Numbers 7:9
Distribution of the Carts and the Oxen
It seems that Moses doesn’t not know what to do with these gifts. It is not part of everything God has shown him about the tabernacle. But God makes it clear that Moses can accept them. They are the fruit of God-fearing souls, of men who have fellowship with God. What they bring is the result of spiritual considerations. God can accept that, because it was ultimately worked in them by Himself through His Spirit. In the same way God wants to use in His service today means which He has not indicated as such in His Word, but which are the result of spiritual consultation with regards to the service in His house. The church is not a solidified matter, but a dynamic one, always in motion. God accepts initiatives that respond to the concerns of the moment when they come from a spirit of dependence on the Spirit and are in accordance with the Word.God decides to whom the carts are made available. God does not proceed in the way of people who would divide everything fairly. God regulates everything in such a way that faith and love are tested in order to accept that He acts according to His will and wisdom. When we agree with His different actions, we take the place of blessing. The heart so attuned to God’s actions will rejoice in what he sees of Christ in another, while he himself does not possess it. We can rejoice in what He has given us, but also in what He has withheld from us and entrusted to others.God entrusts each person with what is necessary for the service. He knows what each one has to bear and provides the necessary strength. We can apply this to means that facilitate the work of the Lord’s servants (Tit 3:13; 3Jn 1:6b). In this way, if they come from another place, we can offer them accommodation, for example, to do their work in the church from our home. We can also support them financially.The Gershonites get two carts and four oxen. They have the care for all the coverings. This speaks of the external testimony, the gospel. The Merarites get four carts and eight oxen. They have the care for boards and pillars. This speaks of the care for the believers, the service of the shepherd. We can all help with the progress of the gospel and the care for the believers.The Kohathites care for what speaks of the Lord Jesus and His work. God takes care of the help in its progress. Human resources, such as theological training, have no place here. The heavenly things should be carried on the shoulders. Without anything that might impress people, they carry their precious treasures through the wilderness.Here David makes a fatal mistake. He forgets the precept of the LORD and places the ark on a cart. It appears not to be a safer means, but a more vulnerable means: the oxen nearly upset it. Uzzah has to pay for that with death (2Sam 6:6-7). The Philistines also put the ark on a cart, but they act out of ignorance (1Sam 6:7-11).
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