Called to Serve: Lessons from the Levites

By Hayes Press

This book retells the Biblical account of how the Levites came to serve as the priesthood of Israel under the Old Covenant, what their role was at various critical points in Israel's history, and provides lots of lessons for Christians today, who want to serve God in the New Covenant and New Testament equivalent of the House of God.

CHAPTER ONE: DIVINE GRACE IN THEIR CALLING
CHAPTER TWO: WILDERNESS AND SERVICE
CHAPTER THREE: JUDGEMENT AND MERCY
CHAPTER FOUR: LEVITES IN THE LAND
CHAPTER FIVE: AN OUTSTANDING LEVITE: SAMUEL
CHAPTER SIX: BRINGING UP THE ARK
CHAPTER SEVEN: REVIVAL OF LEVITICAL SERVICE
CHAPTER EIGHT: TEMPLE SERVICE
CHAPTER NINE: PSALMS OF THE SONS OF KORAH
CHAPTER TEN: IN THE DAYS OF HEZEKIAH AND JOSIAH
CHAPTER ELEVEN: PSALMS OF ASAPH
CHAPTER TWELVE: IN REMNANT TIMES

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hayes Press
• Release date: Sep 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386521549

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE: DIVINE GRACE IN THEIR CALLING

The complexities of a household in which lived four mothers, twelve sons, a daughter, and their father must have been quite immense. Christian families may be thankful that such complexities rarely creep into their lives; but it was out of this household that much of the history of the nation of Israel developed.

Jacob was, of course, the father; Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, and Zilpah were the mothers: but they were not equal in status, for Bilhah was Rachel’s maid, and Zilpah was Leah’s maid. Leah was the mother of six of the sons; while each of the others had only two. A further complication was that Rachel was the favoured wife; Leah was merely tolerated, if not positively disliked. Undoubtedly there were tensions, for each mother was concerned for the good of her own children; and these tensions could be observed between the sons.

As the history of the nation emerged, so did the tribal differences. Throughout the history, there was evidence of deceit, intrigue, and jealousy. But from all these strains and stresses, one of the tribes was to emerge as something unique in the service of God; this was the tribe of Levi. It was not because it was favoured more than others, or that its members had done something initially to commend them. The mother of Levi was Leah, herself despised by her husband; he was the third son to be born; and there was nothing special about that. He incurred a strongly worded rebuke with a curse in the closing benedictions of his father Jacob, which can be read in Genesis 49:5-7. It could be argued fairly that Levi was not one iota better than his brothers. Indeed, along with his brother Simeon, he had dealt shamefully with the men of Shechem (recorded in Genesis 34), slaughtering hundreds of men in a sad and sorry tale of wrong-doing and consequent revenge.

And yet, remarkably, there was to be a dramatic change in the family of Levi, leading to his tribe’s adoption by God for specific and far-reaching service. How can we account for that change? Why should the Levites be raised to a special status in connection with the priesthood, and given such unique and important privileges? The same kind of questions could have been raised in the case of Abraham, chosen instead of other members of his father’s family in Ur of the Chaldees; similar questions could have been asked about Jacob, chosen instead of his brother Esau. The answer lies in the sovereign grace of God, who calls men and nations, not according to any inherent goodness, but according to His sovereign will. Grace, and grace alone met the need of the Levites; it was by grace that God called them out and separated them; it was by grace that He called them in and sanctified them; and it was by grace that He sent them forth and empowered them.

All this is made clear in the blessing of Moses in Deuteronomy 33:8-11, where there is the plain assertion of the tribe’s faithfulness to God. The Levites obeyed God, following His law and observing the terms of the covenant; though the cost was often alienation from those nearest to them. He watched over your word and guarded your covenant (Deut.33:9), is a true reflection of the zeal of the Levites for God and His righteousness. But in all things it is God’s assessment that really counts. Much later in the history of the nation, God says of Levi, My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I will give them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin (Mal.2:5,6). 

Clearly, the tribe of Levi was the most consistent of the tribes in its support of Moses and loyalty to the service of God. It may well be that the fact that Moses himself came from the same tribe had a bearing on their conduct. In the matter of the golden calf, the Levites aligned themselves with Moses when the rest of the nation ran amok to the merriment and the mockery of their enemies. Idolatrous orgies may well have been common-place among the desert tribes; but for Israel, awaiting the return of Moses with the tablets of stone written by the finger of God, this was mutinous behaviour of the worst sort. So (Moses) stood at the entrance to the camp and said, ‘Whoever is for the LORD, come to me’. And all the Levites rallied to him (Ex.32:26). The task God gave them was grim. They were commanded to go throughout the camp with swords at their sides to kill brothers, friends, and neighbours who were engaging in the foul behaviour. Notwithstanding the unpleasantness of their task, the Levites executed three thousand of the people that day. Then Moses said, ‘You have been set apart to the LORD today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day’ (Ex.32:29). It was so necessary at the beginning of their covenant relationship with God that Israel understood that He was determined to have a holy nation bearing His Name. A holy nation is not only holy in name; God demands true holiness in every aspect of life, as much today as then.

There was always something special about the firstborn. God’s word to Pharaoh through Moses was Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, ‘Let my son go, so that he may worship me’. But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son (Ex.4:22,23). This came to fulfilment in the