Numbers 2-4
Review:
 If you were with us last time as we began our study of Numbers we noted several things
 First – Numbers picks up the historical narrative of the children of Israel where Exodus leaves off
 Secondly – it details Israel’s wanderings in the wilderness
 An 11 day journey ends up taking the 38+ years because of their disobedience and unbelief
 Those years become a protracted funeral march as God allows the rebellious generation He delivered
from Egypt to die in the wilderness while He prepares the generation born in the wilderness to enter
the promised land
 Thirdly – God is organizing His people into a nation
 For some 400+ years they had been slaves
 Now God was going to lead them in conquest of the land He promised to their forefathers
 The name “Numbers” comes from the 2 censuses God orders Moses to take
 Last week we looked at the 1st census, a count of the old generation
 3 main reasons God ordered the census
 First, it was a validation of God’s faithfulness to His word
 A proof that God keeps His promises
 Second, it was to organize an army
 Ready the people to take the land
 Third, it was a way to segregate the people
 God only wanted true Israelites involved in the battle – The mixed multitude were not committed
to the cause
 James 1:8 “a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
 God selected leaders from each tribe and the people declared their ancestry and were counted
 A total of 603,550 men 20 and older, able to go to war
 The tribe of Levi was excluded from the camp
 They were to minister to the Lord and the people
 They were to do the work of the tabernacle – we’ll see that tonight
Introduction:
 Our God, Jehovah God, is a God of order
 When you look at creation around us, there is a definite structure and order
 1 Cor 14:33,40 “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the
saints… (Therefore) Let all things be done decently and in order.”
 If He is orderly, then we, as His children must also be orderly
 We must have some degree of organization in this organism the church
 Without it, nothing would ever get done
 Imagine the logistics of breaking a camp of 3+ million people and getting them on the move
 They had to be ready to go as soon as they saw the pillar of cloud/fire begin to move
 Some of us with just a few kids find it an almost insurmountable task simply getting our families going
on time
 Chapter 2 deals with that organization of the camp of Israel
 God tells who to camp where and when they are to move
 In our churches, we too must be organized but we must strike a balance
 Too much organization can lead to a rigid ceremonies and rituals
 Everything is done in a set, precise manner so as to kill any life within it
 Our rules and regulations can stifle the work the HS wants to do
 We need to be careful of putting God into a box of our own design
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On the other extreme, a lack of order results in chaos – like Corinth
 The only box that God fits into is the box He designed – His word
 We can not look to church history, modern practices or worse yet, feelings and emotions to dictate
how we are to function as a church
 We must look to the church as described in the Bible
 Less that 60 years after it’s formation the church had gotten weird as testified to by the letters to
the churches in Revelation
We must have structure but also be willing to hear from, be guided by and instructed by the HS
 How do we know if it is the HS? Simple; does it glorify God or man
 If it brings the focus and attention on man, then it is not of the Spirit
 If it directs glory and praise to God, then it may be the HS – John 16:14 “He will glorify Me, for
He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”
 Our purpose in life is to bring glory to God
 Unfortunately many pastors, evangelists and speakers tend to glorify themselves and promote
their ministries more than the Lord
 I personally have a problem with anyone who names their ministry after themselves – pride
As we look at Numbers Chapter 2, we see God’s organizing of the nation
 The arrangement of the tribes in the camp is a display of God’s order
 He id telling who to camp where and when to fall into rank as the camp began to move
Numbers 2 – Order in the Camp
 We are not going to read the entire chapter but there are a few things that I want you to notice
 First, notice that each tribe’s location is given in reference to the tabernacle
 Their positions are not referenced to each other, but to where God dwelled
 As humans, our tendency is to measure ourselves, to compare ourselves to each other
 We don’t set the standard – God does
 If I am called as the pastor, how can I be measure against Lee who is called as a worship leader?
 Because I can play an instrument is Lee “better” than I?
 Or since Mike is working the soundboard and not teaching from the pulpit, am I better than he
is?
 We must always measure ourselves by God using His word
 If we begin measuring ourselves to each other, soon spiritual snobbery starts
 Classes of superiority form and they become fertile fields where division sets in
 “I’m not like them but at least I’m not like him…”
 This is exactly what the false teachers who were ripping on Paul in Corinth were doing
 Notice Paul’s response to them in 2 Cor 10:12 “For we dare not class ourselves or compare
ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and
comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”
 Our value comes from our relationship to God!
 The world thinks we are fools, in fact the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing be to us, it
is the power of God to salvation
 When you think you are worthless, look at the cross
 The Lord gave it all to purchase you and me – we have value in His sight
 Value it attached by the individual
 Pearl of great price and the hidden treasure parables are give to show us how valuable we are to
God
 Look to Him for your value
 Second, note the leader tribe at each side of the tabernacle
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On the EAST, the leader was the tribe of Judah (w/ Issachar & Zebulun)
 According to rabbinical tradition, their standard (flag or banner) had a lion on it
 Jesus is from Judah and is in fact referred to as “The Lion of the Tribe of Judah”
 The east side was the only entrance into the tabernacle, into God’s presence
 You had to enter through Judah which means praise
 Secondly, you had to enter through Jesus who said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”
 The total number of this group was 186,400
 The broke camp first – they lead the way
 Praise should always be the first priority with God
 On the SOUTH, the leader was Reuben (w/ Simeon & Gad)
 By tradition, his standard was that of an ox
 There total was 151,400
 They were the 2nd to break camp
 Being #2 is a tough thing to do – 2nd fiddle
 In the MIDDLE of the camp was to be the tabernacle
 How important it is that God always be the center
 The center of our lives individually, of our church corporately and the universal body of Christ in
totality
 Whenever we remove Him from that central position, we are in trouble
 Rev 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me”
 Jesus is outside of His own Church – this is true in some churches today
 Even one of the largest denominations and replacing Jesus with His mother Mary
 On the WEST is the tribe of Ephraim (w/ Manasseh & Benjamin)
 These are Rachel’s kids (Joseph’s descendants plus Benjamin)
 Their standard was the face of a man
 This was the smallest group at 108,100
 On the NORTH was Dan (w/ Asher & Naphtali)
 Their standard was an eagle
 They brought up the rear – important position
 Their total was 157,600 (very close in size to Reuben’s group
Third, it is a picture of heaven’s throne room
 Around the throne of God in heaven are four living creatures
 These are described in Rev 4, Ezekiel 1 & 10
 They have 4 faces – a lion, an ox, a man and an eagle
 Again the tabernacle is a depiction of the real one in heaven
 Other people see the gospels in these images
 Matthew – lion; presented as the King of the Jews
 Mark – ox; presented as the suffering servant
 Luke – man; presented as the perfect Son of Man
 John – eagle; majesty, presented as the Son of God
Forth, Airplane view = cross, with the presence of God hanging in the middle
This organization had practical purposes and considerations but like always, God weaves in glimpses
things to come
Chapter’s 3 & 4 deal with the Levites
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The Duties of the Levites (3:1-13)
 The first Levites mentioned are the priests
 Remember, the priest were the descendants of Aaron with the firstborn of each generation becoming the
high priest
 Every priest was a Levite, but not every Levite was a priest – only Aaron’s sons
 Aaron had 4 sons
 Nadab & Abihu were toasted in Leviticus 10 for offering profane fire
 Combination of irreverence, self efforts and possibly even being drunk
 That left Eleazar and Ithamar as priests with Aaron
 Eleazar becomes high priest after Aaron
 The tribe of Levi was given to Aaron and the priesthood to serve them
 Obviously, the 3 men could not meet all the needs of the entire congregation as well as minister to the
Lord
 The Levites become their assistants
 They handled the things of the tabernacle, we’ll see that they were responsible for transporting it,
putting it up and breaking it down
 They did the clean up of blood & carcasses, animal droppings
 They were able to assist in all the duties in the courtyard outside the tabernacle
 They were not allowed to serve inside the tabernacle – reserved for the priest only
 Why was the tribe of Levi chosen – they had the right genes
 God referred to Israel as His 1st born son
 On the night of Passover, God spared Israel’s firstborn, man and animal
 As a result, all first born sons and animals belonged to the Lord and must be redeemed by a sacrifice
 Instead of taking the 1st born of each family in each tribe, God claimed the whole tribe of Levi as His
 No longer did the 1st born of Rueben or Gad or Judah have to be redeemed – Levi took their place
 It was a blessing to be able to serve the Lord
 All others, the outsides were put to death if they attempted to serve
 We must remember what a privilege it is for us to be able to serve
 Too often people look at ministry as misery – sad
 We should be excited about serving the Lord, looking for ways we can serve Him and His people
with joy, not out of compulsion
 If you are feeling forced to serve, don’t serve
 As with giving, God looks for joyful hearts to accomplish His work
 Notice too that God is the one who chose Levi
 Later we will see the specific tasks and overseers He assigns them
 We must remember, this church is the church of Jesus Christ
 God selects and appoints leaders
 God calls and equips different people for different tasks within the body
 1 Cor 12:18 “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.”
 I will rarely ask people to do ministries
 I want God to work in their hearts, to place a burden and vision there and allow Him to set them in
place as He wills
 I will simply list opportunities and allow the Spirit to direct people
 If God is calling you to serve in a place that may not be as visible as say worship or teaching – it’s OK
 God doesn’t judge or reward based on visibility but on faithfulness
 I believe that we will all be shocked when we get to the Bema Seat
 People we’ve never heard of will have crowns indescribable while people we assumed to have great
rewards may have little
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1 Cor 12:23 “And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we
bestow greater honor”
 CCS is made up of all of us doing what we are called to do
 Unless all parts do their parts this body will not function properly
 1 Cor 12:26 “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is
honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
 If you don’t know what part you are to play ask God
 Step out in faith in an area you’re interested in
 God is big enough to change or redirect you
Please, serve somewhere, you are robbing yourself and the body of blessings
 Wherever you serve, be content and faithful know that’s where God has you at that particular time
The Census of Levi (3:14-39)
 God orders 2 different censuses of the Levites
 First, of all male children – 1 month old and above
 This was to ensure there were plenty of Levites to cover all the first born in Israel
 God wasn’t going to get short changed
 The second census was for the eligible workers
 This is done in chapter 4 as God also mentions their duties
 Levi had 3 sons: Gershon, Kohath & Merari – by these fathers was the tribe divided
 Gershonites – 7500
 They were to camp on the west side – between the tabernacle and Ephraim
 They were responsible for the coverings, hangings, veils, cords and supports of the tabernacle
 According to chapter 7, they were 2 carts and 4 oxen to help transport those materials
 Kohathites – 8,600 (some say 8300)
 They camped on the south side – between the tabernacle and Reuben
 They were responsible for all the furnishings of the tabernacle including the ark, the alters, menorah,
table of showbread, the laver plus all the stuff used in their service
 They didn’t receive any oxen or carts
 They had to bear the weight of the sacred furnishings on their shoulders
 David got into trouble on this point
 In 2 Sam 6 David was bringing the ark back on a cart which hit a bump an when Uzzah
reached out to keep the ark from falling he was toasted
 David got angry but then read the scriptures on how he was to transport it and did it correctly
 Merarites – 6200
 They camped on the north side – between the tabernacle and Dan
 They were responsible for the actual tabernacle itself – the boards, the pillars, the sockets and pegs
 Their load was heavy so they got 4 wagons and 8 oxen
 The priests camped on the east side – the opening to the tabernacle
 Moses, Aaron and his sons
 They were Kohathites by birth
Dedication of the Levites (3:40-51)
 God doesn’t short change Himself
 There were 22,273 firstborn males of Israel but there were only 22,000 Levites
 Israel has to make up for the 273 Levites that were short by paying 5 shekels each
 That money went to Aaron
 For the firstborn animals God claimed the Levite animals
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There is great detail concerning the number people, but not much detail paid towards the animals
 Man is more precious to God than the animals
 God is not willing that any man should perish and so He keeps track of all of us
 I am all for animal protection but they are not equal to man no do the have equal claim to this earth
 We, not they, we created in His image
 We, not they were given dominion over the earth
 We, not they, have spirits
 We, not they were redeemed by Jesus
The Second Levitical Census – Chapter 4
 Chapter 4 deals with the census of those Levites able to fulfill the work of the tabernacle
 The 1st census was from 1 month old and above = 22,000
 This is the Levites from 30 to 50 only – age restrictions in service
 No age limits now – if fact some of our senior saints have gathered more insight simple because of
the years they have lived
 I want to die on the pulpit – I can’t see me retiring, why so I can die
 First we have the Kohathites 1-20
 They handled the most holy things, the furniture, including the ark
 Before they could remove them, the priests were required to cover the items with the veils, colored
cloths and animal skins to water proof it
 Ark was covered with the veil, badger skins and a blue cloth
 The show bread table was covered with a blue cloth, then all it’s utensils were stacked on it, then a
scarlet cloth covered that and finally badger skins
 The lampstand, with all it’s utensils, was wrapped in a blue cloth and covered with skins
 The incense alter had blue cloth which was covered with skins – the same for it’s utensils
 The burnt offering alter was covered in purple then with skins
 Each piece had carrying poles inserted – they were not to be touched by the Levites or else they
would die
 Once everything was covered, then the Levites could enter
 God was too holy to be gazed upon by human eyes
 They reported to Eleazar
 He was in charge of the incense, the lamp oil and the anointing oil
 Verses 21-28 were the duties of the Gershonites
 They handled all the hangings and coverings
 They reported to Ithamar
 Verses 29-33 are the duties of the Merarites
 They had the heavy stuff – the boards and frames
 They too reported to Ithamar
 Verses 34-49 give the totals
 Vs 36 – Kohathites = 2750
 Vs 40 – Gershonites = 2630
 Vs 44 – Merarites = 3200
 Vs 44 – Grand Total = 8580
 Yes God is concerned with details
 Each person knew what was expected of them
 It was all done decently and in order
 Gal 6:2,5 “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ…For each one shall bear his own
load.” We assist one another but we are not to assume each other’s responsibility
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