Numbers 8:14-22, “Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the
people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. (15)
And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting,
when you have cleansed them and offered them as a wave offering. (16)
For they are wholly given to me from among the people of Israel. Instead
of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have
taken them for myself. (17) For all the firstborn among the people of
Israel are mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all
the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself, (18)
and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the
people of Israel. (19) And I have given the Levites as a gift to
Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the
people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of
Israel, that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people
of Israel come near the sanctuary."
(20) Thus did Moses and Aaron and
all the congregation of the people of Israel to the Levites. According to all
that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, the people of Israel did
to them. (21) And the Levites purified themselves from sin
and washed their clothes, and Aaron offered them as a wave offering before the
LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. (22)
And after that the Levites went in to do their service in the tent of
meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning
the Levites, so they did to them.”
This chapter records again the
separation of the Levites to the work of the tabernacle. The separation of the
Levites was to be a permanent reminder to the people of Israel of their
redemption from Egypt, and how they were spared from God’s judgement through
the plague of the death of the first-born. Every time they saw a person from
the tribe of Levi, they would have been reminded of God’s redeeming grace
towards them.
As for the tribe of Levi, God was
bestowing a wonderful blessing and privilege upon them. They would be unique amongst
the twelve tribes, for they would not have to give their time and lives to
farming or other forms of work, instead they were to devote their lives to the
service of God. They would have access to the tabernacle and later the temple
that few other Jews ever enjoyed. In addition to this they would spend much of
their time at the tabernacle or temple, unlike the majority of Jews who would
only come several times a year. And they also had the privilege to be involved
in the acts of worship, in the various ceremonies that took place throughout
the year. What a joy it must have been for them to have this unique position
with all its benefits and privileges.
This passage holds three important
truths for us. The first is that we need to be constantly mindful of our
redemption, our salvation from sin. We must not think of it as a light or easy
thing, rather it has come about only by the power, grace and love God. Had God
not worked in His mercy, for His glory and our good, we would have no hope of
salvation. It is disheartening to see how quickly and easily many Christians forget
the magnitude, the cost of their salvation. The moment we start to forget how
valuable and costly our salvation is, is the moment that we start to take God’s
grace for granted, presume upon it and fail to honour, glorify and worship God
in the right manner. It also causes us to falter in our Christian walk, for it
will impact upon our prayer lives, how we live our faith out and the attitude
with which we serve. We need to daily remind ourselves that our salvation is
priceless.
Secondly, we can rejoice in the fact
that we enjoy the same, and even greater, privilege and position of the Levites.
Only the Levites were set apart to the work and service of the tabernacle or
temple, only they could draw nearer to the actual building than others could.
But as believers in Christ, every single believer has equal, full, complete and
continuous access to God. The Levites had to be consecrated, made holy and set
apart for service. Christ has truly consecrated us, made us holy and has called
us to serve him with our lives. We don’t need a special position or title, we
can all boldly, confidently, freely and joyfully approach God in worship and
service.
Thirdly, it was the work of the Levites
to assist their fellow countrymen to worship God. From the practical aspects to
the more personal details, they were there to help people to know how to
worship God in the right manner, and to assist them to do so. This reminds us
of our role within the world. Our worship of God as Christians is not meant to
only ever be a private affair, done behind closed and locked doors, rather it
is to be open and public. In fact the Scriptures tell us to call upon the all
the nations, all people to come and worship God. It is our God-given privilege
to help the world see the glory of God, the wonder of the salvation He has
provided for us in Christ and the rich joy that is found in Christ. We are to
help people to know these truths, so that they too might come to worship, love
and adore God.
Our privilege, position and purpose
as Christians far exceeds that of the Levites, but the challenge is for us to
give thanks to God for all He has done, and for us to live in the manner He
calls on us to.
Our Father, You alone have done great and wonderful things for us. You
are the God of our salvation, without You we would be devoid of any hope. How
we give thanks to You for the love You have lavished upon us through the Lord
Jesus Christ. May we never lose sight of the wonder and weight of our
salvation. We thank You also that You draw all who believe in You near and
enable us to come to worship or serve You at any time. We don’t need to be of
the tribe of Levi or have a special title, all we need is Christ. Help us to
live as joy-filled and willing servants, who long to show the world the riches
that are found in You. May they see our joy as we worship You, and be drawn to
Christ through it. Amen.
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