Don't Skip Numbers 4
Numbers 4:1–3 (ESV) The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their clans and their fathers’ houses, 3 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting.
Reading Numbers 4 can seem irrelevant. It is NOT. It is the procedure by which the Sons of Levi dismantle and prepare the Tabernacle for transport. Each family of Levi has a special function assigned to them.
We may ask what this passage is doing here? We could reason that this text is outdated and unnecessary for New Testament saints. We might think a passage like this really needs no attention since Jesus has fulfilled the Old Testament and made it possible for our bodies to become living temples by which God dwells by His Spirit.
We would be wrong to do this.
This passage exists because we regularly forget just how sacred is the presence of God. We also take for granted the amazing gift God has provided in Christ's blood for us to come before Him boldly and without fear. Chapters like Numbers 4 remind us that God's presence is HOLY and serious and not to be taken lightly.
I wonder if we often fail to understand these realities to our own detriment. When we take God's presence so lightly... When we treat His arrival as something we may or may not revere - perhaps that is why we do not really meet with Him.
I believe that God is clear: those who would approach Him closely must most sacredly honor Him. His presence is a gift worth cherishing. We do not take for granted when God arrives in our midst. Teach us Lord, to hallow those moments in our lives.
It is also made clear in this chapter that Aaron is to take responsibility for the life of the Kohathaties who are giving the dangerous task of handling the holy things.
Numbers 4:17–20 (ESV) The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 18 “Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites, 19 but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, 20 but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”
How wonderful for the Kohathites to know that Aaron was taking responsibility for them. This would set them at ease should they accidentally touch an object. Aaron would make sure they knew their assignment and what they were to touch.
What a picture of Christ's work for the Church. Each member can and should do/touch certain things. Each member can and should avoid certain things. When we follow the lead of our Lord, we do well and all the members of the body of Christ function in the group effort of making God's presence a reality in our communities.
Christ is building His Church. We are His bricks. When we take it seriously and listen for His leading intently, we can be confident, God will show up in amazing ways.
Reading Numbers 4 can seem irrelevant. It is NOT. It is the procedure by which the Sons of Levi dismantle and prepare the Tabernacle for transport. Each family of Levi has a special function assigned to them.
We may ask what this passage is doing here? We could reason that this text is outdated and unnecessary for New Testament saints. We might think a passage like this really needs no attention since Jesus has fulfilled the Old Testament and made it possible for our bodies to become living temples by which God dwells by His Spirit.
We would be wrong to do this.
This passage exists because we regularly forget just how sacred is the presence of God. We also take for granted the amazing gift God has provided in Christ's blood for us to come before Him boldly and without fear. Chapters like Numbers 4 remind us that God's presence is HOLY and serious and not to be taken lightly.
I wonder if we often fail to understand these realities to our own detriment. When we take God's presence so lightly... When we treat His arrival as something we may or may not revere - perhaps that is why we do not really meet with Him.
I believe that God is clear: those who would approach Him closely must most sacredly honor Him. His presence is a gift worth cherishing. We do not take for granted when God arrives in our midst. Teach us Lord, to hallow those moments in our lives.
It is also made clear in this chapter that Aaron is to take responsibility for the life of the Kohathaties who are giving the dangerous task of handling the holy things.
Numbers 4:17–20 (ESV) The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 18 “Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites, 19 but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, 20 but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”
How wonderful for the Kohathites to know that Aaron was taking responsibility for them. This would set them at ease should they accidentally touch an object. Aaron would make sure they knew their assignment and what they were to touch.
What a picture of Christ's work for the Church. Each member can and should do/touch certain things. Each member can and should avoid certain things. When we follow the lead of our Lord, we do well and all the members of the body of Christ function in the group effort of making God's presence a reality in our communities.
Christ is building His Church. We are His bricks. When we take it seriously and listen for His leading intently, we can be confident, God will show up in amazing ways.
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