Context No. 3336 of 4322 · Numbers

Numbers 4:12-16: in context

12“They shall take all the vessels of ministry with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, cover them with a covering of sealskin, and shall put them on the frame. 13“They shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it. 14They shall put on it all its vessels with which they minister about it, the fire pans, the meat hooks, the shovels, and the basins—all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of sealskin, and put in its poles. 15“When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp moves forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it; but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die. The sons of Kohath shall carry these things belonging to the Tent of Meeting. 16“The duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the continual meal offering, and the anointing oil, the requirements of all the tabernacle, and of all that is in it, the sanctuary, and its furnishings.”

The instructions for moving the sanctuary continue: the sacred vessels wrapped in cloth and sealskin, carried but never touched directly, on pain of death. And Eleazar the priest is given oversight of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil, responsibility for the things that kept the sanctuary's worship going day by day.

There is a lesson in the assigning of duties. Each group and each person had a specific charge, and the sacred, sensitive tasks were entrusted with clear limits and clear oversight. God's work is not a free-for-all but an ordered service, where each knows his role and its bounds. The weightiest responsibilities carried the strictest care, and Eleazar bore the burden of what kept daily worship alive. The sanctuary functioned, and the presence of God was honored, because each person did his appointed part faithfully and within the limits set for him.

Do I fulfill my own assigned part in God's work faithfully and within its proper bounds, respecting the order and limits he has set?

Sources

Numbers 4:15: "After that, the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it; but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die."
Numbers 4:16: "The duty of Eleazar... shall be the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the continual meal offering, and the anointing oil."
1 Corinthians 14:40: "Let all things be done decently and in order."