Numbers 8:11

Numbers 8:11 says, And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.  Aaron was to offer the Levites as an offering before God so that they might execute the service of God.  As followers of Christ, we offer ourselves the same way today, and no one else can offer for us. Verse twelve adds, And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites.  The Levites were to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and Moses was to offer one as a sin offering and one as a burnt offering to make atonement for the sins of the Levites.  We today have our sins atoned for by the blood of Jesus Christ, as was theirs really.  Verse thirteen continues,  And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD.  After Moses made the sacrifices of atonement for the Levites, they were to be brought before Aaron and his sons for service to God.  Though we may serve under other leaders in the church, we are all dedicated to the service of God as Christians.  Verse fourteen adds, Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.  The Levites were to be separated from the rest of the people of Israel, and were to be God's alone.  As followers of Christ, we are to separate ourselves from the rest of the world, and some are called to separate themselves from the rest of us to do the work of God exclusively.  Verse fifteen continues, And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering.  After the Levites were offered to Aaron and his sons, Moses was to cleanse them for service to God.  Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we are already cleansed for His service.  Verse sixteen says, For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me.  The Levites were to replace all the firstborn of the people of Israel before God. They were to be a substitute for all the firstborn, and Jesus Christ is the only substitute available to bear the penalty for our sins today.  Verse seventeen adds, For  all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself.  God told Moses that all the firstborn were His since He had spared them in Egypt.  Verse eighteen continues,  And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.  Then God told Moses that He had now taken the Levites instead.  As Christians, we are all taken into the service of God, and no one else can really take our place.  We mat dedicate babies to God, but this will not save  them.

Numbers 8:1

Numbers 8:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Verse two adds, Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.  God told Moses what to tell Aaron about lighting the lamps.  The lamps served to bring light into the tabernacle so that the priests and then the people could see what they were doing.  Jesus Christ is the light for the world today, but of course we must accept Him as our Savior and Lord for His light to do us any good.  Verse three continues, And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses.  Aaron did as the LORD commanded him to do through Moses.  We must do what God tells us to do, sometimes through the Bible or a preacher, but always through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Verse four concludes, And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.  Moses had made the candlesticks according to God's design, and Aaron was tolight them according to God's direction.  Like Moses and Aaron, we as followers of Christ do not have the same role in the church, but if we all work together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, then we will get God's work done effectively.  Verse five states, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Verse six adds, Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.  God next told Moses to take the Levites from the other people of Israel and cleanse them.  We as Christians are to be separated from the world and to be cleansed by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.  We should then be set aside from the world to do God's work according to His calling in our life.  Verse seven continues,  And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.  Aaron was given specific instructions about how to have the Levites cleanse themselves and their clothes.  People today are given specific instructions about how to be cleansed spiritually, and the only way to do that is to be cleansed by putting one's faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse eight concludes, Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, even fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin offering.  After the Levites were physically clean, they were to offer a meat and sin offering to God to be spiritually cleansed.  All we can offer today in order to be cleansed spiritually is ourself to Jesus Christ.   Verse nine says, And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together:  The Levites were the to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the people of Israel were to be assembled there as well.  I believe that once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we should let people know, beginning with a local  congregation that we will then be a part of.  Verse ten adds, And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:  The Levites were to be dedicated to God, and the people of Israel were to put their hands on them signifying their understanding of the role of the Levites and their support of them.   We also need to support one another in  God's work, especially those who have been called into the ministry and other positions in the church.

Numbers 7:72

Numbers 7:72 says, On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ocran, prince of the children of Asher, offered:  Pagiel, the prince of the tribe of Asyer, brought their gifts on the eleventh day.  Verse seventy-three adds, His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:  Verse seventy-four continues, One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: These were the gifts that would be used permanently in the tabernacle, as well as sacrifices that would be temporary.   Verse seventy-five states, One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:  Verse seventy-six adds, One kid of the goats for a sin offering:  Verse seventy-seven continues, And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ocran.  These were the temporary sacrifices brought by Pagiel, and concluded their gifts and sacrifices.  Verse seventy-eight says, On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali, offered:  On the twelfth day, the last day these gifts and sacrifices were to be offered, Ahira, prince of the tribe of Naphtali brought their gifts and sacrifices.  Their gifts and offerings were no less important because of when they were presented, and neither are ours today.  Verse seventy-nine adds, His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:  Verse eighty continues, One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:  These were the permanent gifts mixed with temporary offerings,  Verse eighty-one states, One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:  Verse eighty-two adds, One kid of the goats for a sin offering:  Verse eighty-three continues, And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahira the son of Enan.  This was the temporary offerings for sacrificial purposes, and completed not only the gifts of Ahira, but also of all the tribes at this time.  This did not mean that this was all they would ever give, and if we give to for a particular purpose in the church, that does not free us from giving going forth.  Verse eighty-four says, This was the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Israel: twelve chargers of silver, twelve silver bowls, twelve spoons of gold:  Verse eighty-five adds, Each charger of silver weighing an hundred and thirty shekels, each bowl seventy: all the silver vessels weighed two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:  Verse eighty-six continues, The golden spoons were twelve, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary: all the gold of the spoons was an hundred and twenty shekels. Between them, the twelve tribes brought all the things needed for use at the altar.  It we work together as Christians we will meet all the needs of the church.  Verse eighty-seven states, All the oxen for the burnt offering were twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the lambs of the first year twelve, with their meat offering: and the kids of the goats for sin offering twelve. Verse eighty-eight adds, And all the oxen for the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he goats sixty, the lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed.  This was the number of sacrificial animals brought, which would have to be replenished in time.  Some of our gifts are more permanent than others, but as long as we give under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, then all the needs of the church will be met.  Verse eighty-nine declares, And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.  Moses went into the tabernacle to talk with God, and he heard Him speak from the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant. As followers of Christ, God will speak to us today from His mercy seat if we are looking to talk to Him.  Of course, this is based on our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. 

Numbers 7:60

Numbers 7:60 says, On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin, offered:  On the ninth day, Abidan the prince of the tribe of Benjamin offered their offerings.  Verse sixty-one adds, His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:  Verse sixty-two continues, One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:  These were the permanent gifts with the temporary offerings.  Verse sixty-three states, One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:  Verse sixty-four adds, One kid of the goats for a sin offering: Verse sixty-five continues, And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Abidan the son of Gideoni.  These were the temporary sacrificial offerings.  Verse sixty-six says, On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan, offered:  On the tenth day, Ahiezer the prince of the tribe of Dan brought their offerings.  Verse sixty-seven adds, His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:  Verse sixty-eight continues, One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:  We are then given a list of their more permanent gifts which were mixed with temporary offerings.   Verse sixty-nine states, One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:  Verse seventy continues, One kid of the goats for a sin offering:  Verse seventy-one continues,  And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai.  This concluded the gifts and offerings of the tribe of Dan. 

Numbers 7:42

Numbers 7:42 says, On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad, offered:  Elisaph, prince of the children of Gad, was to bring his gift on the sixth day.  Verse forty-three adds, His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, a silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:  Verse forty-four continues, One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense: First was the offering that was both permanent and temporary.  Verse forty-five states, One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:  Verse forty-six adds, One kid of the goats for a sin offering:  Voice forty-seven continues, And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this is the offering of Eliasaph the son of Deuel.  These were the sacrificial gifts of Eliasaph, the prince of Gad for the tribe of Gad.  Though the princes brought the gifts as representatives of the people, the gifts were from all the people.  We may collect gifts for God today and just one person present them to the church, but that does not mean that they alone should claim credit for it.  Verse forty-eight says, On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim, offered:  Elishama prince of the tribe of Ephraim was to present their gifts on the seventh day.  This would evidently have been the sabbath day, which had restrictions on what could be done, but there is never a day that has restrictions on what we can do for God.  Verse forty-nine adds, His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:  Verse fifty continues, One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:  Again we have the mixed offerings, both temporary and permanent, listed.  Verse fifty-one states, One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:  Verse fifty-two adds, One kid of the goats for a sin offering:  Verse fifty-three continues, And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elishama the son of Ammihud.  We are told of the total of the offering of Elishama for the tribe of Ephraim.  Verse fifty-four says, On the eighth day offered Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh:  The eighth day Gamaliel the prince of the tribe of Manasseh presented their gifts. Verse fifty-five adds, His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:  Verse fifty-six continues, One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:  The permanent gifts filled with temporary offerings are listed first.  Verse fifty-seven states, One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:  Verse fifty-eight adds, One kid of the goats for a sin offering:  Verse fifty-nine concludes, And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur.  These were the sacrificial offerings brought by Gamaliel for the tribe of Ephraim. 

Numbers 7:24

Numbers 7:24 says, On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun, did offer:  Eliab, the prince of Zebulun, was to bring his offering on the third day.  Verse twenty-five adds, His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:  Verse twenty-six continues, One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:  These were the more permanent offerings, which could be used in the tabernacle, combined with temporary sacrifices.  Verse twenty-seven states, One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:  Verse twenty-eight adds, One kid of the goats for a sin offering:  Verse twenty-nine continues, And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Eliab the son of Helon.  These offerings were for sacrificial purposes.  We need to meet both temporary and lasting purposes of God with our sacrices.  Verse thirty says, On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben, did offer:  Elizur, the prince of Rueben, was to bring his offerings on the fourth day.  The order in which they were to bring their offerings was determined by God, and not by the priests themselves, so there could be no arguing about the order.  As long as we give when God directs us to, there should be no concern about when someone else gives.  Verse thirty-one adds, His offering was one silver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:  Verse thirty-two continues, One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:  These offerings were both permanent and temporary mixed.  Verse thirty-three states, One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:  Verse thirty-four adds, One kid of the goats for a sin offering:  Verse thirty-five continues, And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Elizur the son of Shedeur.  These were temporary offerings used for sacrifice.  Verse thirty-six says, On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon, did offer:  Shelumiel the priest of Simeon was to bring his offering on the fifth day.  Verse thirty-seven adds, His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:  Verse thirty-eight continues, One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense:  These were the mixed offerings.  Verse thirty-nine states, One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering: Verse forty adds, One kid of the goats for a sin offering:  Verse forty-one continues, And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai.  These were the sacrifice offerings.

Numbers 7:10

Numbers 7:10 says, And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes offered their offering before the altar.  There was a day set up for the various princes offer their sacrifices to dedicate the altar.  The princes, or leaders of the tribes of Israel, were given a day in which to offer their offerings before the altar when it was dedicated.   Again, God operates in an orderly fashion as He accomplshes His work today, and we cannot all do the same thing at the same time.  Verse eleven adds, And the LORD said unto Moses, They shall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar.  This was not Moses decision, but God's.  We need to make sure that we are working by God's plan and not our own.  Verse twelve states, And he that offered his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah:  Nahshon, of the tribe of Judah was to be the first to bring his offering.  This did not make him or the tribe of Judah better than the others.  It only meant that they were following God's directions.  No matter what or when we are doing what God directs us to do, we must never feel that we are better than other Christians.  Verse thirteen adds, And his offering was one silver charger, the weight thereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them were full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:  Verse fourteen continues, One spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense:  These were the permanent gifts offered with a temporary sacrifice. Verse fifteen says, One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:  Verse sixteen adds, One kid of the goats for a sin offering:  Verse seventeen continues, And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.  Then Nashon for the people of Judsh was to present the things used for temporary offerings. We are told all that Nashun and the tribe of Judah offered, and I believe that we must acknowledge that this was done freely, but under God's guidance.   We need to also give freely to God's work today, but to it under His guidance.   Verse eighteen states, On the second day Nethaneel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, did offer:  On the second day, Nethaneel of the tribe of Issachar was to bring his offering.  Once more, this did not make his offering more or less important than anyone elses.  Verse nineteen adds, He offered for his offering one silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels, one silver bowl of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering:  Again, we first have the permanent gifts mixed with the temporary offerings.  Verse twenty continues. One spoon of gold of ten shekels, full of incense:  Verse twenty-one says, One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering:  Verse twenty-two adds, One kid of the goats for a sin offering: Verse twenty-three continues, And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year: this was the offering of Nethaneel the son of Zuar.  Then, we have the gifts offered to be used in temporary sacrifices.  We are told of the offering of Nethaneel and the tribe of Issachar.  We should note that in these offerings, some of it was of a more permanent nature and some was to be used quickly.   This should be the nature of our offerings to God today.