20250318 [새벽묵상] 성막에 대한 책임을 지키는 사람들 | Those Who Fulfill Their Responsibility to the Tabernacle (민/Num 1:47~54)

1:47 그러나 레위인은 그들의 조상의 지파대로 그 계수에 들지 아니하였으니

1:48 이는 여호와께서 모세에게 말씀하여 이르시되

1:49 너는 레위 지파만은 계수하지 말며 그들을 이스라엘 자손 계수 중에 넣지 말고

1:50 그들에게 증거의 성막과 그 모든 기구와 그 모든 부속품을 관리하게 하라 그들은 그 성막과 그 모든 기구를 운반하며 거기서 봉사하며 성막 주위에 진을 칠지며

1:51 성막을 운반할 때에는 레위인이 그것을 걷고 성막을 세울 때에는 레위인이 그것을 세울 것이요 외인이 가까이 오면 죽일지며

1:52 이스라엘 자손은 막사를 치되 그 진영별로 각각 그 진영과 군기 곁에 칠 것이나

1:53 레위인은 증거의 성막 사방에 진을 쳐서 이스라엘 자손의 회중에게 진노가 임하지 않게 할 것이라 레위인은 증거의 성막에 대한 책임을 지킬지니라 하셨음이라

47 The ancestral tribe of the Levites, however, was not counted along with the others. 48 The Lord had said to Moses: 49 “You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. 50 Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the covenant law—over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it. 51 Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it. Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death. 52 The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each of them in their own camp under their standard. 53 The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law.”

1:54 이스라엘 자손이 그대로 행하되 여호와께서 모세에게 명령하신 대로 행하였더라

54 The Israelites did all this just as the Lord commanded Moses.

                  민수기는 제목만 보면 이게 무슨 책인가 싶지요. 백성 민자와 셈 수를 합하여 사람 수를 세다 라는 뜻입니다. 구약의 헬라어 번역본인 칠십인역에서 민수기의 1장과 26장의 인구 조사를 근거로 책 이름을 “숫자들”이라고 명명하는데 이에 따라 한글 성경도 이 책을 민수기라고 부르고 있습니다. 하지만 민수기는 단순히 인구조사에 관한 책이 아닙니다. 사실 민수기의 히브리어 이름은 “광야에서”라는 뜻인데요. 저는 오히려 이 “광야에서”라는 제목이 민수기에 더 걸맞는 이름이 아닌가 생각합니다. 그 이유는 민수기의 내용이 이스라엘 백성의 광야에서의 여정, 그 가운데 일어나는 일들을 다루고 있기 때문입니다. 자, 출애굽기에서 하나님이 모세를 통하여 이스라엘 백성들을 애굽의 종살이에서 해방시키십니다. 그리고 그들을 시내산으로 이끄셔서 그곳에서 이스라엘 백성들을 하나님의 백성으로 삼으시는 언약을 맺으시지요. 그래서 그들에게 하나님의 백성으로 살 수 있도록 십계명과 같은 율법과 규율을 내려주십니다. 하지만 이스라엘 백성들은 모세가 시내 산에서 내려오기도 전에 우상숭배와 죄악들로 그 언약을 깨뜨려 버리지요. 하지만 그럼에도 불구하고 하나님께서는 이들과 언약을 다시 회복하시고 하나님께서 친히 이들 가운데 거하실 수 있도록 회막을 짓는 것을 명령하시고 제사장들에게 하나님께 제사하는 법을 알려주십니다. 이렇게 시내 산에서 일년을 보내고 난 다음에 아브라함에게 약속하신 가나안 땅으로 출정하는 것. 그것이 바로 오늘 우리가 함께 읽은 민수기의 말씀이지요. 민수기는 크게 다섯 단락으로 나뉘는데 1장에서 10장까지가 시내산에서 일어나는 일들 그리고 13장에서 19장까지는 바란광야에서 일어나는 일들 그리고 22장부터 36장까지는 모압광야에서 일어나는 일들 그리고 그 사이사이에 각 광야로 떠나는 여정에 대한 이야기가 들어있습니다. 오늘 말씀은 이렇게 약속의 땅으로 출정을 나가기 전에 먼저 각 지파에서 싸울 수 있는 장정의 숫자를 파악하는 내용이지요. 그러나 하나님께서 레위 지파만은 그 징집자 숫자에 포함하지 않으시고 하나님의 성막에 대한 책임을 지키는 자들로 부르십니다.

When we look at the title "Numbers," we might wonder what kind of book this is. The word combines "people" (min) and "count" (su), meaning "to count people." In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the book is named "Numbers" based on the census in chapters 1 and 26, which is why our Bible calls it "Numbers." But Numbers is not simply a book about counting people. In fact, the Hebrew name means "In the Wilderness," and I think this title is more fitting for Numbers. This is because the content of Numbers deals with the journey of the Israelites in the wilderness and the events that occurred during that journey.

In Exodus, God liberates the Israelites from slavery in Egypt through Moses. He leads them to Mount Sinai, where He makes a covenant with them to become God's people. There, He gives them laws and regulations like the Ten Commandments so they can live as God's people. But the Israelites break that covenant through idolatry and sin even before Moses comes down from Mount Sinai. Nevertheless, God restores the covenant with them and commands them to build the Tabernacle so He can dwell among them, and He teaches the priests how to offer sacrifices to Him. After spending a year at Mount Sinai, they set out toward the Promised Land of Canaan, which God had promised to Abraham. This is what we read today in Numbers.

Numbers can be divided into five sections: chapters 1-10 describe events at Mount Sinai, chapters 13-19 events in the Wilderness of Paran, chapters 22-36 events in the plains of Moab, and between these sections are accounts of the journeys to each wilderness. Today's passage is about counting able-bodied men from each tribe who could fight before setting out for the Promised Land. However, God instructs that the tribe of Levi should not be included in this census and instead be appointed to take responsibility for God's Tabernacle.

                  말씀 함께 보시겠습니다. 49절입니다. “너는 레위 지파만은 계수하지 말며 그들을 이스라엘 자손 계수 중에 넣지 말고” 자 지금 이 호구 조사를 하고 있는 이유가 무엇입니까? 바로 전쟁을 위해서입니다. 3절에서 전쟁에 나갈 수 있는 20세 이상 모든 남자의 수를 세라고 하시지 않습니까? 전쟁에서 사람 수란 곧 전투력이지요. 이런 전투력을 희생하면서까지 레위 지파의 수를 세지 않는 것은 곧 레위 지파가 맡는 일이 전투만큼 또는 그보다 더 중요한 일이라는 것입니다. 그 일이 무엇입니까? 50절을 보니 “그들에게 증거의 성막과 그 모든 기구와 그 모든 부속품을 관리하게 하라 그들은 그 성막과 그 모든 기구를 운반하며 거기서 봉사하며 성막 주위에 진을 칠지며” 성막을 관리하며 운반하고 성막에서 봉사하며 그 주위에 진을 칠지라라고 하십니다. 한마디로 그들은 성막을 책임지는 사람들이었습니다.

Let's look at the Scripture. Verse 49 says: "Do not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites." Why are they taking this census? It's for war. Doesn't verse 3 say to count all men 20 years and older who are able to serve in the army? In war, the number of people equals fighting strength. The fact that the tribe of Levi is excluded from the count, sacrificing potential combat strength, indicates that the task assigned to Levi is as important as or more important than fighting. What is this task? Verse 50 tells us: "Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the covenant law—over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it." In short, they were responsible for the Tabernacle.

그렇다면 한가지 의문이 생깁니다. 이스라엘 열두지파 중에서 왜 하필이면 레위지파가 성막을 책임지는 자들로 선택받은 것일까? 혹시 모세와 아론이 레위지파 출신이기 때문에 선택받은 것일까? 아니면 레위 지파의 수가 딱 봐도 너무 적었기 때문에 어차피 열두 지파 중에 한 지파가 성막을 책임져야 한다면 레위지파가 하는 것이 효율적이라서 그랬던 것일까? 실제로 가장 인구수가 많은 유다지파가 76,000명이 넘었는데 3장 말씀에 따로 레위 지파 수를 센 것을 보니 22,000 밖에 되지 않습니다. 게다가 레위 지파만 사람 수를 셀 때 20세 이상이 아니라 1개월 이상 된 남자의 수를 세었으니 실제로는 그보다도 더 적은 수인 것이지요. 이는 사실 이유가 있습니다. 창세기 34장에서 레위와 시므온은 그들의 누이 디나가 겁탈을 당하자 가해자들을 말 그대로 대량 학살을 해버리지요. 그러자 아버지인 야곱이 그들에게 너희가 땅을 얻지 못하고 흩어지리라는 저주를 내렸습니다. 이렇게 저주 받은 레위지파인데 그들의 운명이 바뀌는 일이 일어납니다. 바로 출애굽기 32장의 금송아지 사건이지요. 두 돌판을 가지고 내려오던 모세가 금송아지 우상을 섬기는 백성들을 보고 “누가 여호와 편에 서겠느냐?” 라고 불렀을 때에 레위지파가 그 부름에 응답합니다. 그래서 모세가 그들에게 너희는 오늘 여호와께 자신을 거룩하게 구별해 드렸다 그러니 주께서 너희에게 복을 주실 것이다라며 축복합니다. 땅을 얻지 못하고 흩어져야 하는 저주와 하나님께 자신을 거룩하게 구별하여 드린 것에 대한 축복이 어떻게 동시에 성취 될 수 있을까요? 바로 이들이 하나님이 거하시는 성막을 책임지는 자들이 된 것으로 모두 성취가 되었습니다. 먼저 이들은 그 저주처럼 땅을 얻지 못합니다. 그리고 이스라엘 전국의 48개의 레위 도성으로 흩어져서 살게 됩니다. 하지만 그들은 하나님의 성소의 직무를 위해 구별되었습니다. 군 징집에서 면제될 뿐만 아니라 농사와 경제활동을 할 필요가 없이 백성의 십일조로 생계를 보장 받습니다. 그들은 구별되어 오로지 성막을 책임지는 일만을 하게 되는 것입니다.

This raises a question: Why was the tribe of Levi specifically chosen to be responsible for the Tabernacle among the twelve tribes of Israel? Was it because Moses and Aaron were from the tribe of Levi? Or was it because the tribe of Levi was too small, making it efficient to assign them this duty if one tribe had to take responsibility for the Tabernacle? Indeed, the largest tribe, Judah, had over 76,000 men, while according to chapter 3, the tribe of Levi numbered only 22,000. Moreover, the Levites were counted differently—not men 20 years and older but males one month and older—so their actual number of fighting men would have been even smaller.

There's a reason for this. In Genesis 34, when their sister Dinah was violated, Levi and Simeon carried out a mass slaughter against the perpetrators. Their father Jacob then cursed them, saying they would not receive land and would be scattered. But the fate of the tribe of Levi changed during the golden calf incident in Exodus 32. When Moses came down with the two tablets and saw the people worshiping the golden calf idol, he called out, "Who is on the Lord's side?" The tribe of Levi responded to that call. Moses blessed them, saying, "You have been set apart to the Lord today, and He will bless you."

How could both the curse of having no land and being scattered, and the blessing of being set apart for God, be fulfilled simultaneously? This was accomplished by making them responsible for the Tabernacle where God dwelled. First, as the curse foretold, they did not receive land. They were scattered throughout Israel in 48 Levitical cities. But they were set apart for the service of God's sanctuary. Not only were they exempt from military service, but they also didn't need to farm or engage in economic activities as their livelihood was provided by the tithes of the people. They were set apart to be solely responsible for the Tabernacle.

이들이 이스라엘 백성들 사이에서 구별된 것은 하나님의 축복입니다. 이들은 항상 하나님의 임재가 있는 성막 주위에 진을 치고 살았습니다. 성막 위에 임재한 하나님의 구름 기둥이 이동하면 이들이 성막과 모든 기물을 걷어서 운반하며 또 어느 장소에 구름의 이동이 멈추면 그곳에 성막을 세우는 하나님의 임재에 가장 가까운 곳에서 그 임재를 따라 살아가는 사람들이었던 것입니다. 이들이 성막 주위에 진을 치고 살았던 것은 성막을 지키는 것만이 이유가 아니었습니다. 오히려 이스라엘 백성을 지키기 위함이기도 했습니다. 본디 거룩하신 하나님은 죄 있는 인간들 사이에 거하실 수 없습니다. 그렇기에 성막을 주시고 레위기를 통하여 제사를 가르치신 것이지요. 그러나 그럼에도 불구하고 하나님의 성막과 이스라엘 백성 사이에는 부정한 자가 접근 할 수 없도록 완충지대가 필요했습니다. 그 완충지대가 바로 레위 지파였던 것이지요. 53절입니다. “레위인은 증거의 성막 사방에 진을 쳐서 이스라엘 자손의 회중에게 진노가 임하지 않게 할 것이라 레위인은 증거의 성막에 대한 책임을 지킬지니라 하셨음이라” 성막 사방에 진을 쳐서 혹시라도 정결하지 않은 이스라엘 백성이 성막에 가까이 오는 일이 없도록 하는 것입니다. 51절에 “외인이 가까이 오면 죽일지며” 라고 하지 않으십니까? 그들이 성막에 닿아 하나님의 진노가 이스라엘 백성 전체에게 임하지 않도록 하는 것이 이들의 책임 중 하나였던 것입니다. 이들은 성막 주변에 진을 치며 마치 성막을 보호하는 것 처럼 보이지만 사실은 이스라엘 백성을 보호하고 있는 것입니다.

Their separation from the rest of the Israelites was God's blessing. They always camped around the Tabernacle where God's presence dwelled. When the cloud of God's presence moved, they would dismantle the Tabernacle and all its furnishings and carry them, and when the cloud stopped, they would set up the Tabernacle there. They lived closest to God's presence, following that presence wherever it went. They camped around the Tabernacle not only to protect it but also to protect the Israelites. The holy God cannot dwell among sinful humans. That's why He gave the Tabernacle and taught sacrifices through Leviticus. Nevertheless, a buffer zone was needed between God's Tabernacle and the Israelites to prevent the unclean from approaching. That buffer zone was the tribe of Levi.

Verse 53 says: "The Levites are to camp around the tabernacle of the covenant law so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the covenant law." They camped around the Tabernacle to prevent any unclean Israelite from approaching it. Doesn't verse 51 say, "Any unauthorized person who comes near it is to be put to death"? One of their responsibilities was to ensure that God's wrath would not fall on the entire Israelite community if someone touched the Tabernacle. While they appeared to be protecting the Tabernacle by camping around it, they were actually protecting the Israelites.

말씀을 맺습니다. 레위지파는 한 때 그들의 아버지에게서 저주를 받을 정도로 심각한 죄악을 저지른 이들이었습니다. 그러나 그들이 하나님의 편에 서며 스스로를 구별하였을 때에 하나님께서는 그들에게 축복을 내리십니다. 그리고 그들을 하나님의 것으로 구별하여 택하셨습니다. 그들로 하나님의 임재 가운데 거하게 하시고 그들을 통하여 온 이스라엘 백성들을 보호하십니다. 성도 여러분 우리도 마찬가지입니다. 우리는 범죄하고 연약할 지라도 우리가 예수님을 믿을 때에 주님께서는 우리를 택하신 족속, 왕 같은 제사장으로 부르셨습니다. 마치 이스라엘 백성 안의 레위지파처럼 우리로 하나님의 임재 가운데 거하게 하시고 우리를 통하여 우리 주변의 가족과 이웃을 보호하시는 것입니다. 여러분을 통하여 하나님의 일이 이루어 지는 것입니다. 성막에 대한 책임을 다하는 레위지파처럼 오늘 하나님의 택하심을 입은 여러분들도 성도의 책임을 다하시기를 주님의 이름으로 축원합니다. 기도하시겠습니다.   

To conclude, the tribe of Levi once committed such serious sins that they were cursed by their father. However, when they stood on God's side and set themselves apart, God blessed them. He chose them and set them apart as His own. He allowed them to dwell in His presence and through them protected all the Israelites. Dear brothers and sisters, the same applies to us. Though we sin and are weak, when we believe in Jesus, He calls us a chosen people, a royal priesthood. Just as the tribe of Levi was within Israel, He allows us to dwell in His presence and through us protects our families and neighbors. God's work is accomplished through you. Just as the tribe of Levi fulfilled their responsibility for the Tabernacle, I pray in the Lord's name that all of you who have been chosen by God will fulfill your responsibilities as saints. Let us pray.