Numbers 8: 1 – 26
Better when aged
8 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to Aaron, and say to him, ‘When you arrange the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lamp stand.’ ” 3 And Aaron did so; he arranged the lamps to face toward the front of the lamp stand, as the LORD commanded Moses. 4 Now this workmanship of the lamp stand was hammered gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was hammered work. According to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lamp stand. 5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 6 “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially. 7 Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. 8 Then let them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering. 9 And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel. 10 So you shall bring the Levites before the LORD, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites; 11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD like a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may perform the work of the LORD. 12 Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 “And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them like a wave offering to the LORD. 14 Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. 15 After that the Levites shall go in to service the tabernacle of meeting. So you shall cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering. 16 For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel. 17 For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them to Myself. 18 I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary.” 20 Thus Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levites; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the children of Israel did to them. 21 And the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 After that the Levites went in to do their work in the tabernacle of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them. 23 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “This is what pertains to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting; 25 and at the age of fifty years they must cease performing this work, and shall work no more. 26 They may minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of meeting, to attend to needs, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall do to the Levites regarding their duties.”
Our Holy Master and Adoni Father God Is going to cover in this chapter the working careers of all the men who will serve Him. Many times I hear from others that when you turn 50 you need to start packing it up. You need to get ready to retire. Not so!
We will see that our Holy Lord places age requirements on His servants. We will see that a man cannot begin to serve Him as a priest until he is twenty five and is finished at age 50 in doing the grunt work. Our Great God will explain that a man is not finished in his career at this age, He transfers them to a new role. It is a role of honor suitable for someone who has witnessed the great work of God in all the 25 years of the daily work. They will become teachers and counselors.
So a word of advice to others is for them not to believe that old cliché about middle-aged dogs and new tricks. Lots of wildly successful people found big success in careers they began after their fiftieth birthdays. Here are just a few examples:
Harland Sanders was no slouch as a young man, but he didn't become the string-tied chicken mogul we know and love until he was 65. "The Colonel" had a relatively successful restaurant and motel on U.S. 25 in Corbin, KY, but when Interstate 75 opened seven miles from Sanders' restaurant, his business begin to dwindle. Rather than go broke, he began to work on perfecting his spice blend and quick-cooking technique for making fried chicken in 1952. He then began touring the country selling Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises, and by the time he sold the business for $2 million in 1964, there were over 900 of them.
A name you may not recognize Jack Cover's name, but you've surely heard of his invention, the Taser gun. Cover spent most of his career as a nuclear physicist who worked in aerospace and defense, including playing a significant role in supplying parts for NASA's Apollo project. In 1970 the 50-year-old Cover started Taser, Inc. in an effort to find a weapon that could incapacitate assailants without killing them. He received a patent for his design in 1974, and by 1980 Cover had sold the Los Angeles Police Department on using his new gadget to help apprehend violent suspects. When Cover passed away in 2009 at the age of 88, his device was in use in over 45 countries around the world.
Sure, Ronald Reagan had been a famous actor, but he wasn't elected to his first public office until he was 55 years old. In 1966 Reagan won California's gubernatorial race by over a million votes. Prior to his election, Reagan had done some politicking as the president of the Screen Actors Guild and as spokesman for General Electric, but nothing on his resume made him look like a sure-fire two-term president.
How do you create a restaurant business and become an overnight success at the age of 52? In 1954 Ray Kroc visited a restaurant in San Bernardino, California that had purchased several Multi-mixers. There he found a small but successful restaurant run by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, and was stunned by the effectiveness of their operation. They produced a limited menu, concentrating on just a few items – burgers, fries and beverages – which allowed them to focus on quality and quick service.
They were looking for a new franchising agent and Kroc saw an opportunity. In 1955, he founded McDonald’s System, Inc., a predecessor of the McDonald’s Corporation, and six years later bought the exclusive rights to the McDonald’s name and operating system. By 1958, McDonald’s had sold its 100 millionth hamburger.
Here are a few scriptures which reinforce the fact that things get better when aged;
Job 12, “Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding
Job 32, “I said, ‘Age should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom
Leviticus 19, “You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I Am the LORD.
Proverbs 20, “The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is their gray head
The Holy One represented by the ‘Voice’ now set aside three things in order to manifest Himself to His people, the lamp stand, the Levites and the Passover.
. The lamp stand would manifest His glory, a permanent reminder that while they were faithful His light would shine on them continually
. The Levites would be a permanent living reminder of His activity on their behalf
. The Passover would be a permanent annual reminder that He Was The Great Deliverer.
8 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to Aaron, and say to him, ‘When you arrange the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lamp stand.’ ”
When Aaron lit or set up the lamps in the evening he was to ensure that it shone on the Table of Showbread which represented Israel in the Tabernacle and on the Table of Incense which represented their prayers. The light of His face was to shine on them and His glory was to rise upon them. They could ever be aware of His watch over them, and His desire to bless them. As the pillar of fire had gone with them, so would His fire burn continually in the Sanctuary. Yahweh was ever their light when they would receive it, watching over them, shining on them, pouring out blessing on them, and revealing to them the truth through His prophets and through His word directly into their hearts.
It is interesting that the light follows the voice here - First the voice, then the light. The same is made clear in John’s Gospel. We learn first came John the Baptist - the voice crying in the wilderness, and then the Word Who became flesh and dwelt among us.. Finally the Word was revealed, the creative Word Who gave life, and that life was the light of men (John 1.1-4). For He was the light coming into the world that the world might believe through Him.
As Father God’s only Son He revealed God’s glory, full of grace and truth (John 1.14). He came as the light of the world, God’s lamp stand among men, giving true light (John 8.12), that men might not walk in darkness but have the light of life (John 8.12; 12.46).
3 And Aaron did so; he arranged the lamps to face toward the front of the lamp stand, as the LORD commanded Moses.
And Aaron did as he was commanded. Daily he trimmed the lamps so as to shine in front of the lamp stand illuminating all that was in the Holy room. Thereby the Israelites could know that the light of our Great God Yahweh’s face shone on them. It was the sign of the fulfillment of the priests’ blessing on Israel (6.22-27). By His light shining on them He was putting His name on them and blessing them (6.27).
For two things were to be kept burning continually, and to be fed daily by the priests, the fire from the lamp stand (Leviticus 24.2-4) and the fire of the altar (Leviticus 6.8-13), for both spoke of the permanent presence of Yahweh, the one giving continual blessing and the other continual atonement.
4 Now this workmanship of the lamp stand was hammered gold; from its shaft to its flowers it was hammered work. According to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lamp stand.
The lamp was now described. It was made of gold, cleverly hammered out and fashioned, in accordance with God’s pattern shown to Moses in the Mount (Exodus 25.31-40). Like a flowering tree it symbolized life and fruitfulness, the very life-giving power of Yahweh.
In chapter 3 the Levites have been numbered, in chapter 4 they have been assigned their responsibilities, in chapter 7 they have been given the means of fulfilling those responsibilities, and now they are to be dedicated to their work.
5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 6 “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially.
They were to be taken out from among the children of Israel and specially cleansed. This cleansing was to set them apart to the holy service of Yahweh, for they had to guard the Sanctuary, dismantle it and carry it, erect it, and repair it. This was their holy service. They would keep the Sanctuary holy, but in a subsidiary position to the priests. Only the priests could lay the sacrifices on the altar, apply the blood, enter the Holy Place, light the lamps and offer incense. But the Levites must see to the heavy duties outside the Holy Place.
7 Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.
The only water ever described as sprinkled was the ‘water of uncleanness’ described in 19.9, 17-19. This was water which had been purified by the use of the ashes of the red heifer. It is probable therefore that we are to see this as ‘the water of sin (or ‘of the purification for sin offering)’ which was to be sprinkled on them, for the ashes are described as a ‘purification for sin offering’. The water would therefore be ‘the water of the purification for sin offering’. The second thing required was that they were to shave themselves all over, and the third that they washed their clothes. The sprinkled sacrificial water would make atonement, and purify them from any taint of death, the shaving was for the removal of uncleanness, and the washing of clothes was for the removal of earthiness. All symbolized a setting apart from the earth to be holy to Yahweh God.
8 Then let them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering.
As always the shedding of blood was required. A bull ox was required to cover the many (Leviticus 4.13-14). One was to be a whole burnt offering, and would be accompanied by a grain offering, the other was to be purification for sin offering. The Levites were being both dedicated and purified.
9 And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel. 10 So you shall bring the Levites before the LORD, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites; 11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD like a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may perform the work of the LORD.
It is repeated that the Levites were to be presented, but this time more directly as ‘before Yahweh’. Then representatives of the people would come forward, probably the princes, and on behalf of all the people lay their hands on the Levites, identifying the people with them. The Levites were being offered to perform service on their behalf. The Levites were then officially ‘waved’ before Yahweh by Aaron, clothed in all his High Priestly regalia, acting again on behalf of the people. The purpose was that from then on they would ‘do the service of Yahweh’. While journeying it would be an arduous service with the constant dismantling and erecting of the Tabernacle, packing it on the carts and taking it off, and the bearing of the furniture through the wilderness, to say nothing of the constant guard duty when the camp was at rest, together with other duties.
12 Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites.
The Levites would then identify themselves with the offerings by laying their hands on them. These offerings would result in their dedication and purification, but most of all they would make them at one with God, ‘covered’ before God. They would be atoned for.
13 “And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them like a wave offering to the LORD. 14 Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine.
This was how the Levites would be separated off from the children of Israel and become Yahweh’s. From then on they would belong to Yahweh. They would be wholly set apart to His service.
15 After that the Levites shall go in to service the tabernacle of meeting. So you shall cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering. 16 For they are wholly given to Me from among the children of Israel; I have taken them for Myself instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the children of Israel.
Once that had occurred they could perform their service for the Tent of meeting. From this point on it would be their responsibility to generally maintain and care for the accoutrements for the worship of the Sanctuary as far as it was allowed.
This now gives another reason why they needed to be cleansed, and offered as a wave offering. It was because they were being offered as substitutes for the male firstborn of the children of Israel. They were being taken instead of them.
17 For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them to Myself.
This leads up to the central fact, that the firstborn among the children of Israel were Yahweh’s, whether man or beast. This specific fact is emphasized and is central to the passage. It was therefore no light thing that they were being replaced by the Levites. Here in the Levites were the representatives of every Israelite family, replacing their sons as representatives. That was why the people owed such a debt to the Levites, and were never to forget them (Deuteronomy 12.19).
So the dedicated Levites represented their dedicated firstborn, as the Nazirites represented their dedication as a people. Each was to be seen as indicating their responsibility towards Yahweh.
18 I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
The firstborn were Yahweh’s because He had spared them when He smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt (Exodus 11-13). As a result He had sanctified them for Himself for they had been under His special protection. Theirs was to be the privilege of serving His Sanctuary. But now these firstborn sons were released from their solemn privilege because Yahweh had chosen to take the Levites in their place. This was no doubt partly because of the recognition from experience of the untrustworthiness of the firstborn at times of crisis, in contrast with the trustworthiness of the Levites. But it was still a significant exchange.
19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the work for the children of Israel in the tabernacle of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near the sanctuary.”
And having taken the Levites He has given them as a gift to Aaron and his sons. This was done for two reasons. Firstly that they might do the service in the Tent of meeting which otherwise the firstborn of Israel would have to do. And secondly in order that, by replacing the firstborn, they might make atonement for the children of Israel so that when the people of Israel approached Yahweh, they would not have to be punished with the plague because their firstborn had not been given to the Sanctuary.
20 Thus Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel did to the Levites; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the children of Israel did to them.
It is now stressed that both Moses and Aaron, and the whole people, obeyed Yahweh fully. They did to the Levites what Yahweh had commanded. From now on the Levites would see to the Tabernacle, acting on behalf of the people and instead of their sons, and in return the people would ensure the liberal support of the Levites.
In verse 8 the whole congregation had been assembled for this purpose. Now they saw to its fulfillment.
21 And the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them like a wave offering before the LORD, and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.
In accordance with Yahweh’s requirements, the Levites purified themselves from sin by means of the water of the purification for sin offering, shaved their bodies and washed their clothes. Then Aaron offered the Levites as a ‘wave offering’ before Yahweh, presenting them to Him, and through the offerings made atonement for them to cleanse them.
22 After that the Levites went in to do their work in the tabernacle of meeting before Aaron and his sons; as the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.
Once this was accomplished the Levites went in to do their service in the Tabernacle. This would include ‘policing’ the courtyard of the Tabernacle, assisting some who brought offerings with the slaughter of their sacrifices, generally ministering around inside the courtyard and out, general maintenance of its fabric and appurtenances, preventing those from approaching the Tabernacle who should not, and being responsible for the Tabernacle in all its movements.
A number of lessons arise for us out of these verses.
First there is the need to be as concerned about minor ministries among God’s people as well as the more prominent ones.
Second there needs to be a recognition that God Is equally concerned about them.
Third there is a need for unity among God’s people in making such appointments within the will of God.
Fourth it is important that all, whatever their ministry, regularly need purifying by the blood of The Precious Holy Lamb of God Jesus Christ in their ministry and especially at its commencement.
It is also a reminder of the need for substitution atonement, as the Levites took the place of the firstborn. We should rejoice that our substitute before the throne is not the Levites, but our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Making us sufficient to approach God without fear.
The soldiers of Israel commenced their responsibilities at twenty years old, but the work of the Levites was so scared that they had to be more mature before they entered on it, and had to have a five year apprenticeship before they could fully participate. This would bring home to them the seriousness of their responsibilities. Here the age at which they were to commence that apprenticeship is described.
23 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “This is what pertains to the Levites: From twenty-five years old and above one may enter to perform service in the work of the tabernacle of meeting; 25 and at the age of fifty years they must cease performing this work, and shall work no more. 26 They may minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of meeting, to attend to needs, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall do to the Levites regarding their duties.”
Those who were numbered for the work of dismantling, bearing and erecting the Tabernacle and looking after its contents were those Levites who were thirty years to fifty years old. They were the ones mobilized for the purpose. However, for such sacred work we would expect a period of preparation. To move from no involvement to such important work at one step would have prevented the building up of an awareness of the holiness of the task, and would have encouraged carelessness.
A five year breaking in period was clearly recommended. Thus the Levite would commence his part in the holy service of Yahweh, being trained in lesser tasks, from the age of twenty five. The young hotheads had to be broken in before having a part in the holiest of tasks.
It should be noted what problems there would be for Levite parents, even granted their separate camp, in that in the other tribes the young men began service at twenty while the Levites had to wait until they were older. The younger Levites would no doubt feel the restraint and be eager to begin doing something. To wait ten years with little to do would have been unbearable. It is unlikely that the restraint was one of shortage of strength. It was rather one that had in mind the holiness of the task.
A lesson for the church today is the danger of men being ‘called to the ministry’ too young. This suggests that training for the ministry should not begin until at least twenty five years old. It would ensure that ministers had experience of life before they began their training, and that they had really had time to consider the seriousness of what they were taking on.
In 1 Timothy 3 we read from the apostle Paul his advice in putting young men in too soon into Pastoral positions, “6not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil
