Numbers 8:5-7—5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 6 “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and cleanse them ceremonially. 7 Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.” This begins the actual act of consecrating the Levites to God. When a Levite was consecrated to God, it was not an easy task, and certainly not one to be undertaken lightly. But did they have any choice in the matter? No. If a son was born to the tribe of Levi, they were set apart to God to do the work of ministry. Well that’s not fair, is it? “Just because someone is born into a certain family, they have to go into the service of the Tabernacle?” Yes. Well, what if a daughter is born in the tribe of Issachar? Why can’t she go into the service of ministering to God? Well, the answer is real simple. Because that is what God wants. And, as I have said before and will continue to say ad infinitum, be glad that God isn’t “fair”!
The ceremony begins with the cleansing with water. All these steps were symbolic of their inward state. Washing the outside of the man symbolized that the inward man was being cleansed. When God has to remind the people of Israel of these their early days, He tells them, in Ezekiel 16:9—“Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil.” As God washed His people from their sins with water, so the Levites were to be washed as a symbol of that washing. When He was telling them that He would scatter them among the Gentiles, He promised them that He will once again bathe them and cleanse them when they return to Him. Ezekiel 36:20-27—20 “When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD, and yet they have gone out of His land.' 21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. 22 Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”
And, as is so often then case, we see this act referenced in the Pauline Epistles, namely Ephesians 5:25-26—25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word. For so long I read that passage and thought that was a rather clumsy way of phrasing something. But then I came across this passage, and the light bulb came on and I said “hey, it makes sense now!” The English “washing of water” is translated from the Greek λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος (loutro tou hudatos). Λουτρῷ is from the same root word we find in John 13:10—Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed (λελουμένος, from the root word λούω (louo)) needs only to wash (νίπτω (nipto) his feet, but is completely clean..." This word λούω (louo) refers to bathing as opposed to νίπτω (nipto), which refers to washing the hands or feet. It is a thorough bathing. That is the washing Paul says Jesus wants to use to cleanse His bride—to thoroughly bathe her, immerse her, cleanse her. How? By the word. He wants to make her clean by imparting to her His word, that it may saturate her. And that is the bathing, the immersion, the cleansing that is symbolized by the sprinkling of water on the Sons of Levi to set them apart to God.
We see in Leviticus 8 that he was also to put the blood of the ram that was sacrificed to set them apart to God on their right ear, their right thumb, and their right great toe. Leviticus 8:22-24—22 And he brought the second ram, the ram of consecration. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, 23 and Moses killed it. Also he took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Then he brought Aaron's sons. And Moses put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses sprinkled the blood all around on the altar. Why the ear, thumb and toe? Well, the ear so that they would remember to hear justly, that they may not be partial to either the poor or the rich, their brethren or the stranger, and that they would deal justly with all. The thumb, so that everything they did would honor God, and that their hands would be set apart to do God’s work. The toe, so that they would walk in a manner worthy of the Lord that set them apart to Himself.
Numbers 8:8-15—8 “Then let them take a young bull with its grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you shall take another young bull as a sin offering. 9 And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel. 10 So you shall bring the Levites before the LORD, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites; 11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD like a wave offering from the children of Israel, that they may perform the work of the LORD. 12 Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls, and you shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 And you shall stand the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and then offer them like a wave offering to the LORD. 14 Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. 15 After that the Levites shall go in to service the tabernacle of meeting. So you shall cleanse them and offer them like a wave offering.” If these men were going to minister to God for the people, they had to have their sins forgiven first so they would be fit to perform their duties. But they couldn’t just say “Forgive me” and *poof* their sins were forgiven. Sin required death, and the shedding of blood. Hebrews 9:22—And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. So what happened was, the Levite brought a bull as a Sin Offering, he laid his hands on the head of that bull, transferring his sins to that bull, and the bull was killed. What did that bull do to deserve death? Nothing. It was just living its life, being a bull, doing bull things. And then it is picked out, a guy lays his hands on its head, and it is killed. An innocent animal died because of sin. In the New Testament, we have—not a bull, not a sheep—but an innocent shepherd being put to death because of sins, none of which were His. Because He never sinned. And yet the sins of so many were placed upon Him, and He bore them to the Father. 1st Peter 2:21-24—21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
There are some who want to make it out that our Great High Priest sinned, or that at least He wanted to sin. My friend, even the desire to sin is a sin (Matthew 5:21-22, 26-27). You see, the biggest problem with sin is not the sin itself—although that is a problem. And rules do not do anything to control desires. They only deal with the consequences of the actions. That is why Jesus—and Paul—fought so hard and worked so tirelessly to make the people know that they could not do enough to become righteous. For it is not the doing of things that makes one righteous, but rather having a heart that is geared toward God and pleasing Him. Because, quite frankly, no matter how perfect the Law is, it can make no one perfect. Galatians 3:21—Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. Acts 13:39—By Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Romans 3:30—Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. You see, there can be a sign by the side of the highway that says “Speed Limit 55”. You can see double solid yellow lines down the middle of the road. Or a “No Trespassing” sign on a fence. But can those things prevent you from speeding, or passing, or trespassing? No. All they can do is tell you that you will be punished summarily if you disobey them. Likewise the Law, and all 613 commandments held therein, cannot change your heart, or prevent you from sinning. All they can do is let you know there will be punishment for anyone violating them.
And even the Levites had sins to be forgiven of. I mentioned a few chapters ago the two different sins of the two different Levites in the Book of Judges (Judges 17, Judges 19). Now, we may not consider the sins of these Levites at Sinai as being as bad as those in the Book of Judges, but they were still sins, and they still had to be atoned for. So they were put on this innocent animal, which was killed so those sins could be forgiven. And when our Sacrifice cried out “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani” (Mark 15:34), it was then that God put His hand on the head of that Sacrifice, placed all of the sins of all God’s elect on that Sacrifice, and that Sacrifice died.
Because we sinned.
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live
(“In Christ Alone”, Stuart Townend)
Jonathan Edwards, in his treatise “Christ exalted”, writes thus:
Christ appeared above all the corruption of man, in that hereby he purchased holiness for the chief of sinners. And Christ in undergoing such extreme affliction, got the victory over all misery; and laid a foundation for its being utterly abolished, with respect to his elect. In dying he became the plague and destruction of death. When death slew him, it slew itself. For Christ, through death, destroyed him that had the power of death, even the devil (Heb_2:14). By this he laid the foundation of the glorious resurrection of all his people to an immortal life.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.
