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Numbers 1:1-3:131And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; 3From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies. 4And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers. 5And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the son of Shedeur. 6Of Simeon; Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 7Of Judah; Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 8Of Issachar; Nethaneel the son of Zuar. 9Of Zebulun; Eliab the son of Helon. 10Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim; Elishama the son of Ammihud: of Manasseh; Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 11Of Benjamin; Abidan the son of Gideoni. 12Of Dan; Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 13Of Asher; Pagiel the son of Ocran. 14Of Gad; Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 15Of Naphtali; Ahira the son of Enan. 16These were the renowned of the congregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel. 17And Moses and Aaron took these men which are expressed by their names: 18And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. 19As the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai. 20And the children of Reuben, Israel's eldest son, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 21Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. 22Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 23Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. 24Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 25Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty and five thousand six hundred and fifty. 26Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 27Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. 28Of the children of Issachar, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 29Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 30Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 31Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. 32Of the children of Joseph, namely, of the children of Ephraim, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 33Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred. 34Of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 35Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. 36Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 37Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. 38Of the children of Dan, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 39Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. 40Of the children of Asher, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 41Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. 42Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 43Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 44These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men: each one was for the house of his fathers. 45So were all those that were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel; 46Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. 47But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. 48For the Lord had spoken unto Moses, saying, 49Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel: 50But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle. 51And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down: and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 52And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts. 53But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony. 54And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they. 1And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 2Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. 3And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah. 4And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred. 5And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar: and Nethaneel the son of Zuar shall be captain of the children of Issachar. 6And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and four thousand and four hundred. 7Then the tribe of Zebulun: and Eliab the son of Helon shall be captain of the children of Zebulun. 8And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were fifty and seven thousand and four hundred. 9All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth. 10On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies: and the captain of the children of Reuben shall be Elizur the son of Shedeur. 11And his host, and those that were numbered thereof, were forty and six thousand and five hundred. 12And those which pitch by him shall be the tribe of Simeon: and the captain of the children of Simeon shall be Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 13And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and nine thousand and three hundred. 14Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the sons of Gad shall be Eliasaph the son of Reuel. 15And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and five thousand and six hundred and fifty. 16All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben were an hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies. And they shall set forth in the second rank. 17Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp: as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place by their standards. 18On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies: and the captain of the sons of Ephraim shall be Elishama the son of Ammihud. 19And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty thousand and five hundred. 20And by him shall be the tribe of Manasseh: and the captain of the children of Manasseh shall be Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 21And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. 22Then the tribe of Benjamin: and the captain of the sons of Benjamin shall be Abidan the son of Gideoni. 23And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were thirty and five thousand and four hundred. 24All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim were an hundred thousand and eight thousand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they shall go forward in the third rank. 25The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the north side by their armies: and the captain of the children of Dan shall be Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were threescore and two thousand and seven hundred. 27And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe of Asher: and the captain of the children of Asher shall be Pagiel the son of Ocran. 28And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were forty and one thousand and five hundred. 29Then the tribe of Naphtali: and the captain of the children of Naphtali shall be Ahira the son of Enan. 30And his host, and those that were numbered of them, were fifty and three thousand and four hundred. 31All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan were an hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred. They shall go hindmost with their standards. 32These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. 33But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses. 34And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers. 1These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the Lord spake with Moses in mount Sinai. 2And these are the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office. 4And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, when they offered strange fire before the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father. 5And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 6Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. 7And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. 8And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. 10And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. 11And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; 13Because 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 in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the Lord. (Numbers 1:1‑3:13)
The book of Numbers gives us the wilderness journey of the children. of Israel on their way to Canaan, and it is most interesting in that we learn herein much of the ways of God with His people. Just as the Red Sea separated the children of Israel from Egypt and its glories, so the cross of Christ has separated us from the glories of this world, making it a wilderness as we travel to our heavenly Canaan. Our trials and testings, and alas our murmurings too, answer to what Israel passed through, so that God’s ways with them are very instructive to us. May we profit by what God has written for us here, for “they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1 Cor. 10:1111Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (1 Corinthians 10:11).
First we have the numbering of the people according to their tribes. Not one is forgotten of God, and here it is the people in their outward place as His people. They pitched their tents and encamped around the tabernacle where He dwelt among them. It is noticeable here that the Levites were not nuered with the people. The firstborn of all the people belonged to the Lord, for He had spared them when they had taken shelter under the blood of the Passover lamb in Egypt, while the firstborn among the Egyptians were all killed. They were His, therefore, for He had spared their lives, but now, instead of them, He had taken the whole tribe of Levi to serve in their stead in connection with the tabernacle. The tribe of Levi were therefore not nuered among the people, because they belonged to the Lord. We notice too that they were placed immediately around the tabernacle, for this is a paern of heavenly things, and it reminds us of how the Lord Jesus said, “If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be.” John 12:2626If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor. (John 12:26). How Unportant this is. for if we are going to serve according to His mind the very first requirement is nearness to Him.
We might say that there are three important things to remember in this connection, when we apply what we have here to our own service to the Lord now, as believers. First, we deserved death and judgment, just as the children of Israel deserved it in Egypt and it is only the blood of Christ that has sheltered us from that judgment. Secondly, as being redeemed we are not our own but have been bought with a great price, and we ought to recognize this and, by the constraint of the love of Christ, present our bodies as a living; sacrifice to Him. (Romans 12:11I 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. (Romans 12:1)). Thirdly, we have been given to Chris, by the Father, and He is Son over His own house, whose house we are. (Heb. 3:66But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. (Hebrews 3:6).) He has given gifts by the Holy Spirit, and we are responsible to the Lord as to the use of these gift. (1 Cor. 12:55And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. (1 Corinthians 12:5).)
Another important thing here is that the service of the Levites was appointed to them by Aaron and his sons. They did not do just what they thought was best, but served as under the priesthood of Aaron who is typical of Christ. The great trouble in Christendom today is that many Christians do whatever service they themselves think best, follong their own thoughts, and then when the Word is presented to them they do not want the path of obedience. God has told us that “to obey is better than sacrifice,” (I Sam. 15:22), and our service is only truly acceptable in the measure in which it is according to His Word. All this will be manifested at the judgment seat of Christ, when the lives of all believers will come into review. (1 Cor. 3:12-1512Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3:12‑15).)
ML 06/17/1951