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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord talked with Moses on Mount Sinai. The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Those were the names of Aaron's sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. Nadab and Abihu, however, fell dead before the Lord when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before Him in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons; so only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.
The Lord said to Moses, "Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the Tent of Meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle. They are to take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him. Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death.”
The Lord also said to Moses, "I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are Mine, for all the firstborn are Mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for Myself every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal. They are to be Mine. I am the Lord."
The Lord said to Moses in the Desert of Sinai, "Count the Levites by their families and clans. Count every male a month old or more."
So Moses counted them, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.
These were the names of the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. These were the names of the Gershonite clans: Libni and Shimei. The Kohathite clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. The Merarite clans: Mahli and Mushi. These were the Levite clans, according to their families.
To Gershon belonged the clans of the Libnites and Shimeites; these were the Gershonite clans. The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 7,500. The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle. The leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph, son of Lael. At the Tent of Meeting, the Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle and tent, its coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, and the ropes—and everything related to their use.
To Kohath belonged the clans of the Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites, and Uzzielites; these were the Kohathite clans. The number of all the males a month old or more was 8,600. The Kohathites were responsible for the care of the sanctuary. The Kohathite clans were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. The leader of the families of the Kohathite clans was Elizaphan, son of Uzziel. They were responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain, and everything related to their use.
The chief leader of the Levites was Eleazar, son of Aaron, the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible for the care of the sanctuary.
To Merari belonged the clans of the Mahlites and the Mushites; these were the Merarite clans. The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 6,200. The leader of the families of the Merarite clans was Zuriel, son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. The Merarites were appointed to take care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use, as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs and ropes.
Moses and Aaron and his sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, in front of the Tent of Meeting. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary on behalf of the Israelites. Anyone else who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.
The total number of Levites counted at the Lord's command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000.
The Lord said to Moses, "Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more and make a list of their names. Take the Levites for Me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the Lord."
So Moses counted all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the Lord commanded him. The total number of firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.
The Lord also said to Moses, "Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites are to be Mine. I am the Lord. To redeem the 273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, collect five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. Give the money for the redemption of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons."
So Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites. From the firstborn of the Israelites, he collected silver weighing 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord.
Numbers 3
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Most of the emphasis in the Book of Numbers up to this point has been on the 12 tribes of Israel, the census of all males over the age of twenty, and the organization of the tribal camps around the tabernacle.
As we see in chapter 3, the focus turns to the Levites, God’s appointed religious leaders who were responsible for the tabernacle and all worship practices, therein.
Early on in this chapter, we find God mentioning Aaron and his sons which included Nadab, the firstborn, and Elihu who you’ll recall "fell dead before the Lord when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before Him in the Desert of Sinai" (Leviticus 10:1-2). After this, the remaining two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron. Of interest, we find the scriptures telling us that neither Nadab nor Elihu had any sons.
In regard to the remainder of the Levite tribe, we see where God commissions them to assist Aaron, performing “duties for him” and “the whole community at the Tent of Meeting". Specifically, they were tasked with taking care of “all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle".
As we move through this chapter, we also see that another census was ordered and carried out, this time with two distinct counts made involving the firstborn males (males who are a month old or more). The first count was to be of all firstborn males of Israel while the second was to be of all the firstborn males in the Levite tribe.
So the census was taken and we read where the firstborn of Israel numbered 22,273 while the number of Levite firstborn was 22,000, a difference of 273. The Lord considered every firstborn Levite as redemption for the Israelite nation and so all but 273 of the Israelite firstborn were covered by their Levite brethren.
So what about the other 273?
Well, they could have been sacrificed but the scriptures clearly indicate that the Lord never considered this. Not since Isaac was placed on the altar by Abraham only to be replaced by the ram had a child even remotely come close to sacrifice, except when the people of Israel adopted pagan worship practices.
The 273 could have also been dedicated to the Lord, enslaved to His service for the rest of their life, but that didn’t happen either.
Instead, the Lord offered up a way for redemption, not only for the firstborn boys but the firstborn livestock as well.
What was that redemption?
The scriptures tell us that in order for the “273 firstborn Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites” to be redeemed, there needed to be a collection of “five shekels for each one, according to the sanctuary shekel which weighed twenty gerahs”. This redemption offering which covered “the additional Israelites” was to be given to “Aaron and his sons”.
In response to this command from God, we read where "Moses collected the redemption money from those who exceeded the number redeemed by the Levites. In total, “silver weighing 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel” was received and then Moses “gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, as he was commanded by the word of the Lord".
With that, the firstborn were considered redeemed.
What we know is that the God of all creation, the Lord God Almighty, is a redeeming God, a truth He has shown over and over and over. Past and present, He has been known for His great mercy, grace, and love. Consider these reinforcing passages from the Word:
"My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to You— I, whom You have redeemed. My tongue will tell of Your righteous acts all day long." Psalm 71:23-24
"I called on Your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: "Do not close Your ears to my cry for relief. You came near when I called You, and You said, ‘Do not fear.’ O Lord, You took up my case; You redeemed my life." Lamentations 3:55-58
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’ He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit." Galatians 3:13-14
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Peter 1:18-19
For Christian believers today, the Word of God assures them that their redemption is through Jesus’ precious blood, blood from the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world. No other payment was needed, no silver or gold or any other perishable things. Rather, He (Jesus) took up our case, rescued us from the pit, and gave our lips cause to tell of His righteous acts, shouting for joy and singing praises to His name.
My hope today is that if you have not yet committed your life to Jesus, you will do so right now, professing and confessing Him as your personal Savior, the One and only One through which you can have hope, the only One who can rescue you from Hell and deliver you to Heaven so to abide with your God forever (John 14:6).
In support of this message, I was taken back to a great contemporary Christian song from the year 2000. It was simply titled, “Redeemer” and was performed by Nicole C. Mullen. Let me close with the following lyrics as she relates her feelings for her Savior, Jesus and if you want to hear the song, I will be making it the Christian Song of the Day a little later:
He lives
To take away my shame
And He lives
Forever I'll proclaim
That the payment for my sin
Was the precious life He gave
And now He's alive and there's an empty grave!
I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I know, my Redeemer lives
Today and every day, let us celebrate the salvation and redemption we have in Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father for the gift of His Son (2 Corinthians 9:15)
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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