Numbers 8:9

_AND THOU SHALT BRING THE LEVITES BEFORE THE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION: AND THOU SHALT GATHER THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL TOGETHER:_ The children of Israel ... Since it was plainly impossible that the whole multitude of the Israelites could do this, a select portion of them must be meant. This party, who laid their hands upon the Levites, are supposed by some to have been the firstborn, who, by that act, transferred their special privilege of acting as God's ministers to the Levitical tribe; and by others to have been the princes who thus blessed them. It appears from this passage that the imposition of hands was a ceremony used in consecrating persons to holy offices in the ancient, as, from the example of our Lord and his apostles, it has been perpetuated in the Christian Church....

5-26 Here we have directions for the solemn ordination of the Levites. All Israel must know that they took not this honour to themselves, but were called of God to it; nor was it enough that they were distinguished from others. All who are employed for God, must be dedicated to him, according to the employment. Christians must be baptized, ministers must be ordained; we must first give ourselves unto the Lord, and then our services. The Levites must be cleansed. They must be clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. Moses must sprinkle the water of purifying upon them. This signifies the application of the blood of Christ to our souls by faith, that we may be fit to serve the living God. God declares his acceptance of them. All who expect to share in the privileges of the tabernacle, must resolve to do the service of the tabernacle. As, on the one hand, none of God's creatures are his ne...

The Levites could only undertake their duties Numbers 3; Numbers 4 after the formal exchange of the Levites for the first-born Numbers 3:44. The distinction between the “consecration” of the priests Leviticus 8 and the less solemn “purification” Numbers 8:21 of the Levites is marked. These rites of purification are similar to those incumbent on the priests of Egypt. Numbers 8:7 Water of purifying -

EXPOSITION THE HALLOWING OF THE LEVITES (Numbers 8:5-4). NUMBERS 8:5 THE LORD SPAKE UNTO MOSES. At some time subsequent to the command given in Numbers 3:6-4, and no doubt before the passover. NUMBERS 8:6 AND CLEANSE THEM. Before they actually entered upon their new duties they were to be solemnly hallowed. This hallowing, however, is not called קַדֵּשׁ, as is that of the priests ...

AND THOU SHALT BRING THE LEVITES BEFORE THE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION,.... Not without it, but within it, in the court of the tabernacle, at least at the door of it, where stood the altar of burnt offering, on which sacrifices for them were now to be offered: AND THOU SHALT GATHER THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL TOGETHER; the heads of the tribes, and elders of the people, as Aben Ezra interprets this phrase in Leviticus 8:3; where the whole congregation is said to be assembled at the consecration of the priests, as here at the consecration of the Levites, having a concern therein, as well as to be spectators and witnesses of this solemn affair; and no doubt as many of them as could conveniently assemble at the door of the tabernacle did, though every individual of that large body of people could not possibly do it....

Numbers 8:5. _And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them._ These men were to be the servants of God; they are the type of God's elect, a people set apart unto divine service, to be zealous for good works. «Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.» That is just the way that God the Holy Ghost takes Christians out of the main of mankind, and cleanses them. Numbers 8:7. 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. Then let them take a young bullock with his meat of offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a

6. THE CONSECRATION OF THE LEVITES CHAPTER 8 _ 1. The lighting of the candlestick (Numbers 8:1)_ 2. The consecration of the Levites (Numbers 8:5) 3. The charge to the Levites repeated (Numbers 8:23) The candlestick is the type of Christ as in the sanctuary, that is, Christ in glory. The lighting of the seven lamps introduced in the beginning of the wilderness book is of blessed meaning. The seven lamps were to illuminate the candlestick of beaten gold, throw their light upon the candlestick so that the gold and beautiful workmanship might be seen. The oil in the seven lamps represents the Holy Spirit. Spiritually applied we have the picture here of the Spirit of God shedding light upon Chri

THE PURIFICATION OF THE LEVITES. This differed from that of the priests (Exodus 29, Leviticus 8), for the Levites (_a)_ were only sprinkled with water instead of being washed altogether and anointed with oil; (_b)_ merely washed their ordinary garments instead of being clad in special garments. The shaving of all their hair was in pursuance of the belief mentioned on p. 216: if ceremonial impurity infected the person at all, it would exist in a concentrated form in the hair. The ceremonies described in Numbers 8:10 could obviously be only performed symbolically: _cf._ Exodus 29:24. NUMBERS 8:13. THOU: here and in Numb

TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION. tent of meeting. App-40....

_The Levites_ Numbers 8:5. Their purification and dedication, Numbers 8:23. The age of service. The passage is an expansion of Numbers 3:5-13, with the addition of the rite of purification. The Levites are inferior to the priests, and are therefore merely cleansed from the ceremonial pollution of ordinary life, while the priests receive something higher, an actual quality which the Hebrews called -holiness," i.e. not moral excellence, but separation, exclusiveness (Exodus 29; Leviticus 8)....