Levite Census - Numbers 2 & 3

Chapter 2 was an assigning of how each tribe was to be situated around the tabernacle and in which order they were to be deployed as an army. There were 4 sides of the tabernacle so each side had 3 tribes each with Judah and Ephraim being in the places of honor on the east side of the tabernacle. Chapter 3 is a census of the Levite priests, remember that the previous census for men of fighting age for the army didn’t include the tribe of Levi because they had responsibilities for the religious aspect of the community so they weren’t going to fight in the army, they were going to do other stuff. Therefore, the census in the tribe of Levi was separate and listed here in chapter 3, starting with the sons of Aaron. There’s also a reminder that the first two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, were killed by God for messing up in their duties to God. There’s a bunch of break down of which son and which son of sons were situated where and what exact part of the tabernacle that they were supposed to take care of, but I don’t really think that part is that interesting so I’m not going to go over it here.

It's pretty confusing here but starting in verses 38-41 of chapter 3, there is commandment that “Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death…and thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the Lord) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel.” This doesn’t make any sense to me, but TB reminded that before the tribe of Levi was given the role of the priesthood and religious responsibility, that that job was done by the first born male of every Israelite household, so that’s what that phrase means, that the Levites were going to take the place of priest away from the first born among the children of Israel and going to do the Levite priests now. I’m just going to make a large TB quote because I think it’s really good at giving context about why the priesthood moved from the first born in each house hold of Israel to the Levites and the possible fall out from that. TB says, “Remember we are at a point in time whereby the special status of all Israeli firstborns is in process of being removed from them and turned over to the Levites. These Isreali firstborns had, for centuries, been the ones with the unique honor and duty to perform priest0-like functions for their own families. You can be that while some firstborns were relived to not have to do it anymore, others had their pride pricked and were not at all happy about this change. And they surely had no intention of giving it all up so easily and so wanted to continue to involve themselves in the rituals and ceremonies God had decreed to Moses. God’s answer: don’t even think about it. Come near and die.”

The chapter ends with a description of how each baby boy can be “redeemed” for 5 shekels from the priests. TB explains that each first born son in each family in Israel was to be dedicated to the service of God and that for 5 shekels that first born son could be redeemed out of God’s service and given back to his family when he was presented at the temple as a baby. TB notes the irony that even if the boy wasn’t redeemed and the family wanted to dedicate him to God’s service, because he wouldn’t have been a Levite, there would have been nothing for him to do.