Levites Dedicated Instead of the Firstborn
“Then the Lord said to Moses: “Number all the firstborn males of the children of Israel from a month old and above, and take the number of their names. And you shall take the Levites for Me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the livestock of the children of Israel.” So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the children of Israel, as the Lord commanded him. And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names from a month old and above, of those who were numbered of them, were twenty-two thousand two hundred and seventy-three (22,273.)
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine: I am the Lord. And for the redemption of the two hundred and seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who are more than the number of the Levites, you shall take five shekels for each one individually; you shall take them in the currency of the shekel of the sanctuary, the shekel of twenty gerahs. And you shall give the money, with which the excess number of them is redeemed, to Aaron and his sons.”
So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those who were redeemed by the Levites. From the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred and sixty-five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. (1,365 SHEKELS)And Moses gave their redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.”
What’s so special about the first of anything? Having produced one, we don’t know if there will be any more to follow. Firstborn animals, firstborn infants, first results of any effort-all these are a major achievement. Although God has already ordained particular offerings for firstborn males, once these infant boys have been redeemed, they are free to do whatever they wish. But the Levites are in a different category. God has set the Levites apart to care for the various parts of the Tabernacle. Now God is taking that action even further by choosing males one month and above from the Tribe of Levi as living sacrifices to redeem the other male firstborns of the Israelites. The Levites have twenty-two thousand males one month old and above. There are two hundred seventy-three firstborn males from the other tribes. Each of these males will be redeemed by giving Aaron and his sons 5 shekels for each of the 273 males, making a total of 1,365 shekels. God is also considering the animals belonging to the Levites as being dedicated to Him.
APPLICATION: How precious is a firstborn baby of either sex? Ask any couple who struggle for years to become pregnant and then sustain that pregnancy to delivery; such babies are infinitely precious. Parents expect a great deal from their firstborns; these children carry the hopes and dreams of the family. By selecting the Levite males as substitutes for males from the other tribes, God is honoring that tribe. The Levites not only substitute for males from other tribes but they also carry out special duties caring for the Tabernacle. Even if some of those duties seem very mundane, the Levites can still be proud that God has chosen them.
How special do you feel? Do you find yourself caught in a web of petty details, struggling to maintain any equilibrium? There’s an old saying that when you find yourself up to your rear end in alligators (or crocodiles) it’s difficult to remember that your original objective was to drain the swamp. Some days you might feel as if you are being stoned to death with popcorn as the problems mount.
One of the pitfalls of social media is the potential for painful comparisons. Face it, most people are going to portray themselves in the best possible light, posting photos of their vacations, their lake homes, their highly successful children, etc. Very few people will confess that their jobs or their children are slowly driving them crazy. But it’s quite likely that life is far from perfect for these people as well.
The work of the world generally moves forward on the backs of many little unsung heroes and heroines-factory workers, store clerks, bus and taxi drivers, teachers, school aids, nurses, nursing assistants-the list is endless. But if any of these categories of people suddenly are unavailable, the ripple effect will result in major upheavals. One way of describing these relationships is “the butterfly effect.”
The butterfly effect refers to the idea that something small, like getting coffee, can have much larger effects, such as altering your career. The butterfly effect rests on the notion that the world is deeply interconnected, such that one small occurrence can influence a much larger complex system.” (https://thedecisionlab.com)
In God’s view, there are no “little people.” Nobody is insignificant. When Moses and his scribes were conducting the census of the Israelite males, God knew each one of those men. God knows each of us, our names, our hopes, our dreams, our struggles, and our failures. God knows us better than we know ourselves. Amazingly, God still loves us despite all this. John 3:16 tells us that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” If you were the only person in the entire world, Jesus would still have shed His blood to pay for your sins. Why not accept what Jesus has done for you and allow Him to change your life?
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we admit that we have sinned and that nothing we can do will pay for that sins. Lord, please forgive us those sins. Thank You for sending Jesus to shed His blood to die for our sins. We accept the sacrifice Jesus has made for us and we thank You for Your promise that when we have made this decision, we will receive eternal life. We pray in the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.
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