Read Numbers 8
Setting Up the Lamps
8 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up the lamps, see that all seven light up the area in front of the lampstand.’”
3 Aaron did so; he set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. 4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold—from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses.
The Setting Apart of the Levites
5 The Lord said to Moses: 6 “Take the Levites from among all the Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. 7 To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes. And so they will purify themselves. 8 Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of the finest flour mixed with olive oil; then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. 9 Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community.10 You are to bring the Levites before the Lord, and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. 11 Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord.
12 “Then the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, using one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord. 14 In this way you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites, and the Levites will be mine.
15 “After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting. 16 They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman.17 Every firstborn male in Israel, whether human or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself. 18 And I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel. 19 From among all the Israelites, I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.”
20 Moses, Aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. 21 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them. 22 After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses.
23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting,25 but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. 26 They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.”
Go Deeper
After the Israelites have left Egypt, they now have a totally new freedom to worship God. Since they are no longer held as captives, they can create new systems and structures for their worship. In this chapter, God outlines who is to be in charge of leading the Israelites in worship. He has chosen the Levites to be the people who will take the lead within the tabernacle.
Interestingly, He says He takes them just as He took the first born sons in Egypt. While the first born sons in Egypt were killed, the Levites will not be killed but instead set apart. In this way the Levites make atonement for the Israelite people. That is they pay for the sins of the people by being given over to the Lord. They are not presented as a sacrifice, but rather a sacrifice of service to the Lord.
This chapter also says they were to be presented as a “wave offering”. A normal wave offering presented something to God (such as a portion of meat or bread) with a motion that communicated the idea “This is Yours, God.” In this consecration of the Levites, the children of Israel came before God and essentially said, “These Levites belong to You, God.” They would serve in this position from age 25 to 50. The Lord allowed them to retire at 50 because some of their duties involved heavy lifting like building transporting and dismantling the tabernacle.
Once the Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, they were ready for service to the Lord. Their preparation to be set apart as “clean” to God is a reminder of all the things we do not have to go through today. All of us are designated to serve the Lord in different ways, and we do not have to clean ourselves up. The good news of the Gospel is because we have been washed with the blood of Jesus we are now clean. Although we don’t have to go through these rituals, we should take our service to God just as seriously as the Levites did.
Questions
- What stood out to you about this passage?
- What can you learn about God from this passage?
- How does this chapter impact the seriousness with which you approach God?
Did You Know?
Some well-known Levites in the Bible were: Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Samuel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Ezra, and Malachi.
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2 thoughts on “Numbers 8”
Brrr it is cold outside!! God is in the details. The lampstand lamp is so very detailed. BUT GOD is detailed in all of what He does. Light in a dark place, Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Micah 7:8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Psalm 18:28 You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid? There are more scriptures about God and His glorious light. Jesus came as the light of the world and He gave that duty on to us. In this fallen world we are to be that light that people see to know where to turn to learn more about Him.
God thank You for Your light so shining forth from me that it is radiant and joyous. God thank You for me abiding in You more fully today than yesterday. Thank You for sharing the gospel and discipling well. Thank You that it is not about me but ALL about You. Thank You for serving You minutely, seeing Your people with Your love goggles, serving them well, and loving them with Your love in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!
May we never forget that God is a master creator/designer, and just as he created the world in seven days and proclaimed it was good, we can fully trust every command he issues ultimately results in our good and is for our holiness. We are ever indebted to him for making a way through the Son for us to approach him, receive his mercy and forgiveness of our sins, and be invited into a deep, everlasting relationship with him. He is a good, good Father.