Literal Or Not

The duties of the Kohathites at the Tabernacle will relate to the most sacred objects.  When the camp moves, Aaron and his sons must enter the Tabernacle first to take down the inner curtain and cover the Ark of the Covenant with it.  Then they must cover the inner curtain with fine goatskin leather and spread over that a single piece of blue cloth.  Finally, they must put the carrying poles of the Ark in place. [Numbers 4.4-6]

Why are the poles to be put in place?  Exodus 25.15 very clearly states that the poles are never to be removed from the Ark!

Insert the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it.  These carrying poles must stay inside the rings; never remove them. [Exodus 25.14-15]

This makes me wonder if sometimes we take things literally that should not be taken literally.  It would be this same thinking that would allow the poles to be removed only while the coverings were being placed and then re-inserted immediately after the covers were in place.

However, if we give ourselves the non-literal allowance of this scripture, how do we know what other scriptures to take literally or otherwise?  Who is the judge of what matters in the literal sense and what does not matter in the literal sense?

I checked across five different (all considered reliable) translations of the passages recorded above and they all conveyed the same consistent translation of both passages.

Looking at the big picture however, we may deduce that God saw no problem with the execution of His directives.  In fact, no one ever was recorded to have died or was declared disobedient in regard to the matter of the placement or replacement of the carrying poles.  Furthermore, we may conclude that the very wording of the Numbers passage would indicate that the poles would necessarily have been removed prior to the coverings being put in place in order to be re-inserted afterwards before transporting the Ark.

Furthermore, it is entirely possible that the poles were not in fact removed altogether for the placement of the coverings, but rather manipulated one end to the other in order to affect the placement of the covers for the insertion of the poles through corresponding openings in the coverings.

So, while we have clear direction from the LORD here through Moses, we also have a lack of detail as to its execution.  The explanation for the discrepancy would obviously be found and cleared up in the detail.

So, where is Jesus in all this today?  Good question!  The Advent of Messiah was perceived to be one way by the leading Jewish leaders, but they failed to consider that details could in fact alter what they previously believed.  For example, the Jewish leaders were looking for a king (based on prophecy) in all his earthly pomp and circumstance - but Jesus did not fit that perception.  The Jewish leaders tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to refute Jesus' authority based on scripture as they perceived it.  On more than one occasion, Jesus countered their misconceptions and ill-perceived ideas with truth.

Father, I am grateful that the Bible is so amazing.  Thank You!