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Numbers 4 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Numbers 1 dealt with numbering the tribes. Numbers 2 was all about the ordering of the camps. Numbers 3 introduced us to the duties of the priests and Levites. Now, in Numbers 4, it is time to dig deeper into those Levitical families. The Levites received their name from Levi and he had 3 sons as recorded in Genesis 46.
The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
Genesis 46:11 NASB
Through these sons came a number of families and God would begin assigning specific duties to each of them. They are listed in Genesis 46 in order from oldest to youngest. It was typical for the firstborn son to receive the greatest inheritance in the family, however, in this case, it would be Kohath who would take precedence over Gershon. I find this very interesting. In fact, we see this theme occur frequently in the Bible.
In Numbers 3, we studied the dedication of the firstborn son to the Lord and then the redemption of that son within 30 days. In addition to this, the birthright of the firstborn son included receiving a double portion of his father’s inheritance. But, as mentioned earlier, even though God gave the eldest son all of these privileges, He continually bypassed that honor and chose the younger or youngest son for some very critical duties.
God chose Abel over Cain. He chose Isaac over Ishmael. He allowed Jacob to take Esau’s birthright. He elevated Joseph and David above his brothers. We all remember the story of the prodigal where the carnal younger son was thrown a party when he arrived home to the jealousy of his older brother. And, on top of this, people forget that Aaron was 3 years older than Moses but God chose the latter to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
We also have Gideon, Solomon and Ephraim as well. They were all younger siblings of older brothers who were chosen by God. So the real question is… why?
Jews and Gentiles
I see a lot of parallels with the Jews and Gentiles. The Jews were the “firstborn” nation chosen by God. They were given the “birthright” of a special inheritance, namely, direct blessings from God. As they grew up, they eventually rejected the plan that God had for them through Jesus Christ. Thus, the Gentiles (younger brother) were chosen to receive the fullness of God’s plan for Salvation.
Jesus continually spoke of the last being first in His Kingdom. The interesting fact to consider is that God had already been executing this principle throughout the Old Testament. We know that titles do not matter. Just because someone is younger does not mean God will choose them over the older. However, God despises the proud and it seems throughout Scripture that the “older siblings” continually wrestled with pride and entitlement.
Ultimately, this should bring us to a place of sincere gratitude for what God has allowed us to experience. It seems that in the history of God’s favor, He is most sensitive to those who are broken, humble, and teachable. He loves those who come with simple faith, knowing they do not deserve the incredible grace and mercy that’s freely offered. This should be the cry of our hearts. Lord, humble me to Your thoughts and Your ways. I submit to Your will!