As we consider this morning’s reading, it would be appropriate to share together in the wonderful manner in which the Holy Spirit brings to the forefront the precision and the magnificence of God’s design in operation. Once more, we get this reality expressed by Dr. Ronald B. Allen in his writing on the Book of Numbers contained in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. I share the following quote from his introductory remarks on this 4th Chapter of the Book of Numbers. 
Quote, The sense of order and organization already observed in this book comes to its finest point in this chapter. Again, we observe that the standard pattern in Hebrew prose is a movement from the general to the specific, from the broad to the particular. Chapters 1-4 follow this concept nicely. Chapter 1 presents the leaders and the numbers of the soldiers conscripted from each tribe; chapter 2 shows how each of the tribes is related to groupings surrounding the Tent of Meeting; chapter 3 gives the census of the Levite males from one month and older and a listing of the Levites by their families; and chapter 4 presents the census of the Levites from thirty[sic] to fifty years of age and the work each family was to have. The chapters have moved from the nation as a whole to the particular families of the one tribe that has the responsibility to maintain the symbols of Israel’s worship of the Lord. Each chapter gets more specific, more narrow in focus, with the central emphasis on the worship of the Lord at the Tent of Meeting. End quote.
The focal point is always the worship of the Lord from the manner in which the nation arrayed itself around the Tent of Meeting, through the way the Levites were made the buffers both in their encampment as well as in their being the redemption for the nation, as we saw last week. The Levites were the safety of the nation down to the specific details of how to move the Tent of Meeting in a manner which incorporated the reverence and the majesty of performing the necessary functions wholly and precisely in the prescribed awe of the Lord God Almighty. They were the ones who made the worship of God possible for the nation in their service from the packing and carrying of the Tent of Meeting up to the High Priest who would go directly before God for the sake of the whole nation. The very smallest details were not too insignificant for God to manifest unto Moses, never taking for granted that the Holiness and the Majesty and the Sovereignty of God was foremost for the entire nation to honor. 
This brings us to the central aspect of our reading today with the specific tasks that each of the three chosen families within the tribe of Levi were to accomplish. The fact is that the Lord had to make every provision for the transport of the Tent of Meeting. It was not a permanent structure, but rather it represented the presence of God with His people and it had to move as the nation moved, eventually to inhabit the Promised Land. Accordingly, the means of its transport had to be established with the precise manner that would afford the full honor that the holiness of God required. It could not be done in a haphazard manner as if it did not matter how the Tent of Meeting and the articles of worship were packed and carried. It had to be done with dignity and reverence and awe as it was the dwelling place of God in the midst of the nation.
It was very evident, because this was a service unto the Lord, that everything had to be done just as the Lord prescribed, or the offending party would not survive. Note what is repeated several times in this chapter. Verse 15 …when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they may not touch the holy objects and die.  And again in verses 18-20, "Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites. But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load; but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, lest they die." 
Even though the sons of Kohath were assigned the duty of the care and transport of the holy objects, they could not touch or see them uncovered or they would die. They had to be extremely careful in the manner of their service and respect for the holiness of God least they suffer the dire consequences of their careless disregard for the elements of worship unto the Lord.
The other necessary reality of this morning’s consideration is that the Lord does assign different tasks to His people. We are not all cookie cutter in design, everyone doing the exact same service like a robotic source of labor. No, we are chosen by God and gifted through His Holy Spirit with the various needs of all the people in view. These three families were chosen for the carrying of the Tent of Meeting and all its articles for the sake of the rest of the nation, so that the Tent of Meeting would be properly, carefully, and reverently carried along as the tribes of Israel marched forward. 
As well, it was the Levites who were chosen as the means of providing the necessary service of all that was required in terms of the worship of God for the sake of the rest of the nation. They were the bearers of the witness of the presence of God in the midst of the entire encampment. But each member of whatever tribe was still a member of the Chosen people of God. Each was in service to the other and a necessary element of the whole body of the nation.
The army was just as necessary as the religious element. The women and children with their duties were vital to the health and the development of the people as a nation. The ones who were gifted in the creative manufacture of the tent were necessary or there would be no Tent of Meeting. Those who were poor and had given so much of their meager possessions were just as vital as those who were rich and had given of what they had for the construction of the Tent of Meeting. This was because they all desired to have that witness of God in their immediate presence. 
This was a type of the Church of Christ in this very day. The Apostle Paul highlighted this as in Rom 12, verses 3-8, if you would care to follow along. Rom 12:3-8, For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 
    	We are all part of the Body of Christ on this earth. The Lord has graced us with different abilities and gifts and opportunities, but we are still together, working and serving the needs of the whole body. That is why it is so imperative that we do not look at ourselves at either end of the spectrum of the work required for the testimony of Christ to be living and vibrant. We can neither elevate ourselves above anyone else nor are we do think that we are of no use to the Lord and have nothing to offer Christ and His Church. 
We serve as the Lord makes every provision to serve. That may be in a teaching placement. It may be in counseling. It may be in song. It may be in doing the communion service or the care of the children’s ministry or of the ministry to the women or to the men or to the youth. Maybe it is a financial service or the skills to meet the various needs of the members of the fellowship with encouragement or transportation or food or work or whatever the Lord requires of us. None of it is more important than any other because it is all a vital working together for the sake of the whole body.
	The Apostle Paul had to deal with this in the Corinthian Church as they did not understand the plan of God in terms of meeting the needs of the whole body through the variety of gifts given. They were thinking of themselves as having a greater standing with God based on the gifts that they were practicing. Please turn to 1 Cor 12:4-12 as we want to come into the understanding that the Apostle set before this church and us. 
1 Cor 12:4-12, Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 
It is God Who chooses to gift in accordance with His Omniscience as to the immediate needs of His people. That is why we can never lord our gifts over another and neither can we consider ourselves as useless or insignificant to the Lord. He chooses to do that which is needed for the sake of His Body through those willing vessels who are obedient in service and available to do anything and everything the Lord requires. I remember my dad encouraging us to be instantly obedient and always available to the Lord and to each other. 
Continuing with verses 18-30 then in this 12th Chapter of the first letter to the Corinthians, we have the following for us. 1 Cor 12:18-30, But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body, which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly members come to have more abundant seemliness, whereas our seemly members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? 
    	This is seen in the manner in which the Lord chose the specific duties for the three families of our text. The Kohathites were given the task of the holy things of the Tent of Meeting. However, what good would that serve if there was no Tent of Meeting? The Gershonites were the ones who were to carry and transport the curtains and the hangings and the screen of the Tent itself. That, however, served no purpose without the labors of the sons of Merari who would carry the pegs and the bars and the boards and the sockets with which to construct the necessary framework of the Tent of Meeting. None was more important than the other because without the complete service of all, there would be no service at all.
	Again, hear the encouragement of the Apostle Paul, this time to the Church at Ephesus, Chapter 4, verses 1-13, if you would read along with me. Eph Chapter 4, verses 1-13. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men." (Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ. 
    	The gifts given and the service required are all for the building up of all the saints until we all attain to the unity of faith, in the full knowledge of Jesus Christ. We are working for each other in the course of the manner in which we serve the Lord and His Church. 
	We conclude with the admonition of the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 4:7-11, wherein he encourages the entire Body of Believers to work together unto the full and more perfect testimony of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:7-11, The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. So be it and Amen!

This morning’s benediction is James 1:17. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Amen.