Single-Mindedness

The Book of Numbers, chapters 1 and 2 describe both the census that God commanded of Israel (““Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one” (Numbers 1:2, NIV))  and the arrangement of the camp (““The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard and holding the banners of their family”” (Numbers 2:2, NIV)).

Of all the fighting men, over 20 years of age to be counted, Moses was not to count the Levites (“The ancestral tribe of the Levites, however, was not counted along with the others” (Numbers 1:47, NIV)).   The Levites were to be set in the middle of the camp, with the Tent of Meeting (“Then the tent of meeting and the camp of the Levites will set out in the middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they encamp, each in their own place under their standard” (Numbers 2:17, NIV).

The Levites descended from Jacob and Leah’s third son. The Levites are divided into three clans: Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites. Each clan had specific duties involving the care of the temple. No reason is given why the Levites are not counted in the census other than they are set apart from the fighting men, to do their temple work. "It was to the honour of the Levites, that to them was committed the care of the tabernacle and its treasures, in their camps and in their marches." [1]

There is a concentrated focus given to the Levites.  Their life had defined purpose.  Under the New Covenant, we who are in Christ are also priests in His Kingdom. [2]   We do not separate life into soldierly and priestly duties.  To the Christian all life is ministry; and all life is spiritual. [3]   In all that we do are primary task is to declare the praises of him who called you ((1 Peter 2:9, NIV)).  We do that as the Levites did by living in the Presence of Him who is our Savior and Lord.  It is defined by Peter as "offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." [4]

And what does that mean?  Hebrews 13:15–16 (NIV), helps us:

"¹⁵ Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. ¹⁶ And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." [Emphasis mine]





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1.  Henry, M., & Scott, T. (1997). Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Nu 1:47). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems.
2. “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:4–5, NIV)
3. Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 2339). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
4. The New International Version. (2011). (1 Pe 2:5). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.