King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Thursday, February 27, 2025
Chapters: Numbers 8-10
Message: Numbers: The Levites Offered to God
Hello My Friend,
As we continue in the reading of Numbers we learn that those who serve God in His ministry need to be clean, the Passover lamb must be partaken in order for anyone to be clean, and when God tells us to move we need to do it quickly, [Acts 1:10-11 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.]
The day will come when Jesus will return to earth and His people need to be prepared for that, if they are not then they will be in for a huge awakening when He does. Jesus said it this way, [Luke 12:37-39 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.]
Yesterday we learned of the offerings that the twelve tribes brought to the Levites for their service and for the dedicating the altar. Today, we learn of the cleansing of the Levites so that they can perform their service. The very first thing that needed to be done before they even got started was light the menorah.
[Numbers 8:1-4 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick. 3 And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses. 4 And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.]
Why was this reiterated before the Levites were given their instructions? Jesus said it this way, [Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.]
The people of God are called to shine His light in the world, the beaten work of gold represents the persecution they will face as they are transformed into a pattern that resembles Christ, and the one lump of gold indicates the they are all an essential body of Christ, [1 Corinthians 12:12-13 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.]
Speaking of baptism, it was time for the Levites to be cleansed to perform their duties, the very first thing Moses had to do was sprinkle them with the holy water, then they had to wash their clothes and shave off all the hair from their bodies.
[Numbers 8:7-9 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean. 8 Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering. 9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together:]
Why did they need to shave all the hair off their body? It was to cleanse them from any defilement that may have been left on the body that would not wash off with plain soap and water. Before we even attempt to serve God we first need to be cleansed of all our defilement, including those that are beyond what the eye can see. The only way we can truly be cleansed of all that defiled us is through our faith in Jesus Christ, [Romans 3:24-25 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;]
This may just have been in a sense the very first public baptism, however, this was no ordinary baptism, the Israelites were about to offer the Levites to God for the service of the Tabernacle. They were to place their hands upon them as they were standing before the door of the Tabernacle.
[Numbers 8:10-13 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites: 11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD. 12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites. 13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD. ]
By placing their hands upon them they were transferring the obligations of the ministry to them, which up to this time had been performed by the firstborn. God reiterates that all the firstborn are His but has taken the Levites solely for the service of the Tabernacle.
[Numbers 8:14-17 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. 15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. 16 For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me. 17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself. ]
By God saying that the Levites were His did not mean that the other tribes were not His people, this is just like when Jesus chooses His disciples, He has special duties for them, which God goes on to explain, [Numbers 8:19-20 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 an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary. 20 And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them.]
Keep in mind that just their being Levites or one of the other tribes did not mean that they were one of His, in order to be one of God’s people we must be saved. Jesus said it this way, [John 3:7-8 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.]
Anyone who is not a saved member of the Church and starts serving, even if it is under good intentions, brings death to themselves. Why? First of all, they are not recognized by God as no one can come to Him but through Christ. And second, they are a liability to the church. One example would be a nursery worker, could you imagine the liability of the church if someone who is not a member would abuse a child? That is not a risk that God Himself wants to see a church take, [Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.]
To illustrate why this is also important, God reminded them that they had not observed the first holy feast of the year, and that was the Passover. God commands that they follow through, some men became defiled when they buried someone so they went to Moses and asked how they could partake of the Passover meal.
[Numbers 9:2-3,6-8 Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. 3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 6 And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: 7 And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel? 8 And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you.]
The Passover is a foreshadow of Christ who would become the sacrificial lamb needed to redeem the souls of those who believe in Him. Jesus, before His passion, instituted what is known as the Lord’s Supper or Communion in which all believers are to remember that Jesus gave His body and shed His blood in the place of the lamb. However, before we even attempt to partake of the communion of Christ we need to make sure that we are saved, otherwise it is a death sentence to our soul.
[1 Corinthians 11:24-27 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.]
We must never assume that someone who has been in church a while is saved or that God is okay with something that we are not quite certain of. Even after we are saved, before we make any judgment call we need ask God about it, stand still, and wait for Him to answer us. Now, God, gives Moses an answer.
[Numbers 9:10-13 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD. 11 The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. 13 But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.]
In other words, if they had to bury a loved one out of obligation during the Passover then they were able to partake of the Passover meal and it be accepted by God. However, if someone decided to skip the Passover meal all together then they would be held accountable for their sin. This is the same thing as one who rejects Christ as their Saviour, we can accept Him as our Saviour and in turn be accepted by God or we can deny Him and bear our own sin, [Matthew 10:32-33 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.]
When we choose Christ as our Saviour He has already chosen us because He knew our faith in Him before we did, and therefore also chooses what we are to do for Him. Most of His people are content to be laymen and He rightfully puts them in their place but He does not want them to become complacent or stay in one spot for too long. This is for two reasons, one; it is too easy to get into trouble when we are stay in the same spot. And two; He has other things waiting for us and in order to receive them we need to move forward. The Israelites were not to remain at Mount Sinai as they were headed to the promise land, but how were they to know when and where to go? God. Remember the cloud that led them? God tells them that when they see the cloud move then they will move.
[Numbers 9:15-17,21 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. 16 So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. 21 And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.]
Did you know that alway and always are not the same meaning? [Always; All the time. Alway; All the way.] Jesus, went all the way to the cross when He promised salvation to all who believe in His Gospel. Likewise, we are to go all the way to the heavenly promise land by our faith in Christ, then we are to always teach it to others and He promises to be with us all the way, [Matthew 28:19-20 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.]
Day or night, if God moved then they were to pack up and move forward. Well, in order to make that pack up go much smoother, God had some trumpets made specifically for calling the assembly, [Numbers 10:2-4 Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. 3 And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 4 And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto thee.]
Did you know that all saved born again Christians will hear a special trumpet sound when Jesus calls for them? We need to move when and where God tells us to, if it makes no sense to us then there is a reason behind it. I for one am ready to hear the trumpet, []
The trumpets were actually the horns of rams, the sound of these trumpets had to reach the entire camp so you can imagine the noise it made to alert the people to head to the Tabernacle for an announcement. And it was the priests job to blow the trumpets. The sounding of the trumpets was heard by God not only when they were blown out of danger and called on Him for help, but also over the offerings themselves.
[Numbers 10:8-10 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations. 9 And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies. 10 Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.]
Every saved born again Christian ought to be rejoicing day and night over the fact that their souls are saved from hell. We may have times in our lives when we feel like we are in hell but there is always something to rejoice about in knowing that not only will our souls be saved from hell we will also never have to shed one tear for sorrow or pain ever again and when that trumpet sounds we will receive new glorified bodies, [1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.]
Now, the time had come for them to move from Mount Sinai, but they could not just pick up and head out, they had to wait their turn, each of the tribes would head out one by one. At the head of the convoy were the Levites in the order of how they would take down and put up the Tabernacle.
[Numbers 10:11-12,17,21 And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony. 12 And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. 17 And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle. 21 And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary: and the other did set up the tabernacle against they came.]
Israel, was not the only people following God to their journey to the promised land, there were Egyptians and other Gentiles (strangers), among them was Moses’ brother-in-law. Moses reaches out to him and encourages him to continue on with them.
[Numbers 10:29-32 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’ father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel. 30 And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred. 31 And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes. 32 And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.]
Hobab is actually Moses’ brother-in-law, his father-in-law was Jethro, both of them being sons of Reuel who was Zipporah’s father also, Moses’ wife, [Exodus 18:1-2 When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt; 2 Then Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back,]
Moses, knew how valuable Hobab would be as he was familiar with the area they were headed and would obviously know where the most suitable places would be to find shade and water. Sadly, he would not go with them and that would cause a lot of problems for them later on. Jesus is always knocking on the door of those who are not saved, [Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Numbers 8:19 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 an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.]
Today’s Prayer: God, You prove time and time again that there is no stopping Your will, we may get diverted at times, but You always lead us right back to where we are supposed to be. It is not always easy to be set a part for You nevertheless, what we receive for our faithfulness far outweighs anything we miss out on. Lord, you promise to be with is alway, lead us and guide us, give us Your power, wisdom, mercy, grace, and protection to be faithful and honorable, performing at out utmost best, and to encourage all we come in contact with to follow us to the promised land. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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