Numbers 3:39-43 (ESV Strong's)
All those listed among the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron listed at the commandment of the Lord, by clans, all the males from a month old and upward, were 22,000.
And the Lord said to Moses, “List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names. And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the Lord—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.” So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded him. And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273.
God Owns Us
In the above passage we see Moses taking a census of the first born of Israel and a census of the number of Levites. There were 22,000 Levites at the time of the exodus from Egypt and there were 22,273 firstborn of the families of Israel. The point of the census and to find out the difference was to make sure they cared for the disparity. When God brought them out of the land of Egypt He redeemed them and purchased them. He specifically purchased, through the redemption process, the first born of every family. God states, in this section, that the first born of the families, of the flocks, of the pasture land, is His. But, instead of taking the firstborn of every family to serve before Him, God substituted the entire tribe of Levi. The Levites would replace the first born in regard to this service. This is the reason for the numbering. God found they were lacking 273 Levites to cover for the first born. Later in this passage God instructs Moses to collect a tax for the remaining 273 that will be given to the Aaron, the leader of the Levites. Here are the points for this story:
1. God owns us. God created us, redeemed us and therefore has say over what we do. Until we understand that we are slaves to Christ we can never, truly, be free.
2. God is precise. God does not fudge with numbers or His plan. He is specifics in His dealings with mankind.
3. God knows each and every person He redeems. This counting was not because God needed to know. The counting was so that Moses and the people of Israel would know. God already knows each of us.
4. God has a specific purpose for each of us to bring glory to Him via His plan. We are all part of that plan.
God owns us!! We can rejoice in the fact that He has a plan and a purpose for all those He redeems.
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