We are in Numbers chapter eight with our word for today. צָבָא military service, campaign, military men, troops, heavenly bodies. Our word is used 485 times in the Old Testament, twice in our chapter. Our word is used most of the time in the sense of horde, a host or a vast multitude. Exodus 7:4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring צִבְאֹתַ֜י my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. Exodus 12:51 And on that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by צִבְאֹתָֽם their hosts. We also find our word used in the sense of army, a permanent organization of the military forces of a nation, usually referring to land forces. We have already seen this usage when we looked at this word a while ago when we were in chapter one of Numbers. Numbers 1:2-3 Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head. From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go צָבָ֖א to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company. Deuteronomy 24:5 When a man is newly married, he shall not go out בַּצָּבָ֔א with the army or be liable for any other public duty. He shall be free at home one year to be happy with his wife whom he has taken. Our word is used in the sense of service, an act of help or assistance. In this sense it is used most of the time to refer to the Levites. Numbers 4:23 From thirty years old up to fifty years old, you shall list them, all who can come to do צָבָ֔א duty, to do service in the tent of meeting. This is how our word is used twice in our chapter today. Numbers 8:23-26 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “This applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall come to do צָבָ֔א duty in the service of the tent of meeting. And from the age of fifty years they shall withdraw מִצְּבָ֣א from the duty of the service and serve no more. They minister to their brothers in the tent of meeting by keeping guard, but they shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites in assigning בְּמִשְׁמְרֹתָֽם [this is a different word but translated like our word] their duties. This reminds us of how God gifts his people in the church with spiritual gifts. Romans 12:4-8 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Those who serve must first of all serve the Lord and then serve His people. We serve the Lord by serving His people, but our orders must come from God. No matter what task the Lord assigns to us, it is important to His work, and we must do it cheerfully and carefully. I’ll close with this great reminder. 2 Corinthians 4:5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
