Schoolmaster to Christ
NUMBERS CHAPTERS 3 &4

Introduction to Chapters 3 & 4: The camp of Israel was a marvelous spectacle in that waste howling wilderness. What a spectacle to angels, to men, and to devils. God's eye rested on it. His presence was there. He dwelt in the midst of His militant people. It was there He found His habitation. He did not, He could not, find His abode amid the splendors of Egypt, Assyria, or Babylon. No doubt those nations presented much that was attractive to nature's eye. The arts and sciences were cultivated among them. Civilization had reached a far loftier point among those ancient nations than we moderns are disposed to admit. Refinement and luxury were probably carried to as great an extent there as among those who put forth lofty pretensions.

But remember, Jehovah was not known among those nations. His name had never been revealed to them. He did not dwell in their midst. True, there were thousands of testimonies to His creative power. And also, His superintending providence was over them. He gave them rain and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness. The blessings and benefits of His liberal hand were showered on them, from day to day and year to year. His showers fertilized their fields, His sunbeams gladdened their hearts. But they knew Him not, and cared not for Him. His dwelling was not there. Not one of those nations could say, "Jehovah is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt Him" (Ex. 15:2).

Jehovah found abode only in the bosom of His redeemed people. Redemption was the necessary basis of God's habitation among men. Apart from redemption the divine presence could only prove the destruction of men; but redemption being known, that presence secures man's highest privilege and brightest glory.

God dwelt in the midst of His people Israel. He came down from heaven, not only to redeem them out of the land of Egypt, but to be their traveling companion through the wilderness. What a thought. The most High God taking up His abode on the sand of the desert, and in the bosom of His redeemed congregation. Truly there was nothing like that throughout the world. There was that host of six hundred thousand men, beside women and children, in a sterile desert where there was not a blade of grass, not a drop of water – no visible source of subsistence. How were they to be fed? God was there. How were they to be kept in order? God was there. How were they to track their way through a howling wilderness where there was no way? God was there.

In other words, God's presence secured everything. Unbelief might say, "What! Are three million people to be fed on air? Who has charge of the commissariat? Where are the military stores? Where is the baggage? Who is to attend to the clothing?" Faith alone could answer; its answer brief and conclusive: "God was there." And that was sufficient. All is comprehended in that one sentence. In faith's arithmetic, God is the only significant figure. Having Him, we may add as many ciphers as we please. If all our springs are in the living God, it ceases to be a question of our need, and resolves itself into a question of His sufficiency.

What were six hundred thousand footmen to the Almighty God? What were the varied necessities of their wives and children? In man's estimation, these things might seem overwhelming. History speaks of England sending out ten thousand troops to Abyssinia. Think of the enormous expense and labor; the number of transports required to convey provisions and other necessaries for that small army. But imagine an army sixty times the size, together with the women and children. Conceive this enormous host entering on a march that was to extend over the space of forty years through "a great and terrible wilderness," in which there was no corn, no grass, no water-spring. How were they to be sustained? No supplies; no arrangements with friendly nations to forward supplies; no transports dispatched to meet them at various points along their route – in short, not a single visible source of supply; nothing human nature would consider necessary.

All this is worth considering. But we must do so in God's presence. It is of no possible use for reason to sit down and attempt to solve this problem by human arithmetic. No; only faith that can solve it, and that only by the Word of the living God. Here lies the solution. Bring God in, and we need no other factors to work out the answer. Leave Him out and the more powerful our reasoning; the more profound our arithmetic, the more hopeless is our perplexity.

Yes; faith settles the question. God was in the midst of His people. He was there in all the fullness of His grace and mercy – in perfect knowledge of His people's wants and the difficulties of their path. He was there in His almighty power and boundless resources to meet the difficulties and supply the wants. So fully did God enter into all these things, that at the close of their long wilderness wanderings He was able to appeal to their hearts in the following touching accents, "For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand; he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing" (Deut. 2:7). And again, "Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years" (Deut. 8:4).

In all these things, the camp of Israel was a vivid, striking type – of the Lord's church passing through this world. The testimony of Scripture is distinct on this point, leaving no room and no demand for the exercise of imagination. "All these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come" (1 Cor. 10: 11).

Therefore, with intense interest on that marvelous spectacle, we may draw near and gaze; and seek to gather up the lessons it is so eminently fitted to teach. Who can fully estimate such precious lessons? Look at that mysterious camp in the desert, composed of warriors, workers, and worshippers; separated from all nations of the world. What utter helplessness. What exposure. What absolute dependence on God. They had nothing; could do nothing; could know nothing. They did not have a morsel of food or a drop of water, receiving it day by day from the hand of God. When they retired to rest at night, there was not a single atom of provision for the morrow. There was no storehouse, no larder, no visible source of supply; nothing that human nature could take account of.

But God was there, and in the judgment of faith, that was enough. They were shut up to God. This is the one grand reality. Faith allows for nothing real, nothing solid, and nothing true, except the one true, living, eternal God. Man's nature might cast a longing look at the granaries of Egypt, and see there something tangible, something substantial. Faith looks up to heaven and finds all its springs there.

So it was with the camp in the desert; so it is with the church in the world. There was not a single exigency, not a single contingency, not a single need for which the Divine Presence was not an all-sufficient answer. The nations of the uncircumcised might look on and marvel. In the bewilderment of blind unbelief, they might raise many questions regarding how such a host could ever be fed, clothed, and kept in order. They knew not Jehovah, the Lord God of the Hebrews; and therefore to tell them that He was going to undertake that vast assembly would no doubt seem like idle tales.

So it is in reference to the assembly of God in our world – a world that may be termed a moral wilderness. Looked at from God's point of view, His assembly is not of the world; it is completely separated. It is as thoroughly apart from the world as the camp of Israel was apart from Egypt. The waters of the Red Sea rolled between that camp and Egypt; and the deeper waters of the death of Christ roll between God's church and this present evil world. It is impossible to conceive a more complete separation. Our Lord Jesus Christ said, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world" (Jn. 17).

What could be more dependent than God's Church in this world? She has nothing in or of herself. She is set down in the midst of a moral desert, a dreary waste, a vast howling wilderness, in which there is literally nothing on which she can live. Throughout the entire compass of this world, there is not one drop of water, not a single morsel of food for the Lord's Church; and she is exposure to all sorts of hostile influences. Nothing can exceed it. There is not so much as one friendly influence. All is against her. In the midst of this world, she is like an exotic plant belonging to a foreign clime, set down in a sphere where both the soil and atmosphere are uncongenial.

Such is the Church in the world. She is separated and defenseless, wholly dependent on the living God. To view it as the antitype of the camp in the desert is calculated to give vividness, force, and clearness to our thoughts about the church. It is not fanciful or far-fetched to view it thus, as 1 Corinthians 10:11 clearly shows. We are within the mark to say that what the camp of Israel was literally, the Church is morally and spiritually. Further, what the wilderness was to Israel literally, the world is, morally and spiritually, to the Church. The wilderness was the sphere of Israel's toil and danger, not of their supplies or enjoyment; and the world is the sphere of the Church's toil and danger, not of its supplies or enjoyment.

It is well to seize this fact, in all its moral power. The assembly of God in the world, like "the congregation in the wilderness," is totally dependant on the living God. When we speak of what the Church is in God's sight, we are of course speaking from the divine standpoint. Looking at the Church from man's point of view and looking at her as she is are two different things. We are now only occupied with the normal, true, divine idea of God's assembly is this world.

Let it not be forgotten, that as truly as there was a camp in the desert of old – a congregation in the wilderness – so truly is there the Church, the body of Christ, in the world now. No doubt, the nations of the world knew little and cared less about that congregation of old; but that did not weaken or touch the great living fact. So today, the men of the world know little and care less about the assembly of God – the body of Christ; but that in no wise weakens or touches the grand living truth that there is such a thing actually existing in this world, and has been ever since the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost. True, the congregation of old had its trials, its conflicts, sorrows, temptations, strifes; its controversies, internal commotions, numberless and nameless difficulties calling for the varied resources that were in God; the precious ministrations of prophet, priest, and king that God had provided; for, as we know, Moses was there as "king in Jeshurun," and as the prophet raised up of God; and Aaron was there to exercise all the priestly functions.

But, in spite of all these things – in spite of weakness, failure, sin, rebellion, strife; still there was the striking fact, to be taken cognizance of by men, devils, and angels, namely, a vast congregation, amounting to something like three million people (according to the usual mode of computation) journeying through a wilderness, wholly dependent on an unseen arm, guided and cared for by the eternal God, whose eye was never withdrawn from that mysterious typical host – He dwelt in their midst and never left them in all their unbelief, forgetfulness, ingratitude, and rebellion. God was there to sustain and guide, to guard and keep them day and night. Day by day He fed them with bread from heaven; and He brought water out of the flinty rock for them.

This was a stupendous fact – a profound mystery. God had a congregation in the wilderness; apart from the nations around, shut up to Himself. It may be the nations of the world knew nothing, cared nothing, thought nothing about this assembly. It is certain the desert yielded nothing in the way of sustenance or refreshment. There were serpents and scorpions, snares and dangers, drought, barrenness, and desolation. But there was that wonderful assembly maintained in a manner that baffled and confounded human reason.

Remember this was a type of something that has been in existence for over centuries; is still in existence; and will be in existence until the moment our Lord Christ rises from His present position, and descends into the air. In other words, this was a type of the Church in the world. How important to recognize this fact. How sadly it has been lost sight of. How little understood even now. And yet every Christian is responsible to recognize and practically confess it. There is no escaping it. Is it true that there is something in this world, at this very moment, answering to the camp in the desert? Yes; there is in truth the Church in the wilderness. There is an assembly passing through this world, just as the literal Israel passed through the literal desert. Morally and spiritually the world is to that Church what the desert was, literally and practically, to Israel of old. Israel found no springs in the desert; and the Lord's Church should find no springs in the world. If she does, she proves false to her Lord. Israel was not of the desert, but passing through it; and the Church is not of the world, but passing through it.

If thoroughly entered into, this will show us the place of complete separation that belongs to the Church as a whole, and to each individual member. In God's view of her, the Church is as thoroughly marked off from this present world, as the camp of Israel was marked off from the surrounding desert. There is as little in common between the Church and the world, as there was between Israel and the sand of the desert. The most brilliant attractions and bewitching fascinations of the world are to the Church what the serpents and scorpions, and other dangers of the wilderness, were to Israel.

Such is God's idea of the Church. Sadly, it is different with organized religious institutions in our age. But it is with God's idea of the Church – the real thing – that we want to presently dwell. By faith, we seek to place ourselves at God's standpoint and view His Church from there. It is only by so doing that we can have anything close to a true idea of what the Church is, or of our personal responsibility with respect to it. God has a Church in the world. There is a body now on the earth, indwelled by God the Spirit, and united to Christ the Head. This nameless Church, this body, is composed of all those who truly believe on the Son of God; who are united by the presence of the Holy Spirit.

This is not a matter of opinion; not something that we may take up or lay down at pleasure. Whether we hear it and accept it or not, it is still a divine fact; a grand truth – the nameless Church of our Lord does exist. This cannot be avoided; cannot be ignored. Our birth into it by the "new birth" is as real and as positive as the birth of a child into a family. When one accepts the Gospel, and is born again, the new birth takes place, the relationship is formed, and we need to recognize it, and walk in the sense of it from day to day. The moment a soul is born again, and sealed by the Holy Ghost, he is incorporated into the body of Christ. He can no longer view himself as a solitary, independent person – an isolated atom. He is a member of a body, just as the hand or the foot is a member of the human body. He becomes a member of the nameless Church of our Lord, and cannot be a member of anything else. How could one's arm be a member of another body? And, on the same principle, we may ask, how could a member of the body of Christ be a member of another body?

What a glorious truth regarding the Church of our Lord – antitype of the camp in the desert, "the congregation in the wilderness." What a fact to be governed by. Yes, the Lord's Church does exist amid all the ruin and wreck, strife and discord, confusion and division, sects and parties. This is certainly a precious truth. But not only is it precious, it is also practical and formative. We are as bound to recognize, by faith, this Church in the world, as the Israelite was bound to recognize, by sight, the camp in the desert. There was one camp, one congregation, and the true Israelite belonged there. Likewise, there is one Church – one body, and the true Christian belongs there.

But how is this body organized? By the Holy Spirit, as it is written, "By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body" (1 Cor. 12:13). How is it maintained? By its living Head, through the Spirit, and by the Word, as it is written, "No man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church" (Eph. 5:29). Is this not enough? Is the Lord Christ not sufficient? Does the Holy Spirit not suffice? Do we want more than the varied virtues that are lodged in the name of Jesus? Are the gifts of the eternal Spirit not sufficient for the growth and maintenance of the Lord's Church? Does the fact of God's presence in the Church not secure all needs of the Church? With emphasis and decision, faith says, "Yes." On the other hand, human reason and unbelief says, "No; we want other things as well." To which we reply, "If God is not sufficient, we know not where to turn. If the name of Jesus does not suffice, we know not what to do. If the Holy Spirit cannot meet our every need in communion, ministry, and worship, we know not what to say."

However, it may be said: "Things are not as they were in apostolic times. Many Religious institutions are failing; the palmy days of the Church's first love have passed away; therefore, we adopt the best means in our power for the organization and maintenance of our religious organizations." To this we reply, "God has not failed. Christ, the Head of the Church, has not failed. The Holy Spirit has not failed. Not one jot or tittle of God's Word has failed." This is the true ground of faith. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." He has said, "Lo, I am with you." How long – during the days of first love; during apostolic times; as long as the Church faithfully continues? No; "I am with you always, even unto the end of the age" (Matt. 28). For the first time in the whole canon of Scripture, the Holy Spirit, through inspiration in Matthew 16, reveals the Church with these memorable words of our Lord," On this rock [the Son of God] I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (emphasis added).

Is that Church on the earth at this moment? Yes; the Lord's Church is now on this earth, just as there was a camp of old, "the congregation in the wilderness," in the desert. Yes; and as truly as God was in that camp to meet every need, so He is now in the Church to order and guide in everything, as we read, "Ye are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Eph. 2). This is, or should be, sufficient. By faith, we seek to lay hold of this grand reality. The name of Jesus is as sufficient for all the needs of the Church as it is for the soul's salvation. One is as true as the other. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst" (Matt. 18). Has this ceased? If not, then is Christ's presence enough for His Church? Do we need to plan or work for ourselves in church matters? No more than in the matter of salvation. What do we say to the sinner? Trust Christ. What do we say to the saint? Trust Christ. What do we say to an assembly of saints, few or many? Trust Christ. Is there anything that God cannot manage? "Is there a thing too hard for Him?" Has His treasury of grace been exhausted? Is He still able to support the preaching of His Gospel? Can He still furnish evangelists, pastors, and teachers? Can He still meet all the necessities of His Church in the wilderness? If not, where are we? What shall we do; where shall we turn? The congregation of old had only to look to Jehovah for everything – for food, water, clothing, guidance, and protection; for everything. All their springs were in Him. Must we turn to some one else? No; in spite of all our failure and ruin, our sin and unfaithfulness, the Lord Christ is amply sufficient. He has sent the Holy Spirit, the blessed Paraclete, to dwell with and in His people – to form them into one body, uniting them to the living Head in heaven. He is the power of unity, communion, ministry, and worship. He has not left us, and He never will. Let us trust Him; let us use Him; let us give Him room to act. Let us carefully guard against everything and anything that even hints of quenching, hindering, or grieving Him. Let us acknowledge Him in His proper place in the assembly, and in all things yield to His guidance and authority.

Here lies the true secret of true power and blessing. Do we deny the ruin? How could we? It stands out as a fact too palpable and glaring to deny. Do we seek to deny our share in the ruin – our folly and sin? Shall we add to our sin by denying the Lord's grace and power to meet us in our folly and ruin? Shall we forsake Him, the fountain of living waters, and hew out for ourselves broken cisterns that cannot hold water? Shall we turn from the Rock of Ages and lean on the broken reeds of our own devising? God forbid. Rather let the language of our hearts be, as we think of the name of Jesus,

Salvation in that name is found,
Cure for my grief and care;
A healing balm for every wound,
All, all I want is There.

But let us not suppose that we desire to lend even the smallest countenance to ecclesiastical pretension. We abhor such, looking on it as utterly contemptible. We believe that we cannot take too low a place. In view of our common sin and shame, a low place and lowly spirit becomes us. We seek to maintain the all sufficiency of Jesus Christ for the needs of the Church, at all times and under all circumstances. In apostolic times there was all power in that name – why not now? Has a change passed over that glorious name? If not, then it is sufficient for all ages. Therefore, we seek to fully confide in it; discarding every other ground of confidence, and with bold decision holding on to that peerless and precious name. Jesus Christ comes down to the smallest congregation – the smallest plurality, because He has said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I." Does this still hold true? Has it lost its power? Does it no longer apply? Does God need large gatherings, big budgets, contemporary sermons, expensive structures, and educated servants, to reach the lost with His Gospel message? What can our Mighty God do with a small band of truly dedicated Christian soldiers?

May we give assent and consent to the eternal truth of the all-sufficiency of the name of Jesus Christ for God's Church, in every possible condition in which it can be found, throughout its entire history.¹ May we not only hold this as a true theory, but, let us confess it practically, so that we may taste the deep blessedness of the presence of Jesus in the outside place – a blessedness that must be tasted to be known. But, when once tasted, it can never be forgotten or surrendered.

Scripture Reading: Numbers 3 & 4 (KJV)

Though not intended, the foregoing was a lengthy introduction to the chapters of the Book of Numbers laid open before us, and to which we now invite attention.

On looking attentively at "the congregation in the wilderness" (Acts 7:38), we find it composed of three distinct elements: warriors, workers, and worshippers. There was a nation of warriors, a tribe of workers, a family of worshippers or priests. We have glanced at the first of these and seen each one according to his "pedigree," taking up his position by his "standard," according to the direct appointment of Jehovah. We now briefly consider the second, seeing each one at his work and service; let us meditate on the workers.

The Levites were distinctly separated from all other tribes, and called to a specific place and service. Thus we read of them, "But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. For the Lord had spoken unto Moses, saying, Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel. But thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it: they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the vessels thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle. And when the tabernacle setteth forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death, and the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their hosts. But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel: and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of testimony" (Num. 1:47-53). And again we read, "But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses" (Num. 2:33).

But why the Levites? Why was this tribe separated from all others; set apart for holy and elevated service? Was there any special sanctity or goodness about them to account for their being so distinguished? Certainly not by human nature, nor by practice, as we see by the following words: "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 self-will 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).

Both by nature and practice, Levi was self-willed, fierce, and cruel. How remarkable that such a person should be singled out and brought into a place of high and holy privilege. No doubt it was grace from first to last. It is the way of grace to take the worst cases. It often stoops to the lowest depths to gather up its brightest trophies. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (2 Tim. 1:16). "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3).

How striking the language, "O, my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united." God is of purer eyes than to behold evil – He cannot look on iniquity. God could not come into Levi's secret, or be united to his assembly. Such was simply not possible. God could have nothing to do with self-will, fierceness, and cruelty. But yet He could bring Levi into His secret, and unite him to His assembly. He could take him out of his habitation, out of the instruments of cruelty, and bring him into the Tabernacle to be occupied with holy instruments and vessels. This was free, sovereign grace. Here is surely where we will find the basis of Levi's blessed and elevated service. As far as he was personally concerned, there was an immeasurable distance between him and the holy God – a chasm that no human art or power could bridge. A holy God could have nothing whatsoever to do with self-will fierceness, and cruelty; but a God of grace could have much to do with Levi. He could visit such a one in sovereign mercy, and raise him up from the depths of moral degradation, bringing him into a place of nearness to Himself.

What a marvelous contrast – Levi's position by nature, and his position by grace; between instruments of cruelty and vessels of the sanctuary; between Levi in Genesis 34 and Levi in Numbers 3 and 4.

We now briefly consider the mode of God's dealing with Levi – the ground on which he was brought into such a place of blessing. In doing so, we must refer to Numbers 8, where we are led into the secret of the whole matter. We will see that there was no allowance of anything belonging to Levi, no sanction of his ways. There was a display of grace reigning through righteousness. We speak of the type and its significance, as a result of the statement: "Now all these things happened unto them for types." It is not a question of how far the Levites saw through these things. This is not the point. We are not to ask what did the Levites see in God's dealings with them? But, what do we learn?

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean" (Num. 8:5-7).

Here, in type, we have the only divine principle of cleansing – death to nature and its habits, i.e., the Word of God brought to bear in a living way on the heart and conscience. Nothing is more expressive than the double action presented in the above passage. Moses was to sprinkle water of purifying on them; and then they were to shave off all their hair and wash their garments. What great beauty and precision. Representing the claims of God, Moses cleanses the Levites according to those claims; and being cleansed, they are able to bring the sharp razor to bear on all that was the mere growth of nature. In typical form, washing their garments expressed the cleansing of their habits according to the Word of God. This was God's way of meeting all that appertained to Levi's natural state – the self-will, fierceness, and cruelty. The pure water and sharp razor were called into action, because the washing and shaving was necessary before Levi was fit to approach the vessels of the sanctuary.

So it is in every case. There is no for human nature among God's workers. Enlisting human nature in the service of God has always been and will always be a fatal mistake. It matters not how we may endeavor to improve or regulate it – only death will avail. It is important for us to clearly and forcibly lay hold of this great truth. Man has been weighed in the balance and found wanting. The plummet has been applied, and we have been found crooked. Seeking to reform is of no use. Only the water and razor will do. In the death of Christ, God closed up and brought to an end man's history. The first grand fact that the Holy Spirit presses on the human conscience is that God has delivered His solemn verdict on human nature, and that each of us must accept that verdict against ourselves, personally. It is not a matter of opinion or feeling. To one who says, "I do not see, or I do not feel, that I am as bad as you seem to make out;" we reply, "That does not in any way affect the question. God has declared His judgment about us; it is man's first duty to fall in with and bow down to it." Of what use would it have been for Levi to say that he did not agree with what God said about him? Would that – could that have altered the question pertaining to him? No; God's Word remained the same whether Levi felt it or not. Clearly, bowing down under the weight of that Holy, Divine, and Eternal Word is the first step in wisdom's pathway.

In type, all this is expressed in the "water," "razor, '' "washing," and "shaving." Nothing could be more significant or impressive. These acts set forth the solemn truth of the sentence of death on human nature, and the execution of judgment on what that nature produces.

One might ask, "What is the meaning of the initiatory act of Christianity – the act of baptism?" Does it not set forth the blessed fact that "our old man", our fallen nature, is completely set aside and that we are introduced into an entirely new position? And how do we use the razor? We use the razor by rigid self-judgment, day by day; by the stern disallowance of all that is of nature's growth. This is the true path for all God's workers in the wilderness. When we look at Levi's conduct at Shechem, in Genesis 34, and the record concerning him in Genesis 49, we may ask, "How could such a one be allowed to carry the vessels of the sanctuary?" The answer is, "Grace shines in Levi's call; and holiness shines in Levi's cleansing." He was called to the work according to the riches of God's grace; but he was fitted for the work according to the claims of God's holiness.

Thus it must be with all God's workers. We are convinced that one is fitted for God's work only as far as human nature is brought under the power of the cross, and the sharp razor of self-judgment. Self-will has no place whatsoever in the service of God – it must be set aside, if we would know what true service is. Would you not agree that, when judged in the light of God's Word, a large amount of what passes for "Christian service" in our age would be better called the fruit of restless will? This is a solemn consideration, demanding our earnest attention. In other words, we cannot exercise too severe a censorship over self. The human heart is so deceitful that we may imagine that we are doing the Lord's work, when, in reality, we are simply pleasing ourselves. But, to tread the path of true service we must constantly seek separation from our nature. Before being employed in that elevated service assigned by direct appointment of God, the self-willed Levi must pass through the process of washing and shaving.

Before proceeding to examine the particular work and service of the Levites, we must consider a scene in Exodus 32 – the golden calf. During the absence of Moses, the people so completely lost sight of God and His claims that they set up and worshiped a molten calf. This terrible act called for summary judgment.

"And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies:) then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. and he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to-day to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day" (Ex. 32:25-29).

This was a testing moment. It could not be otherwise, when this great question was pressed on the heart and conscience, "Who is on the Lord's side?" Nothing could be more searching. The question was not, “Who is willing to work?” No; it was a deeper and more searching question. It was not who will go here or there – do this or that? There might be a vast amount of doing and going, and all the while it might only be the impulse of an unbroken will acting on religious nature, giving an appearance of devotedness and piety calculated to deceive self and others.

But to be "on the Lord's side" implies the surrender of one's own will – the surrender of self. This is essential to the true servant – the real workman. Saul of Tarsus was on this ground when he exclaimed, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Marvelous words from a self-willed, fierce, and cruel persecutor of the Lord's church.

"Who is on the Lord's side?" This is a serious question – one requiring close personal examination. Remember, the question is not "What art you doing?" No; it is far deeper. If on the Lord's side, we are ready for anything and everything. We are ready to stand still, or go forward; ready to go to the right or left; ready to be active; ready to be quiet; and ready to stand on our feet or lie on our back. The grand point is this: surrender ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ.

At the present moment, we know of nothing more important than this searching question, "Who is on the Lord's side?" We live in an age of immense self-will. Man exults in his liberty. And this prominently comes out in religious matters; just as it was in the camp of Israel, in Exodus 32 – in the days of the golden calf. Moses was out of sight, and the human will was at work – the graving tool was called into operation. And what was the result? The molten calf; and when Moses returned, he found the people in idolatry and nakedness. Then came the solemn and testing question, "Who is on the Lord's side" This put people to the test, and the same is true today. Man's will is rampant in our age, even in matters of religion. Man boasts of his lights, the freedom of his will, and the freedom of his judgment. Such denies of the Lordship of Christ; and therefore it behooves us to make sure that we are taking sides with the Lord against ourselves – having the attitude of simple subjection to His authority. If this is truly our attitude, then we will not be occupied so much with the character of our service; but our one and only object will be to do the will of our Lord.

Such actions may give an appearance of narrowness – a thought with which we should have nothing whatsoever to do. If a master tells his servant to stand in the hallway, and not to move until he rings the bell, what is the servant's duty? Clearly to stand still; nor should he be moved even though his fellow servants may find fault with his apparent inactivity and seemingly good-for-nothingness. However, he may be assured that his Master will approve and vindicate his actions. This is enough for any truehearted servant, whose desire is not to do something great, but to do only the will of his Lord.

The momentous question for the camp of Israel in the day of the golden calf, and the question for the Church in this day of human will is this, "Who is on the Lord's side?" – Not who is on the side of religiousness, philanthropy, or moral reform. In other words, we may be zealous in promoting all the various schemes of philanthropy, religiousness, and moral reform, and still be ministering to self – feeding self-will. This is a solemn and weighty consideration; and it behooves us to give it earnest heed. We are passing through an age in which man's will is being pampered with unparalleled diligence. We believe that the true remedy for this evil is found in this one weighty question: "Who is on the Lord's side?" There is immense practical power in this question. To really be on the Lord's side is to be ready for anything for which He may see fit to call us, no matter what. If the soul truly says, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth," then we are ready for everything. Hence, in the case of the Levites, they were called to "slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour." This was terrible work. But the moment demanded it. God's claims had been openly and grossly dishonored. With the graving tool human invention had been at work, and a calf had been set up. The glory of God had been changed into the similitude of an ox that eats grass; and therefore all who were on the Lord's side were called to put on the sword. Human nature might say, "No; let us be tender, gentle, and gracious. We will accomplish more by kindness than by severity. It can do no good to wound people. There is far more power in love than in harshness. Let us love one another." Thus our nature might throw out its suggestions – thus it might reason and argue. But the command was distinct and decisive: "Put every man his sword by his side." The sword was the only thing when the golden calf was there. To talk of love at such a moment, would be to throw over-board the just claims of the God of Israel. The true spirit of obedience renders the service that suits the occasion. A servant has no business reasoning; rather, he simply does as he is bidden. To raise a question or put forth a demur is to abandon our place as a servant. Slaying a brother, a companion, or a neighbor, might seem to be dreadful work; but the Word of the Lord was imperative. It left no room for evasion; and through grace, the Levites yielded a full and ready obedience. "The children of Levi did according to the word of Moses."

This is the only true path for those who will be God's workers, and Christ's servants in this world where self-will is dominant. It is immensely important to have the truth of the Lordship of Christ deeply engraved on the heart. It must be the only regulator of our course and conduct. It settles a thousand questions. If our hearts are truly subject to the authority of Christ, we are ready for anything and everything to which He calls us, whether it is to stand still or to go forward, to do little or much, to be active or passive. To a truly obedient heart, the question is not, "What am I doing?" Or "where am I going?" It is simply, "Am I doing the will of my Lord?"

Such was the ground occupied by Levi. Consider God’s comment on this, as given in Malachi: "And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity" (2:4-6).

Also consider the blessing pronounced by the lips of Moses, "And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children; for they have observed thy word and kept thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob thy judgements, and Israel thy law; they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar. Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again" (Deut. 33:8-11).

It might have seemed unwarrantably harsh and severe in Levi not to have seen his parents or to know or acknowledge his brethren. But God's claims are paramount; and our Lord Christ has declared these solemn words, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple" (Lk. 14:26).

These are plain words; and they take us into the secret of what lies at the bottom of true service. Let no one imagine that we are to be without natural affection. Far be the thought. To be so would be to morally connect us with the apostasy of the last days (See 2 Timothy 3:3). But when the claims of natural affection are allowed to stand in the way of our whole-hearted service to Christ, and when the so-called love of our brethren receives a higher place than faithfulness to Christ, then we are unfit for His service and unworthy of the name of His servants. Let it be carefully noted that what formed the moral ground of Levi's title to be employed in the Lord's service was the fact that he did not see his parents, acknowledge his brethren, or know his children. In other words, he was able to completely set the claims of human nature aside, giving the claims of Jehovah the paramount place in his heart. This is the only true basis of a servant's character.

This is a weighty consideration, and one demanding our serious attention. There may be a vast amount of what looks like service; a great deal of activity, of coming and going, of doing and saying; while all the while there may not be a single atom of true Levite service. In fact, in God's estimation it may be only the restless activity of the will. It may be asked: "Can the will show itself in the service of God – in matters of religion?" Yes; it can and does. In this age, apparent energy and fruitfulness in work and service is often just in proportion to the energy of the will. This is peculiarly solemn, calling for rigid self-judgment in the light of God's presence. True service does not consist in great activity, but in profound subjection to the will of our Lord. Where this exists there will be the readiness to refuse the claims of parents, brethren, and children, in order to carry out the will of Almighty God. True, we should love our parents, our brethren, and our children. It is not that we should love these less, but that we should love Christ more. If we would be true workers for God, true servants of Christ, true Levites in the wilderness, then God and His claims must always have the paramount place in the heart. This is what marked the actions of Levi, on the occasion to which we are referring. God's claims were in question, and hence the claims of human nature were not to be entertained for a moment. Parents, brethren, and children, how dear they may be, were not to stand in the way when the glory of the God of Israel had been changed into the similitude of a grass-eating ox.

Here, in all its weight and magnitude, lies the whole question. The ties of natural relationship with all its claims, duties, and responsibilities, will always get their proper place and due respect from those whose hearts, minds, and consciences have been brought under the adjusting power of the truth of God. Only that which is due God and His Christ should ever be allowed to infringe on those rights founded on natural relationship. This is a necessary and wholesome consideration; one which we particularly press on young Christians. We must always be on guard against a spirit of self-will and self-pleasing. Such spirits are never as dangerous as when they clothe themselves in the garb of religious service. It behooves us to be sure that we are governed by the claims of God when we disregard the claims of natural relationship. In Levi's case, the matter was as clear as a sunbeam, and hence the "sword" of judgment, not the kiss of affection, befitted the critical moment. It is also true in our history. In other words, there are no doubt moments in which it would be openly disloyal to our Lord Christ to hearken to the voice of natural relationship.

The above remarks may help us understand the actions of the Levites in Exodus 32, and the Words of our Lord in Luke 14:26. May God's Spirit enable us to realize and exhibit the adjusting power of truth.

We now jump forward in our study and briefly consider the consecration of the Levites in Numbers 8, in order that we may have before our minds the whole subject. Truly it is a theme full of instruction for all who desire to be workers for God.

After the ceremonial acts of "washing" and "shaving" already referred to, we read, "Then let them [i.e., the Levites] take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering. And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly or the children of Israel together. And thou shalt bring the Levites before the Lord: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites. And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the Lord. And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks; and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the Lord, to make an atonement for the Levites" (emphasis added).

Here, in type, is presented the two grand aspects of the death of Christ. The sin offering furnishes one; the burnt offering the other. We will not here consider the details of those offerings since we attempted to do so in the opening chapters of our study on Leviticus. Here, we simply observe that in the sin offering we see Christ bearing sin in His own body on the tree, enduring the wrath of God against sin. In the burnt offering we see Christ glorifying God in the matter of making atonement for sin. Atonement is made in both; but in the former it is atonement according to the depth of the sinner's need; in the latter it is atonement according to the measure of Christ's devotedness to God. In the former we see the hatefulness of sin; in the latter we see the preciousness of Christ. It is the same atoning death of Christ presented in two distinct aspects,

The Levites laid their hands on both the sin offering and the burnt offering; and this act of the imposition of hands expressed the simple fact of identification. But the result was different in each case. When Levi laid his hands on the head of the sin offering, it involved the transfer of all his sins, of all his guilt, of all his fierceness, cruelty, and self-will to the victim. On the other hand, when he laid his hands on the head of the burnt offering, it involved the transfer of all the acceptableness of the sacrifice, of all its perfectness, to Levi. Of course, we speak of what the type set forth. We do not undertake to state anything regarding Levi's intelligent entrance into these things; we simply seek to unfold the meaning of the ceremonial figure; and certainly no figure could be more expressive than the imposition of hands, whether we view it in the case of the sin offering or the burnt offering. The teaching of all this is embodied in that weighty passage at the close of 2 Corinthians 5: "He hath made him [Christ] to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in him" (emphasis added).

"And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the Lord. Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be mine, and after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. For they are wholly given unto ME from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me. For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them For myself. And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel. And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary. And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them" (Num. 8:13-20).

The foregoing lines forcibly remind us of the words of our Lord in John 17: "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word . . . I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them" (vv. 6-10).

The Levites were a separated people – God's special possession. They took the place of all the firstborn in Israel – those who saved from the sword of the destroyer by the blood of the lamb. Typically, they were a dead and risen people, set apart to God and by Him presented as a gift to Aaron the high priest to do the service of the tabernacle.

What a place for the self-willed, fierce, and cruel Levi; what a triumph of grace. What an illustration of the efficacy of the blood of atonement and the water of purification. By nature and practice, they were far off from God; but the "blood" of atonement, and the "water" of cleansing, and the ''razor" of self-judgment had done their blessed work, and hence the Levites were in a condition to be presented as a gift to Aaron and his sons – to be associated with them in the hallowed services of the tabernacle of the congregation.

In all this the Levites were a striking type of God's people today – lifted from the depths of degradation and ruin as sinners. They are washed in the precious blood of Christ, purified by the application of the Word, and called to the exercise of habitual and rigid self-judgment. As a result, they are fitted for the holy service to which they are called. God has given them to His Son in order that they may be His workers in this world. "Thine they were and thou gavest them me." How wonderful indeed that such as we could be spoken of in such a way – God's property and God's gift to His Son. It surpasses all human thought. It is not merely that we are saved from hell; that is true. It is not merely that we are pardoned, justified, and accepted; this is also true. But we are called to the high and holy work of bearing the Name, testimony, and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ through this world. This is our work as true Levites. As men of war, we are called to fight; as priests, we are privileged to worship; but as Levites, we are responsible to serve, and our service is to carry through this dreary desert scene the antitype of the tabernacle – the figure of Christ. This is our distinct line of service. To this we are called – to this we are set apart.

The serious student of God's Holy Word will surely notice with interest, the fact that it is only in this book of Numbers that we are furnished with all the precious and deeply instructive details regarding the Levites. In this we have a fresh illustration of the character of our book. It is from a wilderness standpoint that we get a full and proper view of God's workers as well as God's warriors.

We now briefly examine the service of the Levites, as detailed in Numbers 3 & 4. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel" (Num. 3:5-9).

The Levites represented the whole congregation of Israel, and acted on their behalf. This appears from the fact that the children of Israel laid their hands on the heads of the Levites, just as the Levites laid their hands on the heads of the sacrifices (See Numbers 8:10). The act of imposition expressed identification, so that according to this, the Levites furnish a distinct view of the people of God in the wilderness. They present them to us as a company of earnest workers – not as mere desultory laborers running to and fro; each one doing what seemed right in his own eyes. No; nothing of the sort. If the men of war had their pedigree to show, and their standard to adhere to, so the Levites had their center to gather round and their work to do. All this was as clear, distinct, and defined as God could make it. Further, all was under the immediate authority and direction of the high priest.

It is needful for all who would be true Levites, proper workmen, and intelligent servants, to seriously weigh this point. Levite service was to be regulated by appointment of the priest. There was no more room for the exercise of self-will in the service of the Levites, than there was in the men of war. All was divinely settled; and this was a signal mercy to all whose heart was in a right condition. To one whose will was unbroken it might seem a hardship and a most irksome task being obliged to occupy the same position or to be engaged in precisely the same line of work. Such a one might long for something fresh – some variety in his work. But, on the contrary, where the will was subdued and the heart adjusted, each one would say, "my path is perfectly plain; I have only to obey." This is always the business of the true servant of God. It was pre-eminently so with Him Who was the only perfect servant ever to trod the earth. He could say, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me." And again, "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work."

But, in reference to the Levites, there is another fact that claims our attention – their service was focused exclusively on the tabernacle and its belongings. They had nothing else to do. For a Levite to think of putting his hand to anything else would have been to deny his calling, to abandon his divinely appointed work, and to fly in the face of God's commandments.

It is the same with Christians today. Their exclusive business, their one grand work, their absorbing service is Christ and His belongings. They have nothing else to do. For a Christian to think of putting his hand to anything else is to deny his calling, to abandon his divinely-appointed work, and fly in the face of God's commandments. A true Levite of old could say, "To me to live is the tabernacle;" and a true Christian today can say, "To me to live is Christ." The grand question in every matter presenting itself before the Christian is this: "Is Christ connected with it?" If not, we should have nothing whatsoever to do with it.

This is the true way to look at things. It is not a question regarding the right or wrong of this or that. No; it is simply a question regarding how far it concerns the name and glory of Christ. Amazingly, this simplifies everything. It answers a thousand questions, solves a thousand difficulties, and makes the path of the true and earnest Christian as clear as a sunbeam. A Levite had no difficulty regarding his work. It was all settled for him with Divine precision. The burden that each had to carry and the work that each had to do was laid down with a clearness that left no room for questionings of the heart. Each man could know his own work and do it; and the work was done by each discharging his own specific functions. The service of the tabernacle was duly discharged – not by running here and there and doing this or that; but by each man sedulously adhering to his particular calling.

It is important to bear this in mind. In our age, Christians are apt to jostle one another. Actually, we are sure to do so if each one does not pursue his own divinely appointed line of work. We use the words "divinely appointed," because we have no right to choose our own work. If the Lord has made one an evangelist, another a teacher, another a pastor, another a deacon, and another an exhorter, how is the work to go on? Surely it is not by the evangelist trying to teach and the teacher exhorting, or one who is not fitted for either trying to do both. No; it is by each one exercising his divinely-imparted gift. No doubt it may please the Lord to endow one individual with a variety of gifts; but this does not touch the principle on which we are dwelling in the smallest degree. Simply stated, every one of us is responsible for knowing our own special line and pursuing it. If we lose sight of this, then we will surely find ourselves in hopeless confusion. God has His quarrymen, stone-cutters, and masons. The work progresses by each man attending diligently to his work. If all were quarrymen, who would do the work of stone-cutting? If all were stone-cutters, who would lay the bricks? The greatest damage is done to the cause of Christ and to God's work in the world by one man aiming at another's line of things, or seeking to imitate another's gift. It is a grievous mistake, against which each of should be solemnly warned. Nothing can be more senseless. God never repeats Himself. No two faces are alike, no two leaves in the forest are alike, and no two blades of grass are alike. Why then should any one aim at another's line of work, or seek to possess another's gift? Let each one be satisfied to be just what His Master has made him. This is the secret of real peace and progress.

All this finds a vivid illustration in the inspired record concerning the service of the three distinct classes of the Levites, which we now quote at length. Nothing compares with the veritable language of Holy Scripture. "And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them. and Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord, as He was commanded. And these were the sons of Levi by their names, Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. And these are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families; Libni, and Shimei. And the sons of Kohath by their families; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And the sons of Merari by their families; Mahli, and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to the house of their fathers. Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites: these are the families of the Gershonites. Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred. The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward. And the chief of the house of the father of the Gershonites shall be Eliasaph the son of Lael. And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof" (Num. 3:14-26).

And again we read, "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take also the sum of the sons of Gershon, throughout the houses of their fathers, by their families; from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them; all that enter in to perform the service, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation. This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, to serve, and for burdens: and they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, and the covering of the badgers' skins that is above upon it, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the hangings of the court, and the hanging for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and all that is made for them: so shall they serve. At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service: and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens. This is the service of the families of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation: and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest" (Num. 4:21-28).

Regarding Gershon and his work: Along with his brother Merari he had to carry the tabernacle whereas Kohath was called to bear the sanctuary, as we read in Numbers 10, "And the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon, and the sons of Merari set forward, bearing the tabernacle . . . And the Kohathites set forward, bearing the sanctuary: and the other [i.e., the Gershonites and the Merarites] did set up the tabernacle against they came" (vv. 17, 21; emphasis added).

There was a strong moral link connecting Gershon and Merari in their service, although their work was distinct, as we see from the following passage. "As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them after their families, by the house of their fathers; from thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation. And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof, and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name ye shall reckon the instruments of the charge of their burden. This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service to the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest" (Num. 4:29-33).

All this was clear and distinct. Gershon had nothing to do with the boards and pins; and Merari had nothing to do with the curtains or the coverings. And yet they were intimately connected, and mutually dependent. "The boards and sockets" would not do without "the curtains;" and the curtains would not do without the boards and sockets. And as to "the pins," though apparently insignificant, who could estimate their importance in keeping things together, and maintaining the visible unity of the whole? Thus all worked together to one common end, and that end was gained by each attending to his special line of work. If a Gershonite had taken it into his head to abandon "the curtains" and address himself to "the pins," he would have left his own work undone and interfered with the work of the Merarite. This would never do. It would have thrown everything into hopeless confusion; whereas by adhering to God's rule, all was maintained in exquisite order.

It must have been beautiful to observe God's workers in the wilderness – each one at his post; each moving in his divinely appointed sphere. Hence, the moment the cloud was lifted and the order to strike the camp was issued, every man knew what he had to do, and he addressed himself to that and to nothing else . No man had the right to think for himself. Jehovah thought for all. The Levites had declared themselves "on the Lord's side;" they had yielded themselves to His authority; and this fact lay at the base of all their wilderness work and service. Looked at in this light, it would be deemed a matter of total indifference whether a man had to carry a pin, a curtain, or a golden candlestick. The grand question for each and all was simply, "Is this my work? Is this what the Lord has given me to do?"

This settled everything. Had it been left to human thinking or human choosing, one man might like this; another might like that; and a third might like something else. How then could the tabernacle ever be borne along through the wilderness, or set up in its place? No; there could be but one supreme authority – Jehovah Himself. He arranged for all and all had to submit to Him. There was no room for the exercise of human will. This was a signal mercy, preventing a world of strife and confusion. There must be subjection; there must be a broken will; there must be a yielding to Divine authority, otherwise it will turn out to be like the book of Judges, "Every man doing that which is right in his own eyes." A Merarite might say or think, "Am I to spend the best portion of my life on earth – the days of my prime and vigor – looking after a few pins? Was this the end for which I was born? Am I to seek nothing higher as an object in life? Is this to be my occupation from the age of thirty to fifty?"

To such questions there was a twofold reply. In the first place, it was enough for the Merarite to know that Jehovah had assigned him his work. This was sufficient to impart dignity to what nature might esteem the smallest and meanest matter. It does not matter what we are doing, provided we are doing our divinely appointed work. A man may pursue what others deem a brilliant career. He may spend his energies, time, talents, and fortune pursuing what this world esteems grand and glorious, and all the while his life may prove to be but a splendid bubble. On the other hand, the man who simply does the will of God, whatever that may be – the man who executes the Lord's commands, whatever such commands may enjoin – that is the man whose path is illuminated by the beams of Divine approbation, and whose work will be remembered, long after the most splendid schemes of the children of this world have sunk into eternal oblivion.

But, besides the moral worth attached to the act of doing what we are told to do, there was also a special dignity belonging to the work of a Merarite, even though that work was merely attending to a few "pins" or "sockets." Everything connected with the tabernacle was of the deepest interest and highest value. In the whole world nothing compared with that boarded tent and all its mystic belongings. It was a holy dignity and privilege to be allowed to touch the smallest pin that formed a part of that wonderful tabernacle in the wilderness. It was more glorious to be a Merarite looking after the pins of the tabernacle, than to wield the scepter of Egypt or Assyria. True, according to the import of his name, that Merarite might seem a poor, sorrowful, laboring man; but his labor stood connected with the dwelling-place of the Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth. His hands touched and handled items that were the patterns of things in the heavens. Every pin, every socket; every curtain, and every covering was a shadow of good things to come – a foreshadowing of Christ.

We do not mean to assert that the laboring Merarite or Gershonite understood these things. This is not the point. The point is we can understand them. It is our privilege to bring these things, i.e., the tabernacle and its mystic furniture, under the brilliant light of the New Testament, and there read Christ in all.

Therefore, while we make no prediction regarding the measure of intelligence possessed by the Levites in their respective work; we do say with confidence that it was a precious privilege to be allowed to touch, handle, and bear through the wilderness, the earthly shadows of heavenly realities. Also, it was a special mercy to have the authority of a "Thus saith the Lord" for everything they put their hand to. Who can estimate such a mercy – such a privilege? Each member of that marvelous tribe of workers had his own particular line of things marked out by God's hand, and superintended by God's priest. It was not each doing what he himself liked, nor one man running in the wake of another, but all bowing to the authority of God, and doing precisely what they were told to do. This was the secret of order throughout the eight thousand five hundred and eighty workers (Num. 4:48). And we can say with confidence that it is the only true secret of order to this day. Why do we have so much confusion in the religious world? Why such conflicting creeds, doctrines, organizations, thoughts, feelings, and opinions? Why so much clashing one with another? Why such crossing of each other's path? The answer is found in our lack of entire and absolute submission to the Word of God. Our will is at work, we choose our own ways, instead of allowing God to choose for us. Too many of us seek after that attitude and temper of soul to be found only in human thought, which has no eternal worth. Instead, we should be seeking after God's thoughts, praying they will rise up within us, taking unqualified dominion of the soul.

This is the grand desideratum – the crying want of the day in which our lot is cast. Today, man's will is everywhere gaining the ascendant. It is rising like a mighty tide and bearing away those ancient barriers that, in some measure, have kept it in check. Many an old and time-honored institution is presently giving way before the rushing torrent. Many an edifice, whose foundations were laid deep down in the fond and reverent affections of the people, is giving way beneath the battering ram of popular feeling. "Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."

Such is pre-eminently the spirit of the age. Subjection is the antidote. But subjection to what; church authority; the voice of tradition; the commandments and doctrines of men? No; not to any of these – then to what? To the voice of the living God – the voice of Holy Scripture. This is the grand remedy for both self-will and submission to human authority. The answer to self-will – "We must obey." The answer to bowing down to human authority – "We must obey God." We see these two elements all around us. Self-will resolves into infidelity – subjection to man into superstition. In our age, these two bear sway over the world, carrying away all save those who are taught to say, feel, and act on that immortal sentence, "We must obey God rather than man."

This enabled the Gershonite in the wilderness to look after those rough unattractive "badger skins;" and this enabled the Merarite to look after those seemingly insignificant "pins." And, it is this that will enable the Christian to address himself to that special line of service to which his Lord may see fit to call him. What to human eyes seems rough and unattractive, small and insignificant, to the Christian is enough because God has assigned the post and appointed the work. It is enough that our work has direct reference to the Person and glory of Him who is the chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely. We, too, may have to confine ourselves to the antitype of the rough unsightly badger skin, or the insignificant pin. Let us always remember that whatever has reference to the name, Person, and cause of Christ in the world is unspeakably precious to God. It may be small by man's account; but what of it? We must learn to look at things from God's point of view, measuring things by His standard, Jesus Christ. God measures everything by Christ. Whatever has the smallest reference to Christ is interesting and important by God's account. On the other hand, the most splendid undertakings, the most gigantic schemes, the most astonishing enterprises of human will, all pass away like the morning cloud and the early dew. Man makes self his center, object, and standard, valuing things according to the measure in which they exalt self, and further self-interests. Through the eye of subjection to God, one clearly sees that organized religious institutions are themselves no more than a pedestal on which to display man’s self interests. In short, everything human promotes self, and is used as a reflector to throw light on and call attention to that one object. Thus there is a mighty gulf between God's thoughts and man's thoughts; and the shores of that gulf are as far apart as Christ and self. All that belongs to Christ is of eternal interest and everlasting. All that belongs to self shall pass away and be forgotten. Therefore, the most fatal mistake into which any man can fall is to make self his object, because it will end in everlasting disappointment. On the other hand, the wisest, safest, best thing that any man can do is to make Christ his one absorbing object. This infallibly brings everlasting blessedness and glory.

We need to pause here for a moment and commune with our own heart and conscience, dispatching our sacred responsibility to the soul, and asking, "What is our object?" Is it Christ or self? Hopefully, we can be honest with self before the almighty and all-seeing Searcher of hearts. May God help each of us sit in stern judgment on self, in the light of God's presence; to not be deceived by any gilding or false coloring. God sees below the surface of things, and He would have us do likewise. He presents Christ to us in contrast with the world. Have we accepted Him? Is He our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption? Can we say, without hesitation, "My Beloved is mine, and I am his?" May God help each one of us to search the heart and see. Is this a settled point, deep down in the depths of the soul? If so, are we making Christ our exclusive object; measuring everything by Him?

Truly, these are searching questions. Be assured that we do not put them forth without feeling their edge and power ourselves. We are deeply and thoroughly convinced that nothing will stand except that connected with Christ; and further, the smallest, most remotely matter that refers to Him is of commanding interest in the judgment of heaven.

Before closing this lengthened section, let us briefly consider the Kohathites and their work. "And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, from thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work; in the tabernacle of the congregation. This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things: and when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering veil, and cover the ark of testimony with it: and shall put thereon the covering of badgers' skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof. and upon the table of showbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon: and they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put in the staves thereof. And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuff dishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it; and they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers skins, and shall put it upon a bar. And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put to the staves thereof: and they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put them on a bar: and they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon: and they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the flesh-hooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skins, and put to the staves of it. And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation" (Num. 4:1-15).

We see here what precious mysteries were committed to the charge of the Kohathites. The ark, the golden table, the golden candlestick, the golden altar, and the altar of burnt offering (all shadows of good things to come; patterns of things in the heavens; figures of the true; types of Christ) is His Person, His work, and His offices. They are presented here in the wilderness, and, if we may be allowed the expression, in their traveling dress. With the exception of the Ark of the Covenant, all these things presented one unvarying appearance to the human eye: the rough covering of the badgers skins. With the ark there was this difference, i.e., above the badgers' skins there was "a cloth wholly of blue" setting forth the entirely heavenly character of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His own divine Person. That which was essentially heavenly in Him lay on the surface of His blessed life here below. He was always the entirely heavenly man – "the Lord from heaven." Underneath this covering of blue were the badger' skins, which may be viewed as the expression of that which protects from all evil. The ark was the only thing covered in this peculiar manner.

"The table of showbread" was a type of our Lord Jesus Christ in His connection with the twelve tribes of Israel. First there was "a cloth of blue," then a cloth of scarlet;" and over all the badgers' skins – in other words, that which is essentially heavenly; that which expresses human splendor; and above all, that which protects from evil. The twelve loaves evidently point to the twelve tribes; and as to the scarlet color, we need only to look through Scripture in order to see that it sets forth that which man considers splendid.

The coverings of the golden candlestick and the golden altar were identical: first the heavenly covering; and then the external badgers' skin. In the candlestick we see our Lord Christ in connection with the work of the Holy Spirit in light and testimony. The golden altar shows us Christ and the preciousness of His intercession – the fragrance and value of what He is before God. When passing along the sand of the desert, both of there were wrapped up in that which was heavenly, and protected above by the badgers' skins.

Finally, in reference to the brazen altar, we observe marked distinction. It was covered with "purple" instead of "blue," or "scarlet." Why was this? Doubtless because the brazen altar prefigured Christ as the one who "suffered for sins," and Who shall therefore wield the scepter of royalty. "Purple" is the royal color. The One who suffered in this world shall reign. The One who wore the crown of thorns shall wear the crown of glory. Thus the moral fitness of the "purple'' covering on the brazen altar – for on that altar the victim was offered. We know there is nothing in Scripture without its own Divine meaning, and it is our privilege, as well as our duty, to seek to know the meaning of all that God has graciously written for our learning. We believe this can only be reached by humble, patient, prayerful waiting on Him. The One who has penned the Book knows perfectly the scope and object of the Book as a whole, and of each division of the Book in particular. This will have the effect of checking the unhallowed flights of the imagination. The Spirit of God alone can open Scripture to our souls. "God is His own interpreter" in revelation, as well as in providence, and the more we lean on Him in true self-emptiness, the deeper insight we will have both into His Word and His ways.

Therefore, we suggest reading the first fifteen verses of Numbers 4 in the presence of God. Through prayer, ask Him to explain the meaning of each clause – the meaning of the ark, and why it alone was covered with "a cloth wholly of blue." And so on throughout the verses. We have ventured to suggest the meaning, but we earnestly desire that each serious student get it directly from God, not accepting it merely from man. We confess a fear of imagination; and we write on sacred Scripture believing that only the Holy Spirit can truly explain it.

One might say, "Why sit down to write at all?" We write in the fond hope of being permitted in some feeble manner to help the serious, earnest student of Holy Scripture to personally catch sight of the rare and exquisite gems that lie scattered along the inspired page. Like us, many have read the fourth chapter of Numbers, never perceiving that the ark was the only part of the mystic furniture of the tabernacle that did not exhibit the badger skin. Yet, if this simple fact is not discovered, how can its import be seen? The same is true regarding the brazen altar; how many have failed to notice that it alone put on the "purple?"

We may rest assured that both these facts are full of spiritual meaning. The ark was the highest manifestation of God; therefore, we may understand why at first sight it should exhibit that which was purely heavenly. The brazen altar was the place where sin was judged – it typified Christ in His work as sin bearer. it set forth that distant place to which He traveled for us; and yet that brazen altar was the only thing that was wrapped in royal covering. Can anything be more exquisite than this teaching? What infinite wisdom in all these fine distinctions. The ark conducts us to the highest point in heaven. The brazen altar conducts us to the lowest point on earth. They stood at extreme points in the tabernacle. In the former, we see the One who magnified the law; in the latter, we see the One who was made sin. In the one, that which was heavenly was seen at the first sight; and it was only when one looked deeper, that the badger skin was seen; and deeper still, that mysterious veil, the type of Christ's flesh. But, in the other, the first thing one saw was the badger skin, and deeper down was seen the royal covering. Christ was in each, though in a different aspect. In the ark, we have Christ maintaining the glory of God; in the brazen altar, we have Christ meeting the sinner's need – blessed combination for us.

Further, we should notice that in this marvelous passage to which we have been giving attention, there is no mention of a certain piece of furniture, which from Exodus 30 and other Scriptures, we know occupied an important place in the tabernacle. We speak of the brazen laver. Why is this omitted in Numbers 4? It is more than probable that some keen-eyed rationalists would find here what they might pronounce as error; a defect; a discrepancy. But is it? No, the devout Christian student knows full well that such things are wholly incompatible with the volume of God. We know and confess this, even though we may not be able to account for the absence or presence of this or that particular thing in any given passage. As far as we are able through the mercy and grace of God to see the spiritual reason of things, do we always find that where the rationalist sees flaws, we see brilliant gems.

We believe this to be the case in reference to the omission of the brazen laver from the catalogue in Numbers 4. It is only one of thousands of illustrations of the beauty and perfectness of the inspired volume.

But, one may enquire, "Why is the laver omitted?" The reason may be found in the double fact of what that laver was made from, and what it was made for. This double fact we noticed in Exodus. The laver was made of the looking-glasses of the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation (Ex. 38:8). This was its material. Regarding its object, it was provided as a means of purification for man. In all those things that formed the special burden and charge of the Kohathites, we see only the varied manifestations of God in Christ, from the ark in the holiest of all, to the brazen altar in the court of the tabernacle; and, because the laver was not a manifestation of God, but a purification for man, it is therefore not found in the custody and charge of the Kohathites.

We leave the student to meditate alone on this profound section of our book (Num. 3-4). It is truly inexhaustible. One might expatiate on it until volumes are filled instead of pages. Even then, we would barely penetrate the surface of a mine whose depth can never be sounded – whose treasures can never be exhausted. What human pen can bring out the marvelous instruction contained in the inspired account of the tribe of Levi; who can attempt to unfold that sovereign grace that shines in the fact that the self-willed Levi should be the very first to respond to that soul-stirring call," Who is on the Lord's side?" Who can speak fully of that rich, abounding, distinguishing mercy illustrated in the fact that those whose hands had been imbued in blood should be permitted to handle the vessels of the sanctuary; and that those into whose assembly God's Spirit could not enter should be brought into the bosom of the congregation of God, there to be occupied with that which was so precious to Him?

And then we have those three divisions of workers, Merarites, Gershonites, and Kohathites. What instruction we find here; what a type of the various members of the Lord's church in their various services; what depth of mysterious wisdom is revealed in all this. Nothing at this moment so deeply impresses us as the sense of the utter feebleness and poverty felt as we ponder one of the richest sections of the inspired volume. Together we have stepped into a mine of infinite depth and richness, and now we trust that each one will continue to penetrate its treasures by the gracious aid of Him to whom the mine belongs and Who alone is able to evolve its wealth. All that man can write or say on any portion of God's Word can, at best, only be suggestive; to speak of it as exhaustive would be to slight the sacred cannon. May we tread the holy place with unshod feet, and be as those who inquire in the temple, and whose studies are perfumed by the spirit of worship.

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