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<h2><a onclick="return mV('Num', 3, 'all');">Num 3</a> - The Census of the Levites</h2>
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<p>A. Priests and Levites.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('Num', 3, '1-5');">1-5</a>) The priests: The family of Aaron.</p>
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<p class="c2">Now these <i>are </i>the records of Aaron and Moses when the <span class="c6">Lord</span> spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. And these <i>are </i>the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. These <i>are </i>the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he consecrated to minister as priests. Nadab and Abihu had died before the <span class="c6">Lord</span> when they offered profane fire before the <span class="c6">Lord</span> in the Wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the presence of Aaron their father. And the <span class="c6">Lord</span> spoke to Moses, saying:</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu</span></b>: Nadab and Abihu were the two oldest children of Aaron, and the two ranking priests behind him - yet they were struck down by the <span class="c6">Lord</span> for offering <i>profane fire</i> before the <span class="c6">Lord</span> (<a onclick="return mV('Lev', 10, '1-7');">Lev 10:1-7</a>).</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Eleazar, and Ithamar</span></b>: Therefore, Eleazar and Ithamar inherited the priesthood, and passed it down to their sons after them.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">The sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he consecrated to minister as priests</span></b>: It is important to realize that the priests were only one small family among the Levites; to be a priest and a Levite were not the same thing at all. Only those who were descendants of Aaron could be priests.</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('Num', 3, '6-10');">6-10</a>) The Levites: Their role in relation to Aaron.</p>
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<p class="c2">"Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. And they shall attend to his needs and the needs of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of meeting, to do the work of the tabernacle. Also they shall attend to all the furnishings of the tabernacle of meeting, and to the needs of the children of Israel, to do the work of the tabernacle. And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they <i>are </i>given entirely to him from among the children of Israel. So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall attend to their priesthood; but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him</span></b>: The entire tribe of Levi was given to serve the needs of Aaron and the priests (<b><span class="c3">they shall attend to his needs</span></b>), the needs of the congregation at large (<b><span class="c3">and the needs of the whole congregation</span></b>), and the needs of the tabernacle itself (<b><span class="c3">attend to all the furnishings of the tabernacle . . . to do the work of the tabernacle</span></b>).</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">And they shall attend to his needs</span></b>: Again, God has an order and organization. The Levites were under the direction of Aaron (<b><span class="c3">that they may serve him . . . they are given entirely to him</span></b>). They weren’t to “do their own thing,” but Aaron’s thing.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. “Nothing in the holy things of God was left to chance or improvisation. None of the sacred persons who ministered in his presence was to be unprepared or untaught.” (Allen)</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">To do the work of the tabernacle</span></b>: In some ways, being a priest was far more visible and perhaps “glamorous” than being a Levite. But the service of the Levites made the work of the priests possible, and was seen by God as having equal value.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. <b><span class="c3">The outsider who comes near shall be put to death</span></b>: If a Levite grew jealous, and decided they wanted to do the work of a priest, it was strictly forbidden - it was an affront to God’s order and organization.</p>
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<p class="c1">3. (<a onclick="return mV('Num', 3, '11-13');">11-13</a>) The Levites are a special possession to God.</p>
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<p class="c2">Then the <span class="c6">Lord</span> spoke to Moses, saying: "Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine, because all the firstborn <i>are </i>Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I <i>am </i>the <span class="c6">Lord</span>."</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn</span></b>: The firstborn belonged to God; a firstborn lamb from a ewe would be given to the <span class="c6">Lord</span>. God didn’t want human sacrifice, so He took the tribe of Levi as Israel’s <b><span class="c3">firstborn</span></b>.</p>
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<p>B. The census of the tribe of Levi.</p>
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<p class="c1">1. (<a onclick="return mV('Num', 3, '14-20');">14-20</a>) The command to number the tribe of Levi.</p>
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<p class="c2">Then the <span class="c6">Lord</span> spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying: "Number the children of Levi by their fathers' houses, by their families; you shall number every male from a month old and above." So Moses numbered them according to the word of the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, as he was commanded. These were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And these <i>are </i>the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei. And the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram, Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These <i>are </i>the families of the Levites by their fathers' houses.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Number the children of Levi</span></b>: Though they were not counted among the available soldiers, the Levites were still to be counted, and counted by the males <b><span class="c3">from a month old and above</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">By their fathers' houses</span></b>: They were to be categorized by the families, with the main grouping according to Levi’s three sons: <b><span class="c3">Gershon, Kohath, and Merari</span></b>.</p>
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<p class="c1">2. (<a onclick="return mV('Num', 3, '21-26');">21-26</a>) The census and duties of the family of Gershon.</p>
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<p class="c2">From Gershon <i>came </i>the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimites; these <i>were </i>the families of the Gershonites. Those who were numbered, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above; of those who were numbered <i>there were </i>seven thousand five hundred. The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward. And the leader of the fathers' house of the Gershonites <i>was </i>Eliasaph the son of Lael. The duties of the children of Gershon in the tabernacle of meeting <i>included </i>the tabernacle, the tent with its covering, the screen for the door of the tabernacle of meeting, the screen for the door of the court, the hangings of the court which <i>are </i>around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords, according to all the work relating to them.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward</span></b>: The Gershonites (7,500 males) were to camp westward to the tabernacle (in between Judah and the tabernacle itself).</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">The duties of the children of Gershon</span></b>: The Gershonites were to take care of the skins that covered the tabernacle itself.</p>
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<p class="c1">3. (<a onclick="return mV('Num', 3, '27-32');">27-32</a>) The census and duties of the family of Kohath.</p>
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<p class="c2">From Kohath <i>came </i>the family of the Amramites, the family of the Izharites, the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these <i>were </i>the families of the Kohathites. According to the number of all the males, from a month old and above, <i>there were </i>eight thousand six hundred keeping charge of the sanctuary. The families of the children of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. And the leader of the fathers' house of the families of the Kohathites <i>was </i>Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. Their duty <i>included </i>the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, the screen, and all the work relating to them. And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest <i>was to be </i>chief over the leaders of the Levites, <i>with </i>oversight of those who kept charge of the sanctuary.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">These were the families of the Kohathites</span></b>: The Kohathites (8,600 males) were to camp southward to the tabernacle (in between Reuben and the tabernacle itself).</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Their duty included the ark</span></b>: The Kohathites were to take care of the furniture of the tabernacle: The ark of the covenant, the table of showbread, and so forth, under the direction of Eleazar the priest, son of Aaron.</p>
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<p class="c1">4. (<a onclick="return mV('Num', 3, '33-37');">33-37</a>) The census and duties of the family of Merari.</p>
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<p class="c2">From Merari <i>came </i>the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these <i>were </i>the families of Merari. And those who were numbered, according to the number of all the males from a month old and above, <i>were </i>six thousand two hundred. The leader of the fathers' house of the families of Merari <i>was </i>Zuriel the son of Abihail. These <i>were </i>to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. And the appointed duty of the children of Merari <i>included </i>the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, its utensils, all the work relating to them, and the pillars of the court all around, with their sockets, their pegs, and their cords.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">These were the families of Merari</span></b>: The family of Merari (6,200 males) were to camp northward to the tabernacle (in between Dan and the tabernacle itself).</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">The appointed duty of the children of Merari included the boards of the tabernacle</span></b>: The family of Merari was to take care of the structural aspects of the tabernacle: The pillars, the boards, and so forth.</p>
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<p class="c1">5. (<a onclick="return mV('Num', 3, '38-39');">38-39</a>) The camp of the priests.</p>
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<p class="c2">Moreover those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east, before the tabernacle of meeting, <i>were </i>Moses, Aaron, and his sons, keeping charge of the sanctuary, to meet the needs of the children of Israel; but the outsider who came near was to be put to death. All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, by their families, all the males from a month old and above, <i>were </i>twenty-two thousand.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Those who were to camp before the tabernacle on the east</span></b>: The family of Aaron, and Moses, were to camp on the east side of the tabernacle - closest to the entrance, which was on the east.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">Moses, Aaron, and his sons, keeping charge of the sanctuary</span></b>: God’s order and organization extends to certain jobs for certain people to do. The families of the Levites had certain callings they were to fulfill. There was no one man or family to do everything; God made them dependent on one another to accomplish the work.</p>
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<p class="c4">c. <b><span class="c3">Were twenty-two thousand</span></b>: “The total of 22,000 Levites given in verse 39 does not tally with the totals of the individual clans given in verses 22, 28, 34 which come to 22,300. The discrepancy is most easily explained as textual corruption in verse 28. The number of Kohathites may originally have been 8,300. 3 (Hebrew <i>sls</i>) could quite easily have been corrupted into 6 (<i>ss</i>).” (Wenham)</p>
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<p class="c1">6. (<a onclick="return mV('Num', 3, '40-51');">40-51</a>) The exchange of the firstborn.</p>
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<p class="c2">Then the <span class="c6">Lord</span> said to Moses: "Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and above, and take the number of their names. And you shall take the Levites for Me; I <i>am </i>the <span class="c6">Lord</span>; instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel." So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel, as the <span class="c6">Lord</span> commanded him. And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names from a month old and above, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three. Then the <span class="c6">Lord</span> spoke to Moses, saying: "Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine: I <i>am </i>the <span class="c6">Lord</span>. And for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who are more than the number of the Levites, you shall take five shekels for each one individually; you shall take <i>them </i>in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, the shekel of twenty gerahs. And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and his sons." So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those who were redeemed by the Levites. From the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five <i>shekels, </i>according to the shekel of the sanctuary. And Moses gave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the <span class="c6">Lord</span>, as the <span class="c6">Lord</span> commanded Moses.</p>
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<p class="c4">a. <b><span class="c3">Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel</span></b>: The firstborn - which was always thought to be the best and the favored - always belongs to God; so instead of giving the firstborn of Israel to God in sacrifice, the tribe of Levi was “given” to God as in place of each of the firstborn sons of Israel.</p>
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<p class="c4">b. <b><span class="c3">All the firstborn males, according to the number of names</span></b>: However, there were 22,273 firstborn sons in Israel; and there were only 22,000 Levite males (<a onclick="return mV('Lev', 3, 17);">Lev 3:39</a>). The extra 273 were given a monetary value (<b><span class="c3">five shekels for each one individually</span></b>), and the money was given to the tabernacle as redemption money.</p>
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<p class="c5">i. The number of firstborn sons is low if accounted for all the nation; it would mean that only one in 27 sons were firstborns - an unlikely percentage. It is more probable that the 22,273 firstborn sons were those born in the thirteen months of the Exodus.</p>
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