Daily Scripture Reading Numbers 1:30-54
From time to time, it is necessary for a country to draft men into the military and force them to fight on behalf of their country. This usually happens in times of all-out warfare when the fate of the nation is at stake. Some countries are so small and vulnerable that they have decades-long practices of forcing all men to serve in the military for a couple of years.
Having said that, many countries offer exemptions to military service. Farmers are often exempted, because the society still needs to eat. Sometimes college students are exempted. The issuing of exemptions can become quite controversial because the wealthy and powerful might pull strings to exempt their children, giving their children an unfair advantage not enjoyed by those who are not wealthy or connected.
Another type of exemption which has some Biblical basis is a religious worker exemption. In other words, in time of warfare, Pastors are not drafted to fight because serving the spiritual needs of a population is as important as having farmers to supply the physical needs of the population. The book of Numbers contains an example of exempting religious workers from military service.
The book of Numbers opens with the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai, about one year after they had been freed from their slavery in Egypt. The tabernacle had been erected and they had received the Mosaic Law, which gave them a culture and a religion. The first action recorded in the book of Numbers is a census. Yahweh told Moses to count all the males who were twenty years old or older. The purpose was to count all the men who were able to go out to war.
Yesterday, we read the first part of the results of the census. The tribe of Reuben had 46,500 men. Simeon had 59,300. Gad had 45,650, while Judah had 74,600, and Issachar had 54,400.
Num. 1:30 ¶ Of the sons of Zebulun, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,
Num. 1:31 their numbered men of the tribe of Zebulun were 57,400.
Num. 1:32 ¶ Of the sons of Joseph, namely, of the sons of Ephraim, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,
Num. 1:33 their numbered men of the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500.
Num. 1:34 ¶ Of the sons of Manasseh, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,
Num. 1:35 their numbered men of the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.
Take note that the descendants of Joseph were divided into the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. That is because Jacob had claimed the sons of Joseph as his own children (see Genesis 48:5). Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, the scriptures do not refer to the tribe of Joseph. It refers to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. Ephraim and Manasseh were equal to their uncles.
Num. 1:36 ¶ Of the sons of Benjamin, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,
Num. 1:37 their numbered men of the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.
Num. 1:38 ¶ Of the sons of Dan, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,
Num. 1:39 their numbered men of the tribe of Dan were 62,700.
Num. 1:40 ¶ Of the sons of Asher, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,
Num. 1:41 their numbered men of the tribe of Asher were 41,500.
Num. 1:42 ¶ Of the sons of Naphtali, their genealogical registration by their families, by their fathers’ households, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war,
Num. 1:43 their numbered men of the tribe of Naphtali were 53,400.
Num. 1:44 ¶ These are the ones who were numbered, whom Moses and Aaron numbered, with the leaders of Israel, twelve men, each of whom was of his father’s household.
Num. 1:45 So all the numbered men of the sons of Israel by their fathers’ households, from twenty years old and upward, whoever was able to go out to war in Israel,
Num. 1:46 even all the numbered men were 603,550.
The total number of men aged twenty or older was over 600,000. If every man had a wife and two children, the total population would have been around 2.5 million people.
Num. 1:47 ¶ The Levites, however, were not numbered among them by their fathers’ tribe.
Take note that the tribe of Levi was not counted.
Num. 1:48 Yahweh had spoken to Moses, saying,
Num. 1:49 “Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, nor shall you take their census among the sons of Israel.
Num. 1:50 But you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony and over all its furnishings and over all that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall attend to it; they shall also camp around the tabernacle.
Since the tribe of Levi was assigned to be the priestly tribe and to have oversight of the tabernacle, they were exempted from military service.
Today, when countries enact compulsory military service, there are often exemptions. There are numerous categories of people who may be excused from having to serve in the military. When Moses took the census at Mount Sinai to determine the size of the army, the only exemption was for the Levites, the religious workers.
Num. 1:51 So when the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle encamps, the Levites shall set it up. But the layman who comes near shall be put to death.
Look at the word “death”. Only the Levites could touch the tabernacle to take it down or set it up. If a layman attempted to help, he was to be put to death.
Num. 1:52 And the sons of Israel shall camp, each man by his own camp, and each man by his own standard, according to their armies.
Num. 1:53 But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony so that there will be no wrath on the congregation of the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of the testimony.”
Even the layout of the camp was designed to keep laymen away from the tabernacle. The Levites camped around the tabernacle, and then the rest of the tribes camped around the Levites. This not only protected the laymen from unauthorized contact with the tabernacle, it also protected the Levites and the tabernacle. If anyone attacked the camp of Israel, they would have to fight through the other tribes in order to get to the Levites and the tabernacle.
Num. 1:54 Thus the sons of Israel did; according to all which Yahweh had commanded Moses, so they did.
Just as Yahweh exempted the Levites from going out to war, so too many countries today exempt certain categories of people from compulsory military service. The Bible does not give instructions as to which categories of people in modern times should be exempted from having to fight in war. However, since Yahweh gave an exemption to the Levites, who were the religious workers in the nation of Israel, then it is reasonable to conclude that religious workers should be exempt in our day as well.
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”