And the children of Israel took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mosera: there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest’s office in his stead. From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbath, a land of rivers of waters. At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day. Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God promised him. | ||
| Deuteronomy 10:6–9 | ||
| The tribe of Levi was to be the one to minister to the Lord. Why? The story is told in Exodus 32. When Moses came down the mountain the first time, seeing the children of Israel worshiping the golden calf, he said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will deal with this situation?” Only one tribe stepped up: the tribe of Levi. From that point on, Levi would be the tribe of ministry because they took the sword in the fear of the Lord. The other tribes said, “We don’t want to get involved.” And that can all too often be our tendency as well. Yet, if we’re not willing to wield the sword of Scripture in love and say, “This cannot go on. This needs to be thought through and cut away,” we cannot be servants of the Lord. Paul said, “If we seek to please men, we cannot be the servants of God” (see Galatians 1:10). We need to be those who are merciful and loving enough to say to the people we care about who are involved in sin, “I care about you and am committed to you. Therefore, I’m not going to hold back the truth from you.” This is not anger or hostility, judgment or condemnation. It’s love and compassion, kindness and mercy. Only Levi was willing to unsheathe the sword and deal with the cancer that would corrupt the whole congregation. Thus, only Levi would qualify for ministry. Pastor Jon Courson | ||
