The Fourth Book of Moses, called Numbers
Numbers 8
Chapter VIII · Vol. I, pp. 429–430
1 How the lamps are to be lighted. 5 The consecration of the Levites. 23 The age and time of their service.
1 AND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou a lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.1
3 And Aaron did so: he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick; as the LORD commanded Moses.
4 And b this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold; unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: c according unto the pattern which the LORD had showed Moses, so he made the candlestick.
b Ex. 25.31-39; 37.17-24. Re.1.20. 2 Pe.1.19. Phi.2.15.
c Ex. 25.40; 39.43. Mat. 28.20. Is. 8.20. 2 Ti.1.13.
5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and d cleanse them.2
A.M. 2514. B.C. 1490.
d Ex. 19.10, 15. ch. 19.12, 18, 19. Is. 52.11. Le.14.8,9. He. 7.26. 1 Th.2.10. 1 Ti. 4.12; 6.11.
2 It will be noted that priests were 'consecrated' when set apart for their work; but Levites, who had inferior duties to perform, were only cleansed; i.e. their bodies were sprinkled with sin-water, the whole hair of their bodies was shaved off, their clothes were washed, and then sacrifices were offered up for them.—P.
7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave3 all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.
3 Heb. let them cause a razor to pass over, &c.
8 Then let them e 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 f bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt gather the whole assembly4 of the children of Israel together.
10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall g put their hands upon the Levites:
11 And Aaron shall offer5 the Levites before the LORD, for an h offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute6 the service of the LORD.
5 Heb. wave. [Heb. 'And Aaron shall wave the Levites before Jehovah, for a wave-offering of the children of Israel.' The waving to and fro before the altar denoted a solemn consecration of the thing or person to God. God claimed all the first-born; but he graciously consented to accept substitutes, and thus the Levites were devoted to his service in the room of the first-born of the people.—P.]
h Heb. wave-offering, see Le. 7.30-34; 9.20. ver.13,14.
6 Heb. they may be to execute, &c.
12 And the Levites shall i lay their hands7 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.
7 This was just the same act which had been performed upon the Levites themselves, and seems to have had the same signification. The Levites, though substituted in the room of the first-born, yet not being devoted to death, any more than the first-born themselves were, these two sacrifices were substituted for them. They laid their hands upon their heads, that the sins which Israel had put upon them might be transferred to the animals.—I.
13 And thou shalt set the Levites k before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD.
k ch. 3.6-9,12,39,41,45; 18.1-6; 4.18,19; ver.11,14,19.
14 Thus shalt l 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 m the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt n cleanse them, and offer them for an offering:
m ch. 3.23-37; 4.3-32.
n ver.7-13.
16 For they o are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the first-born of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me.
o ch. 3.12, 13, 40, 41, 45; see ver.13,14,19.
17 Forp all the first-born of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every first-born in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself.
p Ex.13.2,12,13. ch. 3.13. Lu.2.23.
18 And I have taken the Levites q for all the first-born of the children of Israel.
q ch. 3.12, 45; 18.6; ver.11-16.
19 And I r have given8 the Levites as a 9 gift to Aaron, and to his sons, from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle1 of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel; that there be s no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.
r ch.3.6,9; 18.1-6; 4.13,19. ver.13. Ps.68.18, with Ep.4.11-13.
8 They were first of all given unto the Lord, and consecrated as an offering to him, and being thus devoted and made his, they were by him given to Aaron and to his sons.—I.
9 Heb. given.
A.M. 2514. B.C. 1490.
1 In the sacred courts.
s 1 Sa. 6.19. ch. 25.7-13; 16.46-50. Ps. 106.30, 31. 2 Ch. 26.16-20. As the Levites performed the service of the court, and bore the tabernacle, none of the people had any call to come too near the holy things.
20 And Moses and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites t according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them.
t ch. 1.54; 2.33; 3.51; 4.37,45; ver. 6-14,22.
21 And the Levites were u purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.
22 And after that went the Levites in x to do their service in the tabernacle2 of the congregation before3 Aaron, and before his sons; as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them.
x ch. 3.6-9, &c.; iv.; 18.2-7. 1 Ch. xxiii. xxv. xxvi.
2 They went not into the sanctuary, for none but priests might enter into it; but into the court of the priests, where the altar of burnt-offering stood.—I.
3 According to their direction.
23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24 This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: Fromy twenty and five years4 old and upward they shall go in z to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:
y ch. 4.3,23,30,39,47. 1 Ch. 28.13; 23.24-27.
4 In ch. 4.3 the 'sons of Kohath' are to be enumerated from 'thirty' till 'fifty,' even 'all that enter into the host to DO the work in the tabernacle of the congregation;' but in this verse they only go in to WAIT UPON the service at twenty-five. That is, at twenty-five they go in to wait, as learners, upon those that did the work; at thirty they went in to do the work themselves. For five years they were learners of what they were afterwards to practise.—C.
z Heb. to war the warfare of, &c. ch. 4.3,23,30. Is. 63.1-4. Ep. 6.10-19. 2 Ti. 2.4-15.
Notes
Reflections.—In these lighted lamps I behold Jesus endowed with the fulness of the Spirit of God, and set up to be the light of the world, the light of the church;—and ministers enlightened in themselves, and set up for lights to others, that they may see to perform the service of the tabernacle. In these Levites I behold Jesus, holy, harmless, and undefiled, solemnly set apart as the Saviour of lost sinners, to the hard service of his debasement; which being finished, and atonement thus made for his people, and every plague averted from them, he retired to his heavenly rest to minister, without fatigue, in the sanctuary above.—But with what holiness, and solemn dedication to God, ought ministers to be prepared for their work! How voluntary their call by their people; and how solemn their ordination to their office! Honourable indeed is their service for Jesus and his ransomed people; if faithful, they become a remarkable mean of turning away God's wrath from nations and churches; and if faithful and diligent while their strength continues, their people ought to support them decently when they become old and infirm, and Jesus Christ will for ever reward them in the heavenly state.