It is important to dedicate yourself to the LORD both privately and publicly. It is important to dedicate yourself to the LORD in your prime life. It is also important to dedicate yourself, along with others, as a unified body of Christ to the LORD. These are the main lessons from the dedication of the Levite tribe to the LORD in Numbers 8.

Summary

The LORD spoke to Moses to speak to Aaron to set up the seven lamps in front of the lampstand. Then, the LORD commanded Moses to dedicate the Levites to Him.

Let’s break the chapter down by who, what, where, when, how, and why to draw insights from each element. 

Who

That the entire Isrealites and the LORD participated in this public dedication signified the importance of this unifying event. The main players in this chapter are as follows: the Levites, Moses, Aaron, the entire Israelites, and the LORD. Moses and Aaron helped Levites to be cleansed and be presented to the LORD publically. 

What

The main topic of the chapter is a cleansing of the Levites, followed by a public dedication of the Levites. 

Where

The dedication of the Levites was likely to have taken place in the wilderness of Sinai (Numbers 9:1). 

When

This took place a little bit before the first month of the second year (Numbers 9:10). This means that the cleaning and the dedication took place approximately a little bit less than a year after the first Passover and the crossing of the Red Sea. 

How

The majority of the chapter is devoted to explaining the details of how the Levites were dedicated. The dedication ceremony was both private and public. 

Private purification was the first part of the dedication (Numbers 8:7). The Levites were taken by Moses and they were cleansed by Moses with purifying water. They shaved their whole body and washed their clothes and presented grain and sin offerings privately.  

Public ceremony was the second part of the dedication. This public ceremony was presented before the LORD with the entire Israelites. Note that the entire nation of Israel participated in this ceremony; 

1) The sons of Israelites laid their hands on the Levites; 2) the Levites were presented as a wave offering to the LORD; 3) the Levites laid their hands on the head of the bull for the offering and to make atonement or the Levites; 4) The Levites were offered as a wave offering the second times.

Note that the Levites were offered to the LORD twice as a wave offering. This was how the Levites were wholly given to the LORD and they belonged to the LORD (Numbers 8:16). 

It was the gift of God for the Levites to be wholly dedicated. It was the privilege to perform the service and make atonement for the Levites on behalf of the rest of the Israelites. 

Why

Why were these steps important?

This dedication ceremony was important for the Levites themselves privately and for the Israelites publicly. First, all the detailed steps of dedication were to qualify the Levites to perform the services of the LORD (Numbers 8:11). Second, the Levites were dedicated to make atonement for the entire Israelites so that there would be no plague among the Israelites when they come near the sanctuary (Numbers 8:19). 

In other words, the Levites “sacrificed” themselves so that the rest of the Israelites could worship the LORD near the sanctuary freely. 

Immediate application: are you serving yourself as a bridge for others to be connected to the LORD God? 

Romans 12: A Living Sacrifice (a singular sacrifice, not plural sacrifices)

It is difficult not to draw a comparison between Numbers 8 and Romans 12. Apostle Paul urged Christians in Rome to “present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Romans 12:1).”

The Levites were offered as a wave offering (Numbers 8:13). Note the use of plural and singular in both Numbers and Romans verses. The Levites and your bodies were plural. However, “a wave offering” and “a living sacrifice” were singular. Insight: although we are distinct, separate individuals in Christ, when we were offered to the LORD, we were offered as a single living sacrifice before the LORD.

Dedicate the Best Part of Your Life to the LORD

The Levites were to serve the LORD, starting from 25 and retiring at the age of 50. What was the significance of this? 

Between 25 and 50 can be considered a prime of people’s life. People start to work in their 20s and reach the peak of their work productivity in their 40s and 50s, contributing to the society the most with their labor and knowledge. Likewise, the LORD wanted the Levites’ prime life dedicated to Him. 

Let’s dedicate ourselves as the Levites were dedicated to the LORD!