Numbers: 7-8

What’s Happening?

Numbers 7–10:10 is a flashback to the moment when Moses completed the tabernacle at the end of Exodus. These chapters pick up where the narrative paused, showing what happened after God’s house was built.

The first scene is both beautiful and repetitive. Each of Israel’s twelve tribes brings the same offering to the tabernacle, and the entire contents of that offering are listed twelve times—once for each tribe (Num. 7:78–83). It reads slowly, but it says something profound: every tribe is fully participating in God’s instructions. This isn’t just ritual—it’s relational. Each tribe entered into cleansing, worshipful, meal fellowships through the priests with God. Israel is responding to God’s presence with obedience down to the smallest detail.

This time, the ending is different from Exodus. After the offerings are made, Moses enters the tabernacle and hears God’s voice from above the ark (Num. 7:89). Israel’s worship has made space for intimacy. God is dwelling among his people, and communication is open.

In Numbers 8, the Levites follow suit. They offer grain and purification offerings like the rest of Israel. But then something unique happens. All of Israel gathers around them and lays hands on them, consecrating them as a special offering to God (Num. 8:10–11). Israel is setting the priests apart to go before God on their behalf. The priests will work to cover Israel’s death with life. But unlike other offerings, the Levites are not consumed—they are alive. They are given to God to serve in the tabernacle as living sacrifices (Num. 8:19). Even still, a sacrifice is offered. As Israel lays hands on the Levites, the Levites lay hands on the heads of bulls (Num. 8:12). The bulls are set apart to cover the death of the Levites with life.

The result is stunning: the entire nation is brought into alignment with God’s holiness. Their offerings, their representatives, and their worship are accepted. And God continues to dwell among them.

Where is the Gospel?

The story of Israel’s offerings and the consecration of the Levites points to the way we draw near to God through Jesus.

Unlike the Levites, Jesus did not have to offer any sacrifice to cover his death with life (Hebrews 7:27). For Jesus had no sin and brought no death into the world. He was perfectly clean and holy in himself. Instead, Jesus offers his life to cover our death. When we entrust ourselves to Jesus, we are doing what Israel did with the Levites—we are claiming Jesus as our priest that is set apart to cover our death with his life.

But Jesus also sets us apart as his priests in the world. Like the Levites we are offering our lives to God. We are now living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). The early church practiced laying their hands on new followers of Jesus, setting them apart for service as the Spirit’s tabernacle (Acts 8:17). Through his church, Jesus places his hand on our lives, sets us apart, and sends us into the world. We are no longer spectators or outsiders. In Jesus, we are ministers of God’s presence, priests of his new tabernacle, ambassadors of Eden.

See for Yourself

I pray the Holy Spirit would open your eyes to see the God who receives our obedience, consecrates our lives, and makes his presence known among his people. And that you would see Jesus as the one who draws us near, offers himself in love, and sends us into the world as living signs of God’s holy presence.