Oxen and Wagons
“(1) And it came to pass on the day that Moses had fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them, and sanctified them; (2) That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of their fathers, who were the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were numbered, offered: (3) And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen; a wagon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox: and they brought them before the tabernacle. (4) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, (5) Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service. (6) And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites. (7) Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service: (8) And four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. (9) But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders (Numbers 7:1-9).
Moses with the Law of God.
LEVI’S FOUR DIVISIONS
When the children of Israel set up camp, they followed an orderly arrangement for setting up their tents in relation ship to the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was set up first. Then the priestly family of Amram, including Moses and Aaron, who were two of Amram’s three sons, camped on the east side of the Tabernacle, close by. It was their duty to minister to the priestly functions connected with the services of the Tabernacle. They had full charge of all the religious things. To the north were encamped the families of Merari. On the west side were the tents of the family of Gershom.
The four directions – east, north, south and west – were also of significance. The Hebrews considered the cardinal points of the compass, or the heavens in those days, in reference to a man whose face was turned towards the east. The north was consequently on his left hand, and south on his right and the west at his back. We will tie in these directions somewhat as we continue our discussion.
According to genealogy, Levi, the son of Jacob and Leah, had three sons: Kohath, Gershom and Merari. Kohath had four sons, and the priestly line came through his eldest son Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron. We know that names in scripture have significant meanings. Amram meant “An exalted people,” according to Smith’s Bible Dictionary. McClintock & Strong gives the meaning “kindred of the high” or “friend of Jehovah.”
Pastor Russell sets forth that these four divisions of the tribe of Levi represent four classes after the work of reconciliation is complete – the Church Class, the Great Company, the Ancient Worthies, and the World of Mankind (Charles T. Russell, The New Creation, Volume 6 of “Studies in the Scriptures,” subhead “Christ Made Unto Us Sanctification,” 1916, pages 128-129).
“Similarly, Levi’s three sons (Kohath, Gershom and Merari) seem to represent four classes. (1) Moses, Aaron and all the priest-family of Amram (son of Kohath), whose tents were in front (east) of the Tabernacle. These had full charge of all things religious – their brethren – even all the Levites – being their honored assistants or servants. (2) Camped on the south side was the Kohath family, their closest of kin, and these had charge of the most sacred articles – the Altars, the Candlestick (lampstand), the Table and the Ark. (3) Camped at the north side of the Tabernacle were the Levites of the Merari family, next in honor of service, having charge of the gold-covered boards and the posts, sockets, etc. (4) Camped at the rear, was the Gershom family of Levites, having charge of the least important services – the porterage, etc., of the cords, outer curtains, gate, etc.
“These distinct families of Levites may properly represent four distinct classes of justified humanity when the reconciliation is completed: the saints, or Royal Priesthood, the ancient worthies, the ‘great company,’ and the rescued of the world. As is not unusual in respect to types, the names seem to be significant. (1) Amram’s family chosen to be priests: the name Amram signifies high people, or exalted people. What a fitting name for the type of the “little flock” whose head is Christ Jesus! ‘Highly exalted,’ ‘very high,’ are the Scriptural declarations of these priests. (2) Kohath signifies ally, or comrade. It was from the Kohath family that Amram’s sons were chosen to be a new house of priests. The Kohath family of Levites might, therefore, properly represent the ancient worthies whose faith and obedience and loyalty to God and willingness to suffer for righteous ness was so fully attested, and with whom we feel so close a kinship. They were, indeed, the Lord’s allies and ours; and in some respects come nearer to the Christ every way than do any others. (3) Merari signifies bitterness; hence, the Merari family of Levites would seem to represent the ‘great company’ of spirit-begotten ones who fail to win the prize of Royal Priesthood, and are ‘saved so as by fire,’ coming up through ‘great tribulation’ and bitter experiences to the position of honor and service which they will occupy. (4) Gershom signifies refugees, or rescued; hence, the Gershom family of Levites would seem well to represent the saved world of mankind, all of whom will be refugees succored and delivered, rescued from the blindness and slavery of Satan.”
It seems natural that the family of Amram would represent the Church Class. They had access to the Holy and the Most Holy, they performed the sacrifices. They were the closest to the Lord. It was also the class through which the priestly line passed from generation to generation. The famous Priest Zadok of David’s and Solomon’s day descended through the line of Aaron through the house of Eleazar (1 Chronicles 24:3, 1 Chronicles 29:22).
God’s Judgment against Korah’s rebellion.
Being on the east side, we see a correspondence to the “kings of the east” of Revelation 16:12. “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.” Here we unmistakably recognize the Church Class, the Little Flock, the more than overcomers of this Gospel Age.
KORAH’S REBELLION
A further indication that Amram was the priestly tribe and would remain so, came when Korah and his company rebelled against God’s appointed rulers, Moses and Aaron. Korah was the son of Izhar, who was one of the four sons of Kohath. In the account of this uprising we find some 250 leaders of Israel perished by the hand of the Lord. Follow ing this, when the people in general rebelled, an additional 14,700 perished in what is described as a “plague.”
In the rebellion of Korah, the leading conspirators after organizing came to Moses and Aaron as a body and boldly charged them with public usurpation and demanded they lay down their arrogated power. Moses immediately bowed himself, “fell on his face,” confronted with the enormity of so outrageous a revolt. Korah’s rebellion challenged the divine system framed so carefully for the benefit of the nation. Moses left the matter in the Lord’s hands requesting the conspirators to come on the morrow with censers for incense that the Lord himself by some manifest token might make known his will in this great matter.
The following day, Korah and his company appeared be fore the tabernacle, attended by a multitude of people out of the general body of the tribes. Then the Shekinah light, the symbol of divine presence, which abode between the Cherubim in the Most Holy, came before the entrance of the sacred structure as a cloud. A loud voice commanded Moses and Aaron to stand apart, lest they share in the destruction of this group. On hearing this, Moses and Aaron fell on their knees and pleaded with the Lord to confine his wrath to the leaders only, and to spare the congregation. The congregation was induced to separate themselves from these leaders, and once they had separated, the ground opened and swallowed up the tents of the conspirators. Thus, Korah and the 250 were destroyed by fire, probably from the Shekinah light itself. Jude refers to the incident as the “gainsaying of Korah.” “Gainsaying” is “dispute” according to translations other than King James (Numbers 16:31-33).
The rebellious spirit excited by these ambitious leaders vented itself afresh on the next day in complaints against Moses for causing the death of their popular leaders.
Divine indignation once more interceded in the form of a plague and cut off thousands of this factious multitude, and threatened still more had Moses not intervened.
After this lesson of Divine appointment, the Lord asked that the rods of all the chief men of every tribe, including Aaron’s, be brought into the Tabernacle and laid overnight in the Most Holy. The next morning, these were brought forth from the Tabernacle for the people to view. No change had taken place in any except Aaron’s. His rod had brought forth buds, blossoms and almonds. Thus, the Lord re emphasized his selection of this priestly line.
DUTIES OF THE AMRAM FAMILY
The duties of the Amram family are not enumerated in the seventh chapter of Numbers, for their lot was not involved in the transportation of the Tabernacle. They merely covered the articles, then allowed the Levites to enter and begin the dismantling work.
The task of transporting the sacred items of the Tabernacle such as the Ark of the Covenant, the Table of Shewbread, the Golden Candlestick, and the Altars, fell to the families of the other sons of Kohath. In the broad sense, they were referred to as Kohathites. However, as we can see in the genealogy, they were the closest of kin to the priestly class. At first it would appear that these would aptly represent the Great Company, but in analyzing the names, it seems that they would more properly represent the Ancient Worthies. Kohath means “ally” or “comrade.” The Ancient Worthies had similar trials and experiences as the Church Class, and had they lived in the Gospel Age, it seems almost a certainty that they would have constituted a part of the Church class.
In Hebrews, we are all familiar with the trials and testings this class went through. Their justification was as a result of faith in God. Our Lord’s words regarding them in Mat thew 11:11: “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
We noticed in our text that the Kohathites were not as signed any wagons in verse nine. They had to transport the sacred articles by hand, that is, by using the staves provided in all the articles of furniture. Thus four men would carry each article, with each having a stave on their shoulder.
FOUR WAGONS AND EIGHT OXEN
According to our picture, the family of Merari represented the Great Company class, while the Gershonites represented the World of Mankind. The sons of Merari received four wagons and eight oxen. This was the family that represented the Great Company. Their charge of the tabernacle during the period of its transportation, and setting up and taking it down, were the boards, bars, pillars, sockets, pins and cords of the dwelling, as well as the court and all the tools connected with this operation (Numbers 4:29-33).
Though east is the primary direction of orientation as we have already seen, north in the scriptures often referred to the place of the Throne of the Lord. “He stretcheth out the north over the empty place” (Job 26:7). In the 38th chapter, Job also speaks of the Pleiades, which are in the general direction of the north. David in the Psalms says, “Promotion cometh neither from the east nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge, he putteth down one, and setteth up another.” This indicates that promotion would come from the north (Psalms 75:6,7, Revelation 7:9-15).
Owing to the heavy nature of the material assigned to them, the sons of Merari (on the north side, Numbers 3:35) required the greater part of the wagons and oxen which had been furnished by the Princes. Let us examine what the meaning and spiritual lesson is here. We observe how God wisely and graciously ordered the most strength to those that had the most work. “Each wagon according to his service.” Whatever burden God in His providences lays upon us, he will by his grace proportion the strength to it. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
It is for the Lord to permit increasing trials and testings to come upon us as we grow older and stronger in the Truth. Sometimes he permits a great fight from within or from without or both, and the New Creature is put to the test of endurance. It is not the Lord’s intention that these trying experiences shall crush the New Creature; but on the contrary, that the putting forth of endeavor to resist the adversary and every evil and shall make the New Creature that much stronger. This is according to and in harmony with the promise we have just read in Corinthians.
The spirit begotten ones not only have the advantage of greater enlightenment, which comes to them through the deeper knowledge of the divine character, the divine plan and the divine promises, but also the advantage of having the Lord Jesus as their helper! We not only claim the promise of our Lord that the Church class has had throughout this Age, that “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world,” or as the margin reference says, “unto the con summation of the age,” but we have had our Lord with us personally since his silent and unobserved return (as far as the world is concerned) in 1874.
– John Trzyna