Journal Through the Bible: Week 21 Wednesday

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Numbers chapter 4

Does God make any promises in this chapter?

• None specified, but the promise of death to anyone who was careless with the tabernacle equipment must also imply that those who were careful would live and be blessed through the experience of serving God and His chosen dwelling.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• As mentioned in journal entries that covered the patterns of the tabernacle and its furnishings from Exodus and Leviticus, all these things represented Jesus and His ministry. In this chapter we see that these things were to be handled with respect, solemnity, and the kind of reverence that one would show God Himself.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• God ordained work from the beginning of the creation. There is nothing sinful about work. And work done in God's way is not burdensome. Just as God planned the work of the tribe of Levi to be orderly and done in community we might reasonably expect that productive work for God will be done decently and in an orderly fashion and without undue burden upon anyone's ability.

Does God issue any commands?

• As part of the continuing census of the Levitical tribe, God commanded Moses to take the total of the sons of Kohath who were between the ages of 30 and 50 years old and able to do the work of the tabernacle.
• God detailed the work that Aaron and his sons would do when preparing the camp to move. Everything was to covered with certain cloths and carried upon certain sticks and frames and by certain people. All items were to be secured for carrying in such a way as to protect them and those carrying them because anyone who touched them during transit would die.
• Eleazer, the son of Aaron, was in charge of the oil for the lamps, the incense, the daily meat offering, the anointing oil, and the oversight of everything within the sanctuary of the tabernacle.
• Also as part of the census the family of Gershon within the tribe of Levi were to be numbered. The men were to be between 30 and 50 years of age in order to perform tabernacle duties.
• The men of Gershon were to carry the curtains and all the door hangings of the tabernacle as well as all the cords.
• The men of Merari from the tribe of Levi who were between the ages of 30 and 50 were also numbered in the census.
• The men of Merari were to carry all of the boards, pillars, and sockets that made up the tabernacle.