Good evening. Good evening. Would you open your copies of God’s Word to Acts, Chapter 5? I think that’s on page 1,161 of your Pew Bibles. I’ll be reading the first 11 verses there. And then we’ll turn to numbers. Let’s give attention to the very word of God. But a man named Ananias with his wife, Sapphira, sold a piece of property. And with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back a portion or keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man, but to God.
When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. Young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
And Peter said to her, tell me whether you sold the land for so much. And she said, yes, for so much. But Peter said to her, how is it that you have agreed together to test the spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out. Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband in great fear. came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. Amen. Now, if you turn to Numbers, chapter one this evening, I believe that’s on page 138 of your Pew Bibles. This evening, we’ll begin reading at verse 44. Once again, let’s give attention to the very word of God.
These are those who were listed, who Moses and Aaron listed with the help of the chiefs of Israel, 12 men, each representing his father’s house, So all those listed of the people of Israel by their father’s houses from 20 years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel, all those listed were 603,550. But the Levites were not listed along with them by their ancestral tribe. But the Lord spoke to Moses saying, only the tribe of Levi you shall not list, and you shall not take a census of them among the people of Israel. But appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony and over all its furnishings, over all that belongs to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and shall camp around the tabernacle.
When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down. And when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. And if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death. The people of Israel shall pitch their tents by their companies, each man in his own camp, and each man by his own standard. But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of testimony, so that there may not be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony. Thus did the people of Israel. They did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses. Thus far in the reading of God’s word. Amen. As you pray with me.
Our Father in heaven, once again we come to a passage which may not be familiar. Certainly we come to pictures of the life of the Israelites in the Old Testament, and that is unfamiliar to all of us. But Lord God, we know that you have a purpose for your word. We know that you have sent it out for your most holy purposes and your will. And so we ask, Father, tonight that you would help us, not merely edify us, we ask for that, but we ask that we would be changed by your word. Continue to sanctify us, continue to mold and shape us. Help us, Lord, convict us of sin. and remind us of all the promises that are in Christ Jesus. And we ask this in his name. Amen. What are you guarding tonight? It seems to be an appropriate question given the texts that we’ve read tonight. What are you guarding?
As you read that text from Acts chapter 5, Ananias and Sapphira had sold a piece of property. And if you know this text, if you know the context, many in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ were selling their possessions and giving everything to the church. But Ananias and Sapphira, when they sold their property, didn’t give everything.
But they indicated that they had. They were guarding a lie. They were guarding an untruth. They were hiding from the truth in order to build themselves up. But as both Ananias and Sapphira, as they lied before Peter and before the Holy Spirit, they were struck down. We see that so clearly in this text. As they were guarding a lie, the Spirit was guarding the truth. such that, as others heard of it, great fear came upon the whole church, the whole congregation.
In a sense, this text takes us back to our text before us tonight in numbers. Egypt has been crushed. The Red Sea has been crossed. The Israelites have been delivered. They’ve made it to Mount Sinai. They received the Ten Commandments. The tabernacle, according to God’s construction, His design, has been erected, a dwelling place of God amidst His people. The sacrificial, the ceremonial laws have been given to the Israelites, given in detail. The priests have been consecrated. Now they’re on the cusp of leaving Mount Sinai, headed to the Promised Land.
And that’s where we find this text tonight in Numbers chapter 1. Last week, we went through the numbering, the listing of the people, tribe by tribe. You saw it. In Benjamin, 35,400. In Asher, 41,500. Altogether, those who were ready to go to war, just the men, 20 years of age and older, those who were ready to fight, 600, 3,000, 550. With one exception, the Levites. They weren’t numbered. They were not listed along with the people of Israel.
That’s our text this evening. They were appointed over the tabernacle. And we’ll talk about that. They were to care for it. They were to set it up. They were to tear it down. Set it up and tear it down. They were to camp around it. They had a particular task. And that task is very important for us tonight.
You might sum up the teaching here this way, that saved sinners are set apart to commune with God by receiving and guarding his word. saved sinners, set apart to commune with God by receiving and guarding his word. We’ll see that in three points tonight. First, God the Father separates his people for the word. Secondly, God the Son protects sinners from wrath.
And then finally, God the Spirit keeps and guards the word. So we go through this short text tonight. As we’re seeking to open up and understand what was actually going on, I want you to be asking yourself that question, what am I guarding? What am I guarding? Well, first, God the Father separates his people for the word.
Well, the 12 tribes were numbered. Last week, we saw that. Together, that’s 600, 3,550 men ready to go to war, ready and able. with the exception of Levites, verse 47. But the Levites were not listed along with them by their ancestral tribe. The same thing is repeated in verse 49. Only the tribe of Levi you shall not list, and you shall not take a census of them among the people of Israel.
Sometimes in scripture, we have things repeated twice. And it is such that God wants to fix that truth in our mind. He wants to confirm it for us. And so here he confirms for it that they weren’t listed. They weren’t numbered among the people of Israel. Now, later on in the book of Numbers, we are going to see that they were counted. In Numbers chapter 3, there were 22,000 of them ultimately listed.
And so we have to ask ourselves that question. Is there a conflict here? Did Moses just get it wrong in the first chapter, get it right in the third chapter? No. No, Moses is saying Moses was inspired by the Spirit to not number the Levites among the rest of the tribes. And that’s the point, isn’t it?
They were different. They were set aside by God. They were set apart by God from the other 12 tribes. And they were given specific labor. That’s the reason for their being set apart. Specific labor to serve God and God alone with regard to his dwelling place, the tabernacle. They were separated from the rest of the nation of Israel, the other 12 tribes, for the work of ministering to the Lord God himself.
Now you might be thinking, well, Chris, I thought there were 12 tribes. Well, We have 12 now in this listing, Joseph and then Benjamin listed. And the Lord has now, in addition to the Levites, counted 12 tribes. The Levites were separated. They were separate.
Specifically identified by God, the Lord to work in this particular way to work on his dwelling place, the tabernacle. The Lord had given the Israelites a specific design, a specific plan, that each person would bring a contribution so that the tabernacle would be built. It would be constructed according to his will. Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst.
The dwelling of God, represented by this tabernacle, such that when it was completed, a cloud covered the tent of meeting the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, indicating that, yes, indeed, he was in a sense, dwelling there amongst the Israelites.
So what was it that the Levites were separated for? What did their labor look like? We see a portion of it here in this passage. They were to work on a tent. It was not a fixed structure. It was a movable, mobile tent. It was large, designed by God to be packed up and carried about from place to place as they would wander through the wilderness.
And as we continue reading through numbers, we might see that there are three different groups, three different clans or families within the Levites who had different tasks, different jobs within the tabernacle to transport it or a portion of it, setting it up, tearing it down, guided by the cloud of pillar and fire. Every time the cloud of pillar and fire would move, they were to pack it up. When the pillar of cloud and fire would stop, they’d now set it up. That was their work. picking up, carrying all the items of furniture, the utensils that were used in the service of worship, including the Ark of the Covenant, that gold-covered box in the Holy of Holies, where the Ten Commandments were placed, with a mercy seat or the atonement cover on top. They were charged with taking down the tent, the tent curtains, placing it on cards, moving it to the next place. They were charged with taking up the boards and sockets, the physical structure of the tent, moving it to the new location. and setting everything back up once again.
It was movable by design. And so the tabernacles representing that dwelling place of God amongst his people and their charge was setting it up and tearing it down and setting it up and tearing it down. That was their labor. This is why the Levites were separated from the other tribes for this particular work. Setting it up just as God had designed it. Just the right way. so that worship could take place. Please don’t miss that. The tabernacle was to be set up in a particular way according to God’s will so that worship could take place.
Where’s the tabernacle today? Well, you might be thinking, well, the tabernacle was replaced by the temple, that fixed structure in Jerusalem. That’s right. But it no longer exists. It was destroyed, the second temple was destroyed in 70 AD. So where’s the tabernacle or the temple today? The dwelling place of God amongst his people, where is it?
Scripture tells us very clearly that the Holy Spirit dwells in each and every man, woman, and child that have been converted, that believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And so each has become the temple of God. In John chapter 14, we read from Jesus, if you love me, you’ll keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper to be with you forever. Even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him, you know him. For he dwells with you and will be in you. Spirit abides within each of you as you trust upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Second Corinthians chapter six, Paul writes, for we are the temple of the living God. As God said, I will make my dwelling among them.
So what does that mean for you? What’s the connection between the Levites and you today? You see, if you’ve been separated, if you’ve been born again, indeed, you have been separated from the rest of the world. Just as the Levites were separated from the other tribes for their labor and work on the tabernacle, you have been separated for your work on the temple of the living God, yourself. You’ve been assigned the task as one who has been separated to work, to labor on the temple, meaning your very soul. to make it ready, to be prepared for worship.
That’s your highest and most significant labor. Just as the Levites, most significant labor was setting up the tabernacle for worship. It couldn’t happen unless they set it up. Your most significant labor on this side of glory is ensuring that you, your soul, your heart is set up for worship as a temple, as a tabernacle. where God himself dwells. Now, that is the work of the spirit, isn’t it?
But you’re involved as well. You say, well, how? How do I do that? It seems that there would be a very significant question for us to ask ourselves tonight, this evening. How do we prepare ourselves, our souls, our hearts, our minds for worship? There are some easy things that we can think of.
First, getting rest. Friday night, Saturday night, go to bed, get sleep, be well-rested for the Lord’s Day, such that your heart, mind, soul, and body can be fully engaged in worship and serving the Lord. A tired mind is not an engaged mind. A sleepy body is that which pulls the heart away from its object, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Finish your worldly labors. Such that you can set them aside in your heart and mind. Such that you’re not thinking about them when you enter this place to worship the living God. There are so many distractions that each of us have. And we’re so easily distracted. So put these distractions aside by working diligently throughout the six days of the work week. Such that you can set your mind on the things above.
And then know what’s coming. Read the scriptures in advance of entering into this place. Know the passage before it’s read during the service. Meditate upon it. And then finally, probably the most important work or labor in preparation for worship is prayer. It’s the Holy Spirit who must truly prepare your hearts and minds such that you’re coming ready, willing, desirous, and able to praise the God of creation through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. You’ve been separated for the Word. Yes, God the Father separates his people for the Word. That brings us to our second point. God the Son protects sinners from wrath.
Now, we see that the Levites didn’t have just one task. It wasn’t just setting up and tearing down the tabernacle. It wasn’t all just construction. There was more. Look at verse 50. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it and shall camp around the tabernacle. Once the tabernacle was set up and established, wherever the Lord would have the people of God go in the wilderness, the Levites would set up the tabernacle and they would be the first to camp around it. 22,000 Levites, plus their families, camped around the tabernacle, the tent, the dwelling place of God. That would have been a fairly amazing sight to see this little tent in the midst of 22,000 camped around it, and then 600,000 outside of them.
I’ve thought of Washington DC as being a picture of that. The White House in the middle and the multitudes around it. It’s a bit like the camp of the Israelites. So why? Why camp around? Verse 53 tells us very clearly, the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony so that there may be no wrath on the congregation. of the people of Israel.
We know that if any outsider came near, he shall be put to death, verse 51. It’s repeated again in chapter 3. We know that God is a holy God. As Isaiah enters into the throne room, the seraphim cry out one to another, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. And we know that each of the Israelites were sinful. They’ve all turned aside. Together they become corrupt. There’s none who does good, not even one that certainly applied to the Israelites. So who? Who would be able to ascend? Who would be able to enter into the tabernacle? Psalm 24 tells us, he who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully. It’s only the pure in heart, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
And so we see the result, God dwelling in the midst of his people. And if any of the people sought to enter into his dwelling place, it would mean certain death. Death is the result of a sinful man coming into the presence of God. The wages of sin is death. And so we have a powerful picture. If any outsider came near, he shall be put to death. And I would have to say that each and every one of the Israelites constituted an outsider, as they were sinful.
This camping around the tabernacle would then be somewhat like a castle with a moat around it. The moat protecting the inhabitants of the castle. As we think of castles, we think of a castle owner building his castle in the midst of his land, and those of his people would build their houses around him. But the castle would be protected from unauthorized intruders. Some would have that moat, that body of water that would keep others out, unable to cross over into the inner sphere, so to speak, of the castle. Almost all would be constructed with those towers on the corners where archers would be able to shoot down and kill those who were coming with evil intent. And so we have that picture, that sense here of the tabernacle Levites becoming the moat and camped around it, the barrier.
In fact, the protective barrier for the 605,000 men and their families and their livestock dwelling around God’s home, so to speak, being protected from unlawful entry, protected from certain death if they were to approach the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God. You should be able to see Jesus Christ here. For the Levites work around the tabernacle points directly to our Savior. Consider how Jesus provides a similar but even more sure shelter and safeguard and protective barrier around every single child of God. You see why the Levites could not and would not allow congregation or the outsiders to enter into the tabernacle as they camped around the tabernacle ensuring that they wouldn’t be able to enter in and ensuring that the wrath of God would not consume them? Jesus has by and through his atoning death on the cross at Calvary By his dying for the sins of the people of God, his suffering, the eternal wrath of God, the Father has torn the veil in two from top to bottom.
And so unlike the closed to sinners tabernacle, Jesus has opened up the throne room, the dwelling place of God for access by saved sinners. And he beckons you to enter with confidence. You see, this the Israelites could never do. They could never enter the tabernacle. They could never enter the Holy of Holies, only the high priest once a year, and that with blood.
But you, if you confess Jesus Christ tonight, you can ascend the holy hill of God. You can come close to God without being consumed by his wrath for your sin, without being fearful that his eternal wrath will be poured out upon you by and through the mediation of Jesus Christ. You see, now, as a believing sinner enters into the throne room of the Lord Most High, Jesus, by virtue of his presence at the Father’s right hand and by virtue of his suffering, God’s wrath for your sins, it’s as if he pours out his blood upon you each and every time you’re entering into the throne room. His righteous blood, as you enter through the veil torn in two, Jesus’s blood becomes that protective barrier as God’s wrath has been absorbed and taken and suffered on your behalf, such that you’re covered, such that you now have no concern that even one drop of the wrath of God is waiting for you on judgment day.
You see, That’s all because Jesus Christ is your mediator. And the description of the Levites’ protective work points just to that. There’s one God, one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ, Jesus. The Levites functioned as mediators in part, but Jesus is the ultimate mediator. Are you covered with his blood tonight? It’s a question we should be asking. Are you covered with his blood? You need it. We need to be covered with the blood of Christ. It’s the only blood that will satisfy.
Yes, God the Son protects some sinners from wrath. That brings us to our third point. God the Spirit keeps and guards The Word. There was more that the Levites had to do. They must have been busy folks. As they camped around the tabernacle, they were not only to protect the Israelites from wrath by camping around it, they were also to keep guard. Look at verse 53 at the end. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony. Keep watch, keep guard. That’s an interesting concept, a challenging task. What does it mean? Did God need guarding? That’s a silly question. Of course not. But it leads us to ask that question, or to continue to ask that question, what does that mean?
What were they to guard or keep watch over? They were to carry the tabernacle, all its furnishings, take care of it, camp around the tabernacle. But this keeping guard seems to be different. It seems to be something more than merely carrying about the tent and all the furnishings and making sure no one’s taking anything. This word guard in our English versions, in the Hebrew lexicon, one of them is to find this way what is to be held in trust for safekeeping.
Adam was placed in the garden to work it and keep it. That word translated keep it is the same Hebrew word used here by Moses in Numbers with regard to the Levites’ work. Adam was to keep or guard the garden. The Levites were to keep or guard the tabernacle and the contents of it. Adam, Adam was given that task of guarding the garden, but he failed.
We know that everything was very good as God created Adam and Eve placed them in the garden. There were no adversaries in the garden at that point, no animals who would have been a threat, no thorns or thistles to choke the vegetation, no pests to destroy the fruit trees or the vegetables growing in the garden. All was very good.
So what was Adam to guard against? He was a spiritual guard, wasn’t he? He was to guard against the intrusion of sin, of evil, of all that oppose the will of God. He was to uphold and heed the Word of God. He was to keep himself pure and not stray from the Word of God. You may surely eat of every tree in the garden, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat. In his most basic form, Adam was to guard the Word of God that he had been given in the garden. Guard it, keep it. Keep it from being cast off. Keep it from being denied. Keep it from being disrespected. Guard it in your own heart. Revere it. Uphold it. And that’s in essence what the Levites were to labor after, guarding the very Word of God.
Did you notice that it was referred to here as the tabernacle of the testimony? That’s how Moses refers to it. The tabernacle of the testimony. That’s what was in the Ark. That was in the Holy of Holies, in that wooden box covered with gold behind the veil, the very Word of God. The Ten Commandments. That’s the place where God spoke to Moses.
The Word of God was in the tabernacle and the Levites were to keep guard over it. Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony. That was their ultimate work, their labor for which they were set aside. And what does that have to do with you today? See, the word of God must be kept and guarded from intruders.
Satan is constantly seeking to tear it apart, to discount it, to twist it, to distort the word of God, isn’t he? He said it to the woman. Did God actually say? He’s questioning it, and then he twists it and he distorts it. He seeks to take it away. To crush it. But you’re the guardian.
See, as the Holy Spirit works, He’s laid up the Word of God in your heart, and now you have become the guardian. How is the Word to be read and heard that it may become effectual to salvation? Shorter Catechism number 90. That the Word may become effectual to salvation, we must attend thereunto with diligence, preparation and prayer. Receive it with faith and love. Lay it up in our hearts. Practice it in our lives. You could substitute all those words with, we must guard it. We must keep it and guard it. And you may be like me, scratching your head and saying, well, how do I do that? The good news is you’re not alone. You’re not on your own. The Lord Jesus has ascended in order to send his spirit The one who is abiding, right? The one who’s caused you to become a temple. He’s abiding, and he’s the one who is leading you in keeping and guarding the truth.
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. See, that’s what the Spirit is doing. He’s helping you not only to discern the Word of God, but he’s helping you to keep the Word of God. That’s why he’s been sent, in part.
He will bear witness about me through the very Word of God. The Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners, and get this, building them up in holiness and comfort. The Spirit of God does that. How’s he gonna do that? He’s gonna keep and guard the Word within you. That’s part of what he does.
He takes the Word, he plants it deeply within your heart, and then he uses that Word planted to bear witness about Jesus Christ. He uses that to produce the fruit which God the Father so loves and desires, building you up in holiness and comfort. How could he do that if he didn’t keep and guard the Word? Satan is going to come and seek to wrench that word out of you constantly. But the spirit who abides has planted it deeply and purely and continues to fend off the darts and arrows of Satan as he tries to work the word out of you But Spirit’s guarding it. He’s keeping it. So here’s the question.
Are you grateful for the work of the Spirit? Are you praying for more of it? Are you praying that the Word would be kept pure and undefiled, made clear, powerful, and convincing? within you by the work of the Spirit? Are you praying that the Spirit would build you up in holiness and comfort?
Brothers and sisters, that should be our daily prayer. For without the Spirit, we’d be lost. The Word would be unguarded. It would be an easy target for Satan. Pray. Be grateful and pray. The spirit would continue to lay it up in your heart and guard it from the darts and arrows of Satan. Saved sinners are set apart to commune with God through Christ by receiving and guarding his word. Ananias and Sapphira were guarding a lie. Praise the Lord that the spirit was guarding the truth.
Does the very same thing for us even now. And our call tonight is to praise Him and to continue to pray that He would help us in guarding the very Word of God. Amen. Heavenly Father, oh, what a privilege it is to come together as brothers and sisters in Christ and open your word.
We pray, Lord God, that you would continue your work by and through your spirit of planting your word deeply within us, that we, like the Levites, have been charged with guarding it. So help us. We’re weak. We’re frail. We forget. Oh, Holy Spirit, we pray that you’d continue to work powerfully in us and that your work of guarding would only increase. Father, fend off the darts and arrows of Satan as he seeks to deceive us and remove that which you’ve planted within us. Oh, let it grow, Father, that we would all grow in holiness and comfort. We ask all this in Jesus’s name. Amen.