Numbers 18:1 - Meaning and Application

The connection between this chapter and the one before it is easy to see.

In the last chapter, the people complained about how hard and dangerous it was to draw near to God. That must have shaken them, because the tabernacle in their midst, which should have been their joy and honor, now seemed like a source of fear and danger. God answers that concern here through Aaron by showing that the priests would come near on the people’s behalf. So even though the people had to keep their distance, they would not lose their place with God. Their fellowship with him would continue through the priests’ service.

God had also recently shown great favor to Aaron. His staff had budded and blossomed, while the staffs of the other leaders stayed dry and fruitless. To keep Aaron from becoming proud because of these honors and miracles, God reminds him of the weight of his calling. He should not boast about being lifted up, but should receive his office with reverence and holy fear, knowing how much was trusted to him and how hard it would be to give a good account. “Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.”

God first tells Aaron about the danger that came with his honor (Numbers 18:1). The priests and Levites, meaning Aaron, his sons, and his father’s house, would bear the guilt connected with the sanctuary if anything was wrongly allowed there. If strangers or unclean people came in and the Levites and priests failed to stop them, the blame would fall on them. Even if the bold sinner died for his own sin, the watchmen would still be held responsible for failing in their duty. More generally, if any work of the sanctuary was neglected, done at the wrong time, or handled badly while the tabernacle was being moved, they would answer for it.

The priests would also bear the guilt of the priesthood itself. If they neglected any part of their work, or let others take over duties that belonged only to them, they would be responsible for that failure. The larger the trust, the greater the danger of sinning against it. This is one reason not to envy high honor or chase after important positions, because great rank brings great responsibility. Those who are trusted with the care of God’s house will have much to answer for. Who would want the care of souls, if he truly thought about the account he must one day give for them?

God also tells Aaron what belonged to his office. He and his sons were to serve before the tabernacle of testimony (Numbers 18:2), that is, before the most holy place where the ark stood, just outside the veil but inside the entrance to the tabernacle of meeting. They were to care for the golden altar, the table, and the lampstand, things no Levite was allowed to approach. Their work was service, not rule. They were not meant to lord it over God’s people, but to serve God and the congregation. The priesthood is a service. If anyone desires the office of a bishop, he desires a good work. Ministers must remember that they are servants, and so they must be humble, diligent, and faithful.

The Levites were to help Aaron and his sons in all the work of the tabernacle (Numbers 18:2-4), but they were not to come near the holy vessels or handle the main altar duties, such as burning the fat and sprinkling the blood. Aaron’s family was small. As Israel grew, the priests would not be enough to handle all the work, so God said the Levites were to be joined to Aaron (Numbers 18:2, 4). There is likely a play on the name Levi, which means “joined.” Many Levites had recently opposed Aaron, but now God promised they would be truly joined to him in heart and purpose and would no longer quarrel with him. It was a good sign for Aaron that God was honoring him, because God also turned the hearts of others to support him. The Levites are called a gift to the priests (Numbers 18:6). It is a great mercy from God when he gives us people who can help us in his service.

Both priests and Levites also had to guard carefully against treating holy things as common. The Levites were to keep watch over the tabernacle so that no stranger, meaning anyone forbidden to come near, could approach it (Numbers 18:4). That warning carried the penalty of death (Numbers 18:7). The priests were to guard the sanctuary itself (Numbers 18:5), teach the people, and warn them to stay within the limits God had set. They were not to allow anyone to break those bounds, as Korah’s company had done, so that wrath would not come again on the children of Israel. Preventing sin is how wrath is prevented. The ruin caused by sin should warn us to keep watch over ourselves and others in the future.