family carrying the holy vessels received nothing.
If God has called people to do His work, He will provide all they need to carry it out. The Gershonites and the Merarites had clear proof of this. Their work on the march was harder than that of the Kohathites. Moses gave two wagons and four oxen… to the Gershonites, and four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarites. Both of these great families were cared for, and the one with the heaviest burden had the greatest help.
The family left with no wagons was not the poorer for it.
The wagons and oxen were given to the sons of Gershon and Merari. Theirs was the most showy, outward service, but it was less close to God, and so it had less real honour. Kohath had to carry things on their shoulders. There might be less to see in that service, but we value most what we carry on our shoulders. If God has called us to Gershon's service, do it well.
The chapter goes on to repeat these details at length.
The Holy Spirit wrote down the details of the offerings and the repetitions so that we may know one thing: Jehovah takes notice of the devotion and sacrifice of His people. He keeps a record of it all. The same eye that followed the princes as they came to the tabernacle with their wagons saw the two small coins the poor widow put into the treasury. That same eye sees us. He will not forget the least service done for Him.
- Willing — God commanded no wagons and no oxen. The leaders gave first, and grace produced the willingness God then credits to them.
- Ordinary — carts and oxen were plain working tools. Giving them for the service of God's dwelling made them an offering.
- United — one wagon per two leaders, one ox each. The gift was a joint act of all twelve tribes, with none missing.
- Matched — Moses divided the gift by workload. The heaviest burden got the greatest help, and the shoulder-carriers got none — yet theirs was the higher honour.
- Recorded — the same care that fills this long chapter with names and totals also noticed a widow's two small coins.
And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
The leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel bring the Lord a gift of wagons and oxen. At this point God speaks, and His word turns their free gift into an assignment: Moses is to take it, then hand it out for service, man by man.
Nothing in the law had asked for wagons. The offering came out of the givers' own hearts, and God's first word about it is acceptance.
The princes of Israel come bringing their free-will offerings. They bring six covered wagons, each drawn by two oxen. No command had been given. With a willing heart they devoted part of their possessions to the service of the sanctuary. The Lord accepted the offerings. He directed that the Gershonites and Merarites should receive the wagons and the oxen for their service.
Wagons and cattle are farm equipment, not sanctuary furniture. Yet what God tells Moses to take is just what the work needed. They all shared in the giving, and no giver lost his own part in it.
The Spirit of God suggests to them just what is wanted. Since it is what is in every man's heart, they share it fully together, and each man still has his own privilege. It is a privilege to take ordinary, everyday things and offer them to the Lord for "the service of the tabernacle."
The gift was not split into equal shares. It matched the load each family had to carry.
If God called people to do His work, He will provide all that is needed to carry it on. Of this the Gershonites and the Merarites had clear proof. Their work, when on the march, was heavier than that of the Kohathites. Two wagons and four oxen came from the offering of the princes of the twelve tribes, given when the tabernacle was set up. Moses allotted these to the Gershonites, and four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarites. God thought of both of these great families, and the family with the heaviest burden had the greatest help.
The sons of Kohath carried the ark and the holy vessels, and they received no wagon at all. Commentators read that empty hand as honour, not neglect.
The wagons and oxen are divided among them according to their service. The Merarites get two thirds of all, the Gershonites one third, and the Kohathites none. This does not seem to be, and yet is, an equal distribution. The burden of the Kohathites is too sacred to hand over to the oxen, who handled it badly at a later time. Their shoulders cannot be freed from that demanding honour. So it often is with us. The most heavily loaded are simply the most trusted, and in the sharing out of burdens there is more equality than there seems.
Another writer spells out the later failure hinted at there. A cart was right for some loads and wrong for others, and centuries later King David forgot the difference.
The sons of Kohath were to carry the holy vessels, including the ark, on their shoulders, so they needed no wagons or oxen. David overlooked this when he went to bring back the ark, after it had been in the hands of the Philistines. That is how the disaster with Uzzah came about. Later David recognised his mistake, as we find recorded in 1 Chronicles 15:13. God had to be sought "after the due order."
The unequal shares raise a question about envy among God's servants. One writer answers it head-on.
God has no such principle as balancing matters and keeping men in good temper by giving them all the same portion. If there were, practical grace would be at an end. Instead, God places every one of us in a different position, according to His wise and sovereign will. That is what puts faith and love to the test. There is no such thing as two alike... What gracious man would resent another for being unlike himself? Instead, he would take honest and hearty joy in what he saw of Christ in another, which he did not have himself... May the Lord make us rejoice, not only in what He has given us, but also in what He has withheld from us and entrusted to others!
- Willing — the wagons came without any command. The offering began in the givers' hearts, and God accepted it.
- Taken — God tells Moses to take the gift. Everyday property becomes sanctuary equipment when the Lord receives it for His service.
- Given — a gift to God does not stay at the altar. He hands it on to the workers, so one man's gift becomes another man's power to serve.
- Measured — the portions match the load. The family with the heaviest march got the most help, because God supplies whatever the work He gives needs.
- Unequal — the Kohathites received nothing, because their burden belonged on their own shoulders. Different portions are not favouritism but trust, and grace can rejoice in another's place.
Take it of them, and they shall be for the performance of the service of the tent of meeting, and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to each according to his service.
God has just set up His dwelling, and the princes of the twelve tribes have brought six covered wagons and twelve oxen. Now the Lord tells Moses to take the gift and hand it on to the Levites, giving each man what fits his own work.
The Lord's first word is about receiving. One writer finds two things in it at once — something shared by all the people, and something personal (the older wording is "Take it of them"):
"Take it of them." (v. 5.) The Spirit of God suggests to them just what God wants, and since it is what is in every man's heart, everyone shares in it together, and each one has his own privilege. There is the privilege of taking ordinary and common things, and offering them to the Lord for "the service of the tabernacle."
The gift was voluntary. The word translated "prince" itself carries the idea of a generous, willing heart:
Prince, in verse 2 of our chapter, means liberality. "Your people will offer themselves freely." (Psalm 110; the older translation reads "My people shall be willing.") "Willing" and "liberal" are the same word... Again, in 2 Cor. 8:5, Gentiles had been made willing — "they gave themselves first to the Lord." First the Lord recognises and owns them; then comes the generosity. Grace worked it in them, and God calls it their own voluntary will.
The Lord accepts the wagons "that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting." Moses then divides them to match the load each family carried:
The Lord then instructed Moses to give these to the Levites who needed them. Two carts and four oxen went to the sons of Gershon, and four carts and eight oxen to the sons of Merari (vs.6-9), for they had twice as much to transport as the sons of Gershon. This is a good reminder to us. When God gives us any service to do for Him, He will always supply what we need to carry it out.
Another writer sees God's care for the strength of His servants in the way the wagons were shared out:
God thought of both of these great families, and the one with the heaviest burden had the greatest help. What consideration was there in this!... Bearing burdens required strength, and God would not overtax the strength of anyone called to labour for Him.
The gift travels from the princes, through Moses, to the Levites who carry the heavy loads:
The Gershonite and the Merarite had a place where they endured much of "the burden and heat of the day." Yet the Lord met them there in grace with a very rich reward, for "God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name." And so, if they had to labour and toil among their brothers, their brothers also served them in a way full of blessing.
The portions were not identical. One writer sees the difference as a test of faith and love:
There is no such principle as God balancing matters and keeping men in good temper by giving everyone the same portion. If there were, there would be an end of practical grace. On the contrary, God places every one of us in a different position, according to His wise and sovereign will. That is what puts faith and love to the test. There is no such thing as two alike... A gracious man would take an honest and hearty joy in what he saw of Christ in another, which he did not have himself.
Kohath received no wagons at all. One writer still calls the share-out equal:
This does not seem, and yet is, an equal distribution. The burden of the Kohathites is too sacred to hand over to the oxen, who made bad work of it at a later time. Nothing can lift that honour, and its labour, off their shoulders. So it often is with us: the heaviest-laden are simply the most trusted, and in the distribution of burdens there is more equality than appears.
Another writer compares the two kinds of work:
Gershon and Merari had the most showy and outward service, but it was less intimate with God, and therefore had less real honour. Kohath had to carry on their shoulders. There might be less appearance of service, but we value most what we carry on our shoulders.
- Willing — no command lay behind the offering. Grace produced it, and God still calls it their own free choice.
- Accepted — ordinary wagons and oxen, handed over to the Lord, become fit for the service of His house.
- Supplied — when God gives a task, He provides the means. The family with the heaviest load got the most help.
- Measured — each Levite got what matched his own service, not an equal share. God's sovereign will sets the differences, and they test whether we can rejoice in what He gave someone else.
- Shouldered — Kohath received nothing, because what they carried was too holy for a cart. The heaviest-laden are the most trusted, so the share-out is fairer than it looks.
And Moses took the waggons and the oxen, and gave them to the Levites.
The wagons and oxen came from the leaders of Israel, and Moses now hands them to the Levites who had to carry the tabernacle through the desert. That raises two questions: why God supplies His work through the gifts of His people, and why one family of Levites received nothing at all.
The wagons were not sacred objects. They were ordinary carts and working animals. God's word turned them into equipment for His dwelling.
"Accept these from them." (v. 5.) The Spirit of God suggests to them just what is wanted. And since it is what is in every man's heart, everything is held in common while each one still has his own privilege. There is the privilege of taking ordinary and common things, and offering them to the Lord for "the service of the tent of meeting."
The gifts reached the Levites whose work was hardest.
Yet if the Gershonite and the Merarite had to take a place where they bore much of "the burden of the day and the scorching heat," the Lord in His grace met them there with a very rich reward. For "God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name." So if they had to labour and toil among their brothers, their brothers ministered richly to them.
God did not leave the Levites to find their own transport. The help matched the size of each load.
The Lord then instructed Moses to give these to the Levites who needed them. So Moses gave two carts and four oxen to the sons of Gershon, and four carts and eight oxen to the sons of Merari (vv. 6-9), because they had twice as much to transport as the sons of Gershon. This is a good reminder to us. When God gives us any service to do for Him, He will always supply what we need to carry it out.
The care also showed in what God would not ask of them.
God thought of both of these great families, and the one with the heaviest burden had the greatest help. What consideration there was in this! Nor was this a single instance of it. Bearing burdens required strength. Now God would not overtax the strength of anyone called to labour for Him.
The sons of Kohath carried the most precious things of the sanctuary, and they got no cart. Commentators read this as honour rather than neglect.
When we thought about Numbers 3 and 4, we saw that the sons of Kohath had the privilege of carrying all that was most precious among the instruments and furniture of the sanctuary. So they did not receive any of the princes' offering. It was their high and holy service to bear on their shoulders, and not to use wagons or oxen... The Kohathite did not want the aid of a wagon or an ox in his elevated service. His own shoulder was to bear the precious mysterious burden.
Seen that way, the uneven distribution turns out to be even.
The wagons and oxen are divided among them according to their service. The Merarites get two thirds of all, the Gershonites one third, while the Kohathites get none. This does not seem, and yet is, an equal distribution. The burden of the Kohathites is too sacred to hand over to the oxen, which did the job badly at a later time. Nothing can lift this hard honour off their shoulders. So it often is with us. The heaviest-laden are only the most trusted, and in the sharing out of burdens there is more equality than there seems to be.
The most public job is not the highest one.
The service of Gershon and Merari was the most showy and outward, but it was less close to God, and so it had less real honour... If God has called us to Gershon's kind of service, do it well. One priest was as near to God as another; there is no difference in priesthood. But in service God gives to every man individually as He wills.
Why would God not give everyone the same?
There is no such principle as God balancing matters and keeping men in good temper by giving everyone the same portion. If there were, practical grace would be at an end. On the contrary, what tests faith and love is that God arranges every one of us in a different place according to His wise and sovereign will... What gracious man would feel sore with another because that man was unlike himself? Instead he would take honest and hearty joy in what he saw of Christ in another, which he did not have himself.
- Given — Leaders offered ordinary carts and oxen, and God's word turned them into equipment for His sanctuary.
- Supplied — What God assigns, God funds: the family with double the load received double the help.
- Measured — The help matched the work, and so did the limits. God does not overtax the strength of anyone He calls.
- Withheld — Kohath's empty hands were an honour, not an oversight. The holiest load stayed on human shoulders.
- Tested — Unequal portions are no accident. God's wise arrangement draws out either envy or joy in what Christ has given another.
Two waggons and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service;
The twelve leaders of Israel brought six wagons and twelve oxen to the tabernacle. God told Moses to give them to the Levites who carried the tabernacle through the desert, and verse 7 records the first share: two wagons and four oxen for Gershon's family, measured "according to their service."
The shares are not equal. Each family got what its own job needed, and Gershon's smaller share matched a lighter load.
The sons of Gershon received two wagons and four oxen and the sons of Merari four wagons and eight oxen. The gift was according to the service into which Jehovah had called them. The Merarites had to take care of the heavy boards and the Lord provided the means to carry the burden and render the service. For all service into which He calls His people, He also provides the strength and the means for the service.
The same principle works the other way too. The family with the heavier load got the greater help.
If God called people to do His work, He will provide all that is needed to carry it on. Of this the Gershonites and the Merarites had clear proof. Their work, when on the march, was harder than that of the Kohathites... Care was taken for both of these great families, and the one which had the heaviest burden had the greatest help. What consideration was there in this!
Gershon's load was the fabric of the tent, and both the load and the family name carry a meaning.
Gershon and his sons had charge of the coverings and the fine linen. Gershon means exile, a stranger. The fine linen is typical of righteousness. The coverings and hangings divided off and separated the different parts of the tabernacle, so they must mean separation. His service shows us that we are separated ones and strangers in the world. We must show this separation by practical righteousness.
Gershon carried the part of the tent that everyone outside could see.
Gershon's work was to carry the tabernacle and its coverings through the empty, howling wilderness... 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 that which would meet the eye.
Gershon and Merari had wagons; Kohath had only their shoulders. That contrast warns us against judging service by how visible it is.
These wagons and oxen were given to the sons of Gershon and Merari. Theirs was the most showy and outward service, but was less intimate with God, and therefore had less real honour... Kohath had to carry on their shoulders. There might be less appearance of service; but we value most what we carry on our shoulders. External gift produces external honour. If God has called us to Gershon service, do it well. One priest was as near God as another, there is no difference in priesthood; but in service God gives to every man individually as He will.
Two wagons to Gershon, four to Merari, none to Kohath. The split looks unfair until you see why Kohath's hands were empty.
The wagons and oxen are divided among them according to their service. The Merarites get two thirds of all, the Gershonites one third, and the Kohathites none. This does not seem, and yet is, an equal distribution. The burden of the Kohathites is too sacred to be transferred to the oxen... and their shoulders cannot be released from the toilsome honour. So with us often: the heaviest-laden are but the most trusted, and in the distribution of burdens there is more equality than seems.
The wagons did not drop from heaven. They came from the leaders' freewill offerings, and that generosity refreshed the men who carried the tent.
Grace had filled the hearts and affections of the princes. It did not only fill them; it overflowed. That overflow was meant to refresh the spirits of the homeless Gershonite and the sorrowful Merarite. The Kohathites, on the other hand, had no part in these gifts. And why? Because their service, as we shall see, was in itself a rich reward indeed.
- Called — God assigns the service first; Gershon's task was set before any wagon arrived.
- Equipped — What God calls a person to, He supplies: "the gift was according to the service into which Jehovah had called them."
- Considered — The heaviest load drew the greatest help. Gershon's two wagons matched a lighter charge than Merari's four.
- Shared — The help came from the leaders' overflowing generosity, and it went to those who carried most.
- Trusted — Visible service wins visible honour. But Kohath's empty hands were the greater trust: "the heaviest-laden are but the most trusted."
and four waggons and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, -- under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
Here Moses hands out the wagons and oxen that Israel's tribal leaders had just given. The sons of Merari receive twice as much as Gershon, and a priest oversees their work. Why the uneven split? Why does a third family get nothing? And what does "according to their service" mean?
The two shares here are not random. Merari's load on the march was the heavier one, and the help matched it.
If God calls 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. Their work, when on the march, was heavier than that of the Kohathites. Care was taken for both of these great families, and the one which had the heaviest burden had the greatest help.
The wagons did not start with Moses. They came from the tribal leaders' own giving, and they went where the marching was hardest.
Grace had filled the hearts and affections of the princes. It did not only fill them; it overflowed. That overflow was meant to refresh the spirits of the homeless Gershonite and the sorrowful Merarite. On the other hand, the Kohathites had no part in these gifts; and why? Because their service, as we shall see shortly, was in itself a rich reward indeed.
Merari's four wagons look like the biggest share. Set beside Kohath, who gets nothing at all, the sums work out differently.
The wagons and oxen are divided among them according to their service. The Merarites get two thirds of all, the Gershonites one third, while the Kohathites get none. This does not seem to be an equal distribution, and yet it is. The burden of the Kohathites is too sacred to hand over to the oxen, which made bad work of it at a later time. Their shoulders cannot be freed from that hard honour. It is often the same with us. The most heavily laden are simply the most trusted, and in the sharing out of burdens there is more equality than there seems to be.
This share of work carries a meaning beyond the wagons. Writers read Merari's charge as a picture of the work that steadies God's people, and they note what the family name means.
Merari's service has to do with the house of God, the church of the living God. It has to do with holding up Christ as the way of access to God. And it has to do with supporting, strengthening and steadying His witness in the world. He represents the workman, as Gershon represents the "stranger", the pilgrim, and Kohath the one occupied with Christ. His name, Merari, means "bitterness". It speaks of how painful such service is. Self-love will break down under it, or run off into some strange path that is easier on flesh and blood.
Merari did not set his own terms. His work ran under one of Aaron's sons, and commentators draw out what each line of oversight pictures.
As we try to give the New Testament answer to these things, we have thought that the service of Merari suggests what we may call a practical ministry. The service of Gershon suggests a doctrinal ministry. Both were under the hand of Ithamar. But the service of Kohath, under the hand of Eleazar, suggests a devotional ministry about the greatness and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then all would come under the hand of Aaron as the High Priest. He carried the responsibility to see that everything was done according to the mind of God, given through Moses.
A cart was right for Merari's load. Later David used a cart for a load God had not assigned to it, and it ended in disaster.
The holy vessels, including the ark, were to be carried on the shoulders of the sons of Kohath, so no wagons or oxen were needed for them. David overlooked this when he went to bring back the ark after it had been in the hands of the Philistines, and so came the disaster with Uzzah. Later David recognised his mistake, as we find recorded in 1 Chronicles 15:13. God had to be sought in His own appointed way.
- Given — the wagons began as a free gift from the tribal leaders. That overflow went to the families whose march was hardest.
- Measured — "according to their service" is the rule for the whole share-out. The heaviest burden got the greatest help, because God supplies what His own work needs.
- Equal — Merari's double share and Kohath's empty hands are not favouritism. Kohath's load stayed on shoulders because it was too sacred to hand over, and the most heavily laden were the most trusted.
- Weighty — Merari pictures the workman who supports and steadies God's witness. The name means "bitterness", and such work is painful.
- Overseen — the whole service ran under a priest's hand, so that everything was done according to the mind of God.
But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none, for the service of the sanctuary was upon them they bore [what they carried] upon the shoulder.
When Moses set up the tabernacle, Israel's leaders gave six wagons and twelve oxen to move it. One family of Levites got none, and the reason still teaches us how to handle holy things.
The wagons were not Moses' idea. The people gave them, and each Levite family got what its own load required.
Verses 2-9 give us the shared offering for moving the sanctuary — wagons and oxen for the sons of Gershon and of Merari. The sons of Kohath had to carry the holy vessels, including the ark, on their shoulders, so they needed no wagons or oxen.
Kohath was not overlooked or slighted. What they carried is the reason they got nothing.
When we looked at Numbers 3 and 4, we saw that the sons of Kohath had the privilege of carrying the most precious instruments and furniture of the sanctuary. So they did not receive any of the princes' offering. It was their high and holy service to bear upon their shoulders, and not to make use of wagons or oxen. The closer we look at what was put in the care of the Kohathites, the more we see that these things picture how deeply and fully God has shown Himself in Christ. The Gershonites and Merarites, on the other hand, handled things that were more external. Their work was rougher and more exposed, so the princes' generosity supplied the help they needed.
Gifts from their fellow Israelites eased the work of two families. The third got no relief, and the reason matches what God later said to Aaron.
Grace had filled the hearts and affections of the princes, and not only filled but overflowed them, and in its overflow it was meant to refresh the spirits of the homeless Gershonite and the sorrowful Merarite. The Kohathites, on the other hand, had no part in these ministrations. And why? Because their service was in itself a rich reward indeed. We see the same teaching about the Levites as a whole, set against the priests, in chapter 18. There the Lord says to Aaron: "You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel."
Shoulder-work was the hardest job in the camp. It was also the least impressive to watch.
From the outside, no one could tell what these vessels were, though each Kohathite might know his own appointed load. There was nothing in the service itself, or in what people could see of it, to bring glory to the men doing it. An outsider watching could only think that the Kohathites were there for the hardest work. They were never allowed a wagon to ease their load. They always carried on their shoulders. Best of all, they could know in their souls that the eye of Israel's God was on them: they were set apart for the service of His house.
One man cannot carry a bar. The method forced these men into step with each other and with the cloud.
They must walk together. No vessel of the sanctuary could be carried without a bar, which means at least two bearers. Every personal consideration had to be set aside. One might be stronger than another, or able to walk faster. But neither the strong nor the weak could set the pace or the time. That depended on the cloud alone, which directed every movement of the camp.
Centuries later David set out to bring the ark to Jerusalem. He chose a cart, and his good intention did not make it right.
David's thought of bringing up the ark was very beautiful, but he forgot "the due order." He swapped the service of the sanctuary for the Philistine cart and oxen. He did not even do it as well as the Philistines did. That is generally what happens when God's people imitate the world. It seemed so simple and natural; but because it was so, it was clearly of the world. It was not God's way.
The failure was not the end of the story.
David ordered the Levites to carry the Ark as God had commanded. God helped those who carried it, and He honours those who are faithful to His Word. When the Ark was carried in the due order, worship, praise and blessing followed.
- Nearness — Kohath carried the holiest things. That nearness, not neglect, is why the wagons passed them by.
- Weight — Nearness meant harder work. Everything that pictured Christ went on shoulders, not wheels.
- Wages — Their brothers' gifts repaid Gershon and Merari. Kohath's pay was the work itself, just as God Himself was Aaron's portion.
- Together — A bar needs two bearers, and the cloud set the pace. No one could serve alone or at his own speed.
- Order — David's cart shows the cost of trading God's method for the world's. His return to the due order brought back God's help, worship and blessing.
And the princes presented the dedication-gift of the altar on the day that it was anointed; and the princes presented their offering before the altar.
Moses has just set up and anointed the tabernacle — the portable tent of worship Israel carried through the desert. Now the leaders of the twelve tribes bring gifts for the altar. Two questions shape this long chapter. Why does the altar come first? And why does each leader get a day of his own?
This chapter follows straight after God put His blessing and His name on the people. One writer reads the sequence as a two-way movement.
Numbers 7 is a long chapter. It records the offerings of the princes of Israel, who represented the twelve tribes, after Moses had set up the tabernacle and anointed it. Coming at this point, it reminds us of two things. God means to bless His people richly, as at the end of chapter 6. He means just as much that His people should answer Him with their offerings. All of those offerings had to do with carrying His sanctuary and with its work.
One commentator weighs what these men did first.
In this chapter the first people to move towards the tent of meeting were the princes, the leaders of the people... We read there were twelve princes, the heads of each of the tribes, so that not one tribe was without leadership... What counts to their credit in this chapter is that they brought gifts to sanctify the altar. The altar stands for the claims of God. The first thing we read about these princes is that, as soon as the tabernacle was fully set up, they had regard for the rights of God.
The gifts come "on the day it was anointed." Why did that day matter?
Two things had to be done to the altar before worship could begin. It had to be cleansed by making atonement for it, and anointed to sanctify it. Atonement was necessary because Israel was a sinful people. It was made by sprinkling blood on the altar — this was in view of the people. The anointing set the altar apart to the Lord. So the people's worship could begin on these two grounds, and from there it could carry on, always identified with the altar. Their worship could never be apart from the altar... "whatever touches the altar shall become holy." Our Lord refers to this in Matthew 23:19.
One writer notices a change in God's own words here.
Then, in verse 10, came offerings for the altar. A whole nation gave generously through the spiritual life of each man — "Each prince on his day." Here again is the individual energy of the Spirit. The Lord said to Moses, "They shall offer," not, "Take it of them." Now they come near, and the gift is dedicated on the altar. The altar is what gives the offering its value. Christ, "through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God." So our outward service, the giving of our lives, is identified with this one offering of Christ... When the altar is dedicated at last, the result is perfect: the twelve princes have offered willingly. In the same way, when the Church is presented to God, it is, so to speak, a perfect weight offered. As far as the Spirit leads us, the result is perfect. But when flesh comes in, there is disorder.
God could have summed the twelve gifts up in a line. One commentator says nothing less than the full record would have satisfied Him.
Nothing could satisfy Him but the fullest and most detailed account of each man's name, of the tribe he represented, and of the offering he made to the sanctuary of God... People may rush past gifts and offerings, or pass over them without caring; but God never can, never does, and never will. He delights to record every little act of service, every little loving gift... Those twelve princes never imagined that their names and their gifts would be handed down from age to age, to be read by countless generations!
Each leader brought the same gifts, and every dish had something in it.
Each one offered on his own day, but each offered the same things. They presented vessels — large dishes, bowls, spoons — but none of them were empty. They held fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, or incense. Yet whether it was for a grain offering, a burnt offering or a sin offering, everything they brought spoke in some way of Christ. No doubt they did not know this, but it is our privilege to see it.
- Altar first. Atonement and anointing made the altar holy. No worship could go on apart from it.
- Altar gives value. The gift counts because of where it is laid. Christ's one offering makes our service acceptable.
- Altar and leaders. The heads of the tribes moved first. The altar stands for God's rights, and every tribe had a leader who cared about them.
- Altar and the individual. "Each prince on his day." God does not lump His people's giving together. He records each name and each gift for every generation to read.
- Altar and the whole. Twelve willing offerings made one perfect whole. So the Church is presented to God — perfect where the Spirit leads, disordered where flesh comes in.
And Jehovah said to Moses, They shall present their offering for the dedication of the altar, each prince on his day.
Numbers 7 records the gifts Israel's tribal leaders brought after Moses set up the tabernacle — the tent where God met with His people — and anointed it. Verse 11 gives the Lord's rule for the whole list: the gifts for dedicating the altar come one leader at a time, one day at a time.
Chapter 6 ends with God's blessing on Israel. Chapter 7 opens with Israel's giving. One writer sees that order as deliberate.
Numbers 7 is a long chapter. It records the offerings of the leaders of Israel, who stood for the twelve tribes, after Moses had set up the tabernacle and anointed it. Its place here reminds us of something. If it is God's thought to bless His people richly — as at the end of chapter 6 — it is just as much His thought that His people answer Him with offerings of their own. All of them have to do with the carrying and the work of His sanctuary.
The wording of the Lord's instruction matters here. He does not tell Moses to take the gift from the people; the leaders bring it themselves.
Then, in verse 10, came the offerings for the altar. The whole nation gave generously, but through the spiritual life of each man — "one chief each day." Here again is the individual energy of the Spirit. The Lord said to Moses, "They shall offer" (v. 11). He did not say, "Take it from them." Now they come near and dedicate the gift on the altar. It is the altar that gives the offering its value.
The verse calls these gifts offerings "for the dedication of the altar." One writer ties that altar to Christ Himself.
This shows the importance of the altar of burnt offering. The altar speaks of Christ in His own person, sanctifying the value of the sacrifice He made of Himself. In Matthew 23:19 the Lord asks, "Which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?" The gift speaks of the sacrifice Christ made at Calvary. The altar speaks of Christ in His own person, for He Himself is greater than the wonderful work He has done.
Twelve days did not bring twelve different gifts. Each leader had his own day, but every gift was the same.
The rest of the chapter covers the separate offering of each leader for "the dedication of the altar." Each man offered on his own day, but each offered the same things. They brought vessels — large dishes, bowls and spoons — but none of them were empty. They held fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering, or they held incense. Whether the gift was a grain offering, a burnt offering or a sin offering, everything they brought spoke in some way of Christ. No doubt they did not know this, but we have the privilege of seeing it.
Why do twelve identical gifts need eighty-nine verses? One writer answers that a short summary would never have satisfied God.
Nothing could satisfy Him but the fullest and most detailed account of each man's name, of the tribe he stood for, and of the offering he made to the sanctuary of God. So we have this long chapter of eighty-nine verses. Each name shines out on its own. He describes each offering in detail and gives it its full value. The names and the offerings are not bundled together... He delights to record every small act of service, every small loving gift. He never forgets the smallest thing. And He does not only remember it Himself; He takes special care that untold millions will read the record.
The tribes camped in different places and stood in different relations to one another. One writer takes the repeated record as proof that none of this changed their standing before God.
These were free gifts from the heads of the tribes. They carry special weight, because they show the spirit that moved the people, the full agreement among them, and the equal place they hold before God. Their different places in the camp, and in relation to one another, do not affect this... This long chapter is full of what may look like tedious repetition. Yet it shows how evenly God's love values the response of man's heart to it, wherever He finds it. Each leader has his day and each offering its record. God leaves nothing out and passes over nothing quickly.
- Blessing first. Chapter 6 ends with God's blessing. Chapter 7 begins with the people's answer: offerings for His sanctuary.
- Willing, not collected. At the altar the word is "They shall offer," not "Take it from them." The gift comes from the giver's own heart.
- The altar decides the value. The altar gives the offering its worth. The altar speaks of Christ Himself, who is greater than the work He has done.
- Each on his day. Twelve days and twelve leaders, but the same gifts. Every gift they bring speaks of Christ.
- Nothing lost. God records each name, each day, each gift. He values every response of the heart the same, whoever makes it.