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Even if you aren’t a literal descendant of Aaron this chapter is about you. If you are joined to the High Priest Messiah Yeshua, you are joined, in a spiritual sense to the priestly Levites. Numbers 3 tells you how.
Not only were the 12 tribes oriented around the tabernacle in a certain order, but the Levites, who encamped in the inner circle around the Tabernacle, were also oriented in a particular order by clan.
God is preparing all of Israel for battle, even the tribe of Levi. Their name means “to join or connect with” and they are connected to the Tabernacle and to the Priesthood.
The instructions given in the book of Leviticus are not dead letters.
God, who dwells in the Holy of Holies, He is their commanding officer. When He gets up to leave, the people have to get up and prepare to leave too. They moved only when the cloud moved and when the cloud moved, they picked up and left in a particular order.
“They shall also keep all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.” (Numbers 3:8 NASB)
The Levites who are not a part of the priesthood are to dismantle, move, and reassemble the Tabernacle. They are to serve the Tabernacle. If any non-Levite touched the components of the Tabernacle, they were to be put to death.
The Levites were given to the Priesthood to take care of the Tabernacle, in place of the first-born of Israel. God appointed the entire tribe of Levi in exchange for the first-born of Israel to serve the tabernacle and the priests.
Each of us are placed in a certain part of the Tabernacle of God. God put us in a certain place to perform a certain job, we aren’t to try to do someone else’s job.
The Levites were numbered separately from the other 12 tribes. The tribe of Levi was the least important tribe and God raised them up.
God is not rejecting anyone, He is not rejecting the first born. The fact that He chooses some for an “honorable role” and some for a humble role is not God’s rejection of those who fill a humbler role at all. God is not a respecter of persons.
God joined the tribe of Levi to His tabernacle because of the meaning of his name.
Levi had three sons: Gershon (exiled one), Kohath (to assemble together) and Merari (bitter, sorrowful).
The families of Gershon were stationed on the west side of the tabernacle. They were in charge of “…the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting…” (Numbers 3:25 NASB) The Gershonites guarded the entrance of the tabernacle and the courtyard. The Gershonites were guarded by Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin. Interesting that the Levite tribe that was named “exile” was guarded by two of the sons of Jacob who were at the forefront of exile.
The families of Kohath were gathered on the south side of the tabernacle. They were in charge of “…the ark, the table, the lamp-stand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all the service concerning them.” (Numbers 3:31 NASB)
The families of Merari were camped on the north side of the temple. They were in charge of “…the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its equipment, and the service concerning them, and the pillars around the court with their sockets and their pegs and their cords.” (Numbers 3:36–37 NASB)
The general, God All-mighty, can protect himself. The Levites duty wasn’t to protect God but His tabernacle.
The family of Moses and Aaron were stationed to the east.
“Now those who were to camp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, are Moses and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the sanctuary for the obligation of the sons of Israel; but the layman coming near was to be put to death.” (Numbers 3:38 NASB)
What do all these facts tell you? In later chapters, we will see these tribes move. He is preparing the children of Israel to fight. Even though God promised them the Land of Israel, and He promises to enter into battle with them. He also told them they would have to fight for it. He isn’t going to simply hand it to them on a gold platter. We appreciate something more when we work for it than when we have it given to us.
We are living stones and although our flesh can be crushed but our spirits can’t be crushed. We are a stone that God will use to build His tabernacle.
God did a census of the first born of Israel and the sons of Levi and it was learned that there were 273 more first born than Levites. And those 273 Israelites were ransomed with 5 shekels each, which was given to the Tabernacle.
God chose all of us for a function before we were even born. God is building His own ekklesia. God brought Israel, His first born out of Egypt. He then set aside Ephraim as the first born of Israel. He set aside the tribe of Levi as a ransom for the first born of the people of Israel.
We have a tabernacle and everyone surrounding it were appointed to a particular job. The Levites had their job, the children of Aaron had their job, the 12 tribes encircling the Levites and the Tabernacle also had a job.
When the New Jerusalem comes down, it is coming down as a dwelling place for God on earth. This is the dwelling place Messiah is now building.
How close are you to the High Priest? Each of us have a job to do. Not all are to be priests, apostles, etc. We are to figure out what God wants us to do and do it. We aren’t to covet someone else’s job. We aren’t to wish that we were as smart, good-looking, etc. as the next person.
If we aren’t joined to Aaron/Messiah, we aren’t really there.
Where God has placed you is where you belong. We are all given a measure of trust and it’s a fools errand to compare ourselves to each other. Walk it, work it, be where you are.
Reader: Jeff. Speaker: Richard Agee. Summary: Tammy.