Bereans Corner
Bereans Corner
Thru the Bible - #122 - Numbers 8 - The Seven Lamps
Welcome to Berean's Corner, the podcast where we go through books of the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse, wherever you are in the world. Thank you for joining. Grab a glass of water, a cup of coffee or tea and let's to Numbers, chapter 8. The title of today's lesson is the Seven Lamps. We will also talk about the cleansing of the Levites and we also talk about retirement in this chapter. But, as always, we will bring the reader out. First we will read the chapter and then we will get into the lesson. Numbers chapter eight, and let's read.
Speaker 2:Numbers eight. The Lord said to Moses speak to Aaron and say to him when you set up the seven laps, they are to light the area in front of the lampstand. Aaron did so. He set up the lamps so that they faced forward on the lampstand, just as the Lord commanded Moses. This is how the lampstand was made. It was made of hammered gold from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the Lord had shown Moses. The Lord said to Moses Take the Levites from among the other Israelites and make them ceremonially clean, to purify them.
Speaker 2:Do this. Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them. Then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes and so purify themselves. Have them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil. Then you are to take a second young bull for a sin offering. Bring the Levites to the front of the tent of meeting and assemble the whole Israelite community. You are to bring the Levites before the Lord and the Israelites are to lay their hands on them. Aaron is to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the Israelites so that they may be ready to do the work of the Lord After the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, use the one for a sin offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord and the other for a burnt offering to make atonement for the Levites. Have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons and then present them as a wave offering to the Lord. In this way, you are to set the Levites apart from the other Israelites and the Levites will be mine.
Speaker 2:After you have purified the Levites and presented them as a wave offering, they are to come to do their work at the tent of meeting. They are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to me. I have taken them as my own in place of the firstborn, the first male offspring from every Israelite woman. Every firstborn male in Israel, whether man or animal, is mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set them apart for myself and I have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons in Israel, of all the Israelites. I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites. I have given the Levites as gifts to Aaron and his sons to do the work at the tent of meeting on behalf of the Israelites and to make atonement for them so that no plague will strike the Israelites when they go near the sanctuary.
Speaker 2:Moses, aaron and the whole Israelite community did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes. Then Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them. After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting under the supervision of Aaron and his sons. They did with the Levites just as the Lord commanded Moses. The Lord said to Moses this applies to the Levites Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting, but at the age of fifty they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the tent of meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites.
Speaker 1:All right Now. The last time we were together we looked at the offerings of the leaders in Numbers, chapter 7. Today we are looking at the lampstands. The beautiful thing about chapter 7 is we got to see all of those, all the sacrifices the people made, that the leaders made, everything that they brought in for the tabernacle, and today we are going to focus on the lampstands. Now we will break this chapter down into five parts. Part one we see who the lord is speaking. To notice verse one then the lord spoke to moses. I like to always point out who the lord is speaking to so we can know the people that were here at this time and who exactly the lord was speaking to. Verse one says then the lord spoke to moses. Moses was the lord's chosen vessel at that time. Let's move on to part two.
Speaker 1:The lampstand. Instruction and the location and function are given by god. We notice this in verses two to three. Speak to aaron and say to him when you bought the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in the front of the lampstand. Aaron therefore did so. He bought it its lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the Lord had commanded. Moses, as we always talk about and we always speak on. Things had to be done exactly as the Lord said, exactly as he saw fit for them to happen. There is no, just go out there and do your own thing, but you had to do it. Thus saith the Lord. Now we also see this instruction was given back in Exodus. So keep your finger right here in numbers 8 and then go left in your Bible to Exodus 25, and we can see where this instruction was given before Exodus 25. Notice verse 37. Then you shall make its lamps seven in number, and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it. Turn to chapter 27, since you're in exodus, chapter 27, and uh, verse 21. In the tent of meeting outside the veil, which is before the testimony, and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the lord. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout their generations, for the sons of israel. So that's just some examples of this instruction being given before back to numbers eight.
Speaker 1:Part three the design of the lampstand. Notice verse 4. Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand hammered work of gold, from his base to his flowers. It was hammered work according to the pattern which the lord had showed moses, so he made the lampstand once again. This thing had to be done exactly as the lord saw fit.
Speaker 1:Part four cleansing of the levite, of the levites. We see this in verses, excuse me, we see this in verses 5 through 22 cleansing the levites. Again the lord spoke to moses saying take the levites from among the sons of israel and cleanse them. Remember 12 tribes, and this is one of the tribes, and thus you shall do to them for their cleansing. Sprinkle purifying water on them and let them use a razor over their whole body and wash their clothes, and they shall be clean. So they had to shave their whole body and moses was to sprinkle water over them. Verse Then let them take a bull with its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil, and a second bull you shall take for a sin offering. So you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting. You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel and present the Levites before the Lord, and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites. Aaron, then, shall present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the sons of Israel that they may qualify to perform the service of the Lord. Now the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, then offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord.
Speaker 1:To make atonement for the Levites, I'm going gonna freeze right there for a minute. Sacrifices had to be made. This is just how things had to be made clean back in that time. Don't you think, the good Lord, that we are in a time of grace right now? Back to verse 13. You shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and before his son's soul as to present them as a way offering to the Lord. Thus you shall separate the levites from among the sons of israel and the levites shall be mine. Then, after the levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting, but you shall cleanse them and present them as a way of offering, for they are wholly given to me from among the sons of israel.
Speaker 1:I have taken them for myself instead of every first issue of the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. So the Lord took the Levites, he made them his verse 17, for every firstborn among the sons of Israel is mine, among the men and among the animals. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. I sanctified them for myself. So the Lord is down all the firstborn in the land of egypt. I sanctified them for myself. So the lord is saying that the first is his. Not only the first of men and women, but the also the first of animals verse 18.
Speaker 1:But I have taken the levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of israel and, excuse me and I have given the levites as a a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting that's what he gave them the Levites for and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel that there may be no plague among the sons of Israel by their coming near to the sanctuary, the sanctuary. Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel to the Levites. According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them. The Levites too purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes, and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them. Then, after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons, just as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them. Once again, we see that all of this was done, just as the Lord commanded. The Levites were to be servants, if you will, to Aaron and his sons and they were to work in the tabernacle.
Speaker 1:That brings us to part five, retirement of the Levites. We see this in verses 23 through 26. Now the Lord spoke to Moses saying this is what applies to the Levites from 25 years old and upward, they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting, but at the age of 50 years they shall retire from service in the work and not work anymore. So this was a 25 year, a 25 year job, if you will, 25 years of service. Now, most of us, we work on a job anywhere from 30, 35 to 40 years and then we retire.
Speaker 1:But the Levites were called to come into service when they were 25 and they were to retire at 50 years old. Verse 26 says they may, however, assist their brothers in the tent of meeting to keep an obligation, but they themselves shall do no work. Thus you shall deal with the Levites concerning their obligation. So the beautiful thing about it is is that the Levites didn't have to necessarily, when they turned 50 years old, be gone completely. The Lord said they can assist. So whatever they needed to assist with they could do, but he said they cannot do any work. So in other words, this would pass on to the other Levites excuse me who were between 25 and 50. And they would do all of the work that we have covered in the scripture so far and the things that are coming up.
Speaker 1:But the retired Levites can only assist. So I'll give you an example. Maybe that means that when they were in service, they were the ones who stood guard for their shift and you know, so the lamps did not go out. Know, for example, they had to keep oil in there and the lamps had to burn continuously. But now that they're retired they don't have to wash the lamps continuously. Maybe they will do something for an example. Maybe they will bring the oil so the levite who was there watching it doesn't have to leave his post and a retired levite can maybe bring him excuse me, or you to put in it, or maybe he could bring him something to to eat or maybe something to drink to assist him so he doesn't have to leave his post. You know they basically had to assist, which would be a nice thing to do in retirement. You know, some of us have jobs that we're in and when we retire it would be nice to be able to work part-time in that job and assist, assist the younger people coming up, but not necessarily have the responsibility that we had when we once worked.
Speaker 1:All right, that brings us to the end of Numbers, chapter eight. I hope that you got something out of the lesson. I hope that you enjoyed this lesson. Remember, go ahead and share this message with your family and friends, all of these messages, this podcast. Tell them. There's a brother out there who goes through books of the Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, so we can get every drop of the word of God.
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