Verses 23 through 26 speak of the age for the service of the Levites.
"This is what pertains to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and above they shall go in to serve in the service of the tent of meeting" (v. 24). According to the standard of the Bible, in order to serve, a Levite had to be at least twenty-five years old, the age required to obtain a full education and to attain to the full growth of a proper human being.
"From the age of fifty years they shall withdraw from the work of the service and shall serve no more; but they shall minister to their brethren in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge, and they shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites with regard to their charges" (vv. 25-26). From the age of fifty the Levites were to withdraw from the work of the service, but they were to minister to their brethren in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge. This indicates that, even though they were to retire from the service, their experience was still needed. The Levites needed twenty-five years of preparation and twenty-five years to do the proper work. After that time, they ministered to their brethren. What they had gained in experience through the twenty-five years of their service was still needed after the age of fifty.
The charge of the tent of meeting was all-inclusive. There were many different charges concerning the service of the tabernacle with all its contents, the altar, and the outer court. Each offering also had its own law: the law of the sin offering, the law of the trespass offering, the law of the burnt offering, the law of the peace offering, and the law of the meal offering. Besides these basic offerings, there were a number of other offerings, each with its own law. Because there were so many regulations, there was the need of "attorneys" to instruct the people. Actually, these "attorneys" were the priests who instructed the people concerning the laws of the offerings. The point here is that there was the need of some experienced ones to instruct God's people so that they would not do anything wrong to offend Him. Because God is serious about the laws governing the tabernacle, the offerings, and the Levitical work, some needed to know how to care for these things so that the service could go on smoothly with God.
Here in Numbers we have a full type of the church service. I hope that the Lord would open our eyes to see that, comparatively speaking, in the church service we have been somewhat loose. With respect to spiritual principles, we have not been so serious, strict, and right. Our making mistakes unconsciously could be the reason that we have missed much of God's blessing. In serving God, we should not be loose but should be serious. We all, especially the young ones, need to learn the spiritual regulations and spiritual laws regarding the service of God.