Christ in all the scriptures God's special people

 Christ in all the scriptures

God's special people   Numbers 3

The Levites

The tribe of Levi represent the special relationship of God with His people today.  Moses and Aaron, the two brothers at the head of Israel, were both of the tribe of Levi-Exodus 2v1; 4v14. The sons of Aaron only could function as priests, and the did so by right of birth.  The other males of the Levites were given a supporting role to Aaron and the priests in the service of God.  This gave the tribe of Levi a unique status in Israel.   It is this special privilege that we wish to study in relation to the present day.

They were chosen of God for this sacred work   "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, bring the tribe of Levi near and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.  And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle...and thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel"-Numbers 3v5-9.

They were not chosen because they were perfect, they were anything but perfect as Genesis 34 and Numbers 16 make clear.  They were chosen sovereignly by God and remained loyal to the Lord throughout their entire history, when, at the end of the Old Testament in Malachi they are seen to be faithful even when the priests were unfaithful-Malachi 2v4-8.  The first picture of the Church in Ephesians is that we were "chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love"-Eph. 1v4.  Chosen by God, chosen in Christ, chosen before we were born, or even the earth was created; chosen to be holy, chosen to live with God in an atmosphere of love.

They were the guardians of the sanctuary  "But the Levites shall pitch around the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of Israel: and the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of testimony"-Numbers 1v50, v53; see 8v19.   They pitched around the tabernacle, Gershon in the west; Kohath in the south; and Merari in the north, all in close proximity to the sanctuary.  They were the guardians of the presence of God amongst His people, providing security, managing entrance at the gate, maintaining the fabric and  furniture of the tabernacle, and instructing the people in the holiness of God.  The nearest New Testament equivalent would be the deacons in support of the apostles in Acts 6; and the deacons in support of elders in 1st Timothy 3.  Mainly their work is administrative, but there is an element of teaching as well. 

In the same way the saints of God are to guard and keep the sacred truth of God, in the face of opposition, and possible misunderstanding.  The Greek word for "keep" is terao which is to guard, to preserve as sacred the precious deposit given to us.  Paul kept the faith-2nd Timothy 4v7; We are enjoined to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace"-Ephesians 4v3; Timothy was asked to "keep that which was committed to his trust"-1st Timothy 6v20; the final word is in Revelation 22v7, "Behold I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book".  When He comes our work will be judged by the Lord; the main issue will be, did we keep the faith, even in the face of opposition?  

The Levites were the love gift of the Lord to Aaron and his sons and the congregation.    "Thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron, and to his sons...Numbers 3v9; "And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make atonement for the children of Israel"-Numbers 8v19; "And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the Lord to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation"-Numbers 18v6.  

The burden of work involving the tabernacle, its maintenance and movements, required a full time service, the material needs provided by the congregation.  This is God's pattern, and there is plenty of evidence in the New Testament this is still His desired method of functioning.

There is a beautiful picture in John 17 that the apostles and all who would believe through their word were a love gift of the Father to the Son.  Time and again He speaks of "Those whom thou hast given me"-John 17v2v6v9v11v24.  The apostles and saints of the present day are the love gift of the Father to His Son, all involved in the global enterprise of world evangelism.  Christ is directing the work from above through the Spirit in the lives of all believers-Mark 16v20, "And they went forth , and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following".  In John 17, the prerequisite for success in evangelism is the twofold blend of unity and sanctity.  Christ links this in 17v21 to evangelism, "...that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me".  It is perhaps the singular lack of these two requisites that is hampering the progress of the work today.

They were called to substitute the firstborn in Israel   "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle: and the Levites shall be mine: I am the Lord "-Numbers 3v44-45

The firstborn were very precious to God.  It was in Egypt He slew the firstborn in every family, an act which delivered Israel from centuries of bondage.  The firstborn in Israel were spared because of the Passover lamb, and, thus they held a special place in the heart of God, and the firstborn were the sole possession of the Lord  In practical terms this would mean that every firstborn child would be the Lord's, and given over to serve Him.  God resolved this sacrifice by substituting the Levites for the firstborn.  The Levites were wholly taken into the service of God.  The difference in the numbers was made up by redemption money, so that the changeover was exact.  The term firstborn in scripture speaks of highest honour. It meant privilege and authority for those so born.  It is applied to Christ-Psalm 89v27; Romans 8v39; Colossians 1v15, 1v18; Hebrews 1v6; Hebrews 12v23; Revelation 1v5.  It means born to rule in the sphere of birth, a status of high honour.  This was the status conferred on the Levites; it is also the status of the church of Christ which is described as the "church of the firstborn, written in heaven".  This makes the church very special indeed to God, a fact repeated in many ways in the New Testament.  One reference will suffice-Titus 2v13-14, "...our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people (a people of His own possession, a very special people), zealous of good works".  All God's people are special to Him from all ages, but there is a sense in which the church of the present age holds a very special place of nearness to Him, being eternally united to the firstborn.