Two numberings of Israel are recorded in
the book of Numbers. They are recorded
in chapters i.-iv. and
xxvi.-xxvii. Two distinct
objects are in view. In the first
numbering, service is before us; in the
second, inheritance. In both, ability to
go forth to war is specified.
In the numberings of the tribes of Israel,
Levi is omitted, and Joseph is represented by both Ephraim and Manasseh, thus
retaining the number twelve. The
numbering of the tribe of Levi was done separately, and is recorded in Numb. iii. 14-29, where a special reason for this distinction
is given.
“And I, behold, I have taken the Levites
from among the children of Israel instead of all the first-born that openeth
the matrix among the children of Israel, therefore the Levites shall be
Mine; because all the firstborn are
Mine: for on the day that I smote all
the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the firstborn of
Israel, both man and beast: Mine they
shall be; I am the Lord” (Numb. iii. 12,
13).
The total number of the firstborn males of
all Israel amounted to 22,273 (Numb. iii. 43), whereas the total number of the
Levites, who were the substitutes for these firstborn, only amounted to
22,000. This left 273 unaccounted for,
and these had to be redeemed at the price of five shekels a head. The numbering of Israel had the following
objects in view:--
(1) To discover how many of an
age of twenty years and upward were able to go forth to war (Numb. i. 45).
(2) To set apart the tribe of
Levi for the service of the tabernacle (Numb.i.50).
(3) To ensure order when Israel
encamped or marched (Numb. ii. 1-34).
(4) To settle the particular
service of the three sections of the Levites (Numb. iii. 21-37).
The tribe of Levi was sub-divided
according to the sons of Levi — Gershon, Kohath and Merari. These had their allotted places: the Gershonites west of the tabernacle (Numb.
iii. 23), the Kohathites south of the tabernacle (Numb.iii.29), the Merarites
north of the tabernacle (Numb. iii. 35), leaving Moses and Aaron and his sons
the east side of the tabernacle. Each
section of Levites, moreover, had its special charge. The Gershonites had the care of the
tabernacle, the hangings, the door, the court and the cords of the
tabernacle. The Kohathites had charge of
the ark and all the furniture and vessels of the tabernacle. The Merarites took charge of the boards,
bars, pillars and sockets, and pins and cords of the court (Numb. iii. 21-37).
The Lord not only regulated the position
and service of each son of Levi, but every tribe had its allotted place for
encampment:--
“Every man of the children of Israel shall
pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house; over against about the tabernacle of the
congregation shall they pitch” (Numb. ii. 2).
The ensigns of the twelve tribes are not
described in the Scriptures. Judah’s
ensign, the lion, is fairly familiar to all Scripture students, but for the
rest we must accept the voice of tradition for what it may be worth. The targum of Jonathan, a paraphrase in
Chaldee, gives to each tribes one of the signs of the Zodiac:--
The witness of the stars (Gen. i. 14-19; Psalm xix.)
was, from Adam to Moses, the ancient testimony to the purpose of the
ages. When Israel, the people of type,
sign and symbol, were formed, the significance of the twelve “signs” in the
heavens was perpetuated by the tribal “ensigns”. This important testimony is carefully
explained and illustrated in Dr. Bullinger’s Witness of the Stars, and a
most helpful synopsis is given in Appendix 12 of The Companion Bible.
It will be observed that, at the four
cardinal points, East, South, West and North, are symbols that also appear with
the Cherubim:--
“They four had the face of a man,
and the face of a lion on the right side; and they four had the face of an ox on
the left side: and they four also had
the face of an eagle” (Ezek.i.10).
“The first living creature was like a lion,
and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature
had a face as a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying
eagle” (Rev. iv. 7).
The fourfold picture of the Lord Jesus, as
set forth in the four Gospels, focuses the witness of the heavens, the
testimony of the ensigns of Israel, and the pledge of the cherubim upon the
Person and work of the Saviour:--
Returning to the tribe of Levi and their
particular service, we find careful details set out in Numbers.iv. It was
not left to chance to decide the order in which these Levites approached their
respective tasks. Aaron and his sons
come first. These take down the vail and
cover the ark with it. Full instructions
are given in Numb. iv. 1-4 as to the covering of the various articles of
tabernacle furniture:--
“And when Aaron and his sons have made an
end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp
is to set forward: after that, the sons
of Kohath shall come to bear it: but
they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of
Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation” (Numb.iv.15).
The Gershonites come next, bearing the
curtains, hangings, etc., as already mentioned (Numbers.iv.24-28), and last of
all the Merarites:--
“According to the commandment of the Lord,
they were numbered by the hand of Moses, every one according to his service, and
according to his burden” (iv.49).
In this concluding verse we have the three
underlying principles that relate to all scriptural service, viz.:--
According to THE
COMMANDMENT of the Lord.
According to HIS SERVICE.
According to HIS BURDEN.
What is the supreme and only authority for
service? Surely that it be “according to
the commandment of the Lord”.
The
commandment.
“He called . . . . . He gave
them power” (Matt. x. 1).
“Have not I chosen you
twelve?” (John vi. 70).
“Ye have not chosen Me, but
I have chosen you and ordained you” (John.xv.16).
What is true of the ministry of the twelve
apostles is true of all subsequent ministry;
it must be according to the Lord’s command. In the days of the Law, death followed
transgression in service (see Numb. iv. 15, 19). While physical death does not follow
transgression in service now, who can say how much spiritual deadness
results from it here, and how much loss will result there when the service is
tried by fire? If the Lord called some
to be evangelists, and some to be teachers, it is surely evident that He needs
both. The criticism of friends counts
for nothing in these matters. Some have
“problems” respecting the ministry of women, but the “commandments of the Lord”
are plain, vide I.Cor.xiv.34, Titus ii. 3-5 & I
Tim. ii. 12-15. There is an order in
later ministry that is as definite as any given in Numbers i.-iv.:--
“God hath set some in the church, first
apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers” (I Cor. xii. 28).
“He gave some apostles, and some prophets,
and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers” (Eph. iv. 11).
Whatever dispensation is in view, order is
to be observed. Apostles and prophets
came first. They were the foundation ministry
of the church of the mystery (Eph. ii. 20).
Evangelists (II Tim. iv. 5) came next;
then teachers (II.Tim.ii.2).
His service.
“Having then gifts differing according to
the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophecy according to
the proportion of faith; or ministry,
let us wait on our ministering; or he
that teacheth, on teaching; or he that
exhorteth, on exhortation; he that
giveth, let him do it with simplicity;
he that ruleth, with diligence;
he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness” (Rom. xii. 6-8).
“If the foot shall say, Because I am not
the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the
hearing? The eye cannot say unto the
hand, I have no need of thee. God hath
set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him” (I.Corinthian.xii.15-21).
And yet, for example, we meet with some,
eminently fitted to be the hosts of the church, who spoil a good witness
by persistently trying to teach or preach. Others, whose business abilities are demanded
by the Lord, leave the church the poorer while they indulge some foolish whim
of their own.
His burden.
“And unto one He gave five talents, to
another two, and to another one: to
every man according to his several ability” (Matt. xxv. 15).
“All these worketh that one and the
selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will” (I Cor. xii. 11).
“But let every man prove his own work, and
then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another, for every
man shall bear his own burden” (Galatian vi. 4, 5).
We have not been careful to draw attention
to the different dispensations that the above scriptures represent, our idea
being merely to show that, in all dispensations, true service must be accepted
and regulated according to the
threefold principle of Numb. iv. 49. Service
that is not according to plan is disobedience, a waste of time and opportunity,
robbing someone else of service that might have been rendered, eliminating any
possibility of reward, and resulting in failure to glorify the Lord. The appeal to apparent success, or
expediency, and all the shifts of human reasoning leave us unmoved. The word of God, unaltered, is our basis of
salvation, and nothing lower or less can be the basis of our service.
To every reader of this magazine we make a
personal appeal. See that you have your
“marching orders” direct from the Word of God.
If you have, happy are you. But
if there is the slightest tampering with “His commandment”, the slightest
departure from “his service”, the smallest attempt to avoid “his burden” — what
kind of servants are you?
As we have already seen, the people of
Israel carried the ensigns of the cherubim, God’s great pledge that He will
surely accomplish His purposes of man’s
redemption and restoration. An obedient
Israel will have the inestimable blessedness of being fellow-workers together
with God. In like manner obedient
servants of God to-day may enjoy this privilege; but what a world of tragedy is found in the
closing words of the second numbering recorded in Numbers.xxvi.:--
“These are they that were numbered by
Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plain
of Moab by Jordan near Jericho. But
among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest
numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord had said of them, They shall
surely die in the wilderness. And there
was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son
of Nun” (Numb. xxvi. 63-65).
I Corinthian ix. 24 - x. 13 and I
Cor. iii. 11-15 show us that Israel in
the wilderness and Belshazzar in Babylon are not the only ones of whom it shall
be said: ‘Numbered . . . . . weighed . .
. . . and found wanting.”
May we truly pray the apostle’s first
prayer, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” (Acts ix. 6).
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