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: Friday, February 27, 2026
Chapters: Numbers 8-10
Message: Numbers: Levites Offered
Hello My Friend,
The Holy Spirit was very much alive and actively guiding His people before Christ sent Him, it was actually the Tabernacle itself that became the visible assurance that God was near. Because the Tabernacle had no windows, the lamps had to remain lit so the priests could see what they were doing and where they were going. Light was not optional; it was essential. As we continue in reading of Numbers, we see God commanding Aaron to light the lamps, ensuring that the place where He chose to dwell would never be without illumination.
[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.]
There were to be seven lamps giving light upon one golden candlestick—three on the west side, three on the east side, and one in the center. These seven lamps illuminated the portion of the Holy Place that stood opposite the candlestick, on the northern side where the table of shew-bread was set. The candlestick, positioned in the south, cast its light upon the table of the Lord, so that the priests sat and ministered before Him in the brightness He Himself had appointed. Aaron, the high priest, personally lit these lamps, and in doing so he portrayed the calling of every saved, born‑again Christian: to shine the Light of Christ in the midst of a dark and sinful world.
[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.]
Now that the Levites had received their instructions, the time had come for them to be formally prepared to minister to Aaron and the other priests. Although their duties did not take them inside the Tabernacle itself, they were still performing the work of God, and therefore they could not serve Him in an unclean state. Their ministry was sacred because it supported sacred things. For that reason, God commanded Moses to bring the Levites before the Tabernacle and cleanse them publicly, in the sight of the entire congregation.
[Numbers 8:6-9 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. 7 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:]
This was like a public profession of their faith, and in a sense it resembled a baptism before the assembly. Yet it is important to remember that water baptism is not the same as spiritual baptism. Unless a person receives Christ as their Saviour, water baptism is nothing more than being dipped in water. Only spiritual baptism, being born again by faith in Christ, brings true cleansing and new life, [Romans 6:3-4 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.]
[Numbers 8:12-15 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. 14 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.]
There is no amount of work that we could ever do that God would recognize if we are not saved. All of it is counted as iniquity until we come to the knowledge of Christ and accept Him as our Saviour. God reiterates why He chose the Levites, what their responsibilities were, and emphasizes one important reason why He not only used them, but separated them from the rest of the congregation.
[Numbers 8:18-20 And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel. 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. 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.]
God gave up His right in the firstborn and instead took the Levites for His own use and service. Notice that God is saying that He has given them as a gift to help them perform their duties and to make an atonement for the people as to not bring a disease upon them when they drew near to the Tabernacle. This was a safeguard, a reminder that God Himself had appointed and equipped the Levites to stand between the people and judgment. This is why it is imperative that all who serve in the Church be saved, God has always required that those who minister to Him be set apart, cleansed, and spiritually aligned with Him.
[Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.]
We may not like it, but we are not all called to be preachers, teachers, or even choir members, for there are specific duties appointed for every church member. One example would be a nursery worker. Could you imagine the liability of a church if someone who is not a member were to abuse a child? That is not a risk God Himself ever intended for a church to take. Now, once the Levites were offered and cleansed, they were then permitted to minister in the services of the Tabernacle and assist Aaron and the priests. Notice also that God gave them a specific time frame in which they were to be employed in their priestly service.
[Numbers 8:22,24-26 And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them. 24 This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: 25 And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more: 26 But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.]
Anyone from the age of twenty‑five to fifty was appointed to serve in the work of the Tabernacle, and after that they were to retire from active duty. However, God did not dismiss them altogether. Instead, they continued to minister by assisting those who were still employed—teaching them how to perform the work and guiding them in their responsibilities. There is no such thing as retirement when we serve God; He simply gives us work that is suited to the strength and ability of our age, [II Timothy 2:24-25 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;]
God instituted holy days as times of remembrance, calling His people to reflect on His deliverance and His goodness. The very first holy day of the year was the Passover. It not only reminded them of what happened in Egypt when God set them free, but also called them to examine themselves and cleanse their lives from anything that had defiled them throughout the year. Now, two years had passed since they left Egypt, and God tells them not to forget to observe the Passover
[Numbers 9:1-4,6,8 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 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. 4 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. 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: 8 And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you.]
The Passover is a foreshadow and picture of Christ, who would become the sacrificial Lamb needed to redeem the souls of all who believe in Him. Before His passion, Jesus instituted what we know as the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, in which every believer is to remember that He 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 must examine ourselves and make certain that we are saved. Otherwise, it becomes a death sentence to the soul, for one who partakes unworthily stands guilty before God.
[I 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.]
Ask, then stand still, and wait for God to give us an answer. What a powerful concept, and one that I must ashamedly admit I do not practice nearly as often as I ought to. We must never assume that someone who has been in church for a while is saved, nor should we presume that God is pleased with something we ourselves are uncertain about it. Even after we are saved, before we make any judgment call, we need to ask God, then stand still and wait for Him to answer us. And that is what God did.
[Numbers 9:10,13-14 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. 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. 14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.]
Do you see how important this was to God? In other words, if they had to bury a loved one out of obligation during the Passover, then they were permitted to partake of the Passover meal at a later time, and it would still be accepted by God. However, if someone chose to skip the Passover altogether without a legitimate reason, then they would be held accountable for their sin. This is the same truth we see in the one who rejects Christ as their Saviour. We may accept Him and be received by God, or we may 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 long before we ever understood it ourselves. Most of His people are content to remain laymen, yet He rightfully places them where they will be best used for His purpose. However, He does not want them to remain in one place for too long. Why? Complacency. First of all, it is far too easy to fall into trouble when we stay in the same spot; and second, He has other things prepared for us, and in order to receive them we must move forward. The Israelites were not to remain at Mount Sinai, for they were headed to the promised land. But how were they to know when and where to go? God. Remember the cloud that led them? God told them that when they saw the cloud move, then they were to move.
[Numbers 9:15,21-22 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. 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. 22 Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed.]
I always find it remarkable that God chose to reveal Himself through clouds, hovering over them and speaking from within them, even though there are no clouds or rain in heaven. Why would He choose an earthly element that does not exist in His eternal dwelling? Perhaps it was His way of reminding us of three unchanging truths: first, God is always with us; second, God is always there for us; and third, God is always watching. Day or night, if God moved then they were to pack up and move forward. And just to make that pack up go much smoother, God had some trumpets made specifically for calling the assembly,
[Numbers 10:2-5,7 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. 5 When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall go forward. 7 But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm.]
Did you know that all saved, born‑again Christians will one day hear a special trumpet sound when Jesus calls for them? We are to move when and where God tells us to move, even when it makes no sense to us, because there is always a divine reason behind His direction. I, for one, am ready to hear that trumpet, [I 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 simply pick up and head out. They had to wait their turn, for each tribe was appointed to set out in a specific order. At the head of the convoy were the Levites, moving in the exact sequence in which they would take down and later set up the Tabernacle. Everything was done decently and in order, just as God had commanded.
[Numbers 10:11-14 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. 13 And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 14 In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies: and over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab.]
Israel was not the only people following God on the journey to the promised land. There were Egyptians and other Gentiles—strangers—who had attached themselves to the congregation, and among them was Moses’ own brother‑in‑law. Moses reached out to him personally and encouraged him to continue on with them.
[Numbers 10:17,21,28-29 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. 28 Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel according to their armies, when they set forward. 29 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.]
Hobab is actually Moses’ brother‑in‑law. Moses’ father‑in‑law was Jethro, and both Hobab and Jethro were sons of Reuel, who was also the father of Zipporah, Moses’ wife. This family connection helps explain why Hobab had been traveling with Israel and why Moses urged him so strongly to continue with them, he was not merely a fellow traveler, but part of Moses’ own household. Hobab’s knowledge of the wilderness, his loyalty to Moses, and his willingness to follow the God of Israel made him a valuable companion on the journey. Moses, tries one more time to convince him to come with them.
[Numbers 10:30-34 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. 33 And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days’ journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the LORD was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp.]
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.]
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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