Theological Commentary: Click Here
As we start
Numbers, we find out why it is that the book is called Numbers in the first
place. Moses is told to take a
census. The book opens up with an
accounting of the people.
Actually,
the book starts with an accounting of almost all of the people. Do you hear how the Levites are not
counted? They aren’t counted for one
simple reason. The Levites aren’t going
out to war. Their job isn’t to protect
the community physically; they are to protect the community spiritually. They are, to use a word that shouldn’t
surprise anyone, different. They are
holy.
Hopefully we
don’t miss the literal command of God in Numbers 1:53. The Levites are to encamp around the
tabernacle so that there would be no wrath of God among the people. In other words, they aren’t just protecting
the spirituality of the people figuratively by their teaching. They are literally protecting the people
because they are the ones who are living close to God. They are the ones whose lives should not be offensive
to the Lord.
Naturally,
we as Christians can learn from this. We
are god’s priests. Do you remember where
it was that the priests came from? The
priests came from Aaron specifically.
Aaron was a Levite. The priests
are a special group of Levites. Therefore, as we are God’s priests, we are
likewise to dwell in close proximity to God.
We are to do this so that there will be no wrath of God among the
people. We are a people called to draw
close to God so that we can protect the people around us.
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