Numbers 4: Group Study Handout

How to use: read Numbers 4 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Yahweh instructs Moses and Aaron to take a census of the Kohathites, who serve in the Tent of Meeting (vv. 1-4). They are responsible for handling the most sacred objects.

Key verse

“but they shall not go in to see the sanctuary even for a moment, lest they die.”
Numbers 4:20 (WEB)

Outline

Numbers 4:1–4 Instructions for the Kohathites
Numbers 4:5–15 Covering the Sacred Objects
Numbers 4:16–20 Duties of Eleazar and Safety
Numbers 4:21–28 Counting the Gershonites
Numbers 4:29–38 Responsibilities of the Merarites
Numbers 4:39–49 Total Count of the Levites

Discussion questions

What does Aaron cover the ark of the Testimony with in v5?
In v30, who is counted from thirty years old and upward?
The command in v20: why must the Kohathites not see the sanctuary even for a moment?
In v15, what is the meaning of the Kohathites' burden in the Tent of Meeting?
How do you approach tasks you consider sacred or important in your life?

Go deeper

Passages that echo Numbers 4: Numbers 3, 1 Chronicles 23, Exodus 25.

Before next time: read Numbers 5.