Levite: Common

A Christian Walk with the Tabernacle Israelites

The Camp

- The Tribe of Levi was in charge of the “Dwelling Place of the Witness, all of it’s furnishings, and everything that belonged to it.” Which is what we call the Tabernacle. The Witness is what we typically call “The Commandments.” We’ll talk more about those later.

• They were responsible for bearing the Dwelling place, attending to it, and camped around it. They were all about the dwelling place. They would take it down and put it up. They would transport it. If a “stranger”, meaning anyone outside of the Levites came near it, they would be instantly put to death.
• They were responsible for guarding the duty of the Dwelling Place of the Witness.
• Aaron and Moses were from the Tribe of Levi. The Levites were the only tribe who stood by Moses during the whole golden calf incident. They moved through all the Israelites and killed anyone who was worshipping the calf. Incidentally, when they made the calf, it wasn’t made to worship another god, it was made to worship YHWH and to recognize he brought them out of bondage. But just before they started making the calf, they agreed to not making any idols or images. It was what they were used to doing in the culture they came from.
• The Levites were not given any land, YHWH said that He was their share and their inheritance among the Israelites. He gave all the tithes back to them in return for the work they did while serving him.
• When they counted the tribe of Levi, “The number of all the males a month old or more who were counted was 22,000.” PNC Stadium in Houston Texas holds 22,000 people.
• God passed out all the assignments.
• The  “Gershonites were responsible for the care of the tabernacle and tent, its coverings, the curtain at the entrance to the tent of meeting, 26 the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle and altar, and the ropes—and everything related to their use.”
• The Kohathites were” responsible for the care of the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain, and everything related to their use”
• The Merarites were “to take care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use, 37 as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs and ropes.”
• Back in Exodus 13, YHWH told them when they came into the land to set apart all the first born and to redeem them with a lamb. But when they first set everything up, YHWH told Moses, “ Take the Levites for me in place of all the firstborn of the Israelites, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites. I am the Lord.”
• All the Levites were set-apart and ceremonially cleaned before starting their service. They were sprinkled with the water of cleaning, shaved their whole bodies, washed their clothes and made an offering. Aaron, as the High Priest, presented them before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites, ready to do the work of YHWH. They were set-apart from the other Israelites.
• They were given wholly - completely to YHWH. He took them as his one firstborn. They were given as a gift to Aaron and his sons to do the work of the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so no plague would strike them when the Israelites went near the sanctuary.
• If I was applying this as a picture today, this group:
  • In the time of Jesus, might be seen as the the Gentiles who chose to follow Jesus.
  • Christianity today might call them regular attenders, they have “gotten saved” and have probably been baptised. maybe they are serving somewhere in the church.Set up/Tear down crews, serving on some team or group, greeters.
  • But there is a drastic difference between the two because in Jesus’s time, choosing to step into the Outer Courts with an offering could bring persecution and possible loss of life.
  • I call these people the Called Out Group. The bulk of American Christians would see themselves in this group.
  • These people have given over their hearts. This is the Love your God with all your heart part. These people are willing to give over their inner life to God. Worship, prayer, reading their Bible. Maybe giving up a few activities they used to participate in outside of church. But in general, they’re life hasn’t had any significant changes.
  • Or there may actually be some in this group who have made HUGE changes, but they are still not grasping just how God sees them today. We’ll look at that in the next group.