Daily Scripture Reading Numbers 3:1-13
Aiden was a kind-hearted Christian who hated conflict. More than anything, he wanted people to like him and see Jesus as loving and welcoming. So when he started his new job at a progressive marketing firm, he made a quiet decision. He told himself, “I’ll be the nicest Christian they’ve ever met.”
At first it felt righteous. When his coworkers mocked the Bible during lunch, Aiden just smiled and said, “Jesus was all about love, right?” When someone asked his opinion on sexuality, he replied, “I just want everyone to feel accepted and valued.” His answer made people smile and pat him on the back. “You’re not like those other Christians,” they said. Aiden felt warm inside. “This must be what it means to be salt and light” he told himself.
One evening his small group Bible study was discussing truth and love. Aiden shared, “I think we focus too much on being right and not enough on being kind. Jesus met people where they were.” The group nodded politely, but his friend Rachel gently quoted Ephesians 4:15 which talks about “speaking the truth in love.” Aiden brushed it off. “That verse is so often weaponized,” he said. Feelings felt safer than hard verses.
Months passed. His coworker Maya was in a same-sex relationship and asked Aiden to attend her wedding. Aiden felt a knot in his stomach. He knew what Scripture said, but he also saw the tears in Maya’s eyes when she talked about how many Christians had rejected her. “I don’t want to make her feel unloved,” he reasoned. He went to the wedding, clapped, and posted a smiling photo with the caption “Love wins.”
That night he opened his Bible and landed on 2 Timothy 4:3-4 which talks about people who gather teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. The words stung, but he quickly closed the book. “God understands my heart” he thought.
Then came the crisis.
At work, a new campaign promoted something Aiden knew was clearly sinful. His boss asked him to write the copy. Aiden hesitated. His coworkers gathered around his desk, encouraging him: “Come on, Aiden. Don’t be judgmental. We’re all about inclusion here.” The room was full of expectant, hopeful faces. He felt their desire for acceptance like a heavy blanket.
He wrote the copy.
That weekend, during worship at church, the lyrics “I surrender all” caught in his throat. He realized he hadn’t surrendered his reputation, his need to be liked, or his fear of making people uncomfortable. He had surrendered truth instead.
Many Christians want to get along with our society. They want Christianity to be palatable and appealing. However, a concept that appears frequently in the Bible is sanctification. Sanctify means to set apart and make holy.
When Yahweh struck down all the firstborn of the land of Egypt, He sanctified the firstborn of all Israel, meaning all the firstborn belonged to Him. The third chapter of Numbers explains how the Levites were set apart to serve in the tabernacle as a way of replacing all the firstborn of Israel. This is a picture of the sanctification that needs to happen in the lives of every Christian. We need to be set apart from the world around us.
The first chapter of Numbers records a census that was taken of all the tribes of Israel except the tribe of Levi. The second chapter specifies how the tribes were to arrange themselves when they camped and when they marched. The third chapter gives instructions regarding the tribe of Levi.
Num. 3:1 ¶ Now these are the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when Yahweh spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.
Num. 3:2 These then are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
Num. 3:3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to minister as priests.
Num. 3:4 But Nadab and Abihu died before Yahweh when they offered strange fire before Yahweh in the wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron.
This incident is recorded in Leviticus 10.
Num. 3:5 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Num. 3:6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near and have them stand before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.
Num. 3:7 And they shall keep his responsibility and the responsibility for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to perform the service of the tabernacle.
Num. 3:8 They shall also keep all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the responsibility of the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the tabernacle.
The role of the tribe of Levi was to care for the tent of meeting.
Num. 3:9 You shall thus give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the sons of Israel.
Num. 3:10 So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
Anyone who was not part of the tribe of Levi was prohibited from helping the Levites.
Num. 3:11 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
Num. 3:12 “Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first offspring of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine.
Look at the word “instead”. When Yahweh struck down all the firstborn of the land of Egypt, He sanctified the firstborn of all Israel, meaning all the firstborn belonged to Him (see Exodus 13). However, at Mount Sinai, Yahweh claimed the tribe of Levi instead of all the firstborn.
Num. 3:13 For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am Yahweh.”
Notice the word “sanctified”. When Yahweh struck down the firstborn of Egypt, the firstborn of Israel were sanctified to Yahweh, meaning they were set apart and belonged to Him. At Mount Sinai, Yahweh substituted the Levites for the firstborn, meaning the Levites were set apart to perform all the duties necessary in the tabernacle and tent of meeting. This is a picture of how Christians are set apart and sanctified.
Right before His crucifixion, Jesus asked the Father to sanctify all believers in the truth because the world would hate all believers and believers are not of this world (see John 17:13-19). This is part of the teaching we see throughout the New Testament that Christians should be different from non-believers.
Many Christians want to get along with our society. They want Christianity to be palatable and appealing. Many Christians compromise with the world in an effort to gain supposed converts to Christianity.
Christians should represent Christ well, and we should work to have a good reputation. However, that does not mean we should compromise on truth or morality. We are sanctified. That means we are different and we should act differently.
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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.”