King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 6 notes
1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.
3And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses.
4And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.
5And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
6Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.
7And 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.
8Then let them 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.
9And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together:
10And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:
11And 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.
There we have it again, the Levites were offered.
So does that mean if Israel had stayed with the original plan of God for them to have been a nation of priests,
that they would have performed the priestly duties themselves?
Yes, and they would have done so in turns, or in courses, just like in the times of King 👑 David.
The Levites' population then had grown, so service to the Lord was done in turns.
Oh, what a joy and privilege. All Israel would have had the chance to enter into the tabernacle — and not just the tabernacle, but to have performed the high priestly duties.
Maybe one might get lucky enough to perform that duty once in their lifetime,
to enter the most holy place. Ah, what glory.
And now today the veil is torn in two ✌️.
We are king 👑 priests and we enter the holy place without limits,
where we behold the face of our Father time and again. For he indeed is our Father.
Glory to God 🙌
12And 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.
So Moses was exempted from all these himself... i.e. the purification rites, or God made him sacrifice for and cleanse himself earlier.
13And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD.
Am I reading right, or is it just my mind?
The Levites were to be offered to the Lord on behalf of the children of Israel 🇮🇱.
Just as Israel offered lambs for sin, they offered the Levites for their first born.
They were literally dead, because they were substituted for every first male-born son, and every first male-born son was substituted for by a ram 🐏.
Interesting. The Levites were no longer their own.
14Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.
15And 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.
There we go again, the Levites were offered for an offering.
16For 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.
17For 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.
18And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
19And 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.
So this was the purpose of the atonement, so that they are not plagued and likely die as they came near God, i.e. the sanctuary.
And their dying was because of sin in the flesh. It was not just because of sin committed, but the very nature of the flesh in housing the sinful nature.
20And 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.
21And the Levites were purified, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them as an offering before the LORD; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanse them.
22And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them.
23And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
24This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation:
25And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:
26But shall minister with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge.