Tuesday,
May 18, 2021
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel and make them ceremonially clean. Do this by sprinkling them with the water of purification, and have them shave their entire body and wash their clothing. Then they will be ceremonially clean. Have them bring a young bull and a grain offering of choice flour moistened with olive oil, along with a second young bull for a sin offering. Then assemble the whole community of Israel, and present the Levites at the entrance of the Tabernacle. When you present the Levites before the Lord, the people of Israel must lay their hands on them. Raising his hands, Aaron must then present the Levites to the Lord as a special offering from the people of Israel, thus dedicating them to the Lord’s service. “Next the Levites will lay their hands on the heads of the young bulls. Present one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to purify the Levites and make them right with the Lord. Then have the Levites stand in front of Aaron and his sons, and raise your hands and present them as a special offering to the Lord. In this way, you will set the Levites apart from the rest of the people of Israel, and the Levites will belong to me. After this, they may go into the Tabernacle to do their work, because you have purified them and presented them as a special offering. “Of all the people of Israel, the Levites are reserved for me. I have claimed them for myself in place of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites; I have taken the Levites as their substitutes. Numbers 8: 5 - 16
What does the consecration of Levite priests to a
life of sacrificing bulls 4,000 years ago have to do with life in the
twenty-first century?
The answer to that question depends on whether or
not you are part of a faith community.
If you’re (as many say today) spiritual, but not religious,
the whole concept will be meaningless.
However, if the community of faith (the church, God’s family) has made
its way into your bones and blood, you already get it!
The whole idea of ordination, or consecration,
was God’s way of placing all hands in the pot.
Before the priests, those who would represent all the people, could
serve, the people had to lay their hands on them, a sign of
approval and asking God’s blessing on what they do. Then Aaron, the chief priest, would offer the
Levites (their service) to God. In
summary, everyone in the family had a hand in the ministry of the priests. It was a declaration of faith, trust,
promise, and humility; it is that for which Jesus died, to build His church, a
forever family.
If you belong to a church you must be aware that
it is not like belonging to Sam’s Club, or some Time Share, where you go get
what you want, when you want it. It isn’t
Amazon, where you shop and click.
Rather, it is family, a place where needs are met (certainly), but a
place where you serve, and are counted upon to meet other’s needs. It’s a place where humility before God in
worship and giving one’s life for others is more than a slogan; it’s our way of
life.
Faithfulness to the consecration of priests, and
those they represent, is a given in God’s Word; it should be the expected-norm
of life’s activity of God’s people, in reaching out to the community of other
believers, and to the sea of non-believers.
We are a family with a purpose. And
that purpose is not to build a little empire on the corner of this street or
that for the bragging rights of the pastor, or the pride of the members. Our purpose is building a Kingdom for the
King of Kings.
For You Today
If you are a
member of a church, one of the things God expects from you is that, the hand
that was in it from your first day in God’s family, is still in it every day
you breathe, until God takes you home.
[1] Title Image: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
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