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The Office of the Priests and Levites
v. 1. And the Lord said unto Aaron, for the fact of his priesthood was now practically unchallenged among the children of Israel, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee, the entire family in all its descendants, shall bear the. iniquity of the Sanctuary, they were to consider themselves responsible for the removal of any defilement which might come upon the Tabernacle and its equipment while it was being used for purposes of worship: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood, whatever impurities and imperfections still clung to them in the work of their calling. It was for the removal of these sins as they resulted from the natural sinful condition of men that the animal atonement had been ordered by God, Lev_16:16.
v. 2. And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, causing them to come near to the Sanctuary with him. for the purpose of ministering, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee, in the position of assistants in the worship of Jehovah; but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the Tabernacle of "Witness, as being actually in charge of the sacrifices and of the various acts of atonement connected with the offerings.
v. 3. And they shall keep thy charge, observe and do those things which they were directed to do by the priest, and the charge of all the Tabernacle, in the matter of transporting the Tabernacle and its appointments and performing such other offices as were connected therewith; only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the Sanctuary, those inside the Tabernacle, and the altar, of incense, that neither they, nor ye also, die; for every person that approached these without proper command and authority risked immediate death, as the people had now repeatedly seen.
v. 4. And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the Tabernacle of the Congregation for all the service of the Tabernacle; and a stranger, a layman not belonging to the tribe of Levi, shall not come nigh unto you. Cf Num_1:53; Num_3:7.
v. 5. And ye shall keep the charge of the Sanctuary and the charge of the altar, this special function was limited to the priests alone; that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
v. 6. And I, behold, I have taken your brethren, the Levites, from among the children of Israel; to you they are given as a gift for the Lord to do the service of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. Cf Num_3:9; Num_8:16-19.
v. 7. Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for everything of the altar, all the service connected with the golden altar of incense, where the priests were daily employed, and within the veil, for the high priest entered into the Most Holy Place once every year, on the great Day of Atonement, Lev_16:2; and ye shall serve. I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift, out of free grace and mercy, to stimulate all the greater diligence; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death, since this service was the exclusive duty of the family of Aaron. In a far better and higher sense it is true that we Christians have been given the rights of the universal priesthood of the New Testament by God's free gift in Jesus Christ, whence it follows that we should appreciate this blessing all the more highly.