Becoming a Nation

Read Numbers 3:1-13, 8:16-18, 8:5-15,19; 8:23-26; 8:20-22; Numbers 7-8:4
 
Numbers 8:16 “Of all the people of Israel, the Levites are reserved for me. I have claimed them for myself in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites; I have taken the Levites as their substitutes…18 Yes, I have claimed the Levites in place of all the firstborn sons of Israel. 19 And of all the Israelites, I have assigned the Levites to Aaron and his sons. They will serve in the Tabernacle on behalf of the Israelites and make sacrifices to purify the people so no plague will strike them when they approach the sanctuary.”
 
THE Levites are to be the firstborn of Israel. What does this mean? And why does it matter?
   “Firstborn” simply means the one born first in a household or first born to an animal.  To understand the Levites as firstborn, we return to remember the Passover, the 10th and final plague in Egypt. Recall that God’s avenging angel killed Egypt’s firstborn children and animals. But he spared the firstborn of each household among the faithful Israelites, who marked their doorposts with a lamb’s blood.  
   The LORD God, who saved Israel’s firstborn, then claimed the firstborn of each household as his own. He then could command each household in the camp to send their firstborn to serve the Tabernacle. Instead, God designated the entire tribe of the Levites to be a substitute for Israel’s firstborn to care for God’s holy dwelling. Thus, the Levites become God’s firstborn in Israel. And the firstborn children of the other tribes are released from Tabernacle care.  
   Why does it matter? God is very passionate that his people remember the Passover. The Passover displayed God’s power, majesty and holiness. It pointed to the LORD’s salvation plan to redeem Israel from Egypt. This firstborn substitution also pointed to the day when the Father’s own firstborn Son, Jesus, would be our substitute on a cross to redeem us from sin’s death. The Levites’ substitution role in the Tabernacle served, then, to remind Israel of God’s grace to redeem them from slavery. The substitution teaches the Christian today that God planned for our salvation from eternity past. He is a Planner who promised his plan in Eden. The plan becomes more visible through his people in the desert journey.
   Read the other scripture passages for today, and learn how the Israel began to worship the LORD. Numbers 7 signifies how Israel’s 12 diverse tribes are beginning to become one nation under God to worship their God only.   
 
Exodus 4:22 “Then you will tell Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son. 23 I commanded you, Let my son go, so he can worship me. But since you have refused, I will now kill your firstborn son!’”