Numbers 8
This chapter deals with two subjects:
2. Regulations regarding the care of the candlestick. vs. 1-4
Regulations regarding the sanctification of the Levites. vs. 5-26
Regulations regarding the care of the candlestick vs. 1-4
The Pulpit Commentary says about the introductory phrase, "The Lord spake unto Moses": "It does not appear when. The attempt of modern commentators to find a real connection between this section and the offering of the princes or the consecration of the Levites is simply futile. Such connection may be imagined, but the same ingenuity would obviously be equally successful if this section had been inserted in any other place from Exod. xxxvii, to the end of this book." And on vs. 4 the Commentary says: "This has been recorded in Exod. xxxvii. 17. The repetition of the statement in this place seems to be conclusive that these verses are out of their historical position, and that their insertion here is due to some fact connected with the original records with which we are not acquainted. It may be this that these verses originally followed verse 89 of the previous chapter, and followed it still when it was inserted, for reasons already suggested, after the narrative of the offerings of the princes." In saying these things, the Commentary disregards the obvious spiritual significance of the record and contradicts its own earlier remark that the real question is whether the Scriptures were written for our instruction or not.
The NIV rendering of vs. 2 seems clear enough: "When you set up the seven lamps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand." The more literal translation of the KJV: "When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick," leaves us in the dark. (No pun intended!) The Hebrew words, translated with "in front of" or "over against" are a composite preposition: 'el, which Strong's Dictionary defines as: "denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or among; often in general, to;" muwl, defined as: "properly, abrupt, i.e. a precipice; by implication, the front; used only adverbially (with prepositional prefix) opposite," and paniym, which can mean the face (as the part that turns)." So the NIV translation: "in front of the lampstand," seems to be a logical one.
The intention of the menorah was to let its sevenfold light shine toward the entrance of the tabernacle, that is toward the people. The seven lamps of the lampstand are the image of the Holy Spirit. In the book of Revelation, this image is used repeatedly. First of all, John sees Jesus standing between seven lampstands which represent seven churches. We read: "I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone 'like a son of man.' "[ 1 ] From what Jesus says to the church in Ephesus, however, we understand that the lampstand is also the divine element in the church, which is the Holy Spirit. We read: "If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."[ 2 ] Earlier in the book we read: "Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God."[ 3 ] And, finally, we understand from the benediction with which the book of Revelation opens, that it is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to bless the church: "Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne."[ 4 ] So, the position of the lamps of the lampstand in the tabernacle shows us that the Holy Spirit is there to minister to the people. God lets the light of His Spirit fall upon us.
At the same time we see that man is involved in this ministry, not only as a receiver of that light, but as a vehicle. The lampstand was made in the form of a almond tree, in various stages of blooming, with buds and flowers, which expressed a growing process. The Holy Spirit, being God Himself, does not grow; but people, the church, filled with the Holy Spirit do.
Finally, we are given the assurance that this lampstand was a true copy of a heavenly reality. "The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the LORD had shown Moses." It was an expression in early matter of a spiritual reality. As such it was part of the Incarnation; God the Holy Spirit came to men in a visible form. The miracle that invisible things can be expressed in earthly matter and substance will never cease to amaze us. The sculptor can make a piece of marble live with emotion, and a painter can put paint on canvas and evoke a world of feeling. God created bodies of flesh and blood that can give expression to a human soul and spirit. But the greatest miracle of all is that the Word became flesh. Regulations regarding the sanctification of the Levites. vs. 5-26
The sanctification of the Levites differed from the consecration of the priests. The Levites are "purified," but the priests are "consecrated." The Hebrew words used are different. The word for purify is taher, which is defined by Strong's as: "to be bright, to be pure, physical sound, clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated; morally, innocent or holy." The Hebrew word for consecrate is qadash, which is defined by Strong as "to be or make, pronounce or observe as clean (ceremonially or morally)." The Pulpit Commentary says: "There was in this case no ceremonial washing, no vesting in sacred garments, no anointing with holy oil, or sprinkling with the blood of sacrifices. The Levites, in fact, remained simply representatives of the congregation, whereas the priests were representatives also of Christ."
There is no explanation as to what "the water of cleansing" may have constituted. There is a description of the preparation of "the water of cleansing" in ch. 19:1-10, but it is not clear whether this water had already been prepared at the time of the purification of the Levites. The water is called here "the water of cleansing," other translations use the expression "the water of expiation,"[ 5 ] or "the water of purifying."[ 6 ] The Hebrew says literally: "the water of sin."
The purification consisted of four parts: a ritual that included shaving of the whole body, washing of body and clothes, and sprinkling with water; a double sacrifice of two bulls, (one as a sin offering and the other as burnt offering), accompanied by a grain offering; imposition of hands by the whole nation of Israel (probably represented by their clan leaders), and the presentation before the Lord of the Levites as a wave offering.
The shaving and washing, obviously, represents a new beginning, like a new birth. When Naaman was healed of his leprosy, we read: "So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean."[ 7 ] This kind of "new beginning" was acted out ritually in this ceremony. The Levites stand before the Lord as people who have been regenerated in order to serve Him. The apostle Paul puts this in a New Testament context when he says: "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."[ 8 ] The purification of sin is brought about by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has washed us from our sin in His blood.[ 9 ] But our regeneration, the renewing of our inner being, is the work of the Holy Spirit.
In the case of the Levites this was done in a symbolic way. The sprinkling and the washing and the sacrifices brought, did not necessarily bring about a change in heart. The hearts of some, who were open to the working of God's Spirit, may have been transformed; but that which touches the skin usually goes no deeper than the skin. The ceremony described here, therefore, is only an image of what a born again Christians experience in the regeneration. The ceremony emphasizes the fact that man is born a sinner and that he cannot serve God without regeneration. This is what Jesus made clear to Nicodemus when He said: "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."[ 10 ]
In the light of this whole ceremony we have to keep in mind that the Levites were taken to serve the Lord in the place of all the first born of Israel. The fact is emphasized strongly in this passage. So, what was done symbolically to the Levites was done substitutionally to all the firstborn of the nation and by consequence to the whole nation. Israel was to be a nation of priests, and the sanctification of the Levites was one step in that direction.
So, the symbolism of the new birth, as expressed in the shaving and washing of the Levites, pointed to the time when Israel would be a nation of people who would know the Lord in their hearts. Jeremiah prophesied about this new covenant, saying: " 'The time is coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,' declares the LORD. 'This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,' declares the LORD. 'I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ' 'Know the LORD,' ' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,' declares the LORD. 'For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.' "[ 11 ] This is the covenant that has been inaugurated for us in the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The second part of the ritual was the sacrifice of the two bulls; one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. The Pulpit Commentary remarks that the sacrifice of a bull as a sin offering was reserved for the expiation of the sins of a high priest, or the sin of the whole congregation. In the law on the sin offering we read: "If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, they are guilty. When they become aware of the sin they committed, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the Tent of Meeting."[ 12 ] This kind of sacrifice, therefore, reinforces the concept that the Levites represented the nation of Israel as a whole, in their service in the tabernacle. The sacrifice also emphasized the fact that Israel consisted of a nation of sinners, not only because of their acts, but because of their sinful nature. As descendants of Adam, they were born in sin; committing sin was natural for them. They were condemned to death, not merely because of what they did, but because of who they were. The imposition of hands upon the head of the bull, symbolizes this fact. Jesus died not only for our sins, He died in our stead.
After the initial purification of the Levites by washing and shaving, the Israelites lay hands upon them. As suggested before, this ritual was probably performed by proxy. We can hardly assume that over two million men laid their hands on the heads of more than eight thousand Levites. But we are given no details as to how this part of the ritual was carried out. The important message is that the Israelite nation as a whole identified itself with the Levites. In the consecration of the Levites, all of Israel was consecrated to the Lord.
The same is true of the presentation of the Levites before the Lord. We read in vs. 11: "Aaron is to present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the Israelites." This wave offering cannot be seen but as a symbolic gesture. The wave offerings of the sacrifices brought on the altar, could be lifted up in the air and waved before the Lord, but it would be a physical impossibility to lift up the bodies of some eight thousand men and wave them back and forth. The Pulpit Commentary says: "Some have supposed that they were marched up and down before the altar, forgetting that the court would scarcely afford standing room for 1000 people, while the Levites between thirty and fifty numbered more than 8000. It is certain that the Levites could only be brought before the Lord, could only be waved (howsoever that was done), could only lay their hands upon the bullocks, by representation." A possibility would be that the Levites "waved" themselves before the Lord. We can still observe in our present day Jews swaying their hips when they pray, and it may be presumed that this was the way the Levites presented themselves before the Lord at their inauguration.
Although the apostle Paul will not have meant to tell us that we should do so in a literal fashion, as a praying Orthodox Jew, he does tell us to "offer [our] bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-- this is [our] spiritual act of worship."[ 13 ] The point of it is that spiritual worship is practical; it involves the body; it is active and living.
It is interesting to observe that this presentation of the Levites, this offering of their bodies as a living sacrifice to God, is done before the bloody sacrifice of the bulls is made. It is, as if the awareness of the sinful nature only comes to the surface, after the act of dedication has taken place. In dedication ourselves to the Lord, we become aware of the fact how much the image of God, in which we were created, has deviated from the original. In the presence of the Lord we come to the conclusion that we fall short of the glory of God; which is Paul's definition of sin. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."[ 14 ] This condition of sin is atoned for in the offering of the bull as a sin offering. The Levites lay their hands on the bull, thus identifying themselves with the animal that is slain, and confessing that their condition merits the death penalty, which they accept by substitution. Then the other bull is sacrificed as a burnt offering, which is the expression of the supreme love, the agapè, which motivated Jesus to give Himself to the Father in His death on the cross. People who bring a burnt offering are, in Paul's words, "imitators of God." Writing to the Ephesians, he says: "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."[ 15 ]
Having performed through this ritual presentation of themselves before the Lord, the Levites are allowed to serve in the tabernacle. There is a paradox in the fact that, on the one hand, the Levites are representatives of the whole nation of Israel; all Israel had identified itself with them in the laying on of hands. On the other hand, the Levites are set apart from the nation. God says to Moses: "In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine." God wanted Israel, as a whole, to be a holy nation. The book of Leviticus resounds with this theme: "I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy."[ 16 ] But God knew His people. He knew the quality of their daily lives, and He wanted to give them a role model to follow in the Levites.
In this context we find the same reference to the first born among the Israelites and the death of all the first born in Egypt, as in ch. 3:5-13. The repetition of the connection between the Passover experience, in which the first born of Israel were saved by the blood of the lamb, and the presentation of the Levites, who were a living sacrifice unto the Lord, as a substitution of Israel's first born, serves to remind the people of their status before the Lord. The claim of God was upon the life of each member of the nation. They were never allowed to forget.
The Pulpit Commentary has an interesting comment on the phrase "To make an atonement for the children of Israel." We read: "This is a remarkable expression, and throws light upon the nature of atonement. It is usually confined to purely sacerdotal ministrations, but it clearly has a somewhat different scope here. The idea that the Levites 'made an atonement' by assisting the priests in the subordinate details of sacrifice hardly needs refutation; as well might the Gibeonites be said to 'make an atonement' because they supplied the altar fire with wood. The real parallel to this is to be found in the case of Phinehas, of whom God testified that ' 'he hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel,' ' and ' 'made an atonement for the children of Israel' ' (ch. xxv. 11, 13). It is evident that Phinehas turned away the wrath of God not by offering any sacrifices, but by making the sin which aroused that wrath to cease: he made an atonement for the people by discharging for them that holy and bounden duty (of putting away sin) which the rest of them failed to perform. Similarly the Levites made an atonement not by offering sacrifice (which they could no more do than the children of Judah), but by rendering unto God those personal duties of attendance and service in his courts which all the people ought to have rendered had they only seen fit."
Another interesting feature in the same verse is that the service rendered by the Levites protected the Israelites against the danger the presence of God's holiness exposed them to. We read that atonement was made "so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary." Approaching the holiness of God would be more lethal to any human being than touching high tension life wire without any insulation. The reference in this context to the striking down of the firstborn of Egypt and the salvation of Israel's firstborn, gives us insight into how the presence of the Levites at the tabernacle meant protection for the average Israelite. The singling out of every firstborn in Israel meant that God laid claim to every family. Every family member went free because their firstborn had been redeemed. In Egypt this redemption was provided by the death of the lamb and the protection of its blood. In the desert the firstborn, and consequently, every family member was redeemed by the substitution of the Levites for every oldest son.
In New Testament terms this means that every human being has the freedom to enter in God's presence, because of the redemption in God's firstborn Son, Jesus Christ, who not only protects us with His blood, but saves us from God's wrath by His life. The author of the Hebrew epistle attests to this by saying: "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water."[ 17 ] And Paul writes to the Romans: "For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life![ 18 ]
The NIV says that, after the ceremony of inauguration, "the Levites came to do their work at the Tent of Meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons." Other translations use the preposition "in" instead of "at." The Pulpit Commentary believes that the verse speaks about the entering of the Levites into the tabernacle after everything was packed for transportation, since only the priests could enter the tent. It seems logical, however, to take the phrase "in the tabernacle" to mean to include the court, in which the sacrifices were brought and most of the labor was performed.
The chapter ends with a regulation concerning the age limits between which the Levites had to officially perform their duties at the tabernacle. We read in vs. 24: "This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting." This seems to contradict the age mentioned in ch. 4:3, where we read: "Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting." The Pulpit Commentary remarks on this point: "a short time before the minimum age had been fixed at thirty (ch. iv. 3). That direction, however, concerned the transport of the tabernacle and its belongings; this was a permanent regulation designed for the ordinary labors of the sanctuary at a time when the Levites would be scattered through their cities, and could only serve by courses. For the latter purpose many more would be required: and indeed they were found insufficient as it was in the latter days of David, when the wealth and devotion of the kingdom were fast increasing (see on 1 Chron. xxiii. 24-27)." The text referred to by this commentary reads: "These were the descendants of Levi by their families-- the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more who served in the temple of the LORD. For David had said, 'Since the LORD, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.' According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more." From this we would get the impression that it was upon David's instruction that the age was changed from thirty to twenty, in which case the text in this present chapter would be an insertion from a later date. It is also possible, however, to see the phrase "According to the last instructions of David," as pertaining to the fact that the Levites had not longer any duties in the transportation of the tabernacle and its furniture.
There may be another meaning, however, which can only be found in the original, but is hidden in the various English translations. The NIV renders vs. 24 with: "This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting," but the KJV translates it with: "This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation." The phrase "to wait upon the service" literally means in Hebrew "to war the warfare." The thought that the younger Levites especially were conscripted to perform duties during times of war, is a very plausible one. From a report of the war of Jehoshaphat against the Moabites and Ammonites we gather that the Levites marched ahead of the army as a choir that praised the Lord. We read: "Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with very loud voice. Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, 'Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.' After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: 'Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever.' "[ 19 ] The proof is not very conclusive and it is the only illustration we have in the Bible of Levites carrying out their tabernacle duties in the midst of a scene of war. In the account of the battle of Jericho, it is the priests who sound the trumpet, not the Levites.
The fact that the Hebrew uses the phrase "to war the warfare" indicates that the service of the Lord on earth is carried out in hostile territory. The "Prince of this world" will oppose every effort to serve the Lord, and he will put every possible obstacle in the way to discourage and dissuade us. Those who want serve the Lord will have to fight for it.
The setting of the age limit at the end of this chapter not only marks the age of entering upon the service, but also of leaving it. Levites were officially retired at the age of fifty. That seems very young in our modern day and age. A place is left for work on a honorary basis and for volunteer work. Very few people, however, would be considered too old to work at the age of fifty. At that point, however, the burden of responsibility was lifted from them. Those who kept on working did it, not because they had to, but because they wanted to.
It has been said that there is no retirement for a servant of the Lord, this verse seems to contradict this. The Lord allows for the fact that the burden may become too heavy and that there is a point at which we may simple draw back and enjoy what we do and what we are. Having come at this place in my own life, I found out that this is one of the hardest positions to maintain. It is so much more difficult to sit back and enjoy ourselves, without feeling guilty about it, than to lose ourselves in all kinds of activities and responsibilities. Evidently, God wants us to know that His burden is light.
[ 1 ]
Rev. 1:12,13
[ 2 ]
Rev. 2:5
[ 3 ]
Rev. 4:5
[ 4 ]
Rev. 1:4
[ 5 ]
RSV; ASV
[ 6 ]
KJV
[ 7 ]
II Kings 5:14 (RSV)
[ 8 ]
Titus 3:4-7
[ 9 ]
Rev.1:5b (KJV)
[ 10 ]
John 3:5-8
[ 11 ]
Jer. 31:31-34
[ 12 ]
Lev. 4:13,14
[ 13 ]
Rom. 12:1
[ 14 ]
Rom. 3:23
[ 15 ]
Eph. 5:1,2
[ 16 ]
For example: Lev. 11:44
[ 17 ]
Heb. 10:19-22
[ 18 ]
Rom. 5:10
[ 19 ]
II Chr. 20:19-21
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