Numbers 7: Offerings of the Leaders
Numbers 8: The Seven Lamps / Consecration and Service of the Levites
Numbers 7
Offerings of the Leaders: Numbers 7
This section sets us back one month to the date that Moses completes setting up the tabernacle and anointing and consecrating it. If the bible were to be strictly chronological, the story would be a bit strange, because it involves information that chronologically was given after the erection of the tabernacle. This is because for the ancient author and reader, chronology was not as important as the message. True, if we were to arrange events chronologically, census would have occurred after the establishment of the tabernacle, as Moses receives the message for the census within the tabernacle. So why then does Moses complete the tabernacle in a later chapter, though at an earlier date? The answer is that some of the information necessary for this chapter appears in a previous chapter.
Understanding generally occurs after the fact. A tree falls and destroys a house. Once the tree falls, its roots are exposed, and perhaps we see that they have decayed. The bible lets us see the decay of the roots before the tree falls. Perhaps we do not anticipate the tree falling, but the fact is established so that we understand the process of the tree falling, rather than learning after the fact why the tree fell. That's some deep stuff. Roots, that is.
Onto the story. The leaders of Israel come with offerings of six covered wagons and twelve oxen. These are distributed among the Gershonites and Merarites, both Levitical tribes under the service of Ithamar son of Aaron.
The Kohathites receive nothing, because the tabernacle objects they are to carry must be carried by hand.
[Those things highlighted in red above indicate a piece of information that occurred earlier in the text, though chronologically would have been introduced later.]
Then, on twelve consecutive days, each of the twelve tribal leaders presents an offering before the altar. Every offering is the same, and it goes something like this:
Numbers 7
Offerings of the Leaders: Numbers 7
This section sets us back one month to the date that Moses completes setting up the tabernacle and anointing and consecrating it. If the bible were to be strictly chronological, the story would be a bit strange, because it involves information that chronologically was given after the erection of the tabernacle. This is because for the ancient author and reader, chronology was not as important as the message. True, if we were to arrange events chronologically, census would have occurred after the establishment of the tabernacle, as Moses receives the message for the census within the tabernacle. So why then does Moses complete the tabernacle in a later chapter, though at an earlier date? The answer is that some of the information necessary for this chapter appears in a previous chapter.
Understanding generally occurs after the fact. A tree falls and destroys a house. Once the tree falls, its roots are exposed, and perhaps we see that they have decayed. The bible lets us see the decay of the roots before the tree falls. Perhaps we do not anticipate the tree falling, but the fact is established so that we understand the process of the tree falling, rather than learning after the fact why the tree fell. That's some deep stuff. Roots, that is.
Onto the story. The leaders of Israel come with offerings of six covered wagons and twelve oxen. These are distributed among the Gershonites and Merarites, both Levitical tribes under the service of Ithamar son of Aaron.
The Kohathites receive nothing, because the tabernacle objects they are to carry must be carried by hand.
[Those things highlighted in red above indicate a piece of information that occurred earlier in the text, though chronologically would have been introduced later.]
Then, on twelve consecutive days, each of the twelve tribal leaders presents an offering before the altar. Every offering is the same, and it goes something like this:
[Introduction of the day, then] ____ son of ____, of the tribe of ____; his offering was one silver plate weighing one hundred thirty shekels, one silver basin weighing seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of choice flour mixed with oil for a grain offering; one golden dish weighing ten shekels, full of incense; one young bull, one ram, one male lamb a year old, for a burnt offering; one male goat for a sin offering; and for the sacrifice of well-being, two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs a year old. This was the offering of ____ son of ____.The tribal leaders are listed in the following order:
- Nahshon son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah
- Nethanel son of Zuar, the leader of Issachar
- Eliab son of Helon, the leader of the Zebulunites
- Elizur son of Shedeur, the leader of the Reubenites
- Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, the leader of the Simeonites
- From the sons of Joseph:
- Eliasaph son of Deuel, the leader of the Gadites
- Elishama son of Ammihud, the leader of the Ephraimites
- Gamaliel son of Pedahzur, the leader of the Manassites
- Abidan son of Gideoni, the leader of the Benjaminites
- Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai, the leader of the Danites
- Pagiel son of Ochran, the leader of the Asherites
- Ahira son of Enan, the leader of the Naphtalites
And then a non sequitur. It does not connect to the next passage, and only concerns the previous in that the tent of meeting features into it:
When Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he would hear the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the covenant from between the two cherubim; thus it spoke to him.Numbers 8
(Num. 7.89)
The Seven Lamps: Numbers 8.1-4
There is a brief account of God's command to Aaron through Moses that the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand. A description of the lampstand is given.
Consecration and Service of the Levites: Numbers 8.5-26
Holiness, as mentioned yesterday, means separation. As a people the Levites are separated from the rest of Israel, and their ritual of separation makes them, well, holy.
The Levites are to be sprinkled with the water of purification. They then must shave their entire body and wash their clothes to cleanse themselves (remove hair so as to set apart; remove dirt so as to purify). They should offer a young bull as a sin offering (to remove sin) and offer a grain offering. They shall be brought before the tent of meeting, before the entire congregation of Israelites. This literally places them between God and the congregation, which symbolizes their position within Israel. They do not quite act as intermediaries as the priests do, but they are permitted to handle the holy items that comprise the sanctuary. Says the Lord:
Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the other Israelites, and the Levites shall be mine....For they are unreservedly given to me from among the Israelites; I have taken them for myself, in place of all that open the womb, the firstborn of all the Israelites. For all the firstborn among the Israelites are mine, both human and animal. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself, but I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the Israelites. Moreover, I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to do the service for the Israelites at the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the Israelites, in order that there may be no plague among the Israelites for coming too close to the sanctuary.The Levites are purified and go into the tabernacle to do service. Afterwards the Lord commands that Levites shall be of the proper age to serve from 25 to 50. This increases the number of Levites who may serve; the bottom cut off was before established at 30 in the second census.
(Num.8.13; 16-19)
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