ADULT LESSON 84

CENSUS OF ISRAEL AND DUTIES OF THE LEVITES

MEMORY VERSE: “Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel,
after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names,
every male by their polls” (Numbers 1:2).

TEXT: Numbers Chapters 1 to 4

This study introduces us to the book of Numbers, the fourth section of the Pentateuch. The
events recorded in the book spanned a period of about 38 years, starting from the second
year after Israel’s departure from Egypt till the fortieth year when they arrived at Canaan’s
border. The book portrays the patience and faithfulness of God towards His chosen people.
Also, it warns against the consequences of unbelief, murmuring and disobedience. The
Israelites learnt their lesson the hard way and their experiences are written for our learning
and admonition (Romans 15:4). Exactly one month after the completion of the tabernacle of
the congregation, God commanded Moses to number Israel. The census ushered in another
milestone in the journey of the Israelites to the Promised Land. Census is a count for
official purposes, especially one to count the number of people living in a country and to
collect information about them. The word “census” is depicted with words like “number”,
“numbered”, “numbering”, and “numberest” in the Holy Bible. The book of Numbers is so
named based on the two numberings of the children of Israel recorded in it: the first being
in our text, at Mount Sinai and the second at the plains of Moab (chapter 26). This study
describes the strict adherence of Moses, Aaron and the leaders of the tribes of Israel to the
details of the divine instruction for the numbering procedure. It includes details of the
layout of Israel’s camp, their tactical formation while in transit and the responsibilities
assigned to the Levites.

1. CENSUS AND THE PECULIAR INSTRUCTION CONCERNING THE LEVITES

Numbers 1:1-54: 3:1- 51: Psalm 87:4-6; 1 Samuel 3:4,6,8,10; 1 Kings 19:9; Acts 10:13; 22:7;
26:14

“Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their
families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male
by their polls; From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to
war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies” (Numbers 1:2,3).
The primary purpose of this census is ascertained by the repetition of the phrase “…all
that are able to go forth to war…” fourteen times in the first chapter of Numbers. Israel
had left Egypt over two years now. There was a need to raise an army to fight battles in
times of war. God did not want His people to be caught unawares by the intrusion of the
enemy. So, He gave Moses the benchmarks for raising armies from the various tribes of
Israel. The yardsticks were age, gender and ability to fight. In a nutshell, all the three
criteria must be met before being enlisted. They were to count and document every name in
a book. This teaches the need for accurate record keeping and reporting as we do God’s
work. The assignment was too much for Moses and Aaron to prosecute. So, God specifically
named twelve leaders across the tribes to facilitate the work. “And with you there shall
be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers. And these are
the names of the men that shall stand with you: of the tribe of Reuben; Elizur the
son of Shedeur” (Numbers 1:4,5). God does not want His servants to operate as lone
rangers. Whenever He calls a man or a woman into a ministry, He raises up specific people
with different spiritual gifts and talents to complement their ministries. Operating without
interacting with other believers of like-precious faith and calling could lead to carelessness
and destruction. The inhabitants of Laish perished because they failed to connect with
potential deliverers (Judges 18:27,28). A ministry that operates in isolation will soon go into
oblivion. Samson’s ministry is an example. He raised no army, had no assistant nor
intercessor; he mentored no one and eventually died with none to carry on his ministry. In
a bid to recruit an army for Israel through a census procedure, God gave Moses a pattern
that involved narrowing down from a broad perspective. He was required to select from all
the tribes, individuals who met the age criteria of twenty years old and upwards (Numbers
1:3). This is likened to a sieving process that systematically edges out the irrelevant. By
practice, God has operated this way in the Scripture at different times. “…ye shall be
brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD
taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family… shall come by
households; and the household… shall come man by man” (Joshua 7:14,15). The
same practice was adopted when Samuel was to choose a king for the children of Israel
which led to the selection of Saul the son of Kish (1 Samuel 10:20,21). The outcome of the
census indicated a striking fulfilment of Jacob’s prophecies concerning his children. The
tribe of Judah had the largest number of soldiers. Joseph had taken a double portion
inheritance among the tribes through Ephraim and Manasseh. Then, Ephraim the younger
had a larger population than Manasseh (Genesis 48:17-19; 49:8). The implication of all
these is that the promises of God concerning our lives will be fulfilled. Also, parents should
recognize that what they say concerning their children may turn out to be prophetic.
Therefore, all negative utterances should be avoided. God commanded Moses not to
number the Levites among Israel. They were numbered separately and given the
responsibility over the tabernacle of Testimony, the vessels and all that belonged to it. They
were to encamp round about it before the camps of the other tribes. In a nutshell, they
were to complement the physical warfare of the recruited armies with spiritual warfare
(Exodus 17:9-13). This is a balanced arrangement.

2. ASSIGNMENT OF THE HOST INTO WARFARE RANKS

Numbers 2:1-34; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 2:11

The army of Israel was grouped into warfare ranks and distributed in the four cardinal
points as follows: Judah, Issachar and Zebulun with an army strength of one hundred and
eighty-six thousand, four hundred (186,400) occupied the East; Reuben, Simeon and Gad
with an army strength of one hundred and fifty one thousand, four hundred and fifty
(151,450) occupied the South; Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin with a military strength
of one hundred and eight thousand, one hundred (108,100) occupied the West while Dan,
Asher and Naphtali had a military strength of one hundred and fifty-seven thousand, six
hundred (157,600) and occupied the North. As they journeyed towards the Promised Land,
the armies of the tribes of Judah, Issachar and Zebulun on the eastern part were
commissioned to lead the whole congregation. Others were to follow in the order stated
above with the combined tribes of Dan, Asher and Naphtali protecting them from behind.
The Levites were stationed between the South and West groups of armies. The arrangement
was divinely given. It provided a robust security for everybody in the camp because every
probable soft spot of invasion was blocked with security network. The distribution of the
armies ensured that the larger number of trained soldiers were stationed at the front and
back of the congregation. The implication of this is that children of Israel could not be
easily overpowered at the front or from behind by the enemy. The contemporary application
of this is that we should beef up security in our various churches, camp meeting: and
conferences without taking chances or being ignorant of the devices of the enemy (2
Corinthians 2:11). The fact that God directed Moses to raise an army despite His presence
among the Israelites teaches that man must do his part and not be passive about his own
welfare. The promptness and accuracy with which Moses, Aaron and the captains of the
tribes carried out the Lord’s instruction is noteworthy (Numbers 1:54; 2:34; 3:51; 4:49).
Moses was able to do this because of the divine approval, respect, favour and cooperation
he enjoyed from the captains and the congregation in the course of supervising the task
committed to his care. The work entrusted to the church is enormous. Church leaders need
prayer and cooperation to fulfil their divine mandate. All saved members of the church need
to assist and cooperate with their leaders if the mandate of the great commission will be
fulfilled.

3. CENSUS OF THE LEVITES AND THEIR DUTIES

Numbers 3:1-51; 4:1-49; Leviticus 10:1-10; 1 Chronicles 21:1-30; Deuteronomy 4:24

Numbers chapters three and four focus on the Levites. They were not numbered with the
other tribes and were not included in any of the ranks. They were gathered and organized
in their own team as an honour to them because of their peculiar service. Aaron and his
sons had been consecrated to minister in the priest’s office. The mention of it here is a
confirmation of their appointment (Numbers 3:2,3). Aaron’s sons were mentioned: Nadab,
Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. The first two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, had died after
offering a strange fire before the Lord. Strange fire here refers to unapproved source of fire
for sacrifice in the presence of God. Their mention here can serve as a reminder to the other
priests and contemporary believers of the need to avoid a similar error by approaching
divine assignment with dignity and respect and not with pride and presumptuousness.
“For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24).
David was provoked by Satan to number Israel (1Chronicles 21:1). Therefore, Wrath came
upon the people. It was like a strange fire because David was not instructed by God to
carry out the census. He does not want His servants to act irrationally. The Levites, aside
the priests, were to be presented to Aaron “..that they may minister unto him”
(Numbers 3:6) in the place of the firstborn in Israel. “And I, behold, I have taken the
Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth
the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;
Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in
the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast:
mine shall they be: I am the LORD” (Numbers 3:12,13). Right from the night of the
Passover, God claimed the firstborn of all Israel as His. But at this time, He planned to
replace all the firstborn with the Levites so they could assist the priests in their work. So, a
census had to be taken to ascertain the numerical strength of the Levites in comparison
with all the firstborn. The Lord commanded Moses to number the Levites in two categories:
Firstly, the census involved every male from a month old and upwards (Numbers 3:15) and
Secondly, the males from thirty to fifty years old (Numbers 4:3,23,30). The first category
was for the purpose of identifying the number of the firstborn males of the Levites which
should be taken in the place of the firstborn males of the children of Israel. The number
was found to be twenty-two thousand (22,000). The number of the first born males of the
children of Israel was also taken at the commandment of the Lord and it was found to be
twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three (22,273). Comparing the figures, the
firstborn of all Israel were 273 more than the Levites. The extra two hundred and seventy-
three of the children of Israel were redeemed (Numbers 3:39,40-51). The second category of
the Levites that were numbered Includes those that qualified to work in the Tabernacle of
the congregation. The Lord instructed Moses to “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 (Numbers 4:2,3). Under the
new dispensation, all the genuinely saved children of God are qualified work for service in
the church of the living God irrespective of age. However, the Lord requires that His
children be holy for acceptable and enduring ministry (2 Timothy 2:21). The duty of the
various families of the Levites was spelt out. There was no competition, carnal comparison
or complaints among them. The Kohathites were to carry the Ark of the Covenant, the
table, candlestick, altars and instruments of the sanctuary. They were to be supervised by
Eleazar. The Gershonites were given the charge of the entire curtains including those of the
tabernacle, hangings and the coverings of badgers’ skins (Numbers 4:22-26). Ithamar, the
son of Aaron, was to take the charge of them (Numbers 4:28). The Merarites were
responsible for the heavy burdens: the boards and bars, the pillars and sockets, the pins
and cords (Numbers 4:31,32). They had the record of every material so that there will be no
confusion when the tabernacle was to be set up again. In the church today, there are
different ministries. All are important; none is superior. Ministers who have a public
ministry should not despise others because we are co-laborers in the vineyard of the Lord.
We shall be rewarded according to the quality of the services that we offer. “Every man’s
work shall ‘be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be
revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is” (1
Corinthians 3:13).

Questions for review:

1. Mention the rationale behind the census of Israel.
2. What were the criteria for raising the armies?
3. What do we learn from the appointment of some individuals to assist Moses and Aaron
in the census?
4. What can we learn from the outcome of the census and what implication does it pose to
us?
5. Comment on the importance of security in the assembling of God’s people as implied in
this study.
6. What can we learn from the death of Nadab and Abihu?
7. What is the implication of the variation in the duties of the Levites to present-day
believers?