Numbers 8

CHAPTER 8THEME: The light of the lampstand; Levites cleansedThis chapter surprises us by beginning with instructions for lighting the lampstand in the Holy Place. At first it seems that the lampstand is out of placethat it belongs back in Exodus where instructions were given for the tabernacle. But as we look at it more closely, we see that God has a good reason for mentioning it here. Chapter 8 continues the section regarding the cleansing operation in preparation for the wilderness march. Those who were going to follow God and serve Him had to be clean.

Numbers 8:1

THE LIGHT OF THE LAMPSTANDThis beautiful lampstand was one of the articles of furniture in the tabernacle. It was made of beaten gold, the work of an artisan who had shaped it into the form of branches of almonds with a great almond blossom at the top of each branch to hold the lamps. The lights on the top revealed the beauty of the lampstand. This is the most perfect picture of Christ that we find in the tabernacle. The lighted lamps represent the Holy Spirit who reveals the beauty of Christ. The lampstand is symbolic of Christ who sent the Holy Spirit into the world. The Spirit of God takes the things of Christ and shows them to us. Now we understand why the lampstand is mentioned here between the gifts of the princes and the cleansing of the Levites. It reminds us that everything must be done in the light of the presence of Christ. What does that mean to you and me? It means that our gifts to Him and our service for Him must be done in the light of His presence. In other words, it must be done according to His Word. This is where the church is to get its instructionsnot from a book of church order or some other placebut from the Word of God. The lampstand is the light, and the Lord Jesus Christ calls Himself the Light of the world. He is revealed in the Word of God.

Numbers 8:5

LEVITES CLEANSEDThe remainder of the chapter deals with the cleansing of the Levites. They had to come to the laver for cleansing although they had already been to the brazen altar, which speaks of the Cross of Christ. Now we find that God will keep His servants clean. Friend, if God is going to use you, He’ll have to clean you. He will have His own way of doing it. Now notice how the Levites were cleansed.

Numbers 8:7

First, they must be sprinkled with the water of purifying. This was done at the laver. Secondly, they were to shave all their flesh. Thirdly, they were to wash their clothes to make themselves clean. Fourthly, they were to offer a sin offering and a burnt offering. Do you remember what God has said about Levi? Levi was one of the sons of Jacob, and when Jacob blessed him, this is what he said: “Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel” (Gen_49:5-7). Obviously they needed to be cleansed. The important thing for the child of God today is not how you walk, but where you walk. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1Jn_1:7). You see, the light and the laver are placed together here. When you walk in the light, you see that there is imperfection in your life. Then you go to the laver to remove it, which symbolizes the confession of your sins. Notice that there are four steps that are given here for cleansing.

1. “Sprinkle water of purifying upon them.” You remember that when Christ washed the disciples’ feet, Simon Peter objected. The Lord Jesus told him, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me” (Joh_13:8). That means, you will not have fellowship with Me, you will have no part with Me. John explains this in his Epistle. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.” Yes, but when I walk in the light, I see things that are wrong in my life. What am I to do then? “And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” It keeps on cleansing us from all sin as we confess our sins to Him. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1Jn_1:7 and 1Jn_1:9). This is most important, friends.

This is for believers. If you are to serve God, you must confess your sins. The brazen altar is the place where the sinner comes to God for salvation; the laver is the place the believer, the saint of God, comes to be cleansed. 2. “Let them shave all their flesh.” The word of God is alive, and “powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb_4:12). The Word of God can dig down into your life and find things wrong there that you didn’t know were wrong. You don’t need that sharp razor, you see. You don’t think there is a spot on you? Then get out the razor and start using the Word of God. It’s a light and it’s also a sharp razor. 3. “Let them wash their clothes.” A garment speaks of the habits of life. We even call them a riding habit or a walking habit to identify the use of the garment. We need to wash our garmentswe have certain habits that we need to get rid of because they are hurting our testimony for the Lord. 4. “Take for a sin offering.” There was to be a bullock for a burnt offering and a meal offering and another young bullock for a sin offering. These offerings, as we have already seen, speak of Christ. The burnt offering speaks of who He is. The meal offering speaks of His sinless perfection. The peace offering speaks of the fact that He made peace by the blood of His Cross. The sin offering speaks of what He has done for us. In other words, all of this cleansing, all of this that is done, is done in the light of the person and work of Christ. He did all of this for us. He did it in order that we might serve Him.

Numbers 8:9

Now, let us understand this very clearly. You can sing a solo, you can preach a sermon, you can teach a Sunday school class, you can be an officer in the church, but you are not effective until you walk in the light of the Word of God, until you have been to Him for cleansing. You must see yourself in the light of the Word of God. You know you come short, you confess your sins to Him, and you know He forgives you and cleanses you. You use that sharp razor that takes off that which offends. You need to watch your habits if you are to be used of God. Many a man has let a bad habit ruin his testimony. And the cleansing must all rest upon the person and work of Christ. We see that all this was done so that the Levites might serve the Lord.

Numbers 8:14

Remember that we have mentioned before how our Lord, in His high priestly prayer, says of the believers, “…thine they were, and thou gavest them me …” (Joh_17:6). The Lord Jesus Christ paid a price and redeemed us back to God by His own blood. Now the Father has given us a gift back to the Lord Jesus Christ. We belong to Him. Now service to Him does not rest upon rules and regulations and law. That is not the way to serve the Lord Jesus. We serve Him because we love Him. We are in a new relationship to Him. We have been joined to Him; we are a part of Him. What a thrill it is to know it is not a matter of following little rules and regulations. Instead it is a matter of wanting to please Him. How wonderful this is.

Numbers 8:19

Remember that we have mentioned before how our Lord, in His high priestly prayer, says of the believers, “…thine they were, and thou gavest them me …” (Joh_17:6). The Lord Jesus Christ paid a price and redeemed us back to God by His own blood. Now the Father has given us a gift back to the Lord Jesus Christ. We belong to Him. Now service to Him does not rest upon rules and regulations and law. That is not the way to serve the Lord Jesus. We serve Him because we love Him. We are in a new relationship to Him. We have been joined to Him; we are a part of Him. What a thrill it is to know it is not a matter of following little rules and regulations. Instead it is a matter of wanting to please Him. How wonderful this is.

Numbers 8:24

The Levites were permitted to serve in the tabernacle at the age of twenty-five years. Back in the fourth chapter we learned that they could not enter into priestly service until the age of thirty years. The priests served from age thirty to fifty. The Levites who served around in the tabernacle, putting it up, taking it downjust any kind of servicewere from age twenty-five to fifty years. Back in Num_1:3 we saw that the census of those able to go to war included the ones who were twenty years old and upward. This raises the question of the age of accountability. When we come to Num_14:29 we read, “Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me.” Apparently in this instance, twenty years was the age of accountability. The boy who was nineteen years old would be permitted to enter the land. The twenty-year-old boy who had murmured would die in the wilderness. I would like to suggest that the age of accountability may be older than we tend to think it is. We think maybe a little child is responsible. I don’t think so. A little child can accept the Lord. In fact there are many on record as young as four years old who have received Christ. But the age of accountability must be somewhat later than that, and I’m of the opinion it will be different for different people.

We see here that God made it different for the different forms of service. A man could be a soldier at twenty years; a Levite could work in the tabernacle at twenty-five years; a priest began his priestly service at thirty years. The important thing is that we should instruct boys and girls and encourage them to come to the Lord as soon as possible. It is so important for our children to trust in the Lord Jesus.