The OT book of Numbers begins with a census of the tribes of Israel as they came out of Egypt. Moses and Aaron were told to number the men of each tribe aged twenty and up according to their military divisions. These were the men who would make up the armies of Israel when they entered Canaan to take possession of the land which God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob centuries before. Of course, none of those men would actually live to see the land of Canaan. Except for Joshua and Caleb, every man of fighting age would cursed to die in the wilderness, but that is not our concern at the moment.
The men of the tribe of Levi were deliberately left off from this census, as we read in v.47: “But the Levites were not registered with them by their ancestral tribe.” They were not counted with the other tribes because they were not responsible for military service. Instead of including them in the fighting force, God said, “Appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, all its furnishings, and everything in it. They are to transport the tabernacle and all its articles, take care of it, and camp around it” (v.50). When it was time to move camp the men of Levi were responsible to tear down the tent of meeting, carry it to the new location, and set it back up according to God’s instructions. This division of labor was meant to protect the entire nation, “so that no wrath will fall on the Israelite community” (v.53).
Do you wonder if the Levites ever became dissatisfied with their role? Did they ever wish for the glory of going to war and competing in battle against their enemies? This is a very natural way for us to think as human creatures. We want the acclaim of victory and do not want to be known as those who sit on the sidelines during the match or stay away from the front lines in war. But God’s plans and ways are not the same as ours, and he had given very specific instructions to the Levites about their duties.
Just a few chapters later, these duties are spelled out in more detail. The Lord told Moses and Aaron in Numbers 4 to take a census of the Levites and give assignments to their clans. Each of the three major branches of the tribe was given a specific set of duties at the Tabernacle. He began with the Kohathites: “The service of the Kohathites at the tent of meeting concerns the most holy objects” (v.4). The most holy objects included the ark of the covenant (v.5-6), the table of the bread of the Presence (v.7-8), the lampstand (v.9-10), the gold altar of incense (v.11-12), and the great bronze sacrificial altar (v.13-14).
Each of these had a covering designed to fit, and the Kohathites were to wrap the piece along with its special utensils and articles. After covering each of these furnishings, the men were to carry them without touching them. If they touched these most holy objects, they would die (v.15). All of this was to be overseen by the priests, who were direct descendants of Aaron and his sons (v.19). Their duty was so important, that the Lord warned Moses not to allow the Kohathites to be wiped out as a clan among the tribe of Levi. This is why they were not counted as part of the fighting force, so that they would live to perform this very important duty of caring for and transporting the most holy objects from inside the tabernacle.
After the Kohathites received their orders, the Lord spoke to Moses about the 2nd major clan within the tribe of Levi, the Gershonites. “They are to transport the tabernacle curtains,” God said, “the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering made of fine leather on top of it” (v.25). While the Kohathites carried the furnishings from inside the holy place, the inner sanctuary which was off-limits to anyone but the priests of Israel, the Gershonites were given responsibility over the tabernacle itself. They were to carry the curtains, covering, door, ropes, and everything relating to the outer courtyard. These duties were also overseen by one of Aaron’s sons. This duty was important but not so vital as the most holy objects. For example, there was no threat of death for touching the objects the Gershonites carried as the Kohathites had been given.
Finally, the Lord gave instructions for the Merarites, that they were to carry the structural elements of the tabernacle. “This is what they are responsible to carry as the whole of their service at the tent of meeting: the supports for the tabernacle, with its crossbars, pillars, and bases, the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes, including all their equipment and all the work related to them” (v.31-32). Like the Gershonites there was no warning against looking at or touching the things they carried.
We want the acclaim of victory and do not want to be known as those who sit on the sidelines during the match or stay away from the front lines in war.
What strikes me upon reading all of these instructions for the Levites, though, is the necessity of these duties. Were they glamorous? Not exactly. Would songs be written about them like Debra sang about Jael’s heroism and the defeat of Sisera or the young maidens sang about David’s courageous stand against Goliath? Not likely. Yet these were the men who are described in Numbers 4:47 as being “qualified to do the work of serving at the tent of meeting and transporting it.” Their ministry, though somewhat lackluster, was vital to the Israelite community’s ability to obey and worship Yahweh in the wilderness and on into the land of Canaan.
But another thing that stands out to me is that even among the Levites there was a division of labor. I can imagine a man in the family of the Gershonites or the Merarites looking with envy at his Kohathite cousin carrying the ark or the golden altar of incense and wishing that he could carry something more significant than a curtain or a pole. There’s no danger in being struck dead, if all you do is carry the ropes that surrounded the tabernacle courtyard or the screen for its entrance. And if there’s no danger, then there doesn’t seem to be that much value in the job.
This isn’t just some testosterone-fueled fantasy of cheating death or winning victory on the field of battle. Each of us has a tendency to compare our calling and vocation with others and to make judgments based on the how important our work seems to be. This also happens within the church. In Corinth, for example, believers were seeking gifts which gave them the appearance of greater importance within the congregation. Yet Paul rebuked them and said, “there are different gifts, but the same Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:4), and that “God has arranged each one of the parts of the body just as he wanted” (v.18). It is absurd for the foot to become jealous of the hand, or the ear to envy the eye, so it is foolish for one member of Christ’s body to become jealous of the service to which another part has been called.
There are many other places in the Scriptures where we are taught to be content with the position God has chosen for us. The Israelites were not to resent the fact that the Levites did not go to war any more than the Levites were to envy the glory which came to the victors in battle. And the families of Levi were not to compare their respective duties among themselves according to their own reasoning. Each was to carry the part he had been assigned, be thankful for the chance to serve the Lord and his Israelite brothers, and trust that his service was truly pleasing to God. In the same way we must learn to do the duty to which we have been called and not think too highly of ourselves or judge any service for Christ beneath us. Let us carry the tent pole, courtyard tapestry, or golden lampstand with joy, grateful that our Lord has called us to be servants in his house.