NUMBERS

Numbers Chapter 4

• Numbers 4:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 
• 2 Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, 
• 3 From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation. 
• 4 This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things: 
• 5 And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering veil, and cover the ark of testimony with it: 
• 6 And shall put thereon the covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof. 
• 7 And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon: 
• 8 And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put in the staves thereof. 
• 9 And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his censers, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: 
• 10 And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put it upon a bar. 
• 11 And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put to the staves thereof: 
• 12 And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put them on a bar: 
• 13 And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon: 
• 14 And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basins, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skins, and put to the staves of it. 
• 15 And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation. 

When we take a look at all these specific instructions and all the orders given by the Lord God Himself, we see there has to be a reason. We get to the reasoning behind these instructions in verse 15. They had to be very careful not to take the things of God nor the presence of God lightly. They had to realize how holy and powerful God really is and that mankind cannot just waltz into His presence in an irreverent manner. God is holy. Without Jesus we could never have entered into the presence of God while we are still in our sins with an attitude of not caring what God thinks. The attitude of, "We are going to do as we very well please" could get them killed.

This is why all the offerings, sacrifices, ordinances and rituals were set in place at this point in time. It was like caution signs put up to warn of the seriousness of sin and the need for be saved or delivered from sin. It shows the need to observe His commandments and teachings. We must never take God and His word lightly or irreverently.

If we live our lives from day to day without ever repenting of sin or acknowledging our need to be saved from sin and think that we have not sinned, we are really living in deception. The bible says in the book of Romans that "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." All have sinned unless of course they are little children below the age of accountability. All of us without an exception, need a savior from sin. 

All the offerings and sacrifices were a shadow of the salvation that was to come and offered first to the Jews and then to the Gentile nations. The law was given first to show the holiness of God and the ungodliness of man. It shows us that we need cleansing from sin in order to enter the presence of God. 

They had to take all these precautions and not touch any holy things because man in his state of being before Jesus came, could not enter into the presence of God still in their sins. It would kill them. 

Let us go to 2 Samuel to see what happened when one person touched the ark of God. 

• 2 Samuel 6:6 And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. 
• 7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. 

We see here that Uzzah touched the ark and died as a result. 

When sin entered the world at the disobedience of Adam and Eve, that sin separated us from God. God who had once walked with Adam in the garden could not longer come that way. Another way had to be made to bring us back into fellowship with God. 

The law, ordinances, sacrifices and such given to Moses was put in place first to show the holiness of God and how much we needed to be saved from sin. 

This was put in place as shadows and types of that which was perfect yet to come to bring mankind into a right relationship with God. 

God had to become flesh and die like flesh before we could be reconciled back to Him. He came to us in the person of His Son, Jesus our Christ. Since man had sinned, man had to die for sin. The law says that the wages of sin is death. 

Man could not be sacrificed for the sin of mankind because man had his own sin to deal with. A perfect man had to die for sin who had no previous sin. Someone had to die and conquer death by being raised from the dead ushering in the gift of eternal life. This is what Jesus did. Jesus did not sin once during His time as a human man, born of a woman and lived among us.

We are saved by our faith in what Jesus did for us. When we receive Him and turn away from our sins trusting in Jesus to save us from sin, His death counts as our sacrifice for sin. We are free.

The sacrifice of animals in the Old Testament where a shadow of the perfect sacrifice to come. The blood of the animals could not take away sin permanently but those offering the sacrifice were saved from sin when they offered that sacrifice in faith believing God to provide the permanent way of salvation later. 

The blood of Christ is the only thing that can cover our sins and cause us to be cleansed from sin. There is no other way of salvation. Our own good works, deeds, rituals and religious works cannot save us from sin. We must be born again by the spirit of God which occurs the moment we believe in Christ with a heart of faith that desires to be saved from sin. 

Now we can come boldly to the throne of grace and are no longer separated by the standards that were put in place on the Old Testament until that which was perfect had come. 

The sons of Kohath from the tribe of Levi were chosen for the service detailed in Numbers 4: 1-15. Notice that they had to be thirty or over. This is the ripe mature age when youthful lusts are easier to overcome and it is the prime of life. Jesus started His ministry at the age of thirty.

When it comes to fighting in a war, the age was twenty and up but for the holy service of God they needed to be more mature in order to have a greater understanding of the holy service that they had to do. Everything had to be done with order and reverence. 

• Numbers 4:16 And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof. 

As with all service both in the secular world and in the religious world, we see the need for overseers and those that keep order and make sure nothing is left out. They needed a leader. 

I do not believe God ever appoints leaders to lord over the flock or dominate another human being. I don't believe He sets up hierarchy and dictators that are exalted above others in rank and are believed to be more superior. I believe God does appoint leaders to make sure things are done in an organized manner which will cause the labor to be fruitful and not in a manner which causes confusion and chaos. 

Good leadership is to maintain order and carry out the will of God. It is not to exalt someone higher than another. In fact they become a servant in a way instead of an exalted human being. The blame falls upon them if there is failure. 

We do need leaders or the wolves can fleece the flock a whole lot easier. Try to win a battle with an unorganized, reckless army. It can't be done. 

• Numbers 4:17 And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 
• 18 Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites: 
• 19 But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden: 
• 20 But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die. 

Aaron and his sons had to go in first and set things in order even before the sons of Kohath. Again it wasn't that Aaron and his sons were higher or better but they were chosen of God to make sure they were clean and prepared. They could then instruct those to whom they were responsible for. 

They were not higher or more perfect than other people as we saw from the two sons that were killed for offering up a strange fire that the Lord did not command. They were just appointed and called of God for that service. 

An example would be in a case where a bomb was placed in a hotel set to go off and kill everyone in that hotel. The people would have to be evacuated before a bomb squad of skilled men could try to take apart the bomb so it would not explode. Any ordinary person could not do it. This doesn't mean the bomb squad is a group of perfect men that is better than anyone else but it means they are trained and skilled in bombs and know how to do the job they have to do to protect the people. It is simple as that.

The President of the United States is only a human person. They are not better than the rest of the citizens. They are not holier than anyone else. They just have a job to do. In order to have government and not anarchy, we have to have good leaders, not to worship and admire above anyone else but to respect because of the position they hold. They are not to be cruel dictators but are actually servants of the people. We are all equal but sometimes we need to have those set as leaders to keep order and have peace. That is why policemen are called peace officers. We need them. We also need to respect them, not constantly pick at their faults and tear them down. They are only human. We all are not gods, not above the law but human beings with flaws.

• Numbers 4:21 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, 
• 22 Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families; 
• 23 From thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation. 
• 24 This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens: 
• 25 And they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers' skins that is above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, 
• 26 And the hangings of the court, and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: so shall they serve. 
• 27 At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens. 
• 28 This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 

We see the service that the sons of Gershon had to do concerning the curtains, hangings and other duties that the sons of Kohath did not have. We see also that someone had to be in charge of them. This was Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. This is for order not for control. This is to make sure nothing is left out that was of importance. 

• Numbers 4:29 As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers; 
• 30 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
• 31 And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof, 
• 32 And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden. 

We see the duty of taking care of sockets, boards, cords and pillars just as important as the hangings, coverings and such. 

I noticed that when I went to see the Hall of Fame parade in Canton Ohio, that there was those that were in charge of the whole parade to make sure it was orderly and not everyone trying to march at the same time. Someone had to be in charge and give directions. Under the appointed leaders, others had certain duties for different parts of the parade. If it wasn't for their leadership, we could not have had a parade that was orderly and without a lot of chaos and confusion.

In the case of Aaron, his duties were to keep things done so the undefiled and those who did not discern the holiness of God could not break forth and touch holy things and be struck down. That happened a few time so their service was needed to keep this from happening again. 

Getting back to the parade in Canton, if there was no order and everyone went wild, innocent people can be killed very easily. 

I appreciated seeing the police making sure only authorized people went through the barricades and such. It wasn't to be bossy and mean but to keep order so that people are safe and the parade event could occur without endangering innocent lives. With cooperation all things could be done in order and people would enjoy it that much more. No one enjoys chaos and confusion. 

• Numbers 4:33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 
• 34 And Moses and Aaron and the chief of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites after their families, and after the house of their fathers, 
• 35 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation: 
• 36 And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 
• 37 These were they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, which Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 
• 38 And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, and by the house of their fathers, 
• 39 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, 
• 40 Even those that were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty. 
• 41 These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that might do service in the tabernacle of the congregation, whom Moses and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the LORD. 
• 42 And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, throughout their families, by the house of their fathers, 
• 43 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation, 
• 44 Even those that were numbered of them after their families, were three thousand and two hundred. 
• 45 These be those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 
  46 All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chief of Israel numbered, after their families, and after the house of their fathers, 
  47 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation, 
  48 Even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore. 
  49 According to the commandment of the LORD they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and according to his burden: thus were they numbered of him, as the LORD commanded Moses. 

Moses was the head under God. Aaron and his sons then followed Moses. Then the other families followed the instructions of Aaron and his sons. All this was done so that the worship of God was orderly and done in reverence and respect. Notice also that God took care to provide age limits. This was to protect those that were too young to be able to follow directions and understand them. He also protected the older ones by limiting their time of servie to the age of 50. That way when they got older and lacked physical strength they could retire.

Leaders of other tribes had to do their jobs too to keep law and order like the religious leaders had to keep order in worship. 

Leadership is never to be a replacement for God or to be worshipped like God. They have a duty for God but are not to be worshipped in place of God. They are not to be mediators but helpers. Teachers not dictators. The only ones that would fear godly leadership would be the ungodly.

Leadership that puts themselves in place of God are not godly leadership. Leadership that thinks themselves better than, holier than or greater than those they serve are not godly leaders. 

Godly leadership in the church of today is greatly needed and is a plus to the work of spreading the gospel. Without them we have an open door to those that would fleece the flock and deceive. 

We no longer have a priesthood because Jesus has fulfilled all those things and has ushered in a new and living way but we still need those called of God to be leaders to keep the wolves from devouring the weak and unlearned. DC

Here are their duties given by the apostle Peter:

• 1Peter 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 
• 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 
• 3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. 
• 4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.