Numbers 3 Summary: A Concise Overview in 5 Minutes

Numbers 3 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• Numbers 1:1 tells us these events began on the 2nd month, in the 2nd year after Israel left Egypt, which would place the date at approximately 1490-1489 B.C.

• The entire book of Leviticus covers only about 1 months’ time. Numbers will cover almost 40 years.

CHARACTERS:

• Moses – Moses was selected by God to lead the Israelites to Canaan. God spoke directly to Moses and Moses communicated God’s words to the people.    

• Aaron – Moses’ brother. He was a Levite and the High Priest over the nation of Israel. 

• The Families of the Levites – Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

WHERE:

• According to the book of Leviticus and Numbers 3:1, the Israelites were camped in the wilderness of Sinai, near Mount Sinai.

OUTLINE:

• AARON AND HIS SONS (3:1-4):

  • Aaron’s sons, who served with him as priests, were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

  • Eleazar and Ithamar served in the Tabernacle after God put Nadab and Abihu to death for offering “unauthorized fire” (see Leviticus 10).

• THE LEVITES ARE DEDICATED TO GOD (3:5-13):

  • The Levites were set apart from the other tribes and dedicated to the Lord’s service as caretakers of the Tabernacle and as assistants to Aaron.

  • God took the Levites as His servants in place of the firstborn of Israel. God had declared that the firstborn of the Hebrews belonged to Him after He spared them from the 10th plague in Egypt (see Exodus 13:2ff).

• THE LEVITE FAMILIES AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES (3:14-39):

  • Moses was told to make a list of the families of the Levites.

  • The families of the Levites were divided in three groups, the Gershonites, the Kohathites, and the family of Merari.

  • The family of Gershon (7,500 males) was to camp behind the Tabernacle on its west side, and they were responsible for caring for the coverings of the Tabernacle and the hangings around the courtyard.

  • The family of Kohath (8,600 males) was to camp on the south side of the Tabernacle, and they were responsible for the Ark of the Covenant, the gold table, the lampstand, the altars, and all the vessels of the sanctuary.

  • The family of Merari (6,200 males) was to camp on the north side of the Tabernacle, and they were to care for the frames (walls), bars, pillars, and bases of the Tabernacle.

  • Moses and Aaron were to camp on the Tabernacle’s east side.

• THE LEVITES REDEEM THE FIRSTBORN MALES OF ISRAEL (3:40-51):

  • As previously mentioned, God took the Levites as His servants in exchange for the firstborn males of Israel.

  • There were 22,273 firstborn males in Israel and 22,000 Levite men.

  • A collection of 5 shekels per man was taken up as a redemption price for the extra 273 men.

DIAGRAM OF THE CAMP OF ISRAEL:

DIAGRAM OF THE TABERNACLE: