devotional post # 2263

Numbers 3:33-38

Num 3:33 To Merari belonged the clan of the Mahlites and the clan of the Mushites: these are the clans of Merari.
Num 3:34 Their mustering according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward was 6,200.
Num 3:35 And the general from the fathers’ house of the clans of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle.
Num 3:36 And the appointed guard duty of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, the bars, the pillars, the bases, and all their accessories; all the service connected with these;
Num 3:37 also the pillars around the court, with their bases and pegs and cords.
Num 3:38 Those who were to camp in front of the tabernacle on the east, in front of the conference tent toward the sunrise, were Moses and Aaron and his sons, guarding the sanctuary itself, to protect the people of Israel. And any outsider who came near was to be put to death.

support and service

The Merarite clans provided support for the tabernacle structure. They made sure the structure held together firmly. The services within the tabernacle courts were the responsibility of Moses, Aaron and his sons. The community consisted of many groups with different responsibilities foreshadowing a New Testament concept of “many parts in the one body’…”and individually members of one another” (Rom. 12:4-5).

LORD, show us our place within your community of faith. Enable us to serve where needed, and to support those who serve where and when we cannot.