Numbers 3:5-13: Sacrifice Your First Born

5 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Bring near the tribe of Levi, and set the tribe before Aaron the priest, and they will minister to him. 7 They shall observe his duties and the duties of the entire community before the tent of assembly, to do the work of the tabernacle. 8 And they will keep all the vessels of the tent of assembly and the responsibilities of the Israelites, to do the work of the tabernacle. 9 You will give the Levites to Aaron and to his descendants; they are surely assigned to him from among the Israelites. 10 But you will count Aaron and his descendants; they will keep their priesthood, and the stranger who approaches will be put to death.” 11 Yahweh spoke to Moses saying, 12 “I myself receive the Levites from the midst of the Israelites in the place of all the firstborn of the offspring of the womb from the Israelites. The Levites will be mine 13 because all the firstborn are mine; on the day of my killing all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both humankind and animal; they will be mine. I am Yahweh.”

In the census of the twelve tribes (vv. 17–46), Levi is not numbered, the tribe of Joseph being divided into two, Ephraim and Manasseh, to make up the twelve (the numbering of the tribe of Levi in chapter 3 was not for military purposes but in order that the firstborn of the other tribes might be matched one by one with the numbers of the tribe of Levi). In these verses the omission of Levi from the census is now explained. The Levites were set apart for the spiritual service of the sanctuary.

If you were here for our discussion on Joshua you have already heard me talk about the tribe of Levi some. If you weren’t or don’t remember we are going to cover some of the same material today.

As you read through the book of Numbers. it becomes clear that the tribe of Levi plays an important part in the life of the Israelites.

Three of the first four censuses were about the Levites.

There was the Levitical Census

The Counting of Levites

And the Counting of the firstborn males.

Ordained

In Numbers the descendants of Levi are appointed to guard the tabernacle or the ark (Num 1:53;8:26; 1 Chr 23:4). Which very likely means clerical and military service.

I Deut 10:8 The tribe of of Levi is appointed to Carry the Ark of the Covenant.

Levi is a priestly tribe and resides in the cities of refuge. Not all Levites were priest but all priest were Levites. They were ordained.

Exodus 32:29 LEB

29 And Moses said, “You are ordained today for Yahweh, because each has been against his son and against his brother and so bringing on you today a blessing.”

They were ordained.

Dedicated

Numbers 3:6–8 LEB

6 “Bring near the tribe of Levi, and set the tribe before Aaron the priest, and they will minister to him. 7 They shall observe his duties and the duties of the entire community before the tent of assembly, to do the work of the tabernacle. 8 And they will keep all the vessels of the tent of assembly and the responsibilities of the Israelites, to do the work of the tabernacle.

Here we read that this tribe was selected to stand as the first born dedicated to the Lord. Instead of each family of each tribe giving up it’s first born the Levites represented them.

So it is important that they count the Levi’s. It is important for them to count the first born males.

In Exodus 13 we read how the Lord claimed the firstborn of Israel for Himself, following the Passover in Egypt, when all the firstborn of Egypt were slain by the angel of death. This much is clear and without complication.

Now (vv. 11–13, 44ff.) the Lord announces that instead of the firstborn He will take the tribe of Levi for Himself.

The whole concept of the Levitical priesthood was based on the need for an intercessor between man and God.

Only the priests could enter the tabernacle

Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies—and that only once a year with the blood of a sacrifice. Even then, there were special requirements placed on the priests concerning their behavior, physical appearance, clothing, and ceremonial cleansing.

The point was that God is holy, and we are not.

We need a go-between, and God is the One who chooses the mediator. Under the Mosaic system, the intercessor was a son of Aaron (Numbers 3:3); under the New Covenant, the Intercessor is the Son of God (1 Timothy 2:5).

It is impressive to realize that when they were counted for the purpose of matching them one by one with the firstborn of the other tribes (3:12ff.), their number amounted to only 22,000—less than half most of the other tribes, even the smallest. Quality, not quantity, was to be the criterion. Their strength lay not in numbers, but in their being separated unto God in the purity of life. Given this, one with God is always a majority.

Our Sacrifice

Aren't you glad you don’t have to sacrifice your firstborn? if you are the firstborn arent’ you glad you don’t have to be sacrificed.

Jesus Christ the Son of God is our sacrifice.

2 Corinthians 5:21 LEBHe made the one who did not know sin to be sin on our behalf, in order that we could become the righteousness of God in him.

Through the high-priestly intercession of Christ, who exchanged His righteousness for our sins on the Cross. We become a nation of Priests in our own right

1 Peter 2:9 LEBBut you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s possession, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,

Only where the presence of God is seen to be real in a church do people hear His voice. In the story of Isaiah’s call to service (Is. 6:1ff.), we should recall that it was after his experience of cleansing, that is to say when he entered into new obedience to God, that he heard the voice of God saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” (Is. 6:8). It is when the spiritual life and vitality of the church are conserved and promoted that God the Lord is heard to call to people to serve Him.

Next Steps

Bibliography

Got Questions Ministries. Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2002–2013.

Gary H. Everett, The Book of Numbers, Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures (Gary Everett, 2011)

Harris, W. Hall, III, Elliot Ritzema, Rick Brannan, Douglas Mangum, John Dunham, Jeffrey A. Reimer, and Micah Wierenga, eds. The Lexham English Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012.

Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.

Philip, James, and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. Numbers. Vol. 4. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1987.

Heiser, Michael S. “Large Numbers in the Exodus and Wilderness Journey.” Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.

Everett, Gary H. The Book of Numbers. Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures. Gary Everett, 2011.

https://www.elisabblah.com/2019/06/24/the-2-censuses-in-the-book-of-numbers/

https://thescripturesays.org/2017/02/11/bible-art-numbers-1-2-take-a-census-of-all-the-congregation-of-the-people-of-israel/