THE PENTATEUCH PART IV: NUMBERS
Lesson 4: Chapters 7-8
The Offerings of the Tribal Leaders and The Consecration of the Levites
Generous Lord,
The gifts of our tithes and offerings cannot compare to the
generosity of Your many blessings. The sacrifices You ask of us are so small
in comparison to the gift of Your beloved Son for the sake of our eternal
salvation. May we always be conscious of giving our gifts to You with an open
hand and a joyful heart, for Scripture says that You love a cheerful giver. Guide
us now, beloved Holy Spirit, as we study the example the leaders of Israel made to the people in the generosity of their gifts for the Sanctuary, and in our
study of the consecration of the Levities as the lesser ministers of the
Sanctuary. We pray in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
+ + +
But remember:
anyone who sows sparsely will reap sparsely as well-and anyone who sows
generously will reap generously as well. Each one should give as much as he
has decided on his own initiative, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God
loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
And when a
presbyter is ordained the bishop shall lay his hand upon his head, the
presbyters also touching him. And he shall pray over him according to the
aforementioned form which we gave before over the bishop, praying and saying: O
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ... Look upon this thy servant and impart
to him the spirit of grace and counsel, that he may share in the presbyterate
and govern Thy people in a pure heart.
St. Hippolytus, Traditio
apostolica 8
Chapter 7: The Offerings of the Leaders of the Tribes
Having covered the organization (Num 2:1-4:20) and the purification (Num 5:1-6:27) of the wilderness camp on the first day of the second month, this part of the narrative takes us back a month earlier, to the first of the first month (Abib), when the Sanctuary was erected and consecrated (Ex 40:1, 17). The focus of this section is on those details that made the function of the Sanctuary operative. The section includes the list of gifts of that included silver and gold sacrificial vessels and the ingredients that accompanied the sacrifices (i.e., incense), instruction in the proper mounting of the seven Menorah lamps in the Holy Place, and the dedication ceremony for the Levites as Yahweh's lesser ministers.
Chronological time line for events in Numbers Chapters 1-10:
| Numbers 7:1 | Numbers 9:1 | Numbers 1:1 | Numbers 10:11 |
|
1st
month 1st day 2nd year |
1st
month 14th – 21st 2nd year |
2nd
month 1st day
2nd year |
2nd
month 20th day 2nd year |
|
-Sanctuary dedicated (Ex 40:17-35) -Gifts of the tribal leaders after Sanctuary dedication in 12 day ceremony (Num 7:1-3, 10-11) -Priests Dedicated in 7 day ceremony (Ex Lev 8), assuming their duties on the 8th day (Lev 9:1-24) -Levites dedicated after priests in 2nd week (Num 8)* |
Passover/Unleavened Bread celebrated at Sinai (Num 9:1-5) |
-Census of the 12 tribes of Israel (Num 1:1-2:34) -Census of the Levites (Num 3:1-4:49) |
Departure from Mt. Sinai |
| Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2010 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved. | |||
* The time frame announced in Num 7:1 is at the time when the Sanctuary was dedicated.
The entire community of the Israelites had generously given what was needed for the materials to build the Sanctuary, its Tabernacle: the materials to build the sacred furniture, the sacrificial implements, the wood to build the framework, the textiles to make the tenting and curtaining, and the vestments for the chief priests and the high priest (Ex 35:1-9, 20-24, 29; 36:2-7). Now, the same chieftains of the tribes of Israel who were going to be selected by God to conduct the census a month later (Num 1:5, 16-17) generously offered additional gifts that were necessary to make the Sanctuary functional and to provide for moving the heavy wooden support frames and the Sanctuary textiles when the Israelites broke camp to begin the march to Canaan.
Numbers 7:1-9 The Offering of the Wagons
1 On the day Moses
finished erecting the Dwelling, he anointed and consecrated it and all its
furniture, as well as the altar and all its equipment. When he had anointed
and consecrated it all, 2 the
leaders of Israel made an offering; they were the heads of their families, the
tribal leaders who had presided over the census. 3 They brought their offering before Yahweh: six
covered wagons and twelve oxen, one wagon for every two leaders and one ox
each. They brought them in front of the Dwelling. 4 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 5 'Accept these from them, and let them be set
apart for the service of the Tent of Meeting. You will give them to the
Levites, to each as his duties require.' 6
Moses took the wagons and oxen, and gave them to the Levites. 7 To the Gershonites he gave two wagons and four
oxen for the duties they had to perform. 8
To the Merarites he gave four wagons and eight oxen for the duties they
had to perform under the direction of Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. 9 But to the Kohathites he gave none at all,
because the sacred charge entrusted to them had to be carried on their
shoulders.
These gifts were not the first contributions made by the chieftains.
Question: What other costly gifts had they provided
when the materials to construct the Sanctuary were being collected? See Ex 28:15-30; 35:27-28.
Answer: The tribal leaders donated the precious gem
stones that were needed to create the "Breastplate of Judgment" worn by the
high priest.
The leaders' first gift was given to the Levite clans who were in charge of transporting the Sanctuary.
Question: What was the combined gift of the twelve
chieftains?
Answer: Together the chieftains brought six wagons
and twelve oxen.
The NJB identifies the wagons as "covered", but the Hebrew text uses the word tsav, which the JPS Torah Commentary translates as "draught wagons" (page 53), wagons strong enough to carry heavy loads. This interpretation seems more reasonable since each wagon required two oxen to pull it, and the wagons were to be used to transport the heavy textiles that formed the tenting of the Sanctuary and the heavy wooden framework upon which they hung.
Question: Why did Moses give the Merarites given four
wagons and eight oxen to pull the wagons (two oxen to a wagon) while only two
wagons and four oxen were given to the Gershonites? See Num 3:21-26 and 33-37.
Answer: The Merarites were responsible for
transporting the heavier framework for the Sanctuary and the Tabernacle while
the Gershonites were transporting the curtaining and textiles; therefore, it
was reasonable that Moses gave the Merarites more wagons.
Question: Why didn't Moses give wagons to the
Kohathites? See Num 4:5-20.
Answer: They were in charge of personally transporting
the sacred furnishing of the Tabernacle and the courtyard together with their
sacred vessels. The Ark, the table, the incense altar and the sacrificial
altar were all to be carried by their poles on the shoulders of the Kohathites
and the other items were to be bundled together and carried on litters.
Numbers 7:10-88 The Dedicated Offerings of the Leaders
10 The leaders then
made an offering for the dedication of the altar, on the day it was anointed.
They brought their offering before the altar, 11 and Yahweh said to Moses, 'Each day one of the leaders must
bring his offering for the dedication of the altar.'
In addition to the combined gift of the wagons and oxen, the chieftains of the twelve tribes (counting the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh as separate tribes) also brought individual gifts.
Question: Why did God command that the individual
offerings of the chieftains be spread out over a twelve day period?
Answer: Probably so that the generosity of each man,
representing his tribe, could be observed and acknowledged separately by the
people.
The offerings of the chieftains are given in a formula that is repeated twelve times representing each of the twelve days the gifts were offered by individual tribal chieftains. The only alteration in each formula is the name of the leader, his father's name, and the name of his tribe. There is one other exception to the first formula passage compared to the other eleven. See if you can identify what else is different in the description of Nahshon's offering. The order of the gifts is the same as the appointment of the tribal leaders in Numbers Chapter 2 with the tribe of Judah in the prominent first position.
Numbers 7:11-17 The Offering of Nahshon of Judah: On the first day an offering was brought by 12 Nahshon son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah. 13 His offering consisted of: one silver bowl weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal offering, 14 one golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of incense, 15 one young bull, one ram and one male yearling lamb as a burnt offering, 16 one he-goat as a sacrifice for sin, 17 and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats and five male yearling lambs as a communion sacrifice. Such was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.
Numbers 7:18-23 The Offering of Nethanel of Issachar
18 On the second day
an offering was brought by Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of Issachar. 19 His offering consisted of: one silver bowl
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver sprinkling bowl weighing
seventy shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full of fine flour mixed with
oil as a cereal offering, 20 one
golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of incense, 21 one young bull, one ram and one male yearling
lamb as a burnt offering, 22 one
he-goat as a sacrifice for sin, 23 and
two bulls, five rams, five he-goats and five male yearling lambs as a communion
sacrifice. Such was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.
Numbers 7:24-29 The Offering of Eliab of Zebulun
24 On the third day
an offering was brought by Eliab son of Helon, leader of the Zebulunites. 25 His offering consisted of: one silver bowl
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver sprinkling bowl weighing
seventy shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full of fine flour mixed with
oil as a cereal offering, 26 one
golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of incense, 27 one young bull, one ram and one male yearling
lamb as a burnt offering, 28 one
he-goat as a sacrifice for sin, 29 and
two bulls, five rams, five he-goats and five male yearling lambs as a communion
sacrifice. Such was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.
Numbers 7:30-35 The Offering of Elizur of Reuben
30 On the fourth day
an offering was brought by Elizur son of Shedeur, leader of the Reubenites. 31 His offering consisted of: one silver bowl
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver sprinkling bowl weighing
seventy shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full of fine flour mixed with
oil as a cereal offering,32 one
golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of incense, 33 one young bull, one ram and one male yearling
lamb as a burnt offering, 34 one
he-goat as a sacrifice for sin, 35 and
two bulls, five rams, five he-goats and five male yearling lambs as a communion
sacrifice. Such was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.
Numbers 7:36-41 Shelumiel of Simeon
36 On the fifth day
an offering was brought by Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, leader of the
Simeonites. 37 His offering
consisted of: one silver bowl weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver
sprinkling bowl weighing seventy shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full
of fine flour mixed with oil as a cereal offering, 38 one golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of
incense, 39one young bull, one ram
and one male yearling lamb as a burnt offering, 40 one he-goat as a sacrifice for sin, 41 and two bulls, five rams, five he-goats and
five male yearling lambs as a communion sacrifice. Such was the offering of
Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
Numbers 7:42-47 Eliasaph of Gad
42On the sixth day
an offering was brought by Eliasaph son of Reuel, leader of the Gadites. 43 His offering consisted of: one silver bowl
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver sprinkling bowl weighing
seventy shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full of fine flour mixed with
oil as a cereal offering, 44 one
golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of incense, 45 one young bull, one ram and one male yearling
lamb as a burnt offering, 46 one
he-goat as a sacrifice for sin, 47 and
two bulls, five rams, five he-goats and five male yearling lambs as a communion
sacrifice. Such was the offering of Eliasaph son of Reuel.
Numbers 7:48-53 Elishama of Ephraim
48 On the seventh
day an offering was brought by Elishama son of Ammihud, leader of the Ephraimites.
49 His offering consisted of: one
silver bowl weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver sprinkling bowl
weighing seventy shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full of fine flour
mixed with oil as a cereal offering, 50 one
golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of incense, 51 one young bull, one ram and one male yearling
lamb as a burnt offering, 52 one
he-goat as a sacrifice for sin, 53 and
two bulls, five rams, five he-goats and five male yearling lambs as a communion
sacrifice. Such was the offering of Elishama son of Ammihud.
According to Jewish tradition, the seventh day was the Sabbath. There was a prohibition against an individual offering sacrifice on the Sabbath (JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers, page 57), but an exception was apparently made for the chief of the tribe of Ephraim. Notice that the chiefs of Judah and Ephraim are given prominent positions. The united monarchy will split in 930 BC when a prince of the tribe of Ephraim leads a civil war and forms ten of the tribes into the Northern Kingdom of Israel while the remaining two tribes form the Southern Kingdom of Judah (1 Kng 12:20-24).
Numbers 7:54-59 Gamaliel of Manasseh
54 On the eighth day
an offering was brought by Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, leader of the Manassehites.
55 His offering consisted of: one
silver bowl weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver sprinkling bowl
weighing seventy shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full of fine flour
mixed with oil as a cereal offering, 56 one
golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of incense, 57 one young bull, one ram and one male yearling
lamb as a burnt offering, 58 one
he-goat as a sacrifice for sin, 59 and
two bulls, five rams, five he-goats and five male yearling lambs as a communion
sacrifice. Such was the offering brought by Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
Numbers 7:60-65 Abidan of Benjamin
60 On the ninth day
an offering was brought by Abidan son of Gideoni, leader of the Benjaminites. 61 His offering consisted of: one silver bowl
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver sprinkling bowl weighing
seventy shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full of fine flour mixed with
oil as a cereal offering, 62 one
golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of incense, 63 one young bull, one ram and one male yearling
lamb as a burnt offering, 64 one
he-goat as a sacrifice for sin, 65 and
two bulls, five rams, five he-goats and five male yearling lambs as a communion
sacrifice. Such was the offering of Abidan son of Gideoni.
Numbers 7:66-71 Ahiezer of Dan
66 On the tenth day
an offering was brought by Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, leader of the Danites. 67 His offering consisted of: one silver bowl
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver sprinkling bowl weighing
seventy shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full of fine flour mixed with
oil as a cereal offering, 68 one
golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of incense, 69 one young bull, one ram and one male yearling
lamb as a burnt offering, 70 one
he-goat as a sacrifice for sin, 71 and
two bulls, five rams, five he-goats and five male yearling lambs as a communion
sacrifice. Such was the offering of Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
Numbers 7:72-77 Pagiel of Asher
72 On the eleventh
day an offering was brought by Pagiel son of Ochran, leader of the Asherites. 73 His offering consisted of: one silver bowl
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver sprinkling bowl weighing
seventy shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full of fine flour mixed with
oil as a cereal offering, 74 one
golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of incense, 75 one young bull, one ram and one male yearling
lamb as a burnt offering, 76 one
he-goat as a sacrifice for sin, 77 and
two bulls, five rams, five he-goats and five male yearling lambs as a communion
sacrifice. Such was the offering of Pagiel son of Ochran.
Numbers 7:78-83 Ahira of Naphtali
78 On the twelfth
day an offering was brought by Ahira son of Enan, leader of the Naphtalites. 79 His offering consisted of: one silver bowl
weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver sprinkling bowl weighing
seventy shekels (sanctuary shekels), both of them full of fine flour mixed with
oil as a cereal offering, 80 one
golden bowl weighing ten shekels, full of incense, 81 one young bull, one ram and one male yearling
lamb as a burnt offering, 82 one
he-goat as a sacrifice for sin, 83 and
two bulls, five rams, five he-goats and five male yearling lambs as a communion
sacrifice. Such was the offering of Ahira son of Enan.
Question: What did each chieftain bring?
Answer: The gifts of the chieftains fall into three
categories: vessels, commodities that fill the vessels, and sacrificial
animals:
Three different words are used for the silver vessels and the gold object. The different weights of the vessels may suggest different sizes, or another suggestion is that the bowls were different in weight because a bowl was thicker or thinner. The golden ladle was was probably used to place the incense on the Altar of Incense (all the vessels used in the Holy Place had to be gold whereas vessels used in the courtyard were silver). Incense was also used with the grain tribute offering on the altar of sacrifice and with the Bread of the Presence in the Holy Place. Notice that only domesticated animals were used for sacrifice; however, castrated domesticated animals were forbidden to be offered on the altar of sacrifice (Lev 22:23-25).
Question: What was missing in Nahshon's formula
description that was included in the other eleven passages?
Answer: Nahshon is the only one of the twelve tribal
chieftains who is not explicitly called a "leader/chieftain" of his tribe in
Numbers 7:12, whereas all the others are called "leaders/chieftains". We know
that Nahshon is the chieftain for the Judahites because he is designated a
chieftain in Numbers 2:4.
The rabbis offer the explanation that this omission was intention to prevent Nahshon from being tempted to claim Jacob's deathbed prophecy for Judah by declaring himself a king over the other chieftains (JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers, page 54).
Numbers 7:84-88 Conclusion
84 Such were the offerings [korban] made by the leaders of Israel for the dedication of the altar on the day it was anointed:
twelve silver bowls,
twelve silver sprinkling bowls and
twelve golden bowls.
85 Each silver bowl
weighed a hundred and thirty shekels and each sprinkling bowl seventy, the
silver of these objects weighing in all two thousand four hundred sanctuary
shekels. 86 The twelve golden
bowls full of incense each weighed ten shekels (sanctuary shekels), the gold of
these bowls weighing in all a hundred and twenty shekels.
87 The sum total of
animals for the burnt offering:
twelve bulls,
twelve rams,
twelve yearling lambs, with their cereal offerings.
For the sacrifice for sin, twelve he-goats.
88 The sum total of
animals for the communion sacrifice:
twenty-four bulls,
sixty rams,
sixty he-goats and
sixty male yearling lambs.*
Such were the offerings for the dedication of the altar,
after it had been anointed.
In all twelve of the formula passages and in verse 84 the Hebrew word translated "offering" is the Hebrew word korban. It is one of the key words in the study of Leviticus and literally means "to draw near" [to God]. The term korban applies to both the filled vessels and the animals listed among the gifts.
The sin sacrifice for an ordinary Israelite was either a female sheep or female goat (Lev 4:27-28, 32).
Question: According to Leviticus 4:22-23, what was
the sin sacrifice for a leader of Israel?
Answer: A he-goat. Each chieftain brought one he-goat
for a sin sacrifice.
The total number of animals brought forward by each tribal chieftain was twenty-one (7 x 3) animals. The one male yearling lamb for a burnt offering was probably intended for the whole burnt offering of the Tamid sacrifice (Ex 29:38-42; Lev 9:17), the single he-goat as the sin sacrifice of the leader of the tribe bringing the sacrifices (Lev 4:22-23), and the bull calf was probably a sin sacrifice for the whole community (Lev 4:13-14). In the very first liturgical service of the morning Tamid at the newly consecrated Sanctuary, for the community Aaron was instructed to take a goat as a sin sacrifice, a calf and a lamb one year old without blemish for a burnt offering and a bull and a ram for communion sacrifices to be offered with cereal offerings mixed with oil (Lev 9:3-4). *The burnt offering of the lamb, for which a total sixty lambs were provided, was probably the morning and afternoon Tamid offering for each day for a month (Lev 9:17).
Numbers 7:89-8:4 Final Instructions for Setting up the Tabernacle
89 When Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with him, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy-seat on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two great winged creatures. He then spoke to him. 8:1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said: 2 'Speak to Aaron and say, "When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps must throw their light towards the front of the lamp-stand."' 3 Aaron did this. He set up the lamps to the front of the lamp-stand, as Yahweh had ordered Moses. 4 This lamp-stand was worked in beaten gold, including its stem and its petals, which were also of beaten gold. This lamp-stand had been made according to the pattern Yahweh had shown to Moses.
Question: What promised did God make when Moses first
ascended Mt. Sinai that was fulfilled in this passage? See Ex 25:22
Answer: Yahweh's promise to speak to Moses from
between the two winged cherubim that are on the top of the Mercy-seat is
fulfilled in this passage.
The promise to communicate with Moses from the Mercy-seat was not fulfilled when the Tabernacle was first constructed and dedicated. Moses could not enter the Tabernacle because of the density of the Glory Cloud that engulfed the entire structure (Ex 40:34-35). It was only eight days later at the conclusion of the first morning Tamid service that Moses and Aaron were permitted to enter the Tabernacle (Lev 9:23). From the time of the giving of the first priestly blessing at the conclusion of the first liturgical Tamid service, God's commands to Moses were delivered from above the Mercy-seat of the Ark of the Covenant while Moses stood alone inside the Tabernacle and perhaps even within the Holy of Holies. The Israelites, the chief priests and the High Priest, Aaron are forbidden to have continual access to God in the Holy of Holies (Lev 16:1-2) but nothing is said about limiting Moses' access to directly communicating with God.
Question: What instructions did Moses receive
concerning the Menorah (lamp-stand) lamps?
Answer: He was to instruct Aaron that the seven lamps
of the Menorah were to be arranged so that they reflected their light to the
front.
Aaron was responsible for the arrangement of the Menorah lambs because the cultic service inside the Tabernacle was the responsibility of the High Priest (JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers, page 60).
The lamps of the Menorah were rounded bowls with a pinched side where the wick protruded or with a small hole in the upper part of one side for the wick. The side with the lighted wick was to face forward. The Menorah was against the south side of the Holy Place enclosure. With the lamp wicks facing forward toward the north, the light of the seven Menorah lambs illuminated the golden table of the Bread of the Presence that was directly across from the Menorah (Ex 25:37) and the golden Altar of Incense that was to the left of the Menorah against the curtain that covered the Holy of Holies. The lamps were detachable pieces that were cleansed every morning when the wicks were trimmed (Ex 30:7) and all the lamps were filled with pure olive oil and lit every evening/afternoon (since the day ended at sundown, their "evening" equates to our "afternoon"). The Menorah was the only light that illuminated the Holy Place and like the sacrificial altar in the courtyard, the Menorah had to be tended by the priests twice daily (Ex 29:38-42; 30:7-8). According to God's command, a fire had to be kept burning continually on both the altar and the Menorah (Lev 6:2; 24:2-4). The light of the Menorah signified God's presence in His Tabernacle.(1)
St. Clement of Alexandria wrote that the lamps of the lamp-stand typify Christ: The golden lampstand has another symbolic meaning-that of being a sign of Christ [...] not because of its unique nature but because it provides light 'in many and various ways' (Heb 1:1) to those who believe and hope in Him (Stromata, 5.6, 35)
Numbers 8:4 This lamp-stand was worked in beaten gold, including its stem and its petals, which were also of beaten gold. This lamp-stand had been made according to the pattern Yahweh had shown to Moses. The Menorah was a copy of the lamp-stand Moses saw in the heavenly Sanctuary. It was made from one solid piece of hammered gold including the "stem" or "trunk" with the twenty-two floral projections on the central trunk and its branches that sprang out, three on each side of the central trunk; the seven branches of the lamp-stand indicated completeness (see Ex 25:31-36). The only parts that were not of one piece with the Menorah were the lamps which were removable (Lev 24:4; Num 4:9). The other sacred objects inside the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies within the Tabernacle were made of gold-plated wood.
Chapter 8:5-26: The Dedication of the Levites
I give the Levites
to Aaron and his sons, as dedicated men, to minister in the Tent of Meeting on
behalf of the Israelites and perform the rite of expiation for them, so that no
disaster befalls the Israelites when the Israelites come close to the
sanctuary.
Numbers 8:19
The Levites have replaced the first-born sons of the Israelites as the lesser ministers of the Sanctuary (Num 3:11-13, 40-51). They are now responsible for guarding, dismantling, moving, and re-assembling the Sanctuary on the march to Canaan as well as assisting the chief priests in the Sanctuary courtyard (Num 3:14-39). However, before those Levites who have been numbered in the census as fit for service can assume their duties, they must be qualified by a three-fold ritual of purification and sacrifice.
The instructions for the dedication of the Levites in Numbers 8:5-22 are divided into three parts:
Numbers 8:5-13: Divine Instruction for the Purification
of the Levites: The purification and laying on of hands
5 Yahweh spoke to
Moses and said, 6 'Separate the
Levites from the Israelites and purify them. 7 This is how you must purify them: you will sprinkle them with
purifying water, and they will shave their bodies all over and wash their
clothes. They will then be clean. 8 They
will then take a young bull, with the accompanying cereal offering of fine
flour mixed with oil, and you will take a second young bull for a sacrifice for
sin. 9 You will then bring the
Levites in front of the Tent of Meeting, and assemble the whole community of
Israelites. 10 Once you have
brought the Levites before Yahweh, the Israelites will lay their hands on
them. 11 Aaron will then offer the
Levites, making the gesture of offering before Yahweh on behalf of the
Israelites, admitting them to Yahweh's service. 12 The Levites will then lay their hands on the heads of the
bulls, one of which you will offer as a sacrifice for sin, and the other as a
burnt offering to Yahweh, to perform the rite of expiation for the Levites. 13 Having brought the Levites before Aaron and
his sons, you will present them to Yahweh with the gesture of offering.'
The Sanctuary was not big enough to accommodate the entire assembly of Israel; therefore, any ceremony that the entire community was to witness had to take place at the entrance to the Sanctuary. The first part of the ceremony for the dedication of the adult male Levites began at the entrance and then moved to within the Sanctuary.
Moses was commanded to purify the Levites who were fit for service that had been numbered in the second census of the Levites.
Question: Purification is accomplished in what
three-fold ritual of cleansing?
Answer: Moses purified the Levites by: (1) sprinkling
them with purifying water after which (2) they shaved their entire bodies and (3)
washed/changed their clothes.
Question: What other ritual that required body and
clothes washing does this recall from Exodus? See Ex 19:10-11.
Answer: Before the Israelites experienced the
Theophany at Mt. Sinai they were required to make themselves and their clothes
ritually clean.
The ritual of cleansing is also similar in some aspects to the cleansing of a person cured of a contagious skin disease in Leviticus 14:8-9. Aaron and his sons also ritually bathed before their ordination ceremony. However, they did not wash their clothes; instead they changed into their priestly garments (Lev 8:4-9). There are at this time no designated liturgical garments to identify the Levitical ministers.
This part of the dedication ritual symbolically cleansed the Levites of all worldly contamination, including such impurities as contact with the dead. The water used in the purification rite did not come from the ritual Laver located in the courtyard of the Sanctuary. Only the priests were permitted to use the ritual Laver whose waters are called "holy water" (Ex 30:17-21). Jewish scholar Jacob Milgrom believes that the water used in the purification rite was fresh water mixed with the ashes of a red heifer that is designated in Numbers Chapter 19 in the ritual purification of a person contaminated by a corpse (JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers, page 61). However, scholars John Sailhamer and Timothy Ashley, and Jewish scholar Barak Levine believe the purification ritual used ordinary water as in the ritual cleansing agent as in the instructions in Exodus 29:4 and in the ceremony in Leviticus 8:6 for the priestly ordination. They do not believe the ritual purification using the ashes of the red heifer was in force at this time. In fact, the Hebrew words are different for the ritual water in Numbers 8 as opposed to the water with the ashes of the red heifer in Numbers 19. The "waters of purification" in Numbers 8:7 are designated mei hatta't, but the purifying waters in Numbers chapter 19 (verses 19:9, 21; 31:21) are called "waters of lustration", mei niddah in the instructions for the waters mixed with the ashes of the red heifer (The Interlinear Bible: Hebrew-English, pages 369, 403-04).
Moses' role in overseeing the purification of the Levites is similar to the purification of the children of Israel when the first arrived at Mt. Sinai. No scholar suggests that the sacrifice of a red heifer whose ashes were mixed with water was used in that ceremony. It more likely that the purification ritual for the Levites was carried out in the same way, perhaps using the only water that was available, the miraculous water that flowed from the rock at Mt. Sinai/Horeb (see Ex 17:5-6) St. Paul (and Jewish tradition) records that the "rock" followed them in their wilderness years (1 Cor 10:1-4), but once they reached the Promised Land the "waters of lustration" with the ashes of the red heifer became the necessary remedy for ritual purity. Josephus identifies the cleansing waters for the Levities purification as flowing waters from "the perpetual springs" (Antiquities of the Jews, 3.11.1 [258]), which could be a reference to the unending spring waters that flowed from "the rock". The purification ritual for the Levites in Numbers 8:7-8 is similar to the purification of those cured of contagious sink diseases: On the seventh day he will shave off all his hair-head, beard and eyebrows; he will shave off all his hair. After washing his clothing and his body he will be clean (Lev 14:9).
Moses performed this part of the ceremony as God's prophet and the peoples' covenant representative. That the Levites participating in the ceremony were to shave their entire bodies indicates that this ritual was only for the adult male Levites who were qualified for service according to the census.
Numbers 8:8 They will then take a young bull, with the accompanying cereal offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you will take a second young bull for a sacrifice for sin.
The Levites were to bring a young bull and a grain offering mixed with oil as a purification whole burnt offering of expiation (Lev 1:1-4) and the second bull as a sin sacrifice.
Question: An individual's whole burnt offering could
be an unblemished male animal from the flock or herd (Lev 1:1-17). An
individual's sin offering was normally a female goat or ewe (Lev 4:27-35). The
command to offer a young bull as a whole burnt offering and as a sin offering is
especially symbolic. What does it recall?
Answer: The Golden Calf idol and its destruction and
subsequent revolt that led to the elevation of the Levites to God's service.
The young bull to be offered as sin offering on behalf of the Levitical work force is a communal offering prescribed in Leviticus 4:13-21. This sacrifice is not totally consumed in the altar fire like the whole burnt offering. The fat and kidneys are burned and the blood is sprinkled against the altar in the blood ritual, but the officiating priest eats the sin sacrifice in a sacred meal (Lev 6:17/24-23/30).
Next Moses was commanded to bring the Levites to the entrance of the Sanctuary in the presence of the assembled congregation.
Question: What symbolic gesture were the Israelites
commanded to perform to show the acceptance of the Levites as their
representative in service to Yahweh in place of their first-born sons?
Answer: The Israelites were required to lay their
hands upon the Levites.
Those who laid hands upon the Levitical work force were probably the seventy elders who represented the community at the covenant ratification ceremony and the eating of the sacred meal in Exodus 24:1-2, 9-11.
In the Bible, the laying of hands upon a person or an animal denotes a transfer: (2)
Numbers 8:10-12 Once you have brought the Levites before Yahweh, the Israelites will lay their hands on them. 11 Aaron will then offer the Levites, making the gesture of offering before Yahweh on behalf of the Israelites, admitting them to Yahweh's service. 12 The Levites will then lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, one of which you will offer as a sacrifice for sin, and the other as a burnt offering to Yahweh, to perform the rite of expiation for the Levites. 13 Having brought the Levites before Aaron and his sons, you will present them to Yahweh with the gesture of offering.'
The Levites were substitutes for the first-born sons of all the Israelite families (Num 3:12-13) who had been intended to be the representative of their people. When the elders laid their hands upon the Levites, the Israelites were transferring to God their ownership of the Levites (verse 10). Verses 10-13 establishes the parallel between the Levites and the animals offered for sacrifice.
Question: What is the significance of the parallel?
See (Lev 1:4; 3:2, 8, 13; 4:4, 15, 24, 29, 33; 16:21).
Answer: The Israelites laid their hands upon the
Levites and the Levites will then lay their hands on the animals offered in
sacrifice. In this part of the ritual the Levites are designated as Israel's "sacrifice", just as the offerer of a sacrifice laid his hands upon the animal
that was being offered as a "ransom" (kopher) for his life, dying in his place
in the expiatory ritual of sacrifice. When the elders laid hands upon the
Levites, the community gave up the tribe of Levi to God as their
representatives in the Sanctuary, no longer to be counted among the twelve
tribes.
Question: Why are there two bull calves offered in
sacrifice? See Lev 1:2-4; 4:13-15; Num 8:12.
Answer: The first bull was an expiatory offering to
cleanse the Sanctuary (the purification offering) allowed the Levites to "draw
near" to God and the second bull was a Levitical whole burnt offering that was
their first act of worship as Yahweh's Levitical ministers who offered their
lives as a substitutionary sacrifice for their brother Israelites.
Numbers 8:11: Aaron will then offer the Levites, making the gesture of offering before Yahweh on behalf of the Israelites, admitting them to Yahweh's service [serve/abad at the service/aboda of Yahweh]. From verses 11-26 the words serve/service (abad/aboda) are used twelve times and the word keep/guard (samar) is found in verse 26.
Aaron, in his role as Israel's High Priest, was to make the symbolic gesture of the "wave offering." When the parts of an animal (those offered in a sin, reparation, or communion sacrifice) or a grain offering are offered to Yahweh in this way, the priest elevated the offering in an upward gesture, signifying giving the gift to God and then rotated the gift in a downward gesture, signifying that God has accepted the gift but will now share that gift with his priests (Ex 29:24-28).
Question: What does the "wave gesture" coupled with
the elders laying hands upon the Levites suggest?
Answer: In this case the gesture, coupled with the
laying on of hands by the community representatives, indicates that the Levites
are transferred from the community of Israel to become the possession of
Yahweh. They are given into God who in turn gives the Levites into the service
of His chief priests in the holy Sanctuary.
Scholar Timothy Ashley identifies the Levites as living sacrifices: Just as the sacrificial bulls paid the ransom price on behalf of the Levites, the Levites, by a different procedure, paid the ransom price for the rest of Israel (Ashley, Numbers, page 173).
The entire ceremony of the ordination of the high priest and the chief priests was conducted by Moses in Leviticus chapter 8.
Question: Since Moses performed the ordination rites
for the chief priests, why is it that he was not commanded continue to conduct
the ritual of dedication for the Levites when the ceremony moved into the
Sanctuary?
Answer: Now that the Aaron and his sons have been
consecrated to the priesthood, Moses no longer has the authority to officiate
over this part of the ordination ceremonies.(3)
Numbers 8:13 Having brought the Levites before Aaron and his sons, you will present them to Yahweh with the gesture of offering." The JPS Torah Commentary translates verse 13 as: "You shall place the Levites in attendance upon Aaron and his sons ..." (JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers, page 63). This verse completes the instructions to Moses concerning the dedication of the Levites.
A new section begins with in verses 14-19, in which Yahweh gives the historic rationale for the service of the Levites in the Sanctuary. These verses are linked to the previous section by the arrangement of a chiastic pattern in Numbers 8:12-19:
A. To make expiation for the Levites (Num 8:12)
B. To do the work of the Sanctuary (Num 8:15)
C. The Levites are given to God (Num 8:16a)
D. Dedicated in place of the first-born sons (Num 8:16b)
E. Recalling the events of the first Passover (Num 8:17)
D*. Dedicated in place of the first-born sons (Num 8:18)
C*. The Levites are given to Aaron (Num 8:19a)
B*. To do the work of the Sanctuary (Num 8:19b)
A*. To make expiation for Israel (Num 8:19c)
The chiastic pattern helps to reveal:
See Ashley, Numbers, page 171-72.
Numbers 8:14-19 Instruction of the Offering of the
Levite's Sacrifices
14 'That is how you
will set the Levites apart from the Israelites, for them to be mine. 15 The Levites will then begin their ministry in
the Tent of Meeting. 16 You will
purify them and offer them with the gesture of offering because, of the
Israelites, they have been dedicated to me in place of all those who first
emerge from the womb, instead of the first-born of the Israelites, I have taken
them for my own. 17 For all the
first-born of the Israelites, whether human or animal, do indeed belong to me:
the day I struck down all the first-born in Egypt, I consecrated them to
myself, 18 and now, in place of all
the first-born of the Israelites, I have taken the Levites. 19 Of the Israelites, I give the Levites to Aaron
and his sons, as dedicated men, to minister [abodat] in the Tent of Meeting on
behalf of the Israelites and perform the rite of expiation for them, so that no
disaster befalls the Israelites when the Israelites come close to the
sanctuary.'
Question: How is this passage the key to
understanding the Levities as a substitutionary sacrifice for their brother
Israelites?
Answer: This passage establishes the substitutionary
nature of the Levites' mission in serving God in the Sanctuary. Verse 19 is
the key verse. The Levites are a living sacrifice offered on behalf of their
people who will be protected from disaster in profaning the Sanctuary by
touching "holy things" or by trespassing and incurring God's wrath by the
ministry of the Levites. The Levites now risk their lives by guarding and
carrying the holy things on the march.
Jacob Milgrom describes the Levites as the "lightning rod to attract God's wrath upon themselves whenever an Israelite trespassed upon the sancta" (Studies in Levitical Termonology, I:31; also see pages 28-31). The Levites became the means by which the sin of trespassing the Sanctuary would only fall upon the guilty party and not the whole community (Ashley, Numbers, page 173). For more information on encroaching upon God's "holy things" see Ex 30:12; Num 25:9, 18; 31:16 and 1 Sam 4:17; 6:4.
Numbers 8:20-22 The Commands for the Dedication of the
Levites are fulfilled
Moses, Aaron and the whole community of Israelites dealt
with the Levites exactly as Yahweh had ordered Moses concerning them; this is
what the Israelites did with them. The Levites purified themselves and washed
their clothes, and Aaron presented them with the gesture of offering before
Yahweh. He then performed the rite of expiation for them to purify them. The
Levites were then allowed to perform their ministry in the Tent of Meeting in
the presence of Aaron and his sons. As Yahweh had ordered Moses concerning the
Levites, so it was done with them.
Once again we see the obedience formula that has been repeated in various ways since the narrative began: Moses, Aaron and the whole community of Israelites dealt with the Levites exactly as Yahweh had ordered Moses concerning them ... Unfortunately, the Israelites' perfect expressions of obedience will not last.
Numbers 8:23-26 Age Limits for Levitical Duties
Yahweh spoke to Moses and said: 'This concerns the
Levites. From the age of twenty-five onwards, the Levite will exercise his
ministry and do duty in the Tent of Meeting. After the age of fifty, he is no
longer bound to the ministry; he will have no further duties; but he will still
help his brothers to assure the services [serve and guard = abad and samar] in
the Tent of Meeting, though he himself will no longer have any ministry. That
is how you will act regards the ministry of the Levites. [..] = literal
translation (The Interlinear Bible: Hebrew-English, page 371).
Question: What are the Levites two kinds of
work/service?
Answer:
There is a problem in this passage compared to the age limits given a month later in Numbers 4:3 where the ages of service were from thirty to fifty. The problem was addressed in the Septuagint translation by harmonizing the ages to agree with those given in chapter 8. Ancient rabbinic texts explained the discrepancy by claiming there was a five year apprenticeship period for Levites where they learned the nature and danger of their duties before accepting full responsibility for guarding and caring for the Sanctuary. Another suggestion is that a change was made a month later in assigning the responsibilities for moving the Sanctuary when it was determined that the men who were twenty-five to twenty-nine were not sufficiently spiritually mature to take on the dangerous responsibilities of handling the various parts of the Sanctuary, and therefore the age limit was raised to thirty (Ashley, page 176). There will be another change in age recorded in 1 Chronicles when King David lowered the beginning age of service for the Levites from thirty (1 Chr 23:3) to age twenty (1 Chr 23:21, 27; also recorded in 2 Chr 31:17 and Ezra 3:8). At the time David lowered the age requirement for service to age twenty, it was no longer necessary to transport the Sanctuary since the Ark and the other sacred furniture had been permanently relocated to Jerusalem. (5)
Question for group discussion:
Compare and contrast the dedication ceremony and the duties
of the Levites in Numbers Chapters 3-4 and 8 with the ordination ceremony and
the duties of the chief priests in Leviticus Chapters 8-9.
Answer:
Endnotes:
1. Some commentators write that the Menorah (lamp-stand) was only lit at night, but Lev 24:1-4 clearly states that the lamps were to be kept burning continually: Yahweh spoke to Moses and said: 'Order the Israelites to bring you crushed-olive oil for the lamp-stand, and keep a flame burning there continually [tamid]. Aaron will keep it permanently [tamid] in trim from evening to morning, outside the curtain of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting before Yahweh. This is a perpetual [tamid] decree for your descendants: Aaron will keep the lamps permanently trimmed on the pure lamp-stand before Yahweh. The words "evening to morning" refers to the period of time when there was no on-going liturgical service in the Sanctuary where the lamps needed to be monitored, as they were by Eli the High Priest's adopted son, the young Samuel in 1 Sam 3:1-3, since Eli could not trust his sons to responsibly care for the Menorah (1 Sam 2:12). The interior of the Tabernacle was covered with three outer coverings and by a thick curtain at the entrance. Without the light from the Menorah, the inside of the Holy Place would have been completely dark, even in the daytime. Those commentators who believe the Menorah was only lit in the afternoon Tamid service point to the passage in 1 Sam 3:3 where Samuel was sleeping in the Holy Place where The lamp of God had not yet gone out... This does not mean that the lamps were allowed to go out; rather, Samuel's duty was to continually check the lamps during the night and to replenish the oil so that there was always light radiating from the Menorah lamps according to the command in Lev 24:1-4 that the oil for each lamp to be replenished so the lamp was continually burning within the Tabernacle.
2. For the laying-on-of-hands in the sacramental rites of the Church today see CCC 699, 1150, 1288, 1504, 1538, 1558, 1573.
3. When they enter the Sanctuary, Aaron becomes the officiant of the dedication ritual of the Levites. Milgrom notes: If Moses had been the officiant, as claimed by some scholars, then the text would read ve-'asita, "you shall offer." That Aaron was the officiant is expressly declared in verse 21b. The active verb 'aseh can imply a passive, a common phenomenon in cultic texts (JPS Torah Commentary: Numbers, page 63).
4. The historical narrative in Num 4:3 took place "first day of second month in the second year (Num 1:1), while the action in Chapter 8 took place "... on the day Moses finished erecting the Sanctuary (Num 7:1). In the book of Exodus, Moses was commanded: "On the first day of the first month, you will erect the Dwelling, the Tent of Meeting ... (Ex 40:2; repeated in 40:17).
5. David lowered the beginning age of service and divided both the priests and Levites into twenty-four courses or family clans to serve on a rotation basis. David established a musical liturgy for the Levites (1 Chr 23:28-31) and assigned other duties to include the preparation of sacrificial ingredients and guarding what would become the Temple complex.
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2010 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.
Catechism references:
|
Num 8:10, 12 |
CCC 699, 1150, 1288, 1504, 1538, 1558, 1573 |