THE ORDERING OF THE CAMP AND LEVITICAL SERVICE
THE ORDERING OF THE CAMP AND LEVITICAL SERVICE
JT This chapter is clearly for those who have entered into service; not simply those who are held for service, but those who enter into the service. Perhaps it is important to note that distinction. It is one thing to be held for service; God has a right to us; through redemption He has a right to every one of us; and so He claims us for service; but then it is another matter to enter into the service; and for that we have to wait. It is an important principle in Christianity, to learn how to wait, to wait on our ministry.
Ques What do you understand by “waiting”?
JT Well, it is to wait until the Lord would indicate to us what is to be done.
Rem Without that, we should have no direction.
JT Of course, it is said that if one finds anything to do, he is to do it with his might. That is a word for those who may be lazy, or slothful, but it is perfectly clear that the believer has to wait on his ministry; and in due time he is put into the service.
Ques Do we take it from what you have said, and what is here, that it is when you wait on your service that your service is allotted to you?
JT That is it. You waited; and so they are numbered in this chapter. The number is greatly [p. 204] reduced from the number of the Levites in the previous chapter; because in the previous chapter they are numbered from a month old and upward; typically taking in all believers; whereas in this chapter those that are numbered are actually taken into the service. You can well understand that the Lord takes special account of those who have entered into the service; so that they are numbered here from thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old; and as thus numbered, their work was allotted to them.
Ques What about our years of waiting?
JT Well, I just alluded to that as a principle. It is an important thing to wait. Saul lost his kingdom because he could not wait. Patience is an element that proves itself in the things of God. On the other hand, we ought not to be slothful; slothfulness is extremely objectionable. A slothful man says, there is a lion in the way; but it is really laziness. What we find to do, we are to do with all our might. With young believers there is certain to be an effort, and a desire to be doing something. Well, one should be waiting. There might be the exercises at twenty-five, and the desire to serve and God takes account of that; but when it comes to actual service that God owns, the Levite is taken account of from thirty years to fifty years.
Rem I suppose that would be exemplified in the history of Moses.
JT Yes; his history is a very remarkable illustration of it. You refer to his endeavour to undertake the deliverance of the people of Israel before the Lord sent him to do it. The desire was right. Stephen alludes to it, and gives Moses the credit of having the desire, and being rejected of the people. But he had to wait in the wilderness forty years. It is in that period of waiting that we become acquainted with the Lord, and learn how to [p. 205] serve.
Rem I suppose waiting would produce soberness.
JT Yes; you are led to feel you can be done without, during that period; which is a great lesson to learn. We can be done without; and God compels us to wait. But then, when the time arrives you get more to do, perhaps, than you wish.
Rem Besides, when each one has his work allotted to him, there will not be interference one with the other; things will work smoothly.
JT Quite so. I think it is most interesting to see how levitical work begins here. It begins with the most exalted character. That is to say, immediately you have the right kind of servants, under the direction of Aaron and his sons, you have brought forward things that are to be carried; and the order in which they are to be carried.
Ques Does that indicate fitness?
JT I think the Kohathites are marked off as those specially qualified for this work; and there is this advantage, they are immediately under the superintendence of the priests; so that they are not obliged to look at the holy things. To look into the ark, or to touch it, meant death. Aaron and his sons were to go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden; but they were forbidden to go in to see when the holy things are covered, “lest they die”.
Ques What are we to understand by that?
JT The priests only were entitled to touch the holy things, or to look upon them. We are viewed as priests, as possessing the Spirit; and the reception of the Spirit implies holiness. So it is only in the power of the Spirit that you can look on, or touch, the things in mind. The things in the holy place, or the holiest of all, typified the things in heaven. Take the first thing mentioned; I venture to touch on these things, because if we do not understand them, we shall not understand service. The first thing [p. 206] mentioned is the ark, covered over with a veil. That is really, Christ in humanity; and that is the first great thought in Christianity; the Word has become flesh. That is to be apprehended; and who can apprehend that but a priest? Who can apprehend, for instance, the gospel of John, but a priest? John the baptist says of the Lord, “I knew him not;” John 1:33, although he was related to Him after the flesh. But it was divinely communicated to John that He upon whom he should see the Spirit descending and abide, was the One who would baptise with the Spirit.
Ques Would it imply a spiritual state formed, and nearness to Christ, in order to see the glory of the One who had taken human form?
JT As subject to the Spirit we ought not to have any fear in approaching the great and holy subject of the humanity of Christ; as you read the gospels with a priestly eye you will see the glory; and the nearer you get to it, the more you are at home in it. We need not fear to draw near as priests to meditate upon Christ as Man. But if we touch it with our intellect, we come under judgment. So the first great point for the Levite is, to recognise, as a priest, that Jesus Christ is come in flesh. The ark is covered over with a veil; and we know the veil is His flesh. Do you not think so?
Rem Yes; I think I see what you mean. The Levite is a priest.
JT Yes; and a priest covers it over with a veil.
Ques What does that convey?
JT Well, if you take the gospel that sets forth the humanity of the Lord specially; that is the gospel of Luke. What strikes you is the priestly state at the beginning of it. Zacharias was a priest; and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron; that is to say, the priestly line was in evidence. If you read the opening verses of the gospel by Luke you will be impressed by that.
[p. 207] Rem That is very striking. And really, it is in the apprehension of that we grow as priests, through meditation on the gospels.
Rem No subject can be more holy, nor more delightful to the heart that loves Christ, than this; that is the ark of the covenant.
Ques Does this work of the Kohathites set forth what might be considered as testimony?
JT Yes; you are carrying divine things. It means that we all are exercised, so that the things of God may not be neglected, they are carried on our shoulders.
Ques Would not that indicate that we carry Christ in our affections through this world?
JT That is the thought. You love Him because He loves you. He knows us, and we know Him. He is in your heart; but then, if He is in your heart, He has your shoulder. Just as we are in His heart; and have His shoulder, His support. He graciously gives you the privilege of using your shoulder for His service; and you use it in the support of the saints; because He is seen in the saints.
Rem So that this really comes out in our walk, as well as in our ministry.
Ques I would like to ask about the priest: Do you view the priest as having to do entirely with what is of God? The Levite is taken account of as in responsibility.
JT Yes; of course, Christ is a Priest on the ground of what He is personally. In His case the badgers’ skins came directly over the veil; and the blue comes over the badgers’ skins. With the things in the holy place, the blue comes first, and then the badgers’ skins; because in the holy place you come to what has reference to us; whereas the ark has reference wholly to Christ; and in His humanity there was of course, no sin; and the badgers’ skins came immediately over the veil. The blue, the heavenly colour, is outside: He is the second Man out of [p. 208] heaven; that is the meaning of the blue. Whereas in our case, as I understand it, the blue is inward and that means new creation. Without the work of God there could be no refusal of evil with us. But in the Lord’s case there is no need for that; the power to refuse evil was inherent in Christ.
Rem So Christ having His place in our affections would seem to have a great part in the service.
JT That is the beginning of it; you might say the service could not begin without that. Peter’s love for Christ was brought out, and then his service was given him. The end of John’s gospel, chapter 21, brings to light that Peter undoubtedly loved the Lord. The love was there, although the Lord had to bring it out. The opening of the Acts shows us Peter exercising his levitical functions; and he speaks beautifully of Christ. His introduction of Christianity is wonderful.
Rem Although he had denied Him.
Ques Is movement indicated in these chapters? How would that apply to the present?
JT These chapters refer to the wilderness period, where there is no resting place; nothing permanent; things are on the move. It is our present state, as in flesh and blood. But then the movement is in a hostile and defiling scene.
Ques What would be the character of the Kohathite now?
JT He would be occupied with the Person of the Lord, and the things in heaven. The gospel of John is largely the ministry of the Kohathite. One can see the appropriateness of John being taken up by the Spirit to set forth the truth of the Lord’s Person, because he is specially mentioned as one whom the Lord loved.
Ques Would you connect the ministry with what was deposited in the ark?
JT Yes; only here it is not that. The tables [p. 209] of the covenant are not in view in Numbers; it is rather the truth of His Person here. That is what you are carrying. Of course, underlying that is the truth that He carried out the will of God here. But the coverings are very interesting; the veil, first of all, then the badger skins; and then the covering of blue; all these things refer to what the Lord was as Man. His humanity was a real humanity, but a sinless humanity. The veil suggested that.
Rem It would imply the truth of the incarnation being apprehended in a special way in your soul.
JT That is what it does. The opening of the gospel by Luke is a most important section, and brings out the real humanity of our Lord. That is what the veil represents.
Rem It is the foundation of everything.
JT It is. “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us”, John 1:14. As Man here He is the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Ques Why is the altar of burnt offering connected with the Kohathites? It was outside the covered part.
JT I think it also typifies Christ here. You will notice it is not covered with blue; it is covered with purple. The utensils of the holy place are covered with blue first, and then with badgers’ skins; then in verse 13 we see that the altar is covered with a purple cloth, and the table has a cloth of scarlet laid upon it. Now, all these things have their own spiritual significance. I suppose the table, and the twelve loaves, have reference to administration in man’s hands down here; and in connection with that there is glory. But the altar has reference to suffering; and if we suffer, we shall reign; hence the purple.
Rem The golden altar was to be covered with blue first, and then with badgers’ skins.
JT And all the utensils of the inside place are [p. 210] covered with blue; referring, I think to the work of God in us; that we are of a heavenly order.
Rem “As is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly”. 1 Corinthians 15:48.
JT That is it. One sees how wonderful the Scriptures are in these things, being introduced in this way; and how important that we should know these things, if we want to serve; so that the service should be carried on intelligently. This is, in a way, the most important chapter for a Levite; because it is the chapter that gives you your work.
Rem “When the camp setteth forward” Numbers 4:5; that is when they come into use.
JT Yes, the work begins then. Whenever there is a movement of the Spirit, the Levites are called into activity. You will always find, where the Spirit gives any special impulse, there is a movement amongst the Levites; things have to be taken up in a new way; the point of view you have had in times past will not do now.
Rem No matter how correct that point of view may have been in time past.
JT Yes; things are looked at from another angle now. The angle at which you have been looking from was all right in its time; the Lord was with you in that; but if there is a movement you must follow it.
Rem The testimony remains the same, though there are different forms of it.
Ques What place has the golden altar? How does it come in?
JT It comes in in connection with administration; it is where the table is; and the loaves. I think one can understand that if administration can be carried on, and if there is to be light, there must be prayer; God must be recognised; and I think the golden altar is that in which God is recognised. The needs of the sanctuary are recognised, and met.
[p. 211] That, I think, you get in the gospel of Matthew. There you have the table, and the shewbread.
Rem The golden altar is connected with the going in, and specially connected with prayer in the New Testament.
JT Yes, incense. We read in John 7:53, that they all went to their own homes; but our homes are not, in this sense, the places of prayer. The need was there, but they did not recognise it.
Rem Jesus went to the mount of Olives.
JT Yes; Jesus went to the mount of Olives apparently alone. There He was with the Father.
Rem He takes them there with Him later on.
JT Yes, after the Supper.
Ques Why does verse 16 come in; “to the office of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof”. Numbers 4:16.
JT I think it is to emphasise the priestly state. It is remarkable that Eleazar exercises supervision over the whole sanctuary. How essential the priestly state is for this.
Rem That is, there must be the subjective work, the Spirit’s work in the soul.
JT Yes; that is it. Ithamar had his place, but he did not have the place Eleazar had; he superintended the more external things, the Gershonites and the sons of Merari. A careful analysis of these holy vessels, with their coverings, throws a flood of light on what the servants of the Lord are called upon to do. I am sure of this, that apart from true affection for the Lord, there can be no service acceptable to God; and that is what marks the servant. The ark of the covenant was covered over with a veil. Nothing can be more interesting than to peruse Luke’s narrative, and see how one [p. 212] and another were drawn and attracted to the Lord. Chapter 4 presents Him as with Satan, and how He returned in the power of the Spirit, and ministered in the synagogue on the sabbath day. The Spirit seems to delight in presenting the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on Him.
Ques Would what is set forth in the Gershonites and Merarites have reference to what is external?
JT Well, take the Gershonites; it is not a question of the deity of the Lord, or a question of His Person at all; but rather the arrangement of what is external, or as to what is becoming before men. There I think we touch what may be regarded as the ministry of the Gershonites. Then we have such instructions as these, “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn”. 1 Timothy 5:18. The apostle is treating of levitical work. That is to say, a man who is serving as a Levite ought to be supported; he ought not to be hampered, so as not to be overburdened; and when we come to chapter 7, we find that the princes gave waggons and oxen; and these were given to the Gershonites and the Merarites so that they might not be over-burdened with the things they had to carry. Now you will find in the New Testament a good deal of instruction as to what is becoming to the saints; they which minister the word are to be ministered to and those instructions have reference to what is becoming in the assembly of God.
Rem Concerning things that are down here.
JT Yes; things that will come to an end here.