This chapter is primarily about the Levites – their lineage and duties regarding their service to God.
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him. They shall keep guard over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister at the tabernacle. They shall guard all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they minister at the tabernacle. And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine, for all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.’ ” (v5-9,12-13)
We are reminded that the Levites are God’s servants, set apart for God’s work, ministering to each other and to the people. This is a wonderful picture of the early church – Aaron and his sons are the priests (pastors, ministers, fathers, apostles, etc) and the Levites are like the church elders (deacons, lay pastors, disciples, ministry leaders, spiritual mentors, influencers etc). Together, they reach out to the people of Israel and teach them God’s ways, modelling a God-honoring life.
Let’s look at two of the duties that jumped out at me.
Ministering – the Levites and priests not only ministered to Israel, they ministered to each other as well. For Christ followers today, since we are all considered to be ministers of the Spirit, we should minister to one another as well as those who do not follow Christ. In more modern terminology we use words like edification and encouragement – helping instruct each other and build each other up in the faith.
Protection/Preservation – the Levites also protected the priesthood and sanctuary from threats. This was mostly assumed to be physical threats, however, I suggest spiritual threats are a far greater concern. We, like the Levites, need to guard our souls and the souls of others against attacks from the enemy. This is primarily accomplished by knowing God (both scripturally and relationally) and through prayer. It is incredibly easy for the enemy to fool us if we’re relying on our own strength and wisdom, but if we’re living in unison with the Holy Spirit, God won’t be fooled and will gladly protect His followers’ spiritual/eternal well-being (though He may choose to allow physical/temporal suffering).
My challenge for today is to know God even deeper, and pray continuously for everyone He brings to mind. The deeper we know God, the more we come before Him in intercessory prayer (praying for others’ well-being). The more we pray for others, the better we will understand the heart of Jesus, who constantly prayed to the Father for those He loved (which was everyone).
Father God, guardian of Israel, protector of the people, we praise You, for You are worthy of praise. You have redeemed us for Your purpose, so that we may serve You for a time and then spend an eternity in Your presence. As we serve You in this life may You continue emboldening us to minister to one another. I know some of us are shy, but You are the conqueror who destroys fear and can free us from that bondage. Father please release us from the chains that deter us so we may be Your unstoppable priesthood, who ceaselessly builds Your kingdom in this world, so there will be more people in Your heavenly kingdom. We cannot do this without You, and thank you in advance for Your provision of strength and guidance. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training