Bird's-eye view
In this chapter, the Lord gives Moses and Aaron a set of meticulous instructions regarding the Levites, and specifically the clan of Kohath. This is not a passage about interior decorating, nor is it a mere manual for movers. This is a chapter about the holiness of God, and how a holy God makes it possible for a sinful people to live in His presence without being consumed. The central reality of the Old Covenant was God dwelling in the midst of His people. This meant that the camp had to be holy, because God is holy. These instructions, therefore, are a profound lesson in reverence, order, and the mediated access we have to God. Every layer of fabric, every pole, every specified duty points to the same reality: God is holy, and man is not. Access to Him is not a casual affair. It must be on His terms, and His terms always involve a mediator.
The work is divided among the Levites, but the sons of Kohath are given the most hazardous and holy task: they are to carry the most sacred furniture of the tabernacle. But even they are kept at a distance. They cannot look upon the holy things, nor can they touch them directly, on pain of death. The priests, Aaron and his sons, must first go in and prepare everything, covering the holy objects. This creates a buffer, a layered protection, between the searing holiness of God's immediate presence and the men who were tasked to serve Him. This entire chapter is a detailed, practical outworking of what it means to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. It is a picture of the gospel, where Christ, our great High Priest, has gone before us to prepare the way, covering our sin and making it possible for us to draw near to God and live.
Outline
- 1. The Holy Task of the Kohathites (Num 4:1-20)
- a. The Command to Number the Kohathites (Num 4:1-3)
- b. The Priestly Duty of Covering the Holy Things (Num 4:4-15)
- i. Covering the Ark of the Testimony (Num 4:5-6)
- ii. Covering the Table of Presence (Num 4:7-8)
- iii. Covering the Lampstand (Num 4:9-10)
- iv. Covering the Golden Altar (Num 4:11)
- v. Covering the Utensils (Num 4:12)
- vi. Preparing the Altar of Burnt Offering (Num 4:13-14)
- vii. The Kohathites' Role and a Stern Warning (Num 4:15)
- c. The Supervisory Role of Eleazar (Num 4:16)
- d. A Final Warning to Protect the Kohathites (Num 4:17-20)
Context In Numbers
The book of Numbers gets its name from the two censuses that frame the wilderness wanderings. But the book is far more than a collection of lists and travel logs. It is the story of God's covenant people learning, and often failing to learn, what it means to live with a holy God in their midst. Chapter 3 established the general duties of the Levites as assistants to the priests, given to them as a gift to serve at the tabernacle. Now, in chapter 4, we get into the specifics. The Lord organizes His workforce with divine precision. This chapter details the particular responsibilities of the three Levitical clans, Kohath, Gershon, and Merari, when the camp of Israel was on the move. The Kohathites are dealt with first because their load is the most holy. This detailed logistical instruction underscores a central theme of the Pentateuch: God is a God of order, not chaos, and His worship is to be conducted according to His explicit commands, not human intuition or preference.
Key Issues
- The Mediated Presence of God
- Holiness, Danger, and Reverence
- The Typology of the Tabernacle Furniture
- Priests and Levites: A Distinction in Service
- The Fear of the Lord as Protective Grace
- Key Word Study: 'Abodah, "Service, Work, Duty"
- Key Word Study: Qodesh, "Holy"
Commentary
1 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
The word of the Lord is the foundation for all right worship and all right order. God does not leave His people to figure things out. He speaks, and He speaks with clarity. Notice that He speaks to both Moses, the civil head, and Aaron, the spiritual head. The ordering of God's people is a joint affair, involving both the magistrate and the priest, each in their own sphere. This is not a suggestion from a committee; it is a direct command from the sovereign King of Israel.
2 “Take a census of the descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ households,
God is a God who counts His people. He knows them by name, by family, by household. This is not bureaucratic bean-counting. This is the attentive care of a commander organizing his army and a father organizing his household. The Kohathites are singled out first, not because of seniority (Gershon was the firstborn), but because of the holiness of their assigned task. In God's economy, responsibility is what determines rank.
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.
The age requirement for this most sensitive work is significant. A man had to be thirty years old, the age of maturity and strength, the same age at which Christ began His public ministry. This was not a job for impetuous youth. It required gravity, experience, and steadiness. The service ended at fifty, the age when a man's physical strength would begin to wane. This was hard, physical labor, and God makes provision for it. The phrase "enter the duty" speaks of being mustered for service, like soldiers entering the ranks. This is spiritual warfare, and the Levites are the quartermaster corps for the King.
4 This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tent of meeting, concerning the most holy things.
Here is the heart of the matter. Their service, their 'abodah', concerns the "most holy things." This phrase refers to the sacred furniture within the tabernacle, those items most closely associated with the immediate presence of God. The closer you get to the center, the holier it becomes, and the greater the danger. The Kohathites work in the high-risk zone.
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;
Before the Kohathites can even think about their job, the priests must do theirs. Aaron and his sons, and only them, are to enter the holy places. Their first action is to take down the veil that separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. This veil, which concealed the fiery presence of God, now becomes the first covering for the Ark. The thing that hid God's glory in the sanctuary now hides it on the road. This is a picture of Christ, who is both the veil (His flesh) and the one who removes the veil for us.
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.
Three layers of covering for the Ark. First, the veil. Second, a durable, weatherproof covering of "porpoise skin" (or badger skin, the exact identity is uncertain). This speaks to the protection of the holy from the elements and the common gaze. It was rugged and plain. But on the outside, over this rugged exterior, was a cloth of pure blue. Blue is the color of the heavens, a constant reminder that this earthly procession was carrying a heavenly reality. The Ark was the footstool of God's throne, and its outer covering declared its royal, heavenly nature to the entire camp.
7-8 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. 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.
The table, which represented God's provision and fellowship with His people, is next. Notice the order. A blue cloth is spread first, and all the utensils are placed on it. The "continual bread" remains on the table even in transit. God's provision never ceases. Then a scarlet cloth is spread over everything. Scarlet is the color of blood, of sacrifice, reminding us that our fellowship with God is purchased with blood. Finally, the outer covering of porpoise skin for protection. The colors are not accidental; they are theological statements.
9-10 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; and they shall put it and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin and shall put it on the carrying bars.
The lampstand, which represents the light of God's Word and the illumination of the Spirit, is covered with a blue cloth. It is a heavenly light. All its instruments are gathered with it. Then the whole apparatus is bundled in the durable porpoise skin and made ready for transport. The light that shone in the sanctuary is now hidden as it travels through the wilderness, a reminder that the full light had not yet dawned.
11-12 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; 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.
The golden altar of incense, representing the prayers of the saints, is also covered in heavenly blue and then protected by the porpoise skin. The same is done for all the other utensils of ministry. Everything holy, everything used in the worship of God, must be carefully wrapped and protected before it can be moved. God is concerned with the details.
13-14 Then they shall take away the ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it. 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.
The bronze altar of burnt offering, the place of sacrifice, is treated differently. First, the ashes of the finished sacrifices must be removed. The work is done. Then a purple cloth is spread over it. Purple is the color of royalty. The sacrifice has made a way for the King. All the tools associated with the bloody work of sacrifice are gathered and placed on it, and then the whole thing is covered with the porpoise skin. The instrument of death and atonement is carried as a royal piece of furniture.
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 is the crucial verse. The work of the Kohathites is entirely dependent on the prior work of the priests. The priests mediate the holiness. They create the barrier that makes the work of the Levites possible. The Kohathites are forbidden to touch the holy things directly. To do so is to die. We should remember Uzzah, who forgot this lesson and died for touching the Ark, even with good intentions (2 Sam. 6:6-7). Good intentions are no substitute for obedience. God's holiness is not a tame thing; it is a consuming fire. The priests cover, and only then can the Kohathites carry.
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.”
Eleazar, the senior priest after Aaron, is given supervisory responsibility. He is in charge of the consumables, the oil, the incense, the grain offering, the anointing oil. He is the general overseer of the entire operation. This shows a clear chain of command and delegation of authority. God's house is a house of order.
17 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
God speaks again, this time to reinforce the warning. The stakes are so high that the point must be driven home with divine repetition.
18 “Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites.
This is a striking command. The responsibility for the life of the Kohathites is placed squarely on Moses and Aaron. If the Kohathites die, it will be the leaders' fault for failing to enforce the proper procedures. This is a profound principle of leadership. Leaders are responsible for protecting their people, and in a spiritual context, this means protecting them from the wrath of a holy God by teaching and enforcing His commands.
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;
The way to protect them is to follow the procedure meticulously. The priests must go in first. They must not only cover the furniture, but they must also assign each Kohathite his specific load. There is to be no confusion, no last-minute grabbing for a pole. Each man knows his task. This specificity is a form of grace, protecting the men from presumption.
20 but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die.”
The final warning is the most severe. The Kohathites are not even to look at the uncovered holy things. Not for a moment. Not a quick peek. The sight of God's unveiled holiness is fatal to sinful man. This is not arbitrary; it is ontological. A holy God and a sinful man cannot coexist without a mediator. The priests act as that mediator here, but they are just a type. The ultimate reality is that Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, has gone into the true holy place. He has covered our sin with His blood, and because of His work, we can now "draw near with confidence to the throne of grace." But we must never forget that our access is purchased and mediated. We come not because we are worthy, but because He is.
Application
We live in an age that treats God with a slovenly familiarity. We are encouraged to be casual, to see Jesus as our buddy, and to dispense with all fear and trembling. This passage is a strong rebuke to that entire mindset. Our God is a consuming fire, and His holiness is a terrifying and glorious reality. While the specific regulations for moving the tabernacle furniture have been fulfilled in Christ, the principle they teach remains. We must approach God with reverence, awe, and a deep sense of our own unworthiness.
The layered coverings and the mediated service of the Kohathites are a beautiful picture of the gospel. We cannot approach God on our own. We would be consumed. But Christ, our High Priest, has gone before us. He has covered the holy things with His own righteousness. He has veiled the consuming fire of God's wrath so that we might live. When we come to worship, we are like the Kohathites, coming to a task that has been prepared for us by our Priest. We do our service, we carry our load in this world, but only because Christ has made it safe for us to do so.
Finally, this passage is a call to order and faithfulness in the church. God is not glorified by chaos, sloppy liturgy, or a "do-what-feels-right" approach to worship and service. He is a God of order who assigns each of us our task. Whether our role is prominent or hidden, our duty is to take up our assigned load and carry it faithfully, trusting in the Priest who has made our service possible and acceptable to God.