There is something about the identical repetitions of the giving by the 12 tribes to God for the Levites in their service of the tabernacle and their offerings for the dedication of the altar that is powerfully important.

Repetition is always important in the Scriptures but the repetitions here underline that no tribe is different, that all are equally significant and important to God, that their identical giving doesn't put one ahead and another behind.

Money or giving can so readily separate people and give status to the one who has much and a loss of status to the one who has little but Jesus clearly indicates that the measurement is according to our ability to give so that the woman who gave all that she had to live on gave much more than the rich who gave out of their surfeit.

It is also remarkable that the Scriptures repeat the exact words 12 times rather than summarising or using an expression like ' the others gave likewise'. The effect of this is that the one that might be named in such a case would have precedence over the others who were not named, whereas by repeating for each tribe individually and identically there can be no differentiation.

It is appropriate that the book called Numbers is concerned not with numbers so much as with individuals: even the census is to be about individuals who are all to be counted. Every hair on your head is counted.

The seven lights of the candlestick are to light in front of the candlestick: for the light is not to benefit who follows or is behind but to be a light for our feet, for us to see the way ahead. The candlestick represents or symbolises our minds, our intellect, which is fed by the oil of the Holy Spirit, the wisdom from above, and enables us to see the right way to go.

The Levites are cleansed and then waved before God "and thou hast brought near the Levites before Jehovah and the sons of Israel have laid their hands on the Levites and Aaron hath waved the Levites - a wave offering before Jehovah, from the sons of Israel, and they have been - for the doing the service of Jehovah"

In turn the Levites lay their hands on the head of the bullocks and in the sin offering and the burnt offering to Jehovah are atoned for.

The Levites are given to God in place of the first born of the tribes of Israel. God says " For they are certainly given to Me out of the midst of the sons of Israle, instead of him who openeth any womb - the first-born of all - from the sons of Israle I have taken them to Myself."

Understand the significance of all this.

The holiness of the priests, separated from the midst of the sons of Israel, points to the future time when those Jesus judges worthy at the judgement of believers, the first resurrection, will be given authority and power on earth under Him,

"Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open the seals of it, because thou wast slain and didst redeem us to God in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation, and and didst make us to our God kings and priests and we shall reign upon the earth" Rev 5:10

Even in this life, all believers are to live as God's priests, serving Him and the seriousness and responsibility and holiness that is demanded must be known and lived by.