"Priests and Levites"
November 21, 2009
Larry R Evans
Reflective Introduction
Some years ago when I was pastoring, I became concerned with the large number on our church’s membership book who no longer attended church. Many had moved far away. A strong conviction came over me. Though they were scattered, they were still my members and I had a responsibility to reach out to them. I had never met most of them but they were still part of my spiritual charge as pastor of the church. I asked for their names and addresses. Immediately opposition arose! Parents whose children no longer attended church cried out the loudest against my plan. Why? It was simple. They assumed that this was a strategy to “clean” the books which meant we would be dropping their children from membership. No matter how much I tried to explain that I wanted to help their children, nurture them and call them back “home” and not hurt them, no matter what I said, they still objected. I sincerely wanted to save them, not to damn them.
Sometimes we have a hard time understanding some things God has done. Sometimes we look upon His rules and actions as harsh. We even look upon Him, at times, as being cruel. We project the worst motives upon Him. In this week’s study we will spend some time looking at symbols God set up to teach us invaluable lessons about His character. We will also have a glimpse at the sacred responsibility that God invested in His chosen leaders. Spiritual leadership is not a right. Korah discovered that. With his rebellion behind us, we now move to a new chapter with an emphasis on the sacred. The call to holiness is the highest calling of all. To be a genuine movement of God, holiness must be in the equation. For God it begins with His appointed leaders. They derive their holiness from Him; it is not something they conjure up by attending some class on leadership. They do not generate holiness themselves. It comes through communion with Him and careful attention to His instructions. This week’s lesson is all about the vitality of holiness which is to be found in appointed leaders and in those whom they lead. To guide in this development of holiness are multiple symbols revealing hope and the depth of His mercy.
Reflective Quiz
1. After the rebellion of Korah, God reiterated the principle of “the priesthood of all believers” thus removing distinctions among those who serve as spiritual leaders. [Ex.19:5,6; Num.18:1-7] True or False?
2. Gifts from God sometimes come in the form of people. [Num. 18:2-6] True or False?
3. Sometimes God’s expectations of us are His gifts to us. [Num. 18:7] True or False?
4. By giving offerings to the Lord, the Israelites were at the same time giving them to the priests. [Num. 18:8-20] True or False?
5. Israel was God’s spiritual gift to the world. [Ex. 19:5,6; Num. 18:1-7; 1Pet.2:9-12] True or False?
6. The Levites did not receive land inheritance as did other tribes and therefore did not need to return tithe. [Num.18:21-32] True or False?
7. The Levites were held accountable for making sure that they carried out their ministry responsibilities with a sense of holiness. [Num. 18:32] True or False?
8. By choosing a red heifer that had never been “yoked” a symbol was used showing that Christ came willingly to offer us salvation. [Num.19] True or False?
Larry R Evans
Reflective Introduction
Some years ago when I was pastoring, I became concerned with the large number on our church’s membership book who no longer attended church. Many had moved far away. A strong conviction came over me. Though they were scattered, they were still my members and I had a responsibility to reach out to them. I had never met most of them but they were still part of my spiritual charge as pastor of the church. I asked for their names and addresses. Immediately opposition arose! Parents whose children no longer attended church cried out the loudest against my plan. Why? It was simple. They assumed that this was a strategy to “clean” the books which meant we would be dropping their children from membership. No matter how much I tried to explain that I wanted to help their children, nurture them and call them back “home” and not hurt them, no matter what I said, they still objected. I sincerely wanted to save them, not to damn them.
Sometimes we have a hard time understanding some things God has done. Sometimes we look upon His rules and actions as harsh. We even look upon Him, at times, as being cruel. We project the worst motives upon Him. In this week’s study we will spend some time looking at symbols God set up to teach us invaluable lessons about His character. We will also have a glimpse at the sacred responsibility that God invested in His chosen leaders. Spiritual leadership is not a right. Korah discovered that. With his rebellion behind us, we now move to a new chapter with an emphasis on the sacred. The call to holiness is the highest calling of all. To be a genuine movement of God, holiness must be in the equation. For God it begins with His appointed leaders. They derive their holiness from Him; it is not something they conjure up by attending some class on leadership. They do not generate holiness themselves. It comes through communion with Him and careful attention to His instructions. This week’s lesson is all about the vitality of holiness which is to be found in appointed leaders and in those whom they lead. To guide in this development of holiness are multiple symbols revealing hope and the depth of His mercy.
Reflective Quiz
1. After the rebellion of Korah, God reiterated the principle of “the priesthood of all believers” thus removing distinctions among those who serve as spiritual leaders. [Ex.19:5,6; Num.18:1-7] True or False?
2. Gifts from God sometimes come in the form of people. [Num. 18:2-6] True or False?
3. Sometimes God’s expectations of us are His gifts to us. [Num. 18:7] True or False?
4. By giving offerings to the Lord, the Israelites were at the same time giving them to the priests. [Num. 18:8-20] True or False?
5. Israel was God’s spiritual gift to the world. [Ex. 19:5,6; Num. 18:1-7; 1Pet.2:9-12] True or False?
6. The Levites did not receive land inheritance as did other tribes and therefore did not need to return tithe. [Num.18:21-32] True or False?
7. The Levites were held accountable for making sure that they carried out their ministry responsibilities with a sense of holiness. [Num. 18:32] True or False?
8. By choosing a red heifer that had never been “yoked” a symbol was used showing that Christ came willingly to offer us salvation. [Num.19] True or False?
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