The Levites replaced the firstborn of Israel (3:5-9, 11-37, 39-51). Why was it necessary for the firstborn of Israel to be replaced or redeemed? At the time of the Passover in Egypt, all the firstborn were condemned. But unlike the firstborn of the Egyptians, the firstborn of Israel were not slain. Through the Passover all the firstborn of Israel were redeemed, saved, and replaced. Because of this, in succeeding generations all the firstborn males among the children of Israel were to be replaced by the Levites, the serving ones. The firstborn had lost their position, and therefore it was necessary for them to be replaced by the Levites. For this reason, the number of Levites had to equal the number of firstborn, and any shortage had to be redeemed.
This replacing of the firstborn by the Levites, the serving ones, indicates that everyone who has been redeemed, saved, and replaced must serve. Since we today have been redeemed, saved, and replaced, we must serve.
"Bring the tribe of Levi near and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him" (v. 6). Here we see that the Levites were to serve the priest.
"They shall keep his charge and the charge of the whole assembly before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle" (v. 7). This reveals that the responsibility of the Levites was to do the service of the tabernacle.
Levi had three sons—Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The Gershonites, the descendants of Gershon, camped behind the tabernacle on the west and were in charge of the tabernacle with all its parts (vv. 21-26). Because they camped behind the tabernacle, they protected it from enemies coming from the rear. This was an important responsibility, for the enemy will often attack from the rear. Furthermore, whenever the tabernacle moved, the Gershonites took care of the entire tabernacle with all its parts.
God gave Jacob twelve sons so that there could be twelve tribes encamped around the tabernacle, with three on each of the four sides. God gave Levi three sons to camp around three sides of the tabernacle—the Gershonites on the west, the Kohathites on the south, and the sons of Merari on the north. Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons camped on the east, in front of the tabernacle. As we consider this, we realize that only God could write the book of Numbers, and only God could provide the materials to have such an array.
None of those involved in this array was hired; all were born. The twelve tribes were born of Jacob, and those guarding the tabernacle were born of Levi. Because no one was hired, no one could be fired. Birth is a matter of life, but hiring and firing have nothing to do with life. The building up of the Body of Christ today has nothing to do with hiring or firing people; the building up of the Body is altogether a matter of life and is therefore organic.
The Kohathites camped on the south side of the tabernacle and were in charge of its contents: the ark, the table, the lampstand, the two altars (the altar of burnt offering outside the tabernacle, which was for redemption, and the incense altar within the tabernacle, which was for God's acceptance), the vessels of the sanctuary, and the veil (vv. 27-31).
We need to know the spiritual significance of caring for the contents of the tabernacle. Spiritually speaking, to take care of the ark is to take care of Christ, that is, to present Christ to others as the ark, the embodiment of the Triune God. We need to visit people and tell them that Christ, the embodiment of God, is the Triune God incarnated to be a man with two natures, divine and human. Then we may go on to say that on the ark was a cover and that within the ark were three items—the rod that budded, the hidden manna, and the tables of the testimony—all of which refer to Christ. Christ is the budding rod, the hidden manna, and the testimony of God. This is to present Christ as the ark.
In presenting Christ as the ark, the embodiment of God, we may further tell the ones we visit that in the typology of the Old Testament, God met with His people not at the altar or at the showbread table or at the lampstand or at the incense altar but on the cover of the ark. This cover was called the propitiatory cover, and on it the redeeming blood was sprinkled. The redeeming blood was shed on the altar to redeem us from our sins, and then this blood was brought into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the cover of the ark, where God met with His people.
This kind of speaking concerning Christ may surprise people, because they have never before heard such a presentation of Christ. To present Christ to others in this way is to preach the gospel.
Have you ever presented Christ in such a way as the embodiment of God? If we do not know how to present Christ in this way, we do not know how to take care of the ark. In addition to learning to present Christ as the ark, we also need to learn to present the aspects of Christ signified by the showbread table, the lampstand, the two altars, and vessels of the sanctuary, and the veil.
The sons of Merari camped on the north side of the tabernacle. They were in charge of the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its furnishings, all its service, and the pillars of the court all around, with their sockets, pegs, and cords (vv. 33-37). The tabernacle had forty-eight boards. The number forty-eight, composed of six multiplied by eight, signifies the natural man in resurrection. Six signifies the man created on the sixth day, and eight signifies the resurrected Christ, the Christ who was resurrected on the eighth day. For additional details concerning these items, please see the Life-study of Exodus.