The Kohathites are the branch of the tribe of Levi that will work most closely with the holy things of the tabernacle. This is the family line of Aaron the high priest. Today we'll look at the duties the Lord assigns to them.
"The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 'Take a census of the Kohathite branch of the Levites by their clans and families. Count all the men from thirty to fifty years of age who come to serve in the work at the tent of meeting.'" (Numbers 4:1-2) Later in the Bible we'll find the age range being changed because after the temple is built the work won't be as physically demanding. As long as the tabernacle is being moved from place to place, the men involved in the work must be in what was considered their prime (in both wisdom and physical strength) in ancient times, which was considered to be the age of thirty to fifty.
"This is the work of the Kohathites at the tent of meeting: the care of the most holy things. When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the shielding curtain and put it over the ark of the covenant law. Then they are to cover the curtain with a durable leather, spread a cloth of solid blue over that and put the poles in place." (Numbers 4:4-6) The curtain that separates the Most Holy Place from the outer portion of the sanctuary is to cover the ark, then a covering of leather is to be placed over the curtain, then a solid blue covering is placed on top. These coverings shield the ark from view while it is being transported. As we learned in Exodus, the men moving the ark are never to touch it; they are to transport it by using the poles that fit through the rings installed on its sides.
"Over the table of the Presence they are to spread a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes and bowls, and the jars for drink offerings; the bread that is continually there is to remain on it. They are to spread a scarlet cloth over them, cover that with the durable leather and put the poles in place." (Numbers 4:7-8) The table settings are to be left on the table while it is being carried. These items aren't made of breakable materials and the table has a raised rim around it so there's no danger of anything falling off the table during transport.
"They are to take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand that is for light, together with its lamps, its wick trimmers and trays, and all its jars for the olive oil used to supply it. Then they are to wrap it and all its accessories in a covering of the durable leather and put it on a carrying frame." (Numbers 4:9-10) The lamps will not be burning during transport.
"Over the gold altar they are to spread a blue cloth and cover that with the durable leather and put the poles in place. They are to take all the articles used for ministering in the sanctuary, wrap them in a blue cloth, cover that with the durable leather and put them on a carrying frame. They are to remove the ashes from the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth over it. Then they are to place on it all the utensils used for ministering at the altar, including the firepans, meat forks, shovels and sprinkling bowls. Over it they are to spread a covering of the durable leather and put the poles in place." (Numbers 4:11-14) Just as no lampstands will be burning during transport, no hot ashes will be left in the altar during transport. This protects the men and the coverings from being burned.
The items Aaron and his sons are covering are holy items and they are to handle them in an attitude of reverence while covering them. Each item is to be carefully wrapped in precisely the manner prescribed by the Lord in the color of cloth He designates for each item. There are a number of theories about why God chose the particular colors used at the tabernacle and why He chose which color fabrics to cover which items, and if you have time you might want to do an internet search and read some of these theories (there are a lot of them, so time and space doesn't permit a discussion of them here), but I wonder if one of these reasons wasn't because God wants the priests to have to concentrate carefully on the duties at hand. If there is a specific order in which the tabernacle furnishings are to be packed up, and if there is a specific way in which each item is to be covered, and if coverings of different colors go with different items, then the minds of the men can't wander from the task. They have to keep their minds on what the Lord has said, and when keeping their minds on what the Lord has said, they are keeping their minds on the Lord. They are being trained to regard the items of the Lord's house as holy because the Lord Himself is holy.
"After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move, only then are the Kohathites to come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the tent of meeting." (Numbers 4:15) These objects are too holy for anyone but the priests to see or touch. Only after the items are covered can the Kohathites transport the covered objects and they can touch only the carrying poles and not the items themselves. If anyone but a priest lays hands on these objects, that person will die. We find this very thing happening to a man named Uzzah, whose sad fate is related to us in both 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13.
Why did the Lord make these items so dangerous to handle? My theory is that it's because it was of the utmost importance, especially in the early days of the nation of Israel, for the people to regard these objects as holy so that by extension they would reverence the Lord's holiness to the highest possible degree. They had just emerged from Egypt, one of the most idolatrous ancient civilizations to ever exist. They are about to enter the promised land where every tribe who resides there worships false gods. The holiness of the one true God is serious business, and I think if the Lord hadn't impressed upon the people time and time again how holy the objects of His house were, He wouldn't have been able to impress upon them how holy He is---not when they've been surrounded by a pantheon of false gods for hundreds of years and not while they'll be surrounded by a pantheon of false gods for many years to come. They are in danger of regarding Him as just another god because that's how the cultures around them consider Him. He is trying to help them not to fall into such an error.
"Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, is to have charge of the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering and the anointing oil. He is to be in charge of the entire tabernacle and everything in it, including its holy furnishings and articles. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'So that the Kohathite tribal clans are not destroyed from among the Levites. See that they may live and not die when they come near the most holy things, do this for them: Aaron and his sons are to go into the sanctuary and assign to each man his work and what he is to carry. But the Kohathites must not go in to look at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die.'" (Numbers 4:16-20) We've all heard the expression, "Curiosity killed the cat." The Lord doesn't want curiosity to kill the Kohathites. He knows human nature. He knows some of these men may want to see what's underneath the coverings over the holy furnishings of the tabernacle. He knows some of these men may become prideful enough to think they have a right to see these objects, considering they are of the same clan as Aaron the priest. But to peek at these objects means certain death because God is not to be mocked, and to disobey His orders regarding the holy objects is to mock His sovereign authority.
We also, in our own day, need to regard the Lord as holy. Whenever we come to Him in prayer it would behoove us to remind ourselves that we are entering into the presence of Someone so utterly holy that His perfection cannot begin to be comprehended by creatures such as us. We need to have this attitude not because He'll strike us dead if we don't, but because we owe our Creator this reverence, and because if we don't revere Him as King and Lord we won't have nearly as much faith as He wants us to have. We won't have nearly as much confidence or assurance or comfort or peace as He wants us to have if we don't regard Him in our hearts as Someone indescribably holy. Our prayer won't be as effective and powerful if we don't regard Him as holy. Bible study won't have as much of a positive effect on us if we don't regard Him as holy. Our testimonies won't lead others to the Lord if others can't see that we regard Him as holy. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!
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