1Und der Ewige redete zu Mosche und sprach: 2«Rede zu Aharon und sprich zu ihm: Wenn du die Lampen aufsteckst, so sollen die sieben Lampen nach der Vorderseite des Leuchters hin leuchten.» 3Und Aharon tat so; nach der Vorderseite des Leuchters hin steckte er dessen Lampen auf, wie der Ewige Mosche geboten. 4Dies aber war die Herstellungsart des Leuchters: Aus Gold getrieben, vom Fuß bis zu den Blumen war er getrieben, wie die Schau, die der Ewige Mosche hatte sehen lassen, so hatte man den Leuchter gemacht. 5Und der Ewige redete zu Mosche und sprach: 6«Nimm die Lewiten aus der Mitte der Kinder Jisraël und reinige sie. 7Und so sollst du mit ihnen tun, um sie zu reinigen: Sprenge auf sie Entsündigungswasser; dann sollen sie ein Schermesser über ihren ganzen Leib führen und ihre Kleider waschen und sich so reinigen. 8Und sie sollen einen jungen Stier nehmen und als Mehlopfer dazu feines Mehl, eingerührt in Öl; und einen zweiten jungen Stier sollst du zum Sündopfer nehmen. 9Dann laß die Lewiten vor das Erscheinungszelt hintreten und versammle die ganze Gemeinde der Kinder Jisraël. 10Und laß die Lewiten vor den Ewigen hintreten, und die Kinder Jisraël sollen ihre Hände auf die Lewiten stützen. 11Und Aharon schwinge die Lewiten in einer Schwingung vor dem Ewigen, von den Kindern Jisraël, daß sie dazu da seien, den Dienst des Ewigen zu verrichten. 12Die Lewiten aber sollen ihre Hände auf den Kopf der Stiere stützen; dann bereite den einen als Sündopfer und den andern als Hochopfer dem Ewigen, um für die Lewiten Sühne zu erwirken. 13Sodann sollst du die Lewiten vor Aharon und seine Söhne stellen und sie in einer Schwingung vor dem Ewigen schwingen. 14So sollst du die Lewiten aus der Mitte der Kinder Jisraël aussondern, daß mir die Lewiten gehören. 15Hernach aber sollen die Lewiten kommen, das Erscheinungszelt zu bedienen; so reinige sie und schwinge sie in einer Schwingung. 16Denn gegeben, gegeben sind sie mir aus der Mitte der Kinder Jisraël; anstatt dessen, was allen Mutterschoß löst, des Erstlings von allem von den Kindern Jisraël, habe ich sie mir genommen. 17Denn mein ist alles Erstgeborene unter den Kindern Jisraël, unter Mensch und Vieh; am Tag, da ich alles Erstgeborene im Land Mizraim schlug, habe ich sie mir geheiligt. 18Und ich nahm die Lewiten anstatt alles Erstgeborenen unter den Kindern Jisraël. 19Und ich gab die Lewiten, gegeben Aharon und seinen Söhnen aus der Mitte der Kinder Jisraël, um den Dienst der Kinder Jisraël im Erscheinungszelt zu verrichten und für die Kinder Jisraël Sühne zu erwirken, auf daß über die Kinder Jisraël kein Gottesschlag komme, wenn die Kinder Jisraël zum Heiligtum herantreten.» 20Und Mosche und Aharon und die ganze Gemeinde Jisraël taten mit den Lewiten ganz so, wie der Ewige Mosche ob der Lewiten geboten, so taten mit ihnen die Kinder Jisraël. 21Und die Lewiten entsündigten sich und wuschen ihre Kleider, und Aharon schwang sie in einer Schwingung vor dem Ewigen, und Aharon erwirkte Sühne für sie, um sie zu reinigen. 22Hernach kamen die Lewiten, um ihren Dienst im Erscheinungszelt zu verrichten vor Aharon und seinen Söhnen; wie der Ewige Mosche ob der Lewiten geboten, so taten sie mit ihnen. 23Und der Ewige redete zu Mosche und sprach: 24«Dies ists, was für die Lewiten (gelten soll): Vom Fünfundzwanzigjährigen an und darüber komme er, um in den Dienst einzutreten zur Arbeit am Erscheinungszelt. 25Und vom Fünfzigjährigen an trete er von der Dienstverrichtung zurück und tue keinen Dienst mehr. 26Und er bediene seine Brüder im Erscheinungszelt bei der Wahrung der Wartung, aber Dienst verrichte er nicht. So sollst du tun mit den Lewiten bei ihren Wartungen.
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary 1 Directions were given long before this for the making of the golden candlestick (
Exod 25:31), and it was made according to the pattern shown to Moses in the mount,
Exod 38:17. But now it was that the lamps were first ordered to be lighted, when other things began to be used. Observe, 1. Who must light the lamps; Aaron himself, he
lighted the lamps, Num 8:3. As the people's representative to God, he thus did the office of a servant in God's house, lighting his Master's candle; as the representative of God to the people, he thus gave them the intimations of God's will and favour, thus expressed (
Pss 18:28),
Thou wilt light my candle; and thus Aaron himself was now lately directed to bless the people,
The Lord make his face to shine upon thee, Num 6:25. The commandment is a
lamp, Prov 6:23. The scripture is
a light shining in a dark place, 2Pet 1:19. And a dark place indeed even the church would be without it, as the tabernacle (which had no window in it) without the lamps. Now the work of ministers is to light these lamps, by expounding and applying the word of God. The priest lighted the middle lamp from the fire of the altar, and the rest of the lamps he lighted one from another, which (says Mr. Ainsworth) signifies that the fountain of all light and knowledge is in Christ, who has the
seven spirits of God figured by the
seven lamps of fire (
Revel 4:5), but that in the expounding of scripture one passage must borrow light from another. He also supposes that,
seven being a number of perfection, by the seven branches of the candlestick is shown the full perfection of the scriptures, which are able to make us wise to salvation. 2. To what end the lamps were lighted, that they might give light
over against the candlestick, that is, to that part of the tabernacle where the table stood, with the show-bread upon it, over against the candlestick. They were not lighted like tapers in an urn, to burn to themselves, but to give light to the other side of the tabernacle, for therefore candles are lighted,
Matt 5:15. Note, The lights of the world, the lights of the church, must shine as lights. Therefore we have light, that we may give light.
5 We read before of the separating of the Levites from among the children of Israel when they were numbered, and the numbering of them by themselves (
Num 3:6,
Num 3:15), that they might be employed in the service of the tabernacle. Now here we have directions given for their solemn ordination (
Num 8:6), and the performance of it,
Num 8:20. All Israel must know that they took not this honour to themselves, but were called of God to it; nor was it enough that they were distinguished from their neighbours, but they must be solemnly devoted to God. Note, All that are employed for God must be dedicated to him, according as the degree of employment is. Christian musts be baptized, ministers must be ordained; we must first give ourselves unto the Lord, and then our services. Observe in what method this was done:
I. The Levites must be cleansed, and were so. The rites and ceremonies of their cleansing were to be performed, 1. By themselves. They must
wash their clothes, and not only bathe, but
shave all their flesh, as the leper was to do when he was cleansed,
Lev 14:8. They must
cause a razor to pass over all their flesh, to clear themselves from that defilement which would not wash off. Jacob, whom God loved, was a smooth man; it was Esau that was hairy. The great pains they were to take with themselves to make themselves clean teaches all Christians, and ministers particularly, by repentance and mortification, to
cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, that they may
perfect holiness. Those must be clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. 2. By Moses. He must
sprinkle the water of purifying upon them, which was prepared by divine direction. This signified the application of the blood of Christ to our souls by faith, to purify us from an evil conscience, that we may be fit to serve the living God. It is our duty to cleanse ourselves, and God's promise that he will cleanse us.
II. The Levites, being thus prepared, must be brought before the Lord in a solemn assembly of all Israel, and the
children of Israel must
put their hands upon them (
Num 8:10), so transferring their interest in them and in their service (to which, as a part, the whole body of the people was entitled) to God and to his sanctuary. They presented them to God
as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable, to perform a
reasonable service; and therefore, as the offerers in all other cases did,
they laid their hands upon them, desiring that their service might be accepted in lieu of the attendance of the whole congregation, particularly the first-born, which they acknowledge God might have insisted on. This will not serve to prove a power in the people to ordain ministers; for this imposition of hands by the children of Israel upon the Levites did not make them ministers of the sanctuary, but only signified the people's parting with that tribe out of their militia, and civil incorporations, in order to their being made ministers by Aaron, who was to offer them before the Lord. All the congregation of the children of Israel could not lay hands on them, but it is probable that the rulers and elders did it as the representative body of the people. Some think that the first-born did it because in their stead the Levites were consecrated to God. Whatever God calls for from us to serve his own glory by, we must cheerfully resign it, lay our hands upon it, not to detain it but to surrender it, and let it go to him that is entitled to it.
III. Sacrifices were to be offered for them, a sin-offering first (
Num 8:12), and then a burnt-offering, to make an
atonement for the Levites, who, as the parties concerned, were to lay their hands upon the head of the sacrifices. See here, 1. That we are all utterly unworthy and unfit to be admitted into and employed in the service of God, till atonement be made for sin, and thereby our peace made with God. That interposing cloud must be scattered before there can be any comfortable communion settled between God and our souls. 2. That it is by sacrifice, by Christ the great sacrifice, that we are reconciled to God, and made fit to be offered to him. It is by him that Christians are sanctified to the work of their Christianity, and ministers to the work of their ministry. The learned bishop Patrick's notion of the sacrifice offered by the Levites is that the Levites were themselves considered as an expiatory sacrifice, for they were given to
make atonement for the children of Israel, (
Num 8:19), and yet not being devoted to death, any more than the first-born were, these two sacrifices were substituted in their stead, upon which therefore they were to lay their hands, that the sin which the children of Israel laid upon them (
Num 8:10) might be transferred to these beasts.
IV. The Levites themselves were
offered before the Lord for an
offering of the children of Israel, Num 8:11. Aaron gave them up to God, as being first given up by themselves, and by the children of Israel. The original word signifies a
wave-offering, not that they were actually waved, but they were presented to God as the God of heaven, and the Lord of the whole earth, as the wave-offerings were. And in calling them wave-offerings it was intimated to them that they must continually lift up themselves towards God in his service, lift up their eyes, lift up their hearts, and must move to and fro with readiness in the business of their profession. They were not ordained to be idle, but to be active and stirring.
V. God here declares his acceptance of them:
The Levites shall be mine, Num 8:14. God took them instead of the first-born (
Num 8:16-
Num 8:18), of which before,
Num 3:41. Note, What is in sincerity offered to God shall be graciously owned and accepted by him. And his ministers who have obtained mercy of him to be faithful have particular marks of favour and honour put upon them:
they shall be mine, and then (
Num 8:15) they shall
go in to do the service of the tabernacle. God takes them for his own, that they may serve him. All that expect to share in the privileges of the tabernacle must resolve to do the service of the tabernacle. As, on the one hand, none of God's creatures are his necessary servants (he needs not the service of any of them), so, on the other hand, none are taken merely as honorary servants, to do nothing. All whom God owns he employs; angels themselves have their services.
VI. They are then given as a gift to Aaron and his sons (
Num 8:19), yet so as that the benefit accrued to the children of Israel. 1. The Levites must act under the priests as attendants on them, and assistants to them, in the service of the sanctuary. Aaron offers them to God (
Num 8:11), and then God gives them back to Aaron,
Num 8:19. Note, Whatever we give up to God, he will give back to us unspeakably to our advantage. Our hearts, our children, our estates, are never more ours, more truly, more comfortably ours, than when we have offered them up to God. 2. They must act for the people. They were taken to
do the service of the children of Israel, that is, not only to do the service which they should do, but to serve their interests, and do that which would really redound to the honour, safety, and prosperity of the whole nation. Note, Those that faithfully perform the service of God do one of the best services that can be done to the public; God's ministers, while they keep within the sphere of their office and conscientiously discharge the duty of it, must be looked upon as some of the most useful servants of their country. The children of Israel can as ill spare the tribe of Levi as any of their tribes. But what is the service they do the children of Israel? It follows, it is to
make an atonement for them, that there be no plague among them. It was the priests' work to make atonement by sacrifice, but the Levites made atonement by attendance, and preserved the peace with heaven which was made by sacrifice. If the service of the priests in the tabernacle had been left to all the first-born of Israel promiscuously, it would have been either neglected or done unskillfully and irreverently, being done by those that were not so closely tied to it, nor so diligently trained to it, nor so constantly used to it, as the Levites were; and this would bring
a plague among the children of Israel - meaning, perhaps, the death of the first-born themselves, which was the last and greatest of the plagues of Egypt. To prevent this, and to preserve the atonement, the Levites were appointed to do this service, who should be bred up to it under their parents from their infancy, and therefore would be well versed in it; and so the children of Israel, that is, the first-born, should not need to come nigh to the sanctuary; or, when any Israelites had occasion, the Levites would be ready to instruct them, and introduce them, and so prevent any fatal miscarriage or mistake. Note, It is a very great kindness to the church that ministers are appointed to go before the people in the things of God, as guides, overseers, and rulers, in religious worship, and to make that their business. When Christ ascended on high, he
gave these gifts, Ephes 4:8,
Ephes 4:11,
Ephes 4:12.
VII. The time of their ministration is fixed. 1. They were to enter upon the service at twenty-five years old,
Num 8:24. They were not charged with the carrying of the tabernacle and the utensils of it till they were thirty years old,
Num 4:3. But they were entered to be otherwise serviceable at twenty-five years old, a very good age for ministers to begin their public work at. The work then required that strength of body and the work now requires that maturity of judgment and steadiness of behaviour which men rarely arrive at till about that age; and novices are in danger of being lifted up with pride. 2. They were to have a writ of ease at fifty years old; then they were to return from the warfare, as the phrase is (
Num 8:25), not cashiered with disgrace, but preferred rather to the rest which their age required, to be loaded with the honours of their office, as hitherto they had been with the burdens of it. They shall
minister with their brethren in the tabernacle, to direct the junior Levites, and set them in; and they shall
keep the charge, as guards upon the avenues of the tabernacle, to see that no stranger intruded, nor any person in his uncleanness, but they shall not be put upon any service which may be a fatigue to them. If God's grace provide that men shall have ability according to their work, man's prudence should take care that men have work only according to their ability. The aged are most fit for trusts, and to keep the charge; the younger are most fit for work, and to do the service. Those that have
used the office of a servant well purchase to themselves a good degree, 1Tim 3:13. Yet indeed gifts are not tied to ages (
Job 32:9), but
all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit. Thus was the affair of the Levites settled.
