Daily Scripture Reading Numbers 4:1-20

Tyler called himself a “Jesus dude.” He wore the T-shirt, had the fish sticker on his laptop, and led the young adults group at church. But to him, God was basically a cosmic bro.

He would start prayers with “Yo God, what’s good?” and end them with “Catch You later.” During worship he scrolled Instagram with one hand while half-singing. When things went wrong he joked, “God’s doing wild things today.” As for Bible reading, he would open an app, read one verse, and then watch YouTube sermons on 1.5x speed while playing video games.

One Sunday the pastor preached on Hebrews 12: “Worship God with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Tyler texted his buddy: “Bro this dude’s intense”. Then he added, “God’s not gonna smite me for vibing.”

We live in an age when many people, even many so-called Christians, think of God as a heavenly best pal, someone we can just hang out with. However, the fourth chapter of Numbers explains the precautions that were necessary when the Israelites moved the tabernacle. If the furnishings were not handled properly, death could be the result. This warns us that we should heed the Hebrews 12 description of God as a consuming fire.

The third chapter of Numbers explains the responsibilities of each family within the tribe of Levi. Each family was assigned certain duties when it was time to move the tabernacle. Chapter 4 gives more detail about the tasks assigned to the Kohathites.

Num. 4:1 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

Num. 4:2 “Take a census of the descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ households,

Num. 4:3 from thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the duty of doing the work in the tent of meeting.

Only male Kohathites between the ages of thirty and fifty performed work in the tent of meeting.

Num. 4:4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, concerning the most holy things.

According to Numbers 3:27-32, the Kohathites camped on the south side of the tabernacle, and they were responsible for the furniture and utensils of the tabernacle,

Num. 4:5 ¶ “And when the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it;

Look at the words “Aaron and his sons” and the word “cover”. The Kohathites did not cover the ark. Instead, Aaron and his sons covered the ark.

Num. 4:6 and they shall put a covering of porpoise skin on it and shall spread over it a cloth of pure blue and shall insert its poles.

Num. 4:7 Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall also spread a cloth of blue and put on it the dishes and the pans and the offering bowls and the jars for the drink offering, and the continual bread shall be on it.

The pronoun “they” refers to Aaron and his sons. The Kohathites did not cover the table. The sons of Aaron did that.

Num. 4:8 And they shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet material and cover the same with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall insert its poles.

Num. 4:9 Then they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps and its tongs, and its trays and all its oil vessels, by which they minister in connection to it;

The sons of Aaron also covered the lampstand.

Num. 4:10 and they shall put it and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin and shall put it on the carrying bars.

Num. 4:11 And over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth and cover it with a covering of porpoise skin and shall insert its poles;

The sons of Aaron also covered the altar.

Num. 4:12 and they shall take all the utensils of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin and put them on the carrying bars.

Num. 4:13 Then they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it.

Num. 4:14 They shall also put on it all its utensils by which they minister in connection with it: the firepans, the flesh hooks and shovels and the bowls, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a cover of porpoise skin over it and insert its poles.

Num. 4:15 When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

This verse emphasizes the fact that Aaron and his sons were to cover the furniture of the tabernacle, and then after that the sons of Kohath were able to carry the furniture.

Notice the word “die”. Failure to follow proper procedures could have resulted in death.

Num. 4:16 ¶ “And the assignment of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil—the assignment of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”

Num. 4:17 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

Num. 4:18 “Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites.

Notice there is particular attention to making sure the Kohathites were not cut off.

Num. 4:19 But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and set each of them to his service and to his load;

Num. 4:20 but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die.”

Take note of the words “see” and “die”. If the sons of Kohath looked upon the holy furniture, they would die.

The tabernacle and its furniture were not to be treated casually. They had to be handled with reverence and care. Only the sons of Aaron could see the holy objects. Any Kohathite who exceeded his boundary and was too casual with the holy objects risked death.

Many people today treat God very casually. They think of Him as being a best friend who makes few demands. Many so-called Christians spend little time reading the Bible and attempting to understand God and His requirements. When they go to church, they make no effort to be reverent or give God the respect and awe He deserves.

In contrast, the author of Hebrews reminds us that our God is a consuming fire (see Hebrews 12:29). Thus, we need to offer acceptable service with reverence and awe.

Furthermore, Paul wrote about the necessity of having reverence for Christ (see Ephesians 5:21). That followed some statements in which Paul commanded us to look carefully how we walk, walking wisely, not foolishly.

The Creator of the universe is not our best friend. He is not a cosmic pal we can simply hang out with. Nor is God indifferent about how we live our lives and how we treat Him. Instead, our God is a consuming fire. He deserves and demands reverence and awe.

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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.”