"The LEVITES"

      Numbers 3:3-37

After the children of Israel had left Egypt and

crossed the Red Sea God called Moses up to

Mount Sinai to receive the ten commandments

and the pattern of the Tabernacle from God. 

While Moses was away, a critical problem of

idolarty came among the children of Israel, who remained down on the Plain, The tribe of Levi

showed itself to be definitely on the Lord's side at

the time (Exodus 32:25-28).

Levi was the tribe to which both Moses and Aaron belonged.  As a result of their taking sides with the Lord, the tribe of Levi (the Levites) was selected to take care of  the Tabernacle of the Testimony

(Exodus 38:21).

As a whole, the Levites became responsible for "the sevice of the work of the Tent of Meeting",  the Tabernacle (Numbers 4:3).  The hebrew word translated service also means warfare.  Therefore their service in the Tabernacle was a figure of spiritual warfare; as at the golden calf incident ( Exodus 32), the Levites were on the lord's side.  Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

The Levites' work was partitioned according to their families: The family of Gershon were responsible for carrying and setting up the curtains of the Outer Court,the Coverings of the Tabernacle, the curtain Door to the Sanctuary, the curtain Door to the Outer Court, together with all the ropes and fixings required for securing these curtains (Numbers 3:25-26) the family of Kohath were responsible for carrying and placing the Ark of the Covenant, the Veil, the golden Incense Altar, the Lamp Stand, the Showbread Table,  the Laver and the Burnt Offering Altar, together with all the utensils these required (Numbers 3:31).

The children of Israel knew when it was time to move on in their journey through the wilderness, because the pillar of cloud (by day) or fire (by night) would move as a signal leading them. The Levites would dismantle the Tabernacle, carry it to the destination (determined by the pillar of cloud/fire) and then reassemble it at the new location.

When the Tabernacle was reared up at a new location, God commanded that the tribes settled around it in a specific order Numbers 2:1-34): on the East side: Judah, Issachar and Zebulum on the South side: Reuben, Simeon and Gad on the West side: Ephraim and Manasseh (the sons of Joseph) and Benjamin on the North side: Dan, Asher and Naphtali.  The Levites were to encamp all the way around the Tabernacle (Numbers 1:53).

Author Martyn Barrow