Title Numbers 3:1~51
Numbers 3:1 51
Hymn 211 (The Expensive Fragrance Oil Offered to the Lord)
As the title of the book 'Numbers' suggests, the book of Numbers examines the number of the people of Israel. So, in Numbers 1, God's command is to count the population from the beginning.
You shall number the number of men in all the congregation of the children of Israel according to their clans and ancestral clans, according to their number: you and Aaron shall number by their camp all those twenty years old and older in Israel who are capable of going to war (Numbers 1:2). ~3)
However, the tribe of Levi was excluded from this count. God told Moses about the tribe of Levi:
You shall not number only the tribe of Levi, and you shall not count them among the children of Israel (Numbers 1:49).
The tribe of Levi, which is excluded from the tribal count in Chapter 1, is mentioned in great detail throughout Chapters 3-4. Regarding the conditions of the Levitical tribe count, God said this:
Number the Levites according to the families and tribes of their fathers, and number all males a month and older (verse 15).
The tribe of Levi was a male over a month old, compared to the other tribes' counting condition for men over 20 years old. This means that even infants who cannot fight are included in the count. Turning this over, we can see that the tribe of Levi was given a mission other than warfare. The special duties of the tribe of Levi are described in Chapter 1.
The children of Israel shall encamp in their camps, and each camp shall encamp by its camp and its banners. But the Levites shall encamp around the Tabernacle of the Testimony, so that wrath will not come upon the congregation of the children of Israel. Genie (1:52-53)
If you look closely at the display of the Israelites, you will see that the 12 tribes are arranged around the Tent of Meeting. However, the tribe of Levi encamped around the tent of meeting, that is, the tabernacle of the testimony, according to verse 53 above, in order to protect the people of Israel from God's wrath. In other words, the Levites were responsible for mediating the relationship between God and the people of Israel.
This display well reveals the identity of Israel in the wilderness as a community. Furthermore, it shows what the church today should also be. Israel was God's army to fight against external enemies. But it wasn't just external enemies that Israel had to fight. They had to defend themselves from the wrath of God. That is, the great threat that could destroy them was the sin and unbelief within them.
The same is true of us Christians who live today. We must fight the sinfulness and weakness within us, not to mention the various compromises and temptations that come from outside. The life of our saints is a life where we have to “fight” every day.
Another purpose of God's special choice of the Levites is also shown in verse 12 and below.
Behold, I have chosen the Levites from among the children of Israel, and I have opened the womb from among the children of Israel to replace all who are born; the Levites are mine, and all the firstborn are mine. All who are born have consecrated both man and beast, for they shall be mine; I am the LORD (verses 12-13).
The decisive event that changed Pharaoh's stubborn heart during the Exodus was the death of the firstborn. God struck every firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of livestock. However, all Israel, who had applied the blood of the Lamb, survived. In this way, Israel owed the life of the firstborn.
The Levites were God's measure for this very debt of life. What specifically set the Levites apart was not to classify them as a privileged class. It was to make them take on the role of repaying the debt of life. That is, they had to live their lives as sacrifices to God through their lives.
The reason we give our tithes is not because only the tithes belong to God. Since all of God's produce is not mine, but God's, tithing is a sign of confessing that all of that produce is not mine. In verse 13, God sanctified the firstborn, whether human or beast, meaning that not only the firstborn belong to God, but everything belongs to God from the beginning. The same goes for the Levites. They were the proof that the entire nation of Israel, including themselves, belonged to God.
Dear brothers and sisters, we owe our lives to the Lord. Then, of course, we must live as God's property. Ownership of my life does not belong to me, but to God. Our worship is a time to confess and confirm that God has ownership over our lives. Also, the field of life we live in is a proof that we are God's possession. I pray that you will have a day of living as God's possession.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for transforming our lives filled with iniquity into the precious price of life that is pure and without blemish. Nevertheless, we still live our lives as if they belonged to us. Lord, have mercy on our folly so that we can fully acknowledge that you are in ownership of our lives. Give me the courage to fight the injustices of this world because it is yours, and the courage to be willing to face the sinfulness within me because it is yours. So, help me to fight the good fight today and make it a day to advance toward my hometown in heaven. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.