May 2, 2023

Who Were the Priests?

Numbers 3

Martha Illarramendi
Tuesday's Devo

May 2, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

May 2, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

May 2, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

May 2, 2023

Big Idea

God's instruction can always be trusted.

Key Verse | Numbers 3:11-13

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the LORD."

Numbers 3

The Sons of Aaron

1 These are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time 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 ordained to serve as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of Aaron their father.

Duties of the Levites

5 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. 7 They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. 8 They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. 9 And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. 10 And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.”

11 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, 13 for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the LORD.”

14 And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15 “List the sons of Levi, by fathers' houses and by clans; every male from a month old and upward you shall list.” 16 So Moses listed them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded. 17 And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. 18 And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei. 19 And the sons of Kohath by their clans: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 20 And the sons of Merari by their clans: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites, by their fathers' houses.

21 To Gershon belonged the clan of the Libnites and the clan of the Shimeites; these were the clans of the Gershonites. 22 Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 1 3:22 Hebrew their listing was 7,500. 23 The clans of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle on the west, 24 with Eliasaph, the son of Lael as chief of the fathers' house of the Gershonites. 25 And the guard duty of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting, 26 the hangings of the court, the screen for the door of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords—all the service connected with these.

27 To Kohath belonged the clan of the Amramites and the clan of the Izharites and the clan of the Hebronites and the clan of the Uzzielites; these are the clans of the Kohathites. 28 According to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, keeping guard over the sanctuary. 29 The clans of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle, 30 with Elizaphan the son of Uzziel as chief of the fathers' house of the clans of the Kohathites. 31 And their guard duty involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which the priests minister, and the screen; all the service connected with these. 32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was to be chief over the chiefs of the Levites, and to have oversight of those who kept guard over the sanctuary.

33 To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites: these are the clans of Merari. 34 Their listing according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 6,200. 35 And the chief of the fathers' house of the clans of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. 36 And the appointed guard duty of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories; all the service connected with these; 37 also the pillars around the court, with their bases and pegs and cords.

38 Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect 2 3:38 Hebrew guard the people of Israel. And any outsider who came near was to be put to death. 39 All those listed among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron listed at the commandment of the LORD, by clans, all the males from a month old and upward, were 22,000.

Redemption of the Firstborn

40 And the LORD said to Moses, “List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names. 41 And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the LORD—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.” 42 So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the LORD commanded him. 43 And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273.

44 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD. 46 And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels 3 3:47 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams per head; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs 4 3:47 A gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram ), 48 and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.” 49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the money, 1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Footnotes

[1] 3:22 Hebrew their listing was
[2] 3:38 Hebrew guard
[3] 3:47 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
[4] 3:47 A gerah was about 1/50 ounce or 0.6 gram

S2:082 Numbers 3

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Numbers 3

For many years I wondered if I had a purpose. I hoped that even if God didn't have a purpose for me, maybe He would allow me to join someone else's mission. It turns out I do have a purpose. He has had a purpose for me all along; and in His kindness, He continues to reveal it one day at a time. As I read Numbers 3, I was reminded that God showed His people their purpose long before I ever wondered about mine.

Chapter 3 starts with God giving the Levites a purpose. He asked them to guard the tabernacle (where the presence of God resided) and serve Aaron and the priests. God revealed what He intended for them since the beginning of the book in Numbers 1:47-53.

See? We were made intentionally to fulfill a purpose for His kingdom (Colossians 1:16; Proverbs 16:4; Jeremiah 1:5), and just as God revealed it to the Levites, God is ready to reveal it to you, too. The Levites would be part of God's plan to make sure all things would go as He instructed in the tabernacle—to ensure that His will would be done.

Later in the book, in Numbers 3:11-13, God will make this purpose clearer by telling the Levites that they would be an substitute for all the firstborn of Israel to fulfill what the Lord had asked of them since Passover. God knows the importance of the Levites' mission, so He will make sure there are no misunderstandings, as we'll see in the chapters ahead. The Levites were part of the chosen people, set aside by God to live as such (Exodus 19:4-6).

God says at the end of Numbers 3:13, "They shall be mine: I am the LORD." As you sit and maybe start asking, "Do I know my purpose? Do I have a purpose?," be reminded that the goal is not to fix our eyes solely on the purpose but to fix our eyes on the One who gives it.

This month's memory verse

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

– Philippians 2:3-4

Discussion Questions

1. Do you find yourself asking, "What was I created for? What am I supposed to do with my life? Does God even care?" If so, to whom have you reached out to help you find the answers?

2. If you are one who, by God's grace, knows your purpose, do you find yourself fixing your eyes on your mission or vision more than on the One who gave it to you? Have you created an idol of your purpose?

3. Do you know the God who wants to have a personal relationship with you? The One who wants to reveal His purpose in your life?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

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Hugh Stephenson

Good morning Martha! How fortunate we are to have you and Ivan on staff and serving the body. Love your focus on purpose. Too long I lived without one. Rudderless. Q1.- Q3. In study, I came across several statements by Thomas Carlyle on purpose “A person with a clear purpose will make progress, even on the roughest road. A person with no purpose will make no progress, even on the smoothest road.” “Have a purpose in life, and having it, throw into your work such strength of mind and muscle as God has given you.” ‘Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness. He has a work, a life-purpose; he has found it, and will follow it! How, as a free-flowing channel, dug and torn by noble force through the sour mudswamp of one's existence, like an ever-deepening river there, it runs and flows.” For a long time I operated with no purpose. Just whatever seemed right at the time. Then I was taught about Genesis 1:26-28; the creation/cultural mandate. https://www.gotquestions.org/creation-mandate-cultural.html As best as I am able to discern God has called me into discipleship ministries; both for recovery and for traditional discipleship.
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Hugh Stephenson

LOVE THIS OVERVIEW "For the first time after the formative events of the Exodus deliverance and the revelation on Mount Sinai, the people of Israel are organized into a holy people on the march under the leadership of Aaron and Moses with the priests and Levites at the center of the camp. A whole new chapter has opened in the life of the people of Israel, and this new beginning is marked by the toledot formula." https://www.gotquestions.org/toledot.html “Knowing the toledot they came from gave the Israelites context for what God was asking of them when they entered the Promised Land and linked later Israelites to the great men and the mighty deeds of long before. Most of all, the toledot showed them how God had worked in the past and how He was sure to work in the present.” GQs ———————— https://www.gotquestions.org/difference-priests-Levites.html https://www.gotquestions.org/God-inheritance-Levites.html https://www.gotquestions.org/tribe-of-Levi.html https://www.gotquestions.org/chief-priests.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Levitical-priesthood.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Kohathites-Gershonites-Merarites.htm The key for me in some much of what we have been reading is a combination of the holiness and purity of God along with His deep desire to dwell among us and to have a deep and intimate relationship with us. As always. The notes edify- “Theologically the section as a whole explores the theme of God's holiness. Viewed in one way the priestly hierarchy is a means of protecting Israel from divine holiness. The introduction of another sacred order between priests and people emphasizes the difference between the fallibility of man and the perfection of God. ... Viewed in another way the hierarchy constitutes the recognized channel through which God brings stability and well-being to his people."
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Hugh Stephenson

I am confident most of us has heard of “The Horse Whisperer”, https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0119314/ But how many of us have heard of “the dog whistler”? What if I told you God can come in a whisper…but Satan can come in a whistle. Please click through to this passage from 1 Kings 19:9-18. Please read it through carefully. I am confident it will bless you as it has me. Here’s an analogy I’ve been taught- Imagine a dog owner who hates his dog and mistreats his dog. Horribly. Beats it. Doesn’t care for it. Gives it no affection. Only yells at it. Feeds only at a sustenance level. But here’s what he does do. He trains that dog to respond to his whistle. And when he whistles that dog does what ever he wants. Attacks people. Barks incessantly. And loudly. Scares adults. Terrifies children. Tears up any house its in. Fouls his own yard and the yard of everyone else. Fights all other animals. Mauls and even eats smaller weaker animals. And more. All with a whistle. Now- Imagine that dog gets rescued by a new master. One who loves it. Cares for it. Heals it. Teaches it to be kind. Gives it affection. Guards other dogs and keeps predators at bay. Protects families. And more All with a whistle. But there is one difference. Sometimes he whispers. Now- What if the old master seeks and finds the dog. And whistles for it. At the same time the new master whistles for it. To whose whistle does the dog respond? ———————— What does this have to do with Numbers 3? God appointed the first born to be priests. They failed when tested, c.f. golden calf in Exodus 32. So God now appoints Aaron and the Levites to guard the tabernacle and to minister to the people. This is how important it is to God that He is in our presence and dwells with us. And is available to us for atonement and reconciliation. And trains us to hear his voice, (whistle), so that when we do hear it we know what He commands us to do. We know where He is so that we can go right to Him and have the love, care and healing He promises. And joy, peace, and rest. --------------------------------- Even though I know I will always hear His whistle- Even though I know He might speak to me in the wind, earthquake, and fire- I’m still listening for the whisper.
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Michael Sisson

Re: Num 3:4 Num 3:4 (NASB) But >>>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 served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron. See Lev 10:2 Re: Num 3:7 See Jer 33:17-18 Re: Num 3:10 (NASB) “So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood, but the >>>layman<<< who comes near shall be put to death.” “layman” or “stranger” comes from the same Hebrew root as “strange” fire (see Num 3:4; Lev 10:1). Re: Num 3:12 (NASB) “Now, behold, >>>I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel.<<< So the Levites shall be Mine. See Ex 13:12 Re: Num 3:46-48 Such attention to accounts here leads one to believe G-d quite literally does number the very hairs on our head. (Mt 10:30)
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Michael Scaman

In the exodus, God said to the nation "you shall be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation". This was put 'on hold' in a sense with the golden calf incident where the levites punished and killed 3000 people related total the golden calf. They have the priest from a group of them like sons of Aaron and the levites because helpers Isaiah 61:6; Exodus 19:6; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6 3000 dies at the giving of the law Ex.32:28, 3000 people lived at the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost with Peter's sermon. Acts 2:41. Peter also says to the whole church ' you are a kingdom of priests, a holy nation' and this became a big issue in the protestant reformation and 'the priesthood of believers' not merely clergy. 1 Peter 2:9; Spoiler alert! One group of Levites were the sons of Korah. Korah rebelled against the holiness of God and was swallowed up by the earth. Numbers will say 'but not all the sons of korah died" Numbers 26:11. Some became bouncers in the temple, gate keepers protecting God's holiness and wrote Psalms. They should be in the grave with Korah but were redeemed. In fact many people in the Old Testament were descended form Korah like some of David's nightly men and Samuel and another sub group being the Asaph musical psalm writers and musicians.
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Amy Lowther

1. Yes. Yes. I believe God cares. It is not a debate for me. For answers of why I was created and what I am supposed to do, I go to God because He is good in those areas. 2. I find myself focusing on God because He can help you achieve, maintain, and progress in positive ways in activities and in opportunities once you identify your purpose. Idols can be overcome by understanding and practicing God’s values as you live and participate in life. 3. Yes. Yes.
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Sue Bohlin

Thanks, Martha! I was struck by how the ESV translates this chapter--I had never before seen that part of the Levites' responsibility was to serve as guards. That makes so much sense: tons of gold and silver in the tabernacle, and the extremely important role of the priests and especially the high priest. I'm thinking that someone on guard duty might look like they're just standing there, doing nothing, but it's a very important job--regardless of whether it looks like they're doing anything or not. And I love that God always knows what we're doing, particularly when we are serving Him, even if onlookers don't see what we're doing because they don't know what the job is. (And how easy is it to judge others on the basis of an incomplete perspective . . . ?) This chapter details the Levites' role to serve. It was incredibly important. Serving is still incredibly important today. In studying spiritual gifts, I have read that it seems the Holy Spirit distributes the gift of service to more people than any other gift because it is the greatest need. (Someone has said that people gifted to serve are "the muscles of the body of Christ.") Whether someone is setting up chairs, or cleaning the bathroom, or directing traffic in the parking lot, or making and serving coffee, or greeting, or collating and stapling papers, or any number of little-appreciated acts of service, God sees, He appreciates, and He will reward every one of them.