Numbers 18:1-7, “So the LORD said to
Aaron, "You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear
iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall
bear iniquity connected with your priesthood.
(2) And with you bring your
brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join
you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of
the testimony. (3) They shall keep guard over you and over the
whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the
altar lest they, and you, die. (4) They shall join you and keep guard over the
tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come
near you. (5) And you shall keep guard over the sanctuary
and over the altar, that there may never again be wrath on the people of
Israel. (6) And behold, I have taken your brothers the
Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to the
LORD, to do the service of the tent of meeting.
(7) And you and your sons with
you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is
within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any
outsider who comes near shall be put to death."”
After God has so clearly demonstrated that Aaron is his appointed man,
the remainder of the men are overcome with fear. They fear that God might
strike them down if they should ever seek to draw near to the tabernacle. The
tabernacle was a symbol of God’s presence among the people, and it should have
been a constant encouragement, comfort and source of joy for the people of Israel.
But now they are overcome with fear, for if God has dealt so severely with
Korah and those who followed with him, and if God has made is clear that Aaron
is His appointed man, then what might happen to them if they were to ever
approach God!
In order to calm their fears God speaks to Aaron giving him a series
of commands. Aaron is told that he along with the priests will bear the iniquities
and therefore the consequences of any sin that takes place with regards to the
tabernacle and their role as priests. If an unclean person enters into the tabernacle,
if the duties of the priests are not performed correctly, or if a priest
behaves in an ungodly manner, then they will bear it, and not the entire congregation.
Furthermore, Aaron is instructed to set the Levites in place so as to
ensure the tabernacle remains a holy place, that the priests are able to do
their duties and that the purity of the tabernacle is maintained. Those
Levities who were not members of Aaron’s line and therefore not priests were
given other responsibilities, ranging from serving the priests, guarding the
tabernacle, to ensuring that only the right people were permitted into the tabernacle.
Through these means God was protecting the rest of the nation from
judgement and punishment concerning the tabernacle. However, they were to
follow the priests’ instructions as it was ultimately the priests who bore the
responsibility.
With the tribe of Levi being assigned to these tasks, it meant that
they would not be able to give themselves to other work so as to gain an
income. Nor would they be able to cultivate and tend to large farms. Their time
was taken up with serving at the tabernacle. In order to care and provide for
the tribe of Levi, the remainder of the chapter details for us some of the
means that God gave to the Levites. They were to receive a portion of that
which was given to and offered up at the tabernacle, from meat, to grain, to
bread, amongst other things. When the other 11 tribes brought in their annual
tithes from the harvest fields, these crops would be stored and be used to
provide for the tribe of Levi.
Numbers 18 demonstrates to us that God is not distant and unconcerned
with our fears. He is the God who hears our prayers and pleas, He doesn’t
ignore that which we fear or causes us distress. When we bring those fears and
distresses, those desperate prayers and pleas to God, He faithfully listens to
them and answers so as to bring us comfort and help. There are times when that
comfort and help comes through practical means, as is the case in Numbers 18,
and times when God works within us bring comfort and rest to our hearts and
minds.
The fear in Numbers 18, is that of seeking to be in the presence of,
or to approach a God who is holy, awesome, powerful and who deals with the
sinner accordingly. For those who oppose Him, His servants and His commands,
those who approach Him in the incorrect manner, will be struck down by God’s
fearsome wrath. However, God makes a way, He makes it possible for people to approach
Him so as to worship Him. God places the priests between Himself and the
people, to function as their mediator. The role of the priest is to offer up
the sacrifices, worship and prayers of the people to God, and to then minister
God grace, love and mercy to the people. We know that this ultimately point us
to Christ, the true mediator, who has done what no other priest could do and
that is to once and for all open the way to God and bring us into the very
presence of God, without fear of judgement and punishment, but instead to find
favour and eternal life.
These two truths, that God hears our fears and answers us when we cry
out to Him, and that Christ is our true and eternal mediator should greatly
comfort us. Because of Christ we can come to God at any time, with anything. We
can pour out our hearts, express all our fears, concerns, anxieties and
distresses. We can do so with confidence for He will hear, He will answer and
He will draw us nearer to Himself. This passage reminds us of the wonderful
truths stated in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us
then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Our Father, You know that we are
surrounded by many fears and distresses, at times they can completely overwhelm
us. We thank You that when we find ourselves in such dismay we can call out to
You in and through the name of Jesus Christ and plead for help. Thank You that
You answer us when we call, and we receive mercy, grace and help from You. How
we rejoice in this relationship that we enjoy with You, all because Christ has
brought us near to You through His work as our priest. Thank you that we can
have the wonderful assurance that the comfort, mercy and grace we receive from
You is not temporary, but eternal, for Christ is our eternal priest, and brings
us near to You every day. May we draw our hope and confidence from this today.
Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment