Worship Numbers 7 - 8

Worship BACKGROUND Numbers is an account of the time between the Exodus and the entry into the Promised Land The Levites have been appointed to serve the Lord and maintain the Tabernacle Now the Tabernacle is ready and specific instructions are given to the leaders of the tribes and to the Levites regarding worship

Worship OFFERINGS Chapter 7 is mainly concerned with the offerings made to equip the Tabernacle and to ensure it will be portable for the journey The tribes all contribute towards providing carts and oxen for the Tabernacle (1 – 9) These are given to the three Levite clans depending on the load they will bear Note that the Kohathites do not have a cart. They will carry the most holy objects on their shoulders using poles (see 2 Samuel 6)

Worship OFFERINGS All the tribes (except the Levites) now bring equal offerings to the Tabernacle (10 – 88) Each tribe has an equal stake in the support of the sacrificial ministry of the Tabernacle No tribe has a monopoly and no tribe is overlooked Grain offering, burnt offering, sin offering, fellowship offering – all of the major Levitical offerings are provided for

Worship A PLACE OF MEETING The Tabernacle was not just a place of offering It was where God spoke to His people through Moses – the Tent of Meeting It was a place that signified relationship God speaks to Moses from above the Mercy Seat This is also called the atonement cover – see Romans 3:25 “God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness”

Worship A PLACE OF LIGHT (8:1 -4) The arrangement of the lamp stand is given prominence (see also Exodus 25 and 37) The lamp stand was made of hammered gold God had given the design to Moses The lamps would light the path for Moses to approach the Holy of Holies (Most Holy Place) They help Moses to draw close to communion with God

A PLACE OF DEDICATION (8:5 - 22) Worship A PLACE OF DEDICATION (8:5 - 22) The Levites need to be purified before they can serve the Lord As a symbol of being cut off from anything unclean they shave off all of their body hair as part of the ceremony They have hands laid on them just as an animal sacrifice would – they are living sacrifices to the Lord We are reminded that the Levites stand as substitutionary sacrifices for the firstborn of all the tribes

Worship LESSONS FOR TODAY All of us have a part to play in worshipping God Sacrifices remind us that sin is serious and a holy God cannot be approached casually Worship is our reasonable service to God – we are a kingdom of priests There will be those who are equipped by God and set apart to help us in our worship Our worship must be centred on Him alone Worship is about having a relationship with God where we hear from Him as well as serve Him