Lessons From Levi (Part 2)

by J. Drain, Derby | Category: Lessons From Levi | Dec 1981

A better day came for those who bore the name of Levi. After God had led the children of Israel out from the slavery of Egypt He brought them into a relationship with Himself that constituted them a people, a kingdom, a nation, to serve Him. This relationship rested upon a conditional covenant by the terms of which those redeemed slaves acknowledged Jehovah as their God, and pledged obedience to His authority. Then God called Moses to a meeting on Mount Sinai where the Lord unfolded more fully the terms of the covenant. Moses was absent from the Camp for forty days. In the test of waiting for his return the people of Israel failed. The consequences of their failure are recorded in Exod. 32.

When Moses came down from the mount and saw the evidence of rejection and rebellion he stood in the gate of the camp and said, "Whoso is on the LORD's side, let him come unto me". It is worth noting that Moses did not say, "Whoso is on my side". Significantly, the response came from the family of Levi: "And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him". They separated themselves from their brethren to join the Lord by joining Moses at the gate of the camp. It was a critical and heart-searching time. What those men did required faith and courage but it was a day of remarkable recovery and restoration for those who bore the name of Levi.

Today the call of divine revelation comes through with continuing challenge, "Who is on the Lord's side?" This is a searching question. Children of God should face it in the light of the claims of the all-authority of Christ's Lordship.

Moses did not forget what the sons of Levi had done in that day of crisis. Nor did the Lord. Just before his death Moses was led by God to pronounce blessing upon the tribes of Israel. His tribute to Levi and the promises linked with it are instructive. The tribe of Levi was to enjoy a relationship with the Lord which guaranteed responsibilities and privileges with tremendous possibilities of expanding knowledge and deepening reverence. Great indeed was the reward for loyalty.

We now refer to the particular recompense that came to Levi. In the divine arrangements covering the service of His house God ordained that Aaron and his sons would carry special responsibility and accountability in connexion with the altar service and other ordinances belonging to the sanctuary. The whole nation of Israel was a kingdom of priests, but within that kingdom the Lord vested in Aaron and his sons a priesthood status which gave to that family exclusive rights of entrance into the holy sanctuary to engage in the services proper to it (See Num. 18:7). This was, by its constitution, a representative priesthood. The first high priest was Aaron, and the office passed on to his sons by law of succession. We read, "The LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy fathers' house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood" (Num. 18:1). We read also,"... Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel. .. when he goeth in unto the holy place... and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts (Exod. 28:29,38).

This exclusive priesthood within the kingdom of priests was a service of

gift. To Aaron God said, "I give you the priesthood as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death" (Num. 18:7). It is important to notice that the appointment of Aaron to this honourable office was not decided because of what happened in the matter of the molten calf, about which we read in Exod. 32. It was prior to that event that the Lord indicated to Moses that Aaron and his sons had been chosen to minister in this special capacity in the priest's office (See Exod. 28:1). What happened as a result of the sin of the people in worshipping the molten calf was that the important privilege of assisting Aaron and his sons in the onerous duties involved in the service of God's house was withdrawn from the firstborn sons in Israel and was transferred to the tribe of Levi. "And thy brethren also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou near with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee.. . and they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the Tent: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you" (Num. 18:2,4). We know that Aaron himself was of the tribe of Levi, in the family branch which came through Kohath. But Levi had three sons and so there were those who belonged to the tribe of Levi though they were not in the Aaronic line.

The reward that came to the faithful Levites who joined themselves to Moses in the time of the idolatrous rebellion was the honour of being joined to Aaron and his sons in high and holy service in the house of God. Thus the name of "Levi" displayed something of its significance. To whom are we joined? When after his conversion, Saul of Tarsus went to Jerusalem "he assayed to join himself to the disciples" (Acts 9:26). The disciples were those who constituted the church of God in Jerusalem, the expression of the house of God in that city. Have we as believers in Christ the Lord been added by Him to Himself in a divine togetherness with fellow-disciples in churches of God? (These together form the house of God, over which Christ is Son and great Priest). This is a relationship of high honour and privilege, and it calls for the continuing obedience of loyalty.

We read again the commendation in Malachi's prophesy (See Mal. 2:5-

6).

(1)My covenant was with him of life and peace.

(2)He feared Me.

(3)He stood in awe of My Name.

(4)The law of truth was in his mouth.

(5)Unrighteousness was not found in his lips.

(6)He walked with Me in peace and uprightness.

(7)He turned many away from iniquity.

These statements emphasize the importance of having the authority of the

word of God for what we are doing. They underline also the necessity of a proper inner attitude of heart to God. This attitude will have external manifestation in what we say and do.

Every item in the commendation of Levi given in Malachi's message presents a challenge to the conscience of each one of us. Faced in the Presence of God, that challenge must be searching and salutary.

J. Drain, Derby | Dec 1981
Lessons From Levi