Numbers 4:1-20  The Duties of the Priests Compared with Those of the Levites

[Study Aired May 15, 2023]

Num 4:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Num 4:2  Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, 
Num 4:3  From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Num 4:4  This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things:
Num 4:5  And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it: 
Num 4:6  And shall put thereon the covering of badgers’ skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof.
Num 4:7  And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon: 
Num 4:8  And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put in the staves thereof. 
Num 4:9  And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuff dishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: 
Num 4:10  And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put it upon a bar. 
Num 4:11  And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put to the staves thereof: 
Num 4:12  And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put them on a bar: 
Num 4:13  And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon: 
Num 4:14  And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers’ skins, and put to the staves of it. 
Num 4:15  And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation. 
Num 4:16  And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof. 
Num 4:17  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Num 4:18  Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites: 
Num 4:19  But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden: 
Num 4:20  But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die. 

This session covers the work of Moses, Aaron and his sons as priests, when they were to set out from one place to another in the wilderness. The priests had the privilege of packing the vessels within the tabernacle of the congregation. In everyday life, it is those who are very close to you who can pack your belongings. He who packs another person’s belongings sees all his mysteries and secrets. We are therefore privileged to become part of the Lord’s royal priesthood to be able to know the mysteries of His kingdom!!

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Num 4:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 
Num 4:2  Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, after their families, by the house of their fathers, 
Num 4:3  From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.
Num 4:4  This shall be the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, about the most holy things:

We can see from these verses that there is an age requirement for one to do the work of the Lord regarding the tabernacle of the Congregation. To serve as a Kohath or a Levite, one has to be between the ages of thirty and fifty. In other words, one has to be spiritually mature to do the work of the Lord as the ages specified refer to the “golden years” of our lives where we are mature and have the necessary strength to do all kinds of work. The number 30 signifies the time we are spiritually mature, as we have our senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Our spiritual maturity involves going through fiery trials as we see Joseph go through trials to become Prime Minister of Egypt at the age 30. The number fifty refers to the liberty we have in Christ as we become spiritually mature. This liberty is about our freedom from bondage to sin.

Gen 41:46  And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. 

Gal 5:1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Gal 5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

As we recall from the Bible, our Lord Jesus Christ waited until He was thirty years old before He began His ministry or work of service to God. Although He was a son, He learned obedience by the things He suffered and became the author of salvation, to the elect first and then to the rest of the world.

Luk 3:23  And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 
Heb 5:10  Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

What we need to understand is that becoming a servant of Christ is not a job for babies or children in Christ. We need to be spiritually thirty years old and above to serve the Lord. The Bible has a lot to warn us about children who try to serve as they assume leadership of the Lord’s people. This is what happens:

Isa 3:4  And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. 
Isa 3:5  And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.

Isa 3:12  As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

In Isaiah 3:12, it is insightful to note that children ruling is equivalent to women ruling. In the physical churches of this world, or Babylon, it is children who are ruling, and it is the same as the church (the harlot woman) dominating the lives of the Lord’s people instead of Christ.

Rev 17:3  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 
Rev 17:5  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Num 4:5  And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering vail, and cover the ark of testimony with it: 
Num 4:6  And shall put thereon the covering of badgers’ skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof.

The services slated for Aaron and his sons relate to when the camp is setting out, that is, when the Israelites were moving from one place to another. The first item to be moved was the ark of the testimony. As we indicated in the studies in Exodus, the ark represents Christ or the word of the Lord.

Joh 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Numbers 4:5-6 spiritually refer to the duties of the elect (represented by Aaron and his sons) as it relates to the spreading or the movement of the gospel of Christ. What we need to realize is that the ark, or the word of the Lord, must be covered with a veil, a badgers’ skin and a cloth of blue color when Israel was on the move. The veil that is taken from the tabernacle to cover the ark signifies the flesh of Christ as shown in the following: 

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

The badger skin refers to the skin of an animal, probably a goat or sheep or dolphin, etc. It symbolizes the sacrificial death of Christ while the cloth with the color blue refers to the resurrected Lord in our hearts and mind or heavens.

In summary, all the coverings represent Christ, and as long as we see Christ in the flesh in terms of His life and death, the word of the Lord (the ark) is veiled. It is when we begin to see Christ in the spirit that the veil is taken away. That is when we begin to know Christ or His words (the ark). This is what Paul said about knowing Christ after the spirit:

2Co 5:16  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

2Co 3:16  Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
2Co 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
2Co 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Verses 5 and 6 refer to the duties of the elect as they relate to the way the gospel of Christ must be sent. The gospel we are carrying is veiled or shrouded in a mystery. It is only those who know Christ in the spirit who can understand the Christ whom we present.

1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 2:8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 
1Co 2:9  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 
1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 
1Co 2:11  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 
1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 
1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 
1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The staves, or the poles, in verse 6 are the elect who carry the veiled message of the gospel. It is the Levites (Babylonians) who carry us on their shoulders as we propagate our veiled message. In other words, our brothers and sisters in Babylon are the ones who do the heavy work of using the law as our schoolmaster to lead people to Christ. It is when they come to Christ that we take over by unwrapping the word of the Lord for them to see the ark clearly as priests.

Joh 4:37  And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 
Joh 4:38  I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

Num 4:7  And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon:
Num 4:8  And they shall spread upon them a cloth of scarlet, and cover the same with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put in the staves thereof.

The table of showbread together with the bread and its accessories symbolize the altar where the elect share the word of the Lord. The covering of the table of the showbread and its accessories means that our brothers and sisters in Babylon, representing the Levites, are not allowed to partake with us the word of truth, which is Christ. The reason they cannot partake with us the truth of the word of the Lord is that they have been swept away by divers and strange doctrines.

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

It is very instructive to note that the cloth used to initially cover the table of the showbread was scarlet, which is red and refers to Adam whose name means red, that is earthy. What we are being told therefore is that we, the Lord’s elect, are the treasure in earthen vessels. After the table and its accessories were covered with the scarlet cloth, they are again wrapped in badgers’ skin. This signifies that being given to eat in the presence of the Lord is associated with the process of dying to the old man through suffering as our Lord Jesus Christ took the lead to offer His life for our sake. This is what the word of the Lord has to say about this:

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 
2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 
2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 
2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
2Co 4:11  For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
2Co 4:12  So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

Num 4:9  And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candlestick of the light, and his lamps, and his tongs, and his snuff dishes, and all the oil vessels thereof, wherewith they minister unto it: 
Num 4:10  And they shall put it and all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put it upon a bar.

The candlesticks symbolize the church of the firstborn or the elect. The lamps refer to the word of the Lord and the oil stands for the Holy Spirit. The church of the elect is not visible to the world. It is hidden from the sight of Babylon and the people of the world. It is only when the veil is taken away that the church becomes visible. In this age, it is only those whose names have been written before the foundations of the world who become part of the elect who are those from whom the Lord is removing the veil to see the church of the elect. The rest of the world, including our brothers and sisters in Babylon, will see this glorious church when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. The veil being removed means we are given to understand or know Christ in the spirit and not in the flesh. It is when we understand His words in the spirit that we can know the church of the elect or Jerusalem which is above. 

Rev 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 
Gal 4:26  But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 
Gal 4:27  For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Heb 12:25  See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

Num 4:11  And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put to the staves thereof:

The golden altar is a symbol of the sacrificial death of Christ for the sake of all humanity. The elect represent the staves which are used to carry the golden altar. We are therefore always carrying in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus so that the life of Christ might be made manifest in our lives. The fact that the world, or our brothers and sisters in Babylon, do not see us bearing in our body the dying of Christ means that the golden altar is hidden from the Levites (Babylonians) as it is covered by a cloth of blue and the badgers’ skin. 

2Co 4:10  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
2Co 4:11  For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
2Co 4:12  So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

As indicated earlier, the blue cloth represents Christ in our heavens, and the badger skin represents the dying of Christ. What this means is that it is when we begin to know or worship Christ in the spirit and in truth that the veil is taken away to see the dying of Christ in our bodies. This dying of Christ in our bodies symbolizes the suffering we must endure to manifest Christ in our lives.

Joh 4:21  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Joh 4:22  Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Joh 4:23  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Num 4:12  And they shall take all the instruments of ministry, wherewith they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of badgers’ skins, and shall put them on a bar: 
Num 4:13  And they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon: 
Num 4:14  And they shall put upon it all the vessels thereof, wherewith they minister about it, even the censers, the fleshhooks, and the shovels, and the basons, all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread upon it a covering of badgers’ skins, and put to the staves of it. 

All the instruments of ministry are covered with cloth of blue and the badger skin. We, the Lord’s elect, are the instruments of ministry. In other words, we are used for honorable purposes. 

2Ti 2:20  Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 
2Ti 2:21  Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

What verses 12 to 14 imply is that as vessels of ministry, we the elect, are not visible to the world. including our brothers and sisters in Babylon. We are covered with a cloth of blue and a badger skin. We are only visible when the Lord removes the veil covering us. That is why our Lord Jesus, when He was getting to the end of His life, told the Pharisees that all those in Jerusalem (Babylon) will not see Him again until the time comes they acknowledge the elect by saying that blessed is he (the elect) who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Luk 13:34  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 
Luk 13:35  Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’ 

It is when the veil is taken away that we see who the Lord’s children really are. Since the Lord’s children represent Jesus of Nazareth, being given the power to see the Lord’s elect means seeing our Lord Jesus Christ!! As the Lord said, it is a blessing to see those who come in the name of the Lord!!

Act 9:4  And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 
Act 9:5  And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

Num 4:15  And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.

The sons of Kohath who were part of the Levites were required to bear all the vessels of the sanctuary as the people of Israel journeyed through the desert. It must have been a very difficult task to carry all the vessels in the heat of the desert. That is what is happening today as we see our brothers and sisters from Babylon do all the taxing duties to make it easier for the Lord’s elect to reap the harvest. The parable of the hired laborers illustrates this point clearly.

Mat 20:1  “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
Mat 20:2  After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
Mat 20:3  And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 
Mat 20:4  and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 
Mat 20:5  So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 
Mat 20:6  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
Mat 20:7  They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 
Mat 20:8  And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 
Mat 20:9  And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 
Mat 20:10  Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 
Mat 20:11  And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house,
Mat 20:12  saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’
Mat 20:13  But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 
Mat 20:14  Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.
Mat 20:15  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’
Mat 20:16  So the last will be first, and the first last.”

All the earlier laborers had worked more hours than the laborers who came in last, and these laborers who came in last were the first to receive the prize. It is indeed a privilege to be called and chosen in this age!!

Joh 4:37  For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’
Joh 4:38  I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.

It is also important to note that the sons of Kohath were forbidden to touch any holy thing lest they die. As we are aware, you can only give what you have. If you are not required to touch holy things, there is no way that you can make someone holy, since you are not holy. Being forbidden to touch holy things is another way of saying that in spite of the hard work of our brothers and sisters in Babylon, the fruits of their labors do not result in people becoming holy. As a matter of fact, they become worse off or twice the children of hell. That is where we all came from. Before we exited Babylon, we were all twice the children of hell before we received the mercies of the Lord. 

Mat 23:13  “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. 

Mat 23:15  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” 

The Kohathites, or the Babylonians, being forbidden to touch any holy thing is the same as what our Lord Jesus said about the multitude who came to listen to Him.

Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them (the multitude) in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 

Num 4:16  And to the office of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest pertaineth the oil for the light, and the sweet incense, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, and the oversight of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein is, in the sanctuary, and in the vessels thereof.

As priests of the Lord, the elect are the only ones who are anointed by the Lord to offer sweet incense (prayers), meat offering (offering their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to the Lord) and oil for the light (are given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God).

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you (the priests) to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them (the Levites or Babylonians) it is not given.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Num 4:17  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
Num 4:18  Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites:
Num 4:19  But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden:
Num 4:20  But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.

The Lord’s admonition to Moses and Aaron was very appropriate. Because the Kohathites’ work in carrying the important vessels of the temple was extremely significant compared with the other Levites, who were to carry superficial things like boards, sockets, pillars, etc., there was the tendency on the part of Moses and Aaron to regard them as more important than the other Levites and therefore cut them off from the Levites. However, since the Kohathites were restricted from touching the holy things, they were not different from the other Levites. In other words, they represent Babylon.

As we are aware, there are many brothers and sisters whose work is so important and sometimes what they say borders on the truth of the Lord’s words. There is therefore this tendency to regard them as different from Babylon. However, since they have not left Babylon, they are still part of Babylon and share in their sins. What we are to do is not to disregard the role our brothers and sisters in Babylon (Kohathites) play in the grand scheme of the Lord in bringing people to Christ. Inasmuch as we are to appreciate the work our brothers and sisters do in Babylon, we are not to cast our pearls before them.

Mat 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Luk 9:49  And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.
Luk 9:50  And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.

We thank God for His mercies towards us by calling and choosing us to be part of His priesthood in this life. What a blessing our Lord has bestowed on us!! May His name be praised forever, Amen!!!