H1: Were the Levites Also Warriors? (Numbers 1:47)
To the best of my knowledge, there are five censuses total (censi?) in the Old Testament. Three of them happen here in Numbers (Numbers 1, 3, 26), one happens in 1 Chronicles 23, and the last one happens in parallel passages from Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7.
Every one of those censuses has a specific purpose. Ezra and Nehemiah counts how many exiles return from Babylon, and the censuses in Numbers 1 and 26 are only for the fighting men. The Levites are intentionally excluded; they get their own individual census in Numbers 1 and 1 Chronicles 23.
The reason for this separation is made plain in Numbers 1:47: The work of the Levites revolves around the Tabernacle. As such, they won’t engage in the daily life and fighting of the average Israelite. There’s no need to count them among the “fighting men” because they won’t be doing any fighting.
Or will they? It’s easy to assume from this passage that the Levites are sitting back at camp, taking it easy, while their brothers wander off into battle. If you read some of these battle scenes closely though, you’ll see that not only are the Levites present at war, but they’re actually fulfilling a very important purpose.
The first instance of this is Numbers 31:6, when Phinehas the Levite—who would later become the High Priest (Judges 20:28)—accompanied the people in the battle. He didn’t carry swords, but he did transport the holy vessels and trumpets to help raise the alarm.
In Joshua 6, the Levites carried the Ark of the Covenant at the head of the march around Jericho. Eventually, the walls fell and Joshua’s men overtook the city, but the only reason the walls fell was because they all marched in faith. In a way, the Levites were the physical representation of the spiritual courage of Israel.
You could also argue that this set an unhealthy standard for the people of Israel, though. While Israel would obviously want God at the head of their army, it seems like they fell into a position where they used God as a totem—a supernatural amulet that guaranteed victory despite their own lack of faith. Eli’s sons made this mistake in 1 Samuel 4, and paid for it with their lives.
The priesthood should have been known for their zeal for God’s holiness. Their acts of violence were done to protect the house of God and protect the purity of the nation.
When Balaam threatened to lead Israel into sexual immorality, it was Phinehas that grabbed the spear and put a stop to it. When it was nighttime and the house of God was vulnerable, it was the priests that stood watch and protected its treasures (1 Chronicles 9:27).
It’s easy to assume that the priests were simply stewards that slaughtered animals and sprinkled blood around the altar, but that was just one division of the tribe of Levi. More of the tribe was engaged in everyday matters. And if that included keeping a sword in your hand instead of an incense of fire, then so be it.
