Numbers 8

The opening portion of Numbers describes Israel's preparations in the wilderness of Sinai for setting out on its march, and this chapter belongs to that section. In the preceding chapter, Numbers 7, the tribal leaders presented their offerings for the dedication of the altar; this chapter continues with instructions for lighting the lampstand and the rite for dedicating the Levites.

Outline

• Verses 1–4: The LORD commands Aaron to light the seven lamps so that they give light over against the candlestick, and Aaron does so. The candlestick was made of beaten gold, from its base to its flowers, according to the pattern Moses had been shown.
• Verses 5–13: The procedure for cleansing the Levites is established. Water of purifying is sprinkled on them, they shave all their flesh with a razor, and they wash their clothes. Two young bullocks are prepared for a burnt offering and a sin offering, together with a meat offering. After the whole congregation lays hands on the Levites, Aaron presents them to the LORD as a wave offering (an offering ritually waved before the LORD).
• Verses 14–19: The Levites belong to the LORD in place of all the firstborn of Israel, because God set them apart on the day He smote the firstborn in Egypt. The Levites are given as a gift to Aaron and his sons to serve at the tabernacle of the congregation.
• Verses 20–22: Moses, Aaron, and the whole congregation do as commanded, and afterward the Levites go in to serve at the tabernacle of the congregation.
• Verses 23–26: The Levites serve at the tabernacle of the congregation from the age of twenty-five; at fifty they cease from the work but continue to assist their brethren in keeping the charge.

Key Verses

• Numbers 8:4: The candlestick was made "according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses." This reflects the idea that the furnishings of the tabernacle were made according to a pattern God had revealed.
• Numbers 8:18: "And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel." This verse shows that the Levitical office is grounded in substitution and separation.
• Numbers 8:19: The Levites were given "as a gift" to Aaron, so that there would be no plague among the people when they came near to the sanctuary.

People and Places

• Moses: receives and relays the LORD's commands.
• Aaron: lights the lamps and presents the Levites as a wave offering.
• Levites: cleansed in this chapter and set apart for service at the tabernacle of the congregation.
• Aaron's sons: the priests, before whom the Levites serve.
• Tabernacle of the congregation: another name for the tabernacle, where the Levites serve.
• Egypt: mentioned as the place where the firstborn were slain (see the ten plagues).

Points for Reflection

• Age of service: Numbers 4 gives the age of Levitical service as thirty to fifty, while 1 Chronicles 23 gives it as twenty. The text does not explain these differences. Rabbinic literature preserves an interpretation that Levites spent five years learning the work beginning at age twenty-five. Another interpretation holds that chapter 4 is a regulation limited to the work of transporting the tabernacle.
• Redemption of the firstborn: The teaching that the Levites take the place of the firstborn connects with Exodus 13 and Numbers 3.
• Laying on of hands: Many interpreters view the congregation's laying on of hands on the Levites as a sign that the Levites stand in for the whole people. Traditions differ on how far this should be connected with the laying on of hands in Acts 6 or with the installation of church officers today. Many Protestant denominations do not map the Levites' ritual duties directly onto church offices, reading them instead in light of the priesthood of all believers.
• Connections with the New Testament: The idea that the tabernacle was made according to a revealed pattern also appears in Hebrews 8. The seven lamps are sometimes read alongside the seven golden candlesticks of Revelation 1.