May 3, 2023

God's Holiness on Display

Numbers 4

John Matlack
Wednesday's Devo

May 3, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

May 3, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

May 3, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

May 3, 2023

Big Idea

God reveals the way and His will through His Word.

Key Verse | Numbers 4:15

And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.

Numbers 4

Duties of the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites

1 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. 4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting: the most holy things. 5 When the camp is to set out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it. 6 Then they shall put on it a covering of goatskin 1 4:6 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; compare Exodus 25:5 and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles. 7 And over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall spread a cloth of blue and put on it the plates, the dishes for incense, the bowls, and the flagons for the drink offering; the regular showbread also shall be on it. 8 Then they shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet and cover the same with a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 9 And they shall take a cloth of blue and cover the lampstand for the light, with its lamps, its tongs, its trays, and all the vessels for oil with which it is supplied. 10 And they shall put it with all its utensils in a covering of goatskin and put it on the carrying frame. 11 And over the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue and cover it with a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 12 And they shall take all the vessels of the service that are used in the sanctuary and put them in a cloth of blue and cover them with a covering of goatskin and put them on the carrying frame. 13 And they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 And they shall put on it all the utensils of the altar, which are used for the service there, the fire pans, the forks, the shovels, and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of goatskin, and shall put in its poles. 15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.

16 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering, and the anointing oil, with the oversight of the whole tabernacle and all that is in it, of the sanctuary and its vessels.”

17 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.”

21 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 22 “Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' houses and by their clans. 23 From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, all who can come to do duty, to do service in the tent of meeting. 24 This is the service of the clans of the Gershonites, in serving and bearing burdens: 25 they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering of goatskin that is on top of it and the screen for the entrance of the tent of meeting 26 and the hangings of the court and the screen for the entrance of the gate of the court that is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service. And they shall do all that needs to be done with regard to them. 27 All the service of the sons of the Gershonites shall be at the command of Aaron and his sons, in all that they are to carry and in all that they have to do. And you shall assign to their charge all that they are to carry. 28 This is the service of the clans of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their guard duty is to be under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

29 As for the sons of Merari, you shall list them by their clans and their fathers' houses. 30 From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, everyone who can come on duty, to do the service of the tent of meeting. 31 And this is what they are charged to carry, as the whole of their service in the tent of meeting: the frames of the tabernacle, with its bars, pillars, and bases, 32 and the pillars around the court with their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their equipment and all their accessories. And you shall list by name the objects that they are required to carry. 33 This is the service of the clans of the sons of Merari, the whole of their service in the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

34 And Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of the congregation listed the sons of the Kohathites, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 35 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting; 36 and those listed by clans were 2,750. 37 This was the list of the clans of the Kohathites, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the LORD by Moses.

38 Those listed of the sons of Gershon, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 39 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty for service in the tent of meeting— 40 those listed by their clans and their fathers' houses were 2,630. 41 This was the list of the clans of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the LORD.

42 Those listed of the clans of the sons of Merari, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 43 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come on duty, for service in the tent of meeting— 44 those listed by clans were 3,200. 45 This was the list of the clans of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron listed according to the commandment of the LORD by Moses.

46 All those who were listed of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the chiefs of Israel listed, by their clans and their fathers' houses, 47 from thirty years old up to fifty years old, everyone who could come to do the service of ministry and the service of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, 48 those listed were 8,580. 49 According to the commandment of the LORD through Moses they were listed, each one with his task of serving or carrying. Thus they were listed by him, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Footnotes

[1] 4:6 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; compare Exodus 25:5

"Making sense of the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites"

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Numbers 4

The Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites were three clans of the Levite tribe in Israel (Numbers 26:57). Kohath was the father of the Kohathites; Gershon, the father of the Gershonites; and Merari, the father of the Merarites. Kohath, Gershon, and Merari were the three sons of Levi and grandsons of Jacob (Genesis 46:11). Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were Kohathites (1 Chronicles 6:2–3). The Levites filled the priestly roles in Israel and bore the responsibility of caring for the tabernacle. 

The Israelites were frequently moving, so the tent of meeting or tabernacle had to be taken up and moved, too. Each clan had its responsibility for the sanctuary of God, the tent of meeting. God gave Moses and Aaron specific instructions on who was responsible for each item in the tabernacle, and how it was to be cared for. God loves His people, and He gave them all the tools they needed to serve and be protected by Him. God instructs that only the sons of Kohath must carry the furnishings of the tent of meeting after Aaron and his sons have finished covering them. God gives them a warning. After Aaron and his sons covered the holy things first, the sons of Kohath "must not touch the holy things, lest they die" (Numbers 4:15) or  "go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die" (Numbers 4:20).

For me, this passage says I need to listen carefully to what God has to say and believe and obey all His commands. God is loving and merciful, but He is also holy and just. We serve a holy God. "There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God." (1 Samuel 2:2) One last interesting detail I noticed in this chapter is that the holy things are all covered with a colored cloth, most often blue, and then goatskin. The ark, however, was covered with the veil of the screen, then goatskin, and then an all-blue cloth (Numbers 4:5-6). We will see why later in Numbers, so keep reading!

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. What is something you have seen or experienced in your life that reminds you of God's holiness? 

2. Read the story of Uzzah in 2 Samuel 6:1-7 and 1 Chronicles 13:9-12. What does his story show you about God's holiness? For a great explanation, check out GotQuestions.org concerning Uzzah and the Ark.

3.  Do you try to bring God down to a worldly way of thinking or reasoning? People who would draw close to the Lord and have Him draw near to them are the ones who come to Him in awe and holy fear. Uzzah forgot that lesson, and the consequences were fatal.

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Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, John. Thanks for good devo and tough questions. Love this takeaway, “For me, this passage says I need to listen carefully to what God has to say and believe and obey all His commands.”. Q1. Got Qs helps me with this question- https://www.gotquestions.org/holy-God-holiness-of-God.html So, I have a hard time with the answer. If I equate holiness to majesty, I can cite many examples in nature that reflect that characteristic. If I equate it to purity, it’s much harder. Q2. If no one can see or touch the holy objects, then that explains these stories. I am taught that the key is to treat these objects as unviewable and untouchable so they must be cared for and prepared for transport as noted in this passage. Q3. A counselor I had for many years pointed out that I had the opposite dilemma. I viewed God as so holy and majestic that I never felt that He would stoop to my level. She counseled that I change my view and understand that Jesus was perfectly willing to get with me in my ditches.
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Hugh Stephenson

The backdrop I have of these chapters is that God is preparing Israel for a war of conquest as they get ready to enter and take possession of the Promised Land. In order to do that that have to know how to transport the tabernacle and to remain pure and holy so that God’s presence will stay with them. Preparation, equipping, and training are key. So I see that it’s natural that God has them count the number of Levites that will replace the first-born sons- and the number who can serve in and care for the tabernacle elements. From the notes- “The service of God requires the best of our strength, and the prime of our time, which cannot be better spent than to the honor of him who is the first and best. And a man may make a good soldier much sooner than a good minister."
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Hugh Stephenson

"The sense of order and organization already observed in this book comes to its finest point in this chapter. Again, we observe that the standard pattern in Hebrew prose is a movement from the general to the specific, from the broad to the particular. Chapters 1—4 follow this concept nicely. ... The chapters have moved from the nation as a whole to the particular families of the one tribe that has responsibility to maintain the symbols of Israel's worship of the Lord. Each chapter gets more specific, narrower in focus, with the central emphasis on the worship of the Lord at the Tent of Meeting." Lastly, I see the leadership skills of Moses as noted in the closing verse, Numbers 4:49. Knowing God, he understands the requirement of obedience in every detail.
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Michael Sisson

Re: Num 4:1-20 While Kohath was the second son of Levi, his progeny were counted first in deference to the greatness of his descendants: Moses and Aaron. Unlike the other two clans of Levites (i.e. Gershonites and Merarites) who assembled and disassembled parts of the Tabernacle for transport on ox carts, the Kohathites were not allowed to assemble and disassemble their charge (i.e. the holiest items of the Tabernacle, including the Ark), nor could they transport them by ox cart. The most holiest items had to be hand carried using poles. Moreover, the Kohathites received their charges from the Kohanim (priests) already covered, so they would not see them uncovered and die. (Num 4:20) Addressing the care for the most holy furnishings of the Tabernacle prescribed in this passage, Nachmanides (or “Ramban,” a renowned rabbinic commentator) noted the following parallels, “Then the Glory is seen in the hiding of His power (Hab 3:4), and it returns to its former place (Hos 5:15) in the Holy of Holies.'” As believers, we might also see in Ramban’s observation an allusion to Yeshua Himself. Re: Num 4:5 Num 4:5 (NASB) “When the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall >>>take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it;<<< The Kohanim (i.e. priests) were to take down the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place, and use it to cover the Ark. When carried, the Ark was never seen because it was always covered. Recall the aforementioned veil is a type of Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus; Heb 10:20). Thus, Num 4:5 presents us a typological picture of Messiah hiding the power of G-d within Him and a subtle allusion to Immanuel (“G-d with us”). See also Hab 3:4; Mt 1:23. Re: Num 4:6 Num 4:6 (NASB) and they shall lay a covering of porpoise skin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth of pure blue, and shall >>>insert<<< its poles. Rather than “insert,” the verb in question might be better translated “adjust,” since according to Ex 25:15 the poles were never to be removed. See also 1Kings 8:8 Num 4:6 (ESV) Then they shall put on it a covering of >>>goatskin<<< and spread on top of that a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles. If the ESV correctly translates the Hebrew word as “goatskin,” we also have a type of the Despised Messiah (Who is Messiah Yeshua) covering the Ark.
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Michael Scaman

Hollywood will often portray the ark carried on poles so all could see the details and the cherub and box very openly on display. Here the law says to covered the ark with the veil of the the holy of holies when the camp travels Number 4 5 Same goes for the furniture in the holy place. Carry the furniture items on poles, poles on the shoulders of Levites so no one touches it as well. Covered so they aren't 'openly on display' Traveling carried by the rings may be what the throne driven chariot in the opening vision where 'Ezekiel saw the wheels way up in the middle of the sky" as the song we sang in High School went. Leviticus says 5 times 'be holy for I am holy'. God is intrinsically holy, other things holy by proximity. DA Carson says you might think of a stone in a pond with ripples, there are concentric ripples going out where the things closer of holy, the things further even the shovels used are holy, the people holy the tabernacle holy
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Sue Bohlin

Thank you, John. First, I loved how Michael Sisson connected the dots between covering the Ark (and the rest of the holy objects) and how the Messiah hid the power of God within Him. Whoa! When the Son came to earth in the incarnation, He covered Himself with human flesh like the holy things from the tabernacle were covered for transport! :::goosebumps::: Second, we read the phrase "serving or carrying" several times in this chapter. These jobs, these forms of worship, were physical. Not mental, like so many jobs today in our culture. It's easy for us to slide into the unfortunate mentality that unless you're working with a computer, creating or processing words or numbers, your work is less important. In the church, we can easily elevate teachers and speakers above chair-arrangers and coffee-makers and servers. But I remember a Saturday night when it rained so hard that the water came in through the doors at Watermark Plano (now CityBridge) and created a pool in the lobby. The MVPs (most valuable players) *that* day were the people who arrived super early with brooms and mops and fans to shoo the water back outside and create a dry walkway for everyone to enter the worship center. I don't remember the message that day, but I sure remember the important work of the sweepers and moppers! This chapter reminds me that all work to the glory of God is valuable and important, and God is honored by it all. So we need to honor each other for all the kinds of "serving and carrying" there are.
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Michael Sisson

Sue Bohlin wrote: “:::goosebumps:::” Right?! I experience those exact same chills every time I stumble upon some new typological insight like we find in Num 4:5-6! The providence of G-d is breathtaking. I’m gratified those hidden gems in Scripture resonate with you as well. Thanks for the encouraging word.
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Amy Lowther

1. I have seen distressed homeless people change into happy healthy people. I have seen a greeter captain become an elder. I have seen people who don’t workout make lifestyle changes and workout consistently. 2. God is powerful and His holiness offers something for everyone. God should be respected at all times. 3. I look to God for guidance in everything I do everyday. The value of God’s words and values tend to increase if people can relate to them and use them their in daily lives.