February 8, 2025
What was the role of a priest in the Old Testament?
Numbers 17-19
Anna Bridges
Big Book Idea
Even amidst a tragic transition, God still had a plan.
Key Verse | Numbers 18:6-7
"And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to the LORD, to do the service of the tent of meeting. And you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death."
Numbers 17-19
Chapter 17
Aaron's Staff Buds
1 1 17:1 Ch 17:16 in Hebrew The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers' house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. Write each man's name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers' house. 4 Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.” 6 Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. 7 And Moses deposited the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the testimony.
8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the LORD to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff. 10 And the LORD said to Moses, “Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; as the LORD commanded him, so he did.
12 And the people of Israel said to Moses, “Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. 13 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the LORD, shall die. Are we all to perish?”
Chapter 18
Duties of Priests and Levites
1 So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood. 2 And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3 They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die. 4 They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you. 5 And you shall keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel. 6 And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to the LORD, to do the service of the tent of meeting. 7 And you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, 2 18:7 Hebrew service of gift and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
8 Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, “Behold, I have given you charge of the contributions made to me, all the consecrated things of the people of Israel. I have given them to you as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual due. 9 This shall be yours of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering of theirs and every sin offering of theirs and every guilt offering of theirs, which they render to me, shall be most holy to you and to your sons. 10 In a most holy place shall you eat it. Every male may eat it; it is holy to you. 11 This also is yours: the contribution of their gift, all the wave offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it. 12 All the best of the oil and all the best of the wine and of the grain, the firstfruits of what they give to the LORD, I give to you. 13 The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the LORD, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it. 14 Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. 15 Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16 And their redemption price (at a month old you shall redeem them) you shall fix at five shekels 3 18:16 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17 But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall burn their fat as a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD. 18 But their flesh shall be yours, as the breast that is waved and as the right thigh are yours. 19 All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to the LORD I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. It is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD for you and for your offspring with you.” 20 And the LORD said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.
21 To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting, 22 so that the people of Israel do not come near the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. 23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the people of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithe of the people of Israel, which they present as a contribution to the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no inheritance among the people of Israel.”
25 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the LORD, a tithe of the tithe. 27 And your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. 28 So you shall also present a contribution to the LORD from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the LORD's contribution to Aaron the priest. 29 Out of all the gifts to you, you shall present every contribution due to the LORD; from each its best part is to be dedicated.’ 30 Therefore you shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be counted to the Levites as produce of the threshing floor, and as produce of the winepress. 31 And you may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32 And you shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have contributed the best of it. But you shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, lest you die.’”
Chapter 19
Laws for Purification
1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the statute of the law that the LORD has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and on which a yoke has never come. 3 And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him. 4 And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5 And the heifer shall be burned in his sight. Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned. 6 And the priest shall take cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the fire burning the heifer. 7 Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 The one who burns the heifer shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and shall be unclean until evening. 9 And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. 10 And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.
11 Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days. 12 He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean. 13 Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.
14 This is the law when someone dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven days. 15 And every open vessel that has no cover fastened on it is unclean. 16 Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean seven days. 17 For the unclean they shall take some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and fresh 4 19:17 Hebrew living water shall be added in a vessel. 18 Then a clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there and on whoever touched the bone, or the slain or the dead or the grave. 19 And the clean person shall sprinkle it on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day. Thus on the seventh day he shall cleanse him, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and at evening he shall be clean.
20 If the man who is unclean does not cleanse himself, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, since he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. Because the water for impurity has not been thrown on him, he is unclean. 21 And it shall be a statute forever for them. The one who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and the one who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. 22 And whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening.”
Table of Contents
Introduction to Numbers
Timeline
Author and Date
Moses is the source and primary author of the book of Numbers, which is the fourth volume in the Pentateuch. Its English name comes from the censuses in chs. 1–4 and 26.
Numbers tells of Israel’s journey from Mount Sinai to the borders of the Promised Land, summarizing some 40 years of the nation’s history. With Israel having been freed from slavery in Egypt and then receiving the law (Exodus and Leviticus), the book of Numbers begins with the people’s final preparations to leave Sinai. It then records their triumphal setting out, before a series of events in which the people grumbled about the difficulty of the journey and the impossibility of conquering Canaan. This response leads God to delay their entry to Canaan by 40 years. The closing chapters of the book tell how the people at last set out again and reach the banks of the Jordan, ready to cross into the land promised to their forefathers.
Theme and Purpose
The theme of Numbers is the gradual fulfillment of the promises to Abraham that his descendants would be the people of God and would occupy the land of Canaan. The book shows the reality of God’s presence with Israel in the pillar of cloud and fire over the tabernacle. It also shows how Israel’s unbelief delays the entry into Canaan and costs many lives. Nevertheless, by the end of the book, Israel is ready to enter the land.
Key Themes
There were four elements to God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1–3, and they all play a role in Numbers:
- The land. Numbers describes Israel’s journey toward the Promised Land.
- Descendants. Abraham had been promised that his descendants would be as many as the stars of heaven (Gen. 15:5). Jacob’s family consisted of just 70 persons when he entered Egypt (Gen. 46:27). Now they had increased immensely. The first census (Num. 1:1–46) showed that the fighting men numbered 603,550. That did not include women and children. Surveying their camp from a hilltop, Balaam declared, “Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel?” (23:10). Balaam went on to predict that Israel would become a powerful kingdom in its own right: “a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” (24:17).
- Covenant relationship with God. The essence of the covenant was, “You shall be my people, and I will be your God.” The Lord’s presence with Israel is constantly highlighted throughout the book of Numbers.
- Blessing to the nations. This is the aspect of the promises to Abraham that is least apparent in Numbers. To a greater or lesser degree, the nations that Israel encounters are all hostile. Nevertheless Balaam recalls the phrasing of Genesis 12:3 when he says, “Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you” (Num. 24:9). Nations who treat Israel generously by blessing her will themselves be blessed.
Outline
Numbers consists of three major blocks of material describing the events and laws associated with three centers where Israel encamped for a significant time. These centers are Sinai (chs. 1–10), Kadesh (chs. 13–19), and the plains of Moab (chs. 22–36). They are linked by two short travelogues recording what occurred as Israel journeyed from one camp to the next.
- Israel Prepares to Enter the Land (1:1–10:10)
- Marching from Sinai to Kadesh (10:11–12:16)
- Forty Years near Kadesh (13:1–19:22)
- Marching from Kadesh to the Plains of Moab (20:1–21:35)
- Israel in the Plains of Moab (22:1–36:13)
Journeys in the Wilderness
c. 1446 B.C.
The book of Numbers details the Israelites’ experience in the wilderness as they journeyed from Mount Sinai to Canaan. As with the exodus, it is difficult to establish the exact route that the Israelites took, but it is generally believed that they headed east from Mount Sinai until they reached the Red Sea, where they turned northward to the top of the gulf and on to Kadesh-barnea.
Fact: Where do the events in Numbers take place?
Where do the events in Numbers take place? Chapters 1–9 take place near Mount Sinai. In chs. 10–12 the people travel to Kadesh, where they will spend the next 40 years (chs. 13–19). Next they journey toward Canaan (chs. 20–21), and in the final chapters of Numbers (22–36) they camp in the plains of Moab, across the Jordan River from the Promised Land.
Fact: Symbols of holiness
Symbols of holiness are found all throughout Numbers. The tabernacle objects that were farther from the presence of God in the Most Holy Place could be made of ordinary materials like bronze. Within the Most Holy Place, everything was overlaid with pure gold.
Fact: Hyssop
Hyssop is a member of the mint family. Its fuzzy leaves and branches produce bunches of small white or yellow flowers. During Passover, the people of Israel used hyssop branches to place blood above their doors and on their doorposts (Ex. 12:22). In Psalm 51, hyssop symbolizes being cleansed from sin (see Lev. 14:4–6; Num. 19:6).
Journeys in the Wilderness
c. 1446 B.C.
The book of Numbers details the Israelites’ experience in the wilderness as they journeyed from Mount Sinai to Canaan. As with the exodus, it is difficult to establish the exact route that the Israelites took, but it is generally believed that they headed east from Mount Sinai until they reached the Red Sea, where they turned northward to the top of the gulf and on to Kadesh-barnea.
Parallels between Exodus and Numbers
| Ex. 18:1 | Advice from Moses’ father-in-law | Advice from Moses’ father-in-law | Num. 10:29 |
| Ex. 15:22 | Three-day journey to Sinai | Three-day journey from Sinai | Num. 10:33 |
| Ex. 15:22–26 | Complaint about water | Unspecified complaint | Num. 11:1–3 |
| Exodus 16 | Manna and quail | Manna and quail | Num. 11:4–15, 31–35 |
| Exodus 18 | Leaders appointed to assist Moses | Leaders appointed to assist Moses | Num. 11:16–30 |
| Ex. 15:20–21 | Miriam’s song of praise | Miriam and Aaron rebel | Numbers 12 |
| Ex. 17:8–16 | Israel defeats Amalek | Israel defeated by Amalek | Num. 14:39–45 |
| Ex. 17:1–7 | Water from rock | Water from rock | Num. 20:1–13 |
| Ex. 32:6 | People sacrifice to other gods | People sacrifice to other gods | Num. 25:2 |
| Ex. 32:27 | Killing of apostates demanded | Killing of apostates demanded | Num. 25:5 |
| Ex. 32:28–29 | Levites’ status enhanced | Levites’ (Phinehas’s) status enhanced | Num. 25:6–13 |
| Ex. 32:35 | Plague on the people | Plague on the people | Num. 25:9 |
Num. 17:10 The miraculous staff was kept in the ark (before the testimony) as a sign and a warning (see note on Heb. 9:4).
Num. 17:1–13 This procedure showed who had the right to approach God (16:5).
Num. 17:12–13 we are undone. Apparently the miracle of Aaron’s staff finally convinced the people that the priests had a special place in the life of the nation.
Num. 18:1–7 In general, the priests guarded the interior of the tabernacle (vv. 5–7) and the Levites guarded its exterior (vv. 3–4). Any outsider (that is, any unauthorized person) is to be executed if he is caught trespassing (vv. 4, 7). If a Levite enters the area guarded by the priests, both the Levite and priest will die (v. 3). These rigorous measures are designed that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel (v. 5). The risk of divine judgment for ritual trespass will be limited to the priests and Levites, who bear iniquity connected with your priesthood (v. 1).
Num. 18:19 Covenant of salt forever indicates a permanent and unbreakable agreement (compare 2 Chron. 13:5). The salt’s significance may be as a preservative or as a seasoning of food. It points to a shared meal between two parties, symbolic of their friendship and the binding nature of their covenant.
Num. 18:8–20 The priests’ income came from the sacrifices and similar offerings. Only priests could eat parts of the cereal, sin, and guilt offerings (vv. 8–10). All clean members of the priestly families could eat (vv. 11–19) parts of the peace offerings (v. 11), firstfruits of the harvest (vv. 12–13), and firstborn animals (vv. 17–18). The firstborn of man and the firstborn of unclean animals must be “redeemed,” that is, replaced by a gift. Parents must give five shekels for their firstborn son (v. 16; see also Ex. 13:1–2, 11–16).
Num. 18:21–24 The Levites’ income comes from the tithe given by the other tribes. It compensates them for having no inheritance among the people of Israel (vv. 23–24). Unlike other tribes, they had no tribal territory, only 48 cities scattered through the land (35:1–8).
Num. 18:25–32 The Levites had to give a tenth of their income to the priests. The priests were to receive the best tenth of the tithe (vv. 29–30; compare Lev. 22:18–25; Mal. 1:6–14).
Fact: Hyssop
Hyssop is a member of the mint family. Its fuzzy leaves and branches produce bunches of small white or yellow flowers. During Passover, the people of Israel used hyssop branches to place blood above their doors and on their doorposts (Ex. 12:22). In Psalm 51, hyssop symbolizes being cleansed from sin (see Lev. 14:4–6; Num. 19:6).
Num. 19:1–10 The ashes of the red heifer are described as a sin offering (v. 9). They cleanse both the sanctuary and the worshiper (see Leviticus 4).
13:1–19:22 Forty Years near Kadesh. The central section of the book of Numbers spans 40 years. During this time the Israelites lived in or near Kadesh (later called Kadesh-barnea; 32:8), a large oasis about 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Beersheba. It marked the southern limit of the land of Canaan, according to 34:4. As a result of the rebellion after the spies’ negative reports, God punished the people by making them wait 40 years to enter the land.
Num. 19:1–22 Human corpses caused the most serious pollution under the Mosaic system, affecting all who approached them. Those who have been near or have touched corpses must keep away from the sanctuary and must undergo ritual cleansing.
Num. 19:11–22 The process of the cleansing ash has two phases. Failure to carry out this rite defiles the tabernacle, and that person shall be cut off (see note on 9:6–14).
Listen to the Podcast
Listen NowDive Deeper | Numbers 17-19
This story opens with God silencing the Israelites' opposition against Moses and Aaron by affirming Aaron and his sons as priests and the Levites as their brothers to serve in the tent of meeting (Numbers 18:6-7.) We learn that the priest's role is to make sacrifices for the Israelites' sins. This alone is miraculous. Despite God's people continually grumbling and rebelling, He creates a way to have a relationship with them. Sound familiar? (Romans 5:8)
There is another miracle, too, that is easily passed over in the text: Aaron's staff budding, flowering, and ripening. The almond tree, native to the Promised Land, is one of the first plants to bloom each year and is considered the herald of spring. Why would God choose this plant, of all plants, to grow on Aaron's staff? While we can't know God's mind, perhaps He intended for it to lift their eyes from their present circumstances in the wilderness and remind them that spring is coming. He will keep His covenant, bring them into the Promised Land, and use them to bless the world (Genesis 12:1-3).
Tim Keller once said, "Numbers happens between the deliverance from Egypt and the coming into the Promised Land. Numbers happens when believers have been saved, but they're not fully yet into the Promised Land. And that's actually where all Christians are." In 2023, my husband and I had multiple miscarriages, and I defaulted to trying everything possible to change our circumstances. I looked for comfort apart from Christ. Finally, God helped me rightly grieve the death and pain we experienced in the context of sin entering the world. This then freed my heart to yearn for our future home with Christ where there is no death, our bodies don't break down, and all things are as they should be (Revelation 21).
At face value, Numbers can seem discouraging, but for us looking in the rearview mirror, it is full of miracles and hope. In its pages, we see pictures of the Great High Priest who is to come and glimmers of the world He is preparing for His people.
This month's memory verse
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."
– Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Discussion Questions
1. What do the "miracles" in Numbers 17-19 tell you about God's character?
2. How does God provide for His people in these stories?
3. How is Jesus a better High Priest?
4. As you walk through the wilderness of this life and experience trials, doubts, and pain, what do you naturally gravitate toward for comfort?
5. How does the promise of the new heaven and the new earth impact your reality now?