www.biblestudyworkshop.org 1 THE SONS OF AARON THE ASSIGNMENT OF THE LEVITES THE NUMBERING OF THE LEVITES THE SUMMARY OF FAMILIES THE NUMBERING OF THE GERSHONITES THE NUMBERING OF THE KOHATHITES THE NUMBERING OF MERARI THE SUBSTITUTION FOR THE FIRSTBORN NUMBERS 3:1-51
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 2 Text: THE SONS OF AARON THE ASSIGNMENT OF THE LEVITES THE NUMBERING OF THE LEVITES THE SUMMARY OF FAMILIES THE NUMBERING OF THE GERSHONITES THE NUMBERING OF THE KOHATHITES THE NUMBERING OF MERARI THE SUBSTITUTION FOR THE FIRSTBORN Numbers 3:1-51, 1. Now these are the records of Aaron and Moses when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2. These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3. These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he consecrated to minister as priests. 4. Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered strange fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 3 ministered as priests in the presence of Aaron their father. 5. The Lord spoke to Moses: 6. Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. 7. They are responsible for his needs and the needs of the whole community before the tent of meeting, by attending to the service of the tabernacle. 8. And they are responsible for all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and for the needs of the Israelites, as they serve in the tabernacle. 9. You are to assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they will be assigned exclusively to him out of all the Israelites. 10. So you are to appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will be responsible for their priesthood, but the unauthorized person who comes near must be put to death. 11. Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 12. Look, I myself have taken the Levites from among the Israelites instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the Israelites. So the Levites belong to me, 13. because all the firstborn are mine. When I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They belong to me. I am the Lord. 14. Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai: 15. Number the Levites by their clans and their families; every male from a month old and upward you are to number.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 4 16. So Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord, just as he had been commanded. 17. These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 18. These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei. 19. The sons of Kohath by their families were: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20. The sons of Merari by their families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their clans. 21. From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites. 22. Those of them who were numbered, counting every male from a month old and upward, were 7,500. 23. The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle toward the west. 24. Now the leader of the clan of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael. 25. And the responsibilities of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting included the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the curtain at the entrance of the tent of meeting, 26. the hangings of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard that surrounded the tabernacle and the altar, and their ropes, plus all the service connected with these things. 27. From Kohath came the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 5 28. Counting every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary. 29. The families of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. 30. Now the leader of the clan of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. 31. Their responsibilities included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, the curtain, and all their service. 32. Now the head of all the Levitical leaders was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible for the sanctuary. 33. From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari. 34. Those of them who were numbered, counting every male from a month old and upward, were 6,200. 35. Now the leader of the clan of the families of Merari was Zuriel son of Abihail. These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36. The appointed responsibilities of the Merarites included the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, its posts, its sockets, its utensils, plus all the service connected with these things, 37. and the pillars of the courtyard all around, with their sockets, their pegs, and their ropes. 38. But those who were to camp in front of the tabernacle on the east, in front of the tent of meeting, were Moses, Aaron, and his sons. They were responsible for the needs of the sanctuary and for the needs of the Israelites, but
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 6 the unauthorized person who approached was to be put to death. 39. All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the word of the Lord, according to their families, every male from a month old and upward, were 22,000. 40. Then the Lord said to Moses, Number all the firstborn males of the Israelites from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 41. And take the Levites for me I am the Lord instead of all the firstborn males among the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. 42. So Moses numbered all the firstborn males among the Israelites, as the Lord had commanded him. 43. And all the firstborn males, by the number of the names from a month old and upward, totaled 22,273. 44. Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 45. Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn males among the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. And the Levites will be mine. I am the Lord. 46. And for the redemption of the 273 firstborn males of the Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, 47. collect five shekels for each one individually; you are to collect this amount in the currency of the sanctuary shekel (this shekel is twenty gerahs). 48. And give the money for the redemption of the excess number of them to Aaron and his sons. 49. So Moses took the redemption money from those who were in excess of those redeemed by the Levites.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 7 50. From the firstborn males of the Israelites he collected the money, 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. 51. Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. (NET) Commentary: The Sons of Aaron Numbers 3:1-4, Now these are the records of Aaron and Moses when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he consecrated to minister as priests.nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered strange fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the presence of Aaron their father. (NET) The Assignment of the Levites Numbers 3:5-13, The Lord spoke to Moses: Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. They are responsible for his needs and the needs of the whole community before the tent of meeting, by attending to the service of the tabernacle. And they are responsible for all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and for the needs of the Israelites, as they serve in the tabernacle. You are to
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 8 assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they will be assigned exclusively to him out of all the Israelites. So you are to appoint Aaron and his sons, and they will be responsible for their priesthood, but the unauthorized person who comes near must be put to death. Then the Lord spoke to Moses: Look, I myself have taken the Levites from among the Israelites instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the Israelites. So the Levites belong to me, because all the firstborn are mine. When I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They belong to me. I am the Lord. (NET) Levi was the third son of Jacob (born to Leah). Genesis 29:34, She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, Now this time my husband will show me affection, because I have given birth to three sons for him. That is why he was named Levi. (NET) When Levi married he became the father of three sons. Genesis 46:11, The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (NET) This was, of course, many years before the exodus, but the Israelites kept records of their ancestry and this was an important factor in their culture. All the Levites traced their lineage back to one of the three sons of Levi; consequently, we see the three divisions of Levites in these chapters of Numbers. Here, while still camped at Sinai, we have the origin of the Aaronic and Levitical priesthood. From this event on throughout the history of Israel all priests were from the tribe of Levi. Moses and Aaron were themselves Levites of the family
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 9 line of Kohath. Now, The LORD has selected the entire tribe to be special servants in the worship rituals at the Tabernacle and later the Temple. They are going to be numbered by family line and assigned duties concerning the maintenance and transporting of the Tabernacle as well as the sacrifices. A few times over the years, someone who was not a Levite attempted to assume a priestly role. This was not met with favor. One such incident is recorded in 2 Chronicles 26:16-21 But once he (King Uzziah PA) became powerful, his pride destroyed him. He disobeyed the Lord his God. He entered the Lord s temple to offer incense on the incense altar. Azariah the priest and eighty other brave priests of the Lord followed him in. They confronted King Uzziah and said to him, It is not proper for you, Uzziah, to offer incense to the Lord. That is the responsibility of the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to offer incense. (Underscore added PA) Leave the sanctuary, for you have disobeyed and the Lord God will not honor you! Uzziah, who had an incense censer in his hand, became angry. While he was ranting and raving at the priests, a skin disease appeared on his forehead right there in front of the priests in the Lord s temple near the incense altar. When Azariah the high priest and the other priests looked at him, there was a skin disease (most translations say leprosy ) on his forehead. They hurried him out of there; even the king himself wanted to leave quickly because the Lord had afflicted him. King Uzziah suffered from a skin disease until the day he died. He lived in separate quarters, afflicted by a skin disease and banned from the Lord s temple. His son Jotham was in
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 10 charge of the palace and ruled over the people of the land. (NET) This was such a hard and fast rule that when God sent Jesus to live among us and become our Prophet, Priest and King, it was necessary to change the law, since Jesus was from the tribe of Judah. This is found in Hebrews 7:11-19, So if perfection had in fact been possible through the Levitical priesthood for on that basis the people received the law what further need would there have been for another priest to arise, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in Aaron s order? For when the priesthood changes, a change in the law must come as well. (Underscore added, PA) Yet the one these things are spoken about belongs to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever officiated at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord is descended from Judah, yet Moses said nothing about priests in connection with that tribe. And this is even clearer if another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest not by a legal regulation about physical descent but by the power of an indestructible life. For here is the testimony about him: You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. On the one hand a former command is set aside because it is weak and useless, for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. (NET) This certainly makes it clear that the priesthood was for the Levites only!
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 11 Now, God exchanges the firstborn ones of both man and animal for the tribe of Levi. He releases his claim on all the firstborn ones, which was based on His sparing of Israel s first born when the tenth plague in Egypt slew all the firstborn ones of the Egyptians. The Levites are now to be the representative firstborn ones for the whole nation. There is a picture of the church in this. The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews, reflecting on the experience of Israel at Sinai, compares the church s experience with God in these words: Hebrews 12:18-24, For you have not come to something that can be touched, to a burning fire and darkness and gloom and a whirlwind and the blast of a trumpet and a voice uttering words such that those who heard begged to hear no more. For they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned. In fact, the scene was so terrifying that Moses said, I shudder with fear. But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than Abel s does. (NET) The Apostle Peter explains that we, the church, are all priests. 1 Peter 2:4-9, So as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and precious in God s sight, you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood (Underscore added, PA)
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 12 and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it says in scripture, Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and whoever believes in him will never be put to shame. So you who believe see his value, but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and a stumbling-stone and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (NET) God doesn t get off track! The pattern of the Spiritual Kingdom found in the creation of this earthly form is consistent! This is one of the amazing things about the Holy Bible. In spite of the long years involved in its creation and the variety of people that God moved to bring it into existence, it sticks to one story the redemption of mankind through Christ and His Kingdom! The Numbering of the Levites Numbers 3:14-16, Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai: Number the Levites by their clans and their families; every male from a month old and upward you are to number. So Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord, just as he had been commanded. (NET)
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 13 The Summary of Families Numbers 3:17-20, These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei. The sons of Kohath by their families were: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The sons of Merari by their families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their clans. (NET) Here is a good place to make note of the fact that Levi and his sons came to Egypt as free people during the lifetime of Joseph. Genesis 46 gives the list of the Israelites who came to Egypt because of the severe famine and we note in verse 11 that Levi s sons had already been born, so, they made the move from Canaan to Egypt along with their parents. Genesis 46:11, The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (NET) A. Genesis 46:8-27, These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt Jacob and his sons: Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob. The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul (the son of a Canaanite woman). The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron. The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, along with Dinah his daughter. His sons and daughters
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 14 numbered thirty-three in all. The sons of Gad: Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and Serah their sister. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel. These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter. She bore these to Jacob, sixteen in all.the sons of Rachel the wife of Jacob: Joseph and Benjamin. Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore them to him. The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard. These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob, fourteen in all. The son of Dan: Hushim. The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter. She bore these to Jacob, seven in all. All the direct descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt with him were sixty-six in number. (This number does not include the wives of Jacob s sons.) Counting the two sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, all the people of the household of Jacob who were in Egypt numbered seventy. (NET) Take note of the fact that Amram is named as one of the sons of Kohath, son of Levi. Amram is Moses and Aaron s father. Moses was born in Egypt (Exodus 2) as were his parents. (They are not named in the group that moved to Egypt.) We may conclude, then, that the enslavement of Israel, described in Exodus 1 took place around the time of the birth of Amram because Israelites had lived in Egypt as free people long enough to become so numerous and strong, but by the time of his marriage and the
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 15 birth of Aaron, Miriam and Moses, their position as slaves is well established. A. Exodus 2:1-10, A man from the household of Levi married a woman who was a descendant of Levi. The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a healthy child, she hid him for three months. But when she was no longer able to hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him and sealed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and set it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile. His sister stationed herself at a distance to find out what would happen to him. Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself by the Nile, while her attendants were walking alongside the river, and she saw the basket among the reeds. She sent one of her attendants, took it, opened it, and saw the child a boy, crying! and she felt compassion for him and said, This is one of the Hebrews children. Then his sister said to Pharaoh s daughter, Shall I go and get a nursing woman for you from the Hebrews, so that she may nurse the child for you? Pharaoh s daughter said to her, Yes, do so. So the young girl went and got the child s mother. Pharaoh s daughter said to her, Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages. So the woman took the child and nursed him. When the child grew older she brought him to Pharaoh s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, Because I drew him from the water. (NET)
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 16 B. Exodus 1:8-22, Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power over Egypt. He said to his people, Look at the Israelite people, more numerous and stronger than we are! Come, let s deal wisely with them. Otherwise they will continue to multiply, and if a war breaks out, they will ally themselves with our enemies and fight against us and leave the country. So they put foremen over the Israelites to oppress them with hard labor. As a result they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread. As a result the Egyptians loathed the Israelites, and they made the Israelites serve rigorously. They made their lives bitter by hard service with mortar and bricks and by all kinds of service in the fields. Every kind of service the Israelites were required to give was rigorous. The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, When you assist the Hebrew women in childbirth, observe at the delivery: If it is a son, kill him, but if it is a daughter, she may live. But the midwives feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, Why have you done this and let the boys live? The midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women for the Hebrew women are vigorous; they give birth before the midwife gets to them! So God treated the midwives well, and the people multiplied and became very strong. And because the midwives feared God,
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 17 he made households for them. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, All sons that are born you must throw into the river, but all daughters you may let live. (NET) The Numbering of the Gershonites Numbers 3:21-26, From Gershon came the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites. Those of them who were numbered, counting every male from a month old and upward, were 7,500. The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle toward the west. Now the leader of the clan of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael. And the responsibilities of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting included the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the curtain at the entrance of the tent of meeting, the hangings of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard that surrounded the tabernacle and the altar, and their ropes, plus all the service connected with these things. (NET) As we noted in chapter 2, the Levites are encamped within the inner area between the Tabernacle and the general camp. A. Numbers 2:17, Then the tent of meeting with the camp of the Levites will travel in the middle of the camps. They will travel in the same order as they camped, each in his own place under his standard. (NET)
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 18 The planning and organization that God builds into these instructions show His wisdom in common things! The Tabernacle was constructed to be portable, as we have seen. However, making it portable and deciding how it is going to be disassembled and moved are two very different things. Left to their own devices, moving the Worship Center would have resulted in mass chaos and multiple deaths by violation of sacred things! As tedious as all these details may seem, they made the moving of the most sacred place on earth a simple matter of each person isdoing what he was assigned to do. The examples of such efficiency in doing God s bidding are plenteous in Scripture, as well as the disasters that occur when God is overruled. Judges 7:19-21,Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right. Then they yelled, A sword for the Lord and for Gideon! They stood in order all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. (NET) For a great example of the opposite, see Joshua 7:1-6, But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city s riches. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. The Lord was furious with the Israelites. Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel)
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 19 and instructed them, Go up and spy on the land. So the men went up and spied on Ai. They returned and reported to Joshua, Don t send the whole army. About two or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai. Don t tire out the whole army, for Ai is small. So about three thousand men went up, but they fled from the men of Ai. The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them and chased them from in front of the city gate all the way to the fissures and defeated them on the steep slope. The people s courage melted away like water. Joshua tore his clothes; he and the leaders of Israel lay face down on the ground before the ark of the Lord until evening and threw dirt on their heads. (NET) The Numbering of the Kohathites Numbers 3:27-32, From Kohath came the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites. Counting every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600. They were responsible for the care of the sanctuary. The families of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. Now the leader of the clan of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. Their responsibilities included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, the curtain, and all their service. Now the head of all the Levitical leaders was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. He was appointed over those who were responsible for the sanctuary. (NET)
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 20 This clan of Levites is assigned the most dangerous of all the jobs! The others are into sweat and heavy lifting, but the Kohathites must handle the sacred items, including the Ark of the Covenant! They are to receive very strong warnings about impending death if they don t do exactly as they are told! Certainly it is an honor to be chosen for such an important task, but with honor comes heavier responsibility! A principle that has never changed! The Numbering of Merari Numbers 3:33-39, From Merari came the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari. Those of them who were numbered, counting every male from a month old and upward, were 6,200. Now the leader of the clan of the families of Merari was Zuriel son of Abihail. These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. The appointed responsibilities of the Merarites included the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, its posts, its sockets, its utensils, plus all the service connected with these things, and the pillars of the courtyard all around, with their sockets, their pegs, and their ropes. But those who were to camp in front of the tabernacle on the east, in front of the tent of meeting, were Moses, Aaron, and his sons. They were responsible for the needs of the sanctuary and for the needs of the Israelites, but the unauthorized person who approached was to be put to death. All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered by the word of the Lord, according to their families, every male from a month old and upward, were 22,000. (NET)
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 21 Now we have Levites camped on the West, the South and the North sides of the Tabernacle. Their job is also special. They are moving several tons of silver that supported the walls and untold treasures of gold coating the sides and poles that constituted the interior of the Tabernacle! Much care had to be taken in removing and resetting them as well as preparing them for the journey and carefully transporting them. Finally, Moses, Aaron and their families are camped in front of the open end of the Tabernacle which always faced east. That would put them between the entrance to the outer court and the camp of Judah, Issachar and Zebulon. Back in verses 11-13 we read where God accepted the Levites in place of all the firstborn ones in Israel. Now the details are being worked out. The trade does not come out even, so we observe how God evened it up! A. Numbers 3:11-13, Then the Lord spoke to Moses: Look, I myself have taken the Levites from among the Israelites instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the Israelites. So the Levites belong to me, because all the firstborn are mine. When I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They belong to me. I am the Lord. (NET) The Substitution for the Firstborn
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 22 Numbers 3:40-51, Then the Lord said to Moses, Number all the firstborn males of the Israelites from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. And take the Levites for me I am the Lord instead of all the firstborn males among the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. So Moses numbered all the firstborn males among the Israelites, as the Lord had commanded him. And all the firstborn males, by the number of the names from a month old and upward, totaled 22,273. Then the Lord spoke to Moses: Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn males among the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. And the Levites will be mine. I am the Lord. And for the redemption of the 273 firstborn males of the Israelites who exceed the number of the Levites, collect five shekels for each one individually; you are to collect this amount in the currency of the sanctuary shekel (this shekel is twenty gerahs). And give the money for the redemption of the excess number of them to Aaron and his sons. So Moses took the redemption money from those who were in excess of those redeemed by the Levites. From the firstborn males of the Israelites he collected the money, 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. (NET) God left nothing to chance! He covered every detail here and will continue to do so in the chapters to follow!
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 23 Questions on Numbers 3:1-51 1. What happened to Aaron s two older sons and where is that recorded? 2. Name Levi s parents. 3. What was Levi s birth order among the twelve sons of Jacob? _ 4. Who were the Levites representing in their service?
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 24 5. What provisions did Moses make for priests who were not of the tribe of Levi? Explain your answer. 6. What king got in deep trouble for usurping the duties of a priest? Give details of the usurping of these duties. 7. Where is that story recorded? 8. What exception was eventually made to this rule and who made that exception?
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 25 9. What had to be done to make this possible? 10. What was the fate of any who would approach the Tabernacle other than an ordained priest? 11. Besides making the Levites the priestly tribe, what other special role did he appoint them to be? 12. Who are the first born ones today? Explain your answer.
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 26 13. Who are God s priests today? Give Biblical support for your answer. 14. How did the three sons of Levi come to be living in Egypt? 15. Kohath s son, Amram, is notable to us because of what? 16. In the census of the Levite men, what was the age range that was counted?
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 27 17. What were the special duties of the Gershonites with regard to moving the Tabernacle? 18. What were the special duties of the Kohathites in moving the Tabernacle? 19. What was the assignment for the Merarites in this project? 20. Who camped between the east end of the Tabernacle and the camp of Judah?
www.biblestudyworkshop.org 28 21. What had to be done about the 273 firstborn males that exceeded the number of Levite men?