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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Num. 1-2
The original tent of meeting was a small tent that Moses pitched outside the Israelite’s camp. God spoke with Moses face to face there. Also, though we don’t know if God spoke with him, Joshua stayed inside the tent where God’s presence came. Now, with the completion of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting moved to the center of the camp. God then used the Levites as a buffer to protect the rest of the camp from His presence. This is the first sign I see of Jesus’ presence bringing us closer to God. Or, more precisely, bringing God closer to us.
Eventually, Jesus breaks down the remaining barriers, giving us all direct access to God’s presence. Thus, for all who come to Christ, God speaks with us just as He did with Moses in that original tent of meeting. “The Lord would speak with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend” (Ex. 33:11a).
Another thing I notice is that God did not set the Israelites around the tabernacle until He counted them. One month after the tabernacle was initially set up, God ordered Moses to take a census of the entire community. The reason that seems important to me is because of what God said back in Exodus 30:12. “When you take a census of the Israelites to register them, each of the men must pay a ransom for his life to the Lord as they are registered.” That means that God’s presence did not move to the center of the camp until that ransom was paid. Again, that speaks of Jesus’ work on our behalf.
Num. 3
God claimed the entire Levite clan as His own. And He gave them the very sacred responsibility – and privilege – of tending to His tabernacle. Each clan among the Levites had their own specific set of tasks related to the care and movement of the tabernacle. Instead of Levites, we now have every person who confesses Jesus as Lord and acknowledges Him as the atonement for their sin. These are the ones God claims as His own. And instead of a tent and its artifacts, we tend to and carry the very mission of Jesus on our journey through this world. As with the Levites we each play a different part in our common task. That is our unity in Christ.