Priests and Levites
Larry R Evans
Reflective Introduction
Some years ago when I was pastoring, I became concerned soon after I arrived at the church. There was a large number of our church’s members who were no longer attending church. Their names were on the books but had not been in church for years. 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] False
Context here is important. Chapter 17 closes with a plea of despair by the people to Moses:
Num 17:12-13
12 The Israelites said to Moses, "We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! 13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD will die. Are we all going to die?" (NIV)
Num 18:1-4
18:1 The LORD said to Aaron, "You, your sons and your father's family are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the priesthood. 2 Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the Tent of the Testimony. 3 They are to be responsible to you and are to perform all the duties of the Tent, but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar, or both they and you will die. 4 They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the Tent of Meeting--all the work at the Tent--and no one else may come near where you are.(NIV)
These verses are filled with grace although at first reading we may not fully realize what is going on here. To avoid such events which had led to the death of so many God put in place leaders who were “to bear the responsibility for offenses against the sanctuary.”(v.1) God provided for a protection for the people by installing leaders as priests who in some ways served as intercessors for the people. In other words, God could not sacrifice/compromise the sacredness of the sanctuary made holy by His presence so He put in place a protection for His people. The leadership of Moses, his family, and then the Levites are spelled out very clearly for the purpose of averting another crisis like what had just happened with Korah, etc. This makes it very clear that we must not compromise the holiness of God and it makes clear God’s expectation of His appointed leaders. Yes, there is a priesthood of all believers but there are leaders set aside among God’s people to ensure that God’s character is not compromised by the activities and worship of His people.
Note God’s plan for His people as shared earlier with Moses:
Ex 19:3-6
4'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." (NIV)
“Unbridled mercy at the expense of justice hurts God’s holy cause in the world. It injures people too. When there is no accountability, people think that things are OK, and that there is peach when there is none (Jer.6:14; 8:11).” Roy Gane in In the Shadow of the Shekinah, p.95.
2. Gifts from God sometimes come in the form of people. [Num. 18:2-6] True
Sometimes we think of gifts as having monetary value but that isn’t always the case. Sometimes God intersects our lives with the lives of others. The spiritual gifts that He has granted to some become a blessing to others and then we to others. Here we find that God blessed Moses, Aaron and the Levites so that they in turn might bless others.
Num 18:2-7
2 Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the Tent of the Testimony. 3 They are to be responsible to you and are to perform all the duties of the Tent, but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar, or both they and you will die. 4 They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the Tent of Meeting--all the work at the Tent--and no one else may come near where you are.
5 "You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar, so that wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. 6 I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD to do the work at the Tent of Meeting. (NIV)
3. Sometimes God’s expectations of us are His gifts to us. [Num. 18:7] True
Num 18:6-7
7 But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death." (NIV)
What may at times seem like “work” and “duty” may in reality be a carefully crafted gift from God designed especially for us.
Was the work given to Adam a gift or a curse? (Gen.3:19) Sometimes what we are tempted to call a curse turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
4. By giving offerings to the Lord, the Israelites were at the same time giving them to the priests. [Num. 18:8-20] True
It really works both ways doesn’t it! By giving to the priests the people were giving to God and by giving to God the priests received benefit.
Num 18:8-10
8 Then the LORD said to Aaron, "I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion and regular share. 9 You are to have the part of the most holy offerings that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain or sin or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons. 10 Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it. You must regard it as holy. (NIV)
5. Israel was God’s spiritual gift to the world. [Ex. 19:5,6; Num. 18:1-7; 1Pet.2:9-12] True
Ex 19:4-6
5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." (NIV)
1 Peter 2:9
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.(NIV)
23 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.'" (NIV)
Rev 14:6-12
6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth-to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."8 A second angel followed and said, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries."9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. (NIV)
Is there a connection with the kind of spiritual leadership outlined in Numbers 18:1-7 and the role described in Revelation 14:6-12? Consider 1Pet. 2:9 but with verse 10. What about Zechariah 8:23 which includes: “Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.'" (NIV)
6. The Levites were held accountable for making sure that they carried out their ministry responsibilities with a sense of holiness. [Num. 18:32] True
Num 18:28-32
28 In this way you also will present an offering to the LORD from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the LORD's portion to Aaron the priest. 29 You must present as the LORD's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.'
30 "Say to the Levites: 'When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress. 31 You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the Tent of Meeting. 32 By presenting the best part of it you will not be guilty in this matter; then you will not defile the holy offerings of the Israelites, and you will not die.'"(NIV)
· Accountability of God’s leaders is certainly one.
· God’s leaders, like the people they serve, are expected to be faithful in their tithes and offerings for it is symbolic of their sacred responsibilities.
· It is important to guard against defiling that which is sacred.
· We offer to God our best not what is left.
Being held accountable doesn’t have to be seen as a threat; it is an opportunity to grow personally, to become more than we ever dreamed and to serve well and in all of this is the privilege to reflect our gratitude to God for His wonderful care of us.
Reflective Conclusion
Isn’t it amazing how grace shows up in some of the most unexpected places! If we read Numbers 18 and 19 too rapidly or out of context, we just might miss the whole theme of grace. In the midst of a crisis, when judgment seems to be the prevailing mood, God interjects a plan by which His people are protected from the consequences of their own defamation of the sanctuary of His presence. God, Jehovah the covenant God, places His leaders in a role of service to save the very people who had been persistent in their grumbling and rebellion. This role of leadership instituted among His people God calls a gift to both the ones who serve as well as to those who are being served. The blessings of the tithing system did just that. Isn’t that the way it often is with God’s way of doing things. Surrender means victory, giving means receiving and following really means leading. Kinda turns conventional wisdom on its head, doesn’t it! When we feel like grumbling and complaining perhaps God’s grace, mercy and His well thought through opportunities for us aren’t that far off.
Comments