Evening Sermon

December 9, 2007

A BLESSING FOR THE LEVITES

Text

Joshua 13:1-14, 32-33; 14:1-5; 18:17; 21:1-42

Joel 2:11 "The LORD gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?"

That prophecy of Joel is an awesome and terrible description of God's judgment upon unfaithful Israel. It is a prophecy about the coming day of the Lord, the day of his judgment. But God is merciful. Through the prophet Joel, he invites his unfaithful people to turn back to him, for whatever their sin has been, it's not too late.

Joel 2:12 "Now, therefore," says the LORD, "Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm."

And then comes an amazing verse. An amazing description of God's amazing grace, an amazing description of that wonderful grace of Jesus which we have just sang about.

Joel 2:14 "Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him."

God is so gracious! When we repent and turn away from our sins, not only does he remove the penalty and judgment of those sins, but often he actually leaves behind a blessing. That is exactly what he did with the tribe of Levi, the Levites. And today we will study that tribe, the descendants of one of the 12 sons of Jacob.

The Levites sinned wickedly against the Lord when they took revenge upon the people of Shechem. It seemed that they had a good reason, since Levi's sister Dinah had been assaulted by the men of Shechem. But Levi and his brother Simeon were wrong to take the revenge into their own hands.

Gen. 34:25 "Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. 26 And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem's house, and went out. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. 28 They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field, 29 and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses."

That act of aggression earned them a curse from their father Jacob. Upon his deathbed, Jacob did not bless his sons Levi and Simeon. Rather he said this to them,

Gen. 49:5 "Simeon and Levi are brothers; Instruments of cruelty are in their dwelling place. 6 Let not my soul enter their council; Let not my honor be united to their assembly; For in their anger they slew a man, And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox. 7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; And their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob And scatter them in Israel."

Simeon and Levi were destined to be scattered, cursed from receiving their own inheritance. Eventually, Simeon received land from the tribe of Judah, but the Levites never did. Yet that curse from Jacob was actually turned into a blessing. And the blessing came because the Levites showed themselves faithful to the Lord at Mt. Sinai. They remained faithful while the rest of Israel worshipped the golden calf.

Exod. 32:25 "Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, "Whoever is on the LORD'S side--come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 And he said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.'" 28 So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. 29 Then Moses said, "Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother."

God's curse became a blessing, for on that day, the Levites were set apart to the Lord. The fact that they did not receive an inheritance of land was no longer a curse, but a blessing, representing the special relationship they would enjoy with the Lord.

We have reached the place in the book of Joshua where the nation of Israel begins to actually occupy the promised land. And each tribe is given a portion of the land as an inheritance, and each tribe settles in their assigned territory. That is what is happening in Chapters 13 through 22.

Next week we will study Caleb, then the following week the process of dividing the land in general. But today, let's look at the tribe of Levi, studying primarily Joshua 13 and the first five verses of ch. 14 . And we'll see that as a tribe set apart to the Lord, the Levites represent our calling as Christians. So let me emphasize first their distinctive identity.

I. THE LEVITES WERE SET APART TO THE LORD. What does that mean? It means that the Levites had a distinct role, they had a distinct identity, they had a distinct relationship with the Lord. God had previously established a principle that the first born of every family belonged to him, just like the first fruits of all the crops. But instead of claiming the firstborn of every family, God claimed one entire tribe as his own, the tribe of Levi. They were chose as a substitute, chosen to represent the first born.

Num. 3:11 "Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 12 "Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine, 13 "because all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the LORD."

Num. 3:45 "Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites instead of their livestock. The Levites shall be Mine: I am the LORD."

What exactly did that mean? First of all, it meant no inheritance of land in Canaan. And so,

A. The Levites were called to trust in God to provide their inheritance. 14:1-5 13:14

Conclusion of the description of the inheritance given to each of the other tribes. 13:32-33

So the Levites got no land of their own! The division of the land and the settlement of the land excluded one entire tribe. Note that the land was still divided 12 ways, since the tribe of Joseph was divided into two, Manesseh and Ephraim.

The Levites did get some cities to live in, 48 of them in all. But the land was not theirs, it was given to them by each of the other tribes. 21:1-3, 41-42

So what is the significance of that? And why was it a blessing to receive no inheritance? Quite simply because the Lord was to be their inheritance, and that sure is far better than any amount of land they could have received.

Num. 18:20 "Then the LORD said to Aaron: "You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel."

That is the blessing! David certainly understood that blessing well, when he wrote Ps. 16.

Ps. 16:5 "O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. 6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance."

The Lord is a delightful inheritance. Let me make sure that you understand how this applies to us today. If the Lord is your inheritance, then the things of this world are unimportant. Actually, the values of this world are completely backwards, for those values are essentially selfish and self-centered.

The world says, "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you shall die." The world says, "gain all the excitement and pleasure that you possibly can." The world says "fulfill your desires, satisfy your felt needs, enjoy yourselves. If it feels good, do it." The world says "accumulate things, accumulate money, and accumulate possessions, nice possessions." The world says demand your own rights, get what you deserve. That is your due, your right, your inheritance. Our own declaration of independence boldly declares that as human beings, we have the inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. There is often little difference in that from the statement repeated in the book of Judges, "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

Yet the Bible says that the Lord is our inheritance. The Lord is our portion and our cup. Therefore, our purpose in life is to glorify God and enjoy HIM forever. We are to find our joy and our pleasure and our happiness in the Lord, if indeed the Lord is our inheritance.

And so, like the Levites, you are called to trust in God to provide your inheritance.

The Levites were set apart by God for a specific purpose, to be priests. That was their inheritance, and surely that is better than some real estate. 18:7

B. The Levites were called to be faithful in performing their priestly duties. The origin of that is given in, Deut. 10:8 "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 to Him and to bless in His name, to this day. 9 Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is his inheritance, just as the LORD your God promised him.)"

Num. 18:2 "Also bring with you your brethren of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you while you and your sons are with you before the tabernacle of witness. 3 "They shall attend to your needs and all the needs of the tabernacle; but they shall not come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar, lest they die--they and you also. 4 "They shall be joined with you and attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, for all the work of the tabernacle; but an outsider shall not come near you. 5 "And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, that there may be no more wrath on the children of Israel. 6 "Behold, I Myself have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; they are a gift to you, given by the LORD, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 7 "Therefore you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death."

I need to emphasize that not every Levite was a priest, but every priest was a Levite. And that responsibility was a great blessing and a great honor upon the entire tribe. The Levites received a great blessing by being given responsibility for the temple and the tabernacle worship. It was a gift from God!

It is a privilege to be set apart by God for specific tasks. It is a privilege to be called by God to perform certain duties. That is very much true for me, and my calling as a pastor. It is very much true for those called to serve as elders or deacons. And it is true for each one of you, for each one of us is called to a certain position within the body. Each one of us is called, in some manner, to the Lord's service within the church. That is what the church is all about.

As priests,

C. The Levites were called to depend upon the willing sacrifices of the people for their livelihood. Because they inherited no land, they were unable to earn a living from the land. And because their labor was in the temple and the tabernacles, they had no time to earn a living elsewhere.

And since the Lord was their inheritance, they had to trust him to provide their livelihood. And that meant that they had to depend upon the willing sacrifices of the people.

Deut. 18:1 "The priests, the Levites--all the tribe of Levi--shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and His portion. 2 "Therefore they shall have no inheritance among their brethren; the LORD is their inheritance, as He said to them. 3 "And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it is bull or sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach. 4 "The firstfruits of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you shall give him."

Num. 18:8 And the LORD spoke to Aaron: "Here, I Myself have also given you charge of My heave offerings, all the holy gifts of the children of Israel; I have given them as a portion to you and your sons, as an ordinance forever. 9 "This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering and every sin offering and every trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons. 10 "In a most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you....12 "All the best of the oil, all the best of the new wine and the grain, their firstfruits which they offer to the LORD, I have given them to you. 13 "Whatever first ripe fruit is in their land, which they bring to the LORD, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it. 14 "Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours."

The Levites were called to trust in God for everything, and to depend upon others for the very food on their table.

That principle is certainly continued in the NT. 1Cor. 9:13 "Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? 14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel."

That is a very clear biblical principle, the basis for the salary that you pay me each month. That principle is broadened a little more in,

1Tim. 5:18 "For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

But I don't want to limit the application of our study of the Levites to a defense of paying me a salary. I don't want you to study these passages about the Levites, and think only in terms of pastors and ministers today. I believe the application is much wider than that, because, I believe, that,

II. THE LEVITES REPRESENT OUR CALLING AS CHRISTIANS. You see, all Christians have been set apart to the Lord. All of us have been called to trust in God for our inheritance. All of us have been called to be faithful in performing our duties. And all of us have been called to depend upon one another, even sometimes for the food on our table.

And so I believe that the calling of the Levites represents our calling as Christians. The biblical proof for that idea is quite simple. Jesus Christ put an end to the Levitical priesthood and replaced it with the priesthood of all believers. And that is one of the great changes when you go from the OT to the NT. Clearly, without question, the NT teaches us that,

A. Christ put an end to the Levitical priesthood. Heb.7:11 Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. 13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood."

So Christ came as a priest, but he was not a Levite, but from the tribe of Judah. The priesthood of the Levites was not complete and perfect. Therefore that priesthood ended, the law was changed. Something better was needed. And we have something better today. Jesus' authority as priest doesn't come from his human ancestry, but from the power of his resurrection.

Heb.7:15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. 17 For He testifies: "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."

The OT system was incomplete, it was only a shadow of what was to come. Christ perfected the whole OT system. The New Covenant is far superior, because the resurrected Christ has become the high priest of that New Covenant, whose position and authority is guaranteed by God himself.

Heb.7:18 "For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, 19 for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. 20 And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath 21 (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: "The LORD has sworn And will not relent, 'You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek'"), 22 by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant."

And the New Covenant is permanent. The priesthood of Jesus Christ is permanent. Heb.7:23 "Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood."

Therefore, Heb.7:25 "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

The OT priests were inadequate, because they, too, needed to atone for their sins. The OT priesthood was inadequate because the sacrifices had to be repeated over and over again, day by day. But Jesus Christ has perfected and fulfilled all of what the OT priesthood symbolized.

Heb.7:26 "For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever."

Those verses teach a fundamental lesson about true religion. As human beings, there is a gap between us and God. We need a mediator. We need one to offer a substitutionary sacrifice for us. Otherwise we would be condemned. Jesus Christ is now our high priest, who has made a perfect sacrifice for our sins once for all, and who now lives to intercede for us.

To become a Christian, you must, by faith, receive Jesus Christ into our heart as our Lord, and you must trust in his blood shed upon the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. And he now lives to intercede for us. This is not some religious philosophy. This is reality. And it is a reality that we often tempted to deny.

You see, you deny this reality when you fail to confess our sins to the Lord, trusting in his finished atonement. You deny this reality when you think or feel that God has not forgiven you, even though you have asked for forgiveness. You deny this reality when you try to go through life without the constant, daily, intercession to your great high priest.

In other words, how much you really believe these things is revealed by how much you really pray, by how much do you really cry out to the Lord in your distress.

Beloved, Jesus Christ has put an end to the Levitical priesthood, becoming for us our one great high priest.

Hebr. 4:14 "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Therefore, in all circumstances, at all times, for all things, let me exhort you to pray.

Jesus Christ teaches us something else from the example of the Levites. In putting an end to the Levitical priesthood,

B. Christ has established the priesthood of all believers. The NT is extremely clear about this great truth. Rev. 1:6 "[He] has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Rev. 5:10 "And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."

Peter speaks clearly about the nature of the NT church. 1Pet. 2:5 "...you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

As Christians, we all are priests. We all come to offer spiritual sacrifices to God. That is what worship is.

Illus: I grew up attending an Episcopal Church, where the minister was called a priest. There was an altar in the front of the church, and when we had communion, the priest would stand facing the altar, with his back to the congregation. We were nothing more than spectators, watching his priestly service.

But that is an OT pattern that has been replaced in the NT by the priesthood of all believers. We all must learn to think of worship in terms of offering sacrifices to God. We should evaluate worship in terms of what we put into it, as a sacrifice offered to God.

True worship, to be genuine, must be rooted in sacrifice, sacrifice offered to God. King David understood that, when he built an altar to worship God. When David was generously offered free land upon which to build the altar, we read,

2Sam. 24:24 Then the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel."

As priests, our commitment is not to ourselves. Our commitment must be to God. "[For] you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

Peter goes on in that chapter to say that, 1Pet. 2:9 "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

Those are the sacrifices which we are to offer today. And I am not your priest. You do not come to God through me. You are a priest, called by God to be faithful in performing your priestly duties. You yourself have been called by God to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. And if they have any worth at all to God, those sacrifices must be costly.

The parable of the widow's mites teaches us about how to use our money, but I believe it also teaches us much more about worship. Let me end with that great parable about the meaning of true sacrifice.

Mark 12:41 "Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 "for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

People of God, as priests, God calls us to give him everything.

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