UNROLL
At dawn, from behind, a young father stands at the door of a black goat-hair tent holding his baby son wrapped in wool against his shoulder, looking out over the waking camp toward the distant white linen court.

The Book of

Numbers 3

Every firstborn son in Israel belonged to God. Now a whole tribe stands in their place.

51 verses≈ 8 min4 peopleBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1–10Ready at SinaiCounted and orderedChapter 3
  2. 11–14GrumblingTo Kadesh and refusal
  3. 15–21Forty yearsRebellion and mercy
  4. 22–25BalaamA curse turned to blessing
  5. 26–36A new generationReady for the land

The Sons of Aaron

From behind at dusk, Aaron in the high priest's blue robe and ephod and two sons in white linen stand upright and still before the tent's entrance curtain, their garments whole and their heads covered.

Family line

Aaron’s sons

  1. This is the account of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

    • Nadab
    • Abihu
    • Eleazar
    • Ithamar

    Anointed priests

    These are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, then Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. These were Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests.

  3. Nadab and Abihu died

    offered unauthorized fire

    Nadab and Abihu, however, died in the presence of the LORD when they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD in the Wilderness of Sinai.

  4. Eleazar and Ithamar served

    And since they had no sons, only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.

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The Duties of the Levites

God
God

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle. They shall take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting and fulfill obligations for the Israelites by attending to the service of the tabernacle.

Assign the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they have been given exclusively to him from among the Israelites. So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider who approaches the tabernacle must be put to death.”

Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me, for all the firstborn are Mine. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They are Mine; I am the LORD.”

Numbers 3:11–13

Pray

Yours, Lord

God said of the firstborn, “They are Mine; I am the LORD.” He spared them in Egypt, and so they belonged to Him. If you belong to Christ, you were bought too, and not with silver. Tell God plainly today that you are His: your time, your work, your family, your future. Ask Him to show you one place where you have been living as if you were your own.

The Numbering of the Levites

Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, saying, “Number the Levites by their families and clans. You are to count every male a month old or more.”

So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he had been commanded.

Family line

Levi’s sons and clans

  1. Levi
    • Gershon
    • Kohath
    • Merari

    The sons of Levi

    These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

  2. Gershon
    • Libni
    • Shimei

    These were the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei.

  3. Kohath
    • Amram
    • Izhar
    • Hebron
    • Uzziel

    The sons of Kohath by their clans were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

  4. Merari
    • Mahli
    • Mushi

    And the sons of Merari by their clans were Mahli and Mushi.

  5. The Levite clans

    These were the clans of the Levites, according to their families.

The Gershonites

Inside a dim tent, the tabernacle's fabrics in the Gershonites' keeping: great curtains folded in heavy stacks of white linen, dark goat hair and red-dyed ram skin, coiled ropes, and the court's white hangings rolled on poles.

The Levites

The Gershonites

  1. Libnites and Shimeites

    From Gershon came the Libnite clan and the Shimeite clan; these were the Gershonite clans.

  2. 7,500 males

    The number of all the males a month old or more was 7,500.

  3. West

    Camp: west, behind the tabernacle

    The Gershonite clans were to camp on the west, behind the tabernacle,

  4. Leader: Eliasaph son of Lael

    and the leader of the families of the Gershonites was Eliasaph son of Lael.

  5. Their charge

    The tent, coverings, curtains, cords

    The duties of the Gershonites at the Tent of Meeting were the tabernacle and tent, its covering, the curtain for the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the curtains of the courtyard, the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and altar, and the cords—all the service for these items.

Reflect

Given to serve

The Levites were “given exclusively” to Aaron, and the Gershonites’ part was curtains, coverings and “the cords.” Not glamorous work, but the tabernacle could not stand or move without it. Jesus Himself came to serve, not to be served, and He gives each of His people a part. What is the ordinary, unseen work God has given you right now? Write it down, and ask Him to help you do it for Him.

The Kohathites

The Levites

The Kohathites

  1. Clans of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, Uzziel

    From Kohath came the clans of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites; these were the clans of the Kohathites.

  2. 8,600 males

    The number of all the males a month old or more was 8,600.

  3. The duties of the sanctuary

    They were responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.

  4. South

    Camp: south

    The clans of the Kohathites were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle,

  5. Leader: Elizaphan son of Uzziel

    and the leader of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan son of Uzziel.

  6. Their charge

    Ark, table, lampstand, altars, curtain

    Their duties were the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles of the sanctuary used with them, and the curtain—all the service for these items.

  7. Chief

    Over them all: Eleazar son of Aaron

    The chief of the leaders of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron the priest; he oversaw those responsible for the duties of the sanctuary.

The Merarites

A long row of gold-covered frames standing side by side along one wall, each set into two heavy silver bases on the sand.

The Levites

The Merarites

  1. Mahlites and Mushites

    From Merari came the clans of the Mahlites and Mushites; these were the Merarite clans.

  2. 6,200 males

    The number of all the males a month old or more was 6,200.

  3. North

    Leader Zuriel; camp: north

    The leader of the families of the Merarites was Zuriel son of Abihail; they were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.

  4. Their charge

    Frames, crossbars, posts, bases, pegs

    The duties assigned to the sons of Merari were the tabernacle’s frames, crossbars, posts, bases, and all its equipment—all the service for these items, as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.

Moses and Aaron

Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, before the Tent of Meeting. They were to perform the duties of the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites; but any outsider who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.

The total number of Levites that Moses and Aaron counted by their clans at the LORD’s command, including all the males a month old or more, was 22,000.

JudahReubenEphraimDanCourtyard · 100 × 50 cubitsNGate · EastTent of MeetingBronze altarBasinThe tent, enlarged · 30 × 10 cubitsArkTableLampstandIncense altarVeilScreenMost Holy PlaceHoly Place

Plan to scale in cubits · north at the top

The Levites

Closest to the tent

Between the twelve tribes and the court camped the Levites. The Gershonites camped “on the west, behind the tabernacle,” the Kohathites on the south, the Merarites on the north. And on the east, “toward the sunrise, before the Tent of Meeting,” camped Moses, Aaron and Aaron’s sons, at the gate, guarding the only way in.

The Redemption of the Firstborn

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the Israelites a month old or more, and list their names. You are to take the Levites for Me—I am the LORD—in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of all the firstborn of the livestock of the Israelites.”

So Moses numbered all the firstborn of the Israelites, as the LORD had commanded him. The total number of the firstborn males a month old or more, listed by name, was 22,273.

God
Late afternoon at the court gate: on a linen cloth on the sand, a heap of rough cut silver beside a bronze balance and its stone weights, a short line of fathers waiting with small pouches, and an old man, from behind, seated at the cloth.

So Moses collected the redemption money from those in excess of the number redeemed by the Levites. He collected the money from the firstborn of the Israelites: 1,365 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons in obedience to the word of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.

0:22

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Question

Quick question

God counted the Levites and the firstborn sons of Israel, one by one.

Who did God take in place of Israel’s firstborn sons?

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Numbers 3

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A verse to carry with you

Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me, for all the firstborn are Mine. On the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They are Mine; I am the LORD.

Numbers 3:12–13

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