Korach stages a rebellion against Moses, accusing him of a power grab. He and his entourage are swallowed up by the earth. The people protest, and a plague ensues. Of the staffs submitted by all the tribes, only Aaron’s blossoms; proving that he is God’s chosen. The Israelites are instructed the various presents due to the priests and Levites.
Let’s read from the parsha:
Num 18:1 So the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood.
Num 18:2 And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony.
Num 18:3 They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die.
Num 18:4 They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you.
Based on FFOZ weekly eDrash from 2009.
It was the Levites’ job to guard the Temple from intruders. But more than simply protecting the Temple’s assets, the Levitical guards were to protect the Children of Israel from inadvertent trespassing. As Korah’s followers discovered in Numbers 16, a step too far in the wrong direction could be fatal. The Levitical guard was meant to insure that the common man did not make that misstep.
In the Mishnah (the oral Torah), we are told of how the captain of the Levitical guard would keep his watchmen awake at their posts by surprising them like a thief in the night.
The man in charge of the Temple mount would go around to every watch post carrying lighted torches before him. When he found a watchman which was not standing at his post he would say, “Shalom Aleichem (Peace be with you.)” If the man was sleeping, he struck him with his staff, and he had the right to light his garment on fire. The people would say, “What is the noise in the courtyard?” “It is the noise of a Levite being beaten and his clothes being burned because he fell asleep at his post.” Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov said, “One time they found my mother’s brother sleeping and burned his garment.” (m.Middot 1:2)
The threat of having your clothes lit on fire was probably good incentive to stay awake. In Revelation 16:15, Yeshua refers to this custom of the Temple guards.
Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame. (Revelation 16:15)
Messiah comes like ‘the captain of the Temple guard’ who, in turn, ‘comes like a thief in the night.’ That is why He says, “Blessed are those servants whom the master will find on the alert when he comes…whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.” (Luke 12:37-38)
Stay awake! Stay alert, and keep your clothes!
These audio files are stored (for free) at archive.org. CoM does not control or approve other content on archive.org