Numbers 8:1-26

The tribe of Levi was set apart by God for the work of the ministry.  This was a commission given by God as a means for accomplishing the work of ministry in the tabernacle.  The priests were given a huge task and responsibility before God but there is no way that the priests could do all the physical labor that was involved in making the sacrifices, caring for the tabernacle and transporting it.  However, it was not enough for the tribe of Levi to simply start doing their duties, they had to be purified and be dedicated to the work.

DEDICATION: The children of Israel had to dedicate all of their first born children to the Lord.  This was the result of the covenant that was made at the Passover.  Instead of taking all of the first born from every family, God took all of them members of the tribe of Levi.  The entire nation presented the Levites to the Lord in an act of dedication and the Levites dedicated themselves to this service.  The nation realized that they would be responsible to support the Levites and the Levites recognized that they were giving up their freedom of choosing a profession in order to serve the Lord.  The ministry depends on both of these kinds of dedication.  Some must be dedicated to providing for the needs of ministers and some must devote themselves to doing the work of the ministry.  One cannot be successful without the other.

PURIFICATION: The Levites were doing a special work for the glory of God.  God’s work must be done with excellence and out of a pure heart.  God requires that His servants recognize their obligation to be pure and holy just as He is.  The Levies presented offerings that were killed as a covering for their sin.  This act demonstrated their recognition of sin as well as the seriousness of sin and a commitment to strive to live in obedience to the Law of God.  As we seek to serve the Lord today we must continue to recognize the seriousness of sin and live lives of repentance before the Lord.  Christ has been our sacrifice so we no longer must present animals but we must present ourselves and strive to live lives of purity and holiness before the Lord.  The ministry is a serious vocation that must be done with excellence and dedication.

OBLIGATION: The time of active ministry for the Levites was between the ages of 25 and 50.  A certain amount of maturity on a physical as well as spiritual level was required for this work.  Young men who have not been properly trained and tested could get themselves into very deep trouble if thrown into the work too quickly.  The retirement at the age of 50 may also represent the necessity of physical strength to perform many of the duties of the Levites.  I think that there are some important principles here to remember.  First, we must be careful not to throw young men into spiritual leadership before they have been tested and matured in their walk with the Lord.  Second, there is a time when age catches up with us and we can no longer function at the same level as we used to.  Unfortunately, it is often very hard for an older person to notice when this happens.  It makes sense for ministries to establish a mandatory “retirement” from certain key functions in ministry by a certain age.  This practice assures that a leader is actively preparing his successor and avoids a person staying in leadership too long and ends up tearing down everything he has worked so hard to build.