Dead to sin and now alive in Him to serve others!

The Levites served as substitutes for the first born of every family in the nation of Israel to spend their lives in the service of God. Not everyone in this tribe would be priests, but from this tribe would come the priests to serve in the Tabernacle and the High Priest to serve in the Holy of Holies. They all had a special calling upon their lives to God’s service for the needs of their nation. What a wonderful privilege it was to spend most of their lives (ages 25-50) serving the needs of others! God gave Moses His standards for them:

1. They had to be clean inside and out.

Num. 8:6-7 “Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean.”

2. They had to be ordained in the sight of God & man.

V10 “And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:”

3. They were completely dedicated to the Lord and His service.

V13-14 “And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD. Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.”

3. They committed their lives to the service of others.

V15-16a “And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel.”

LESSON - Believers in the New Testament are given a similar privilege. Though we are not all called to be Pastors, we are all called to ministry (Eph. 4). If we are to be effective in this ministry, we also should be clean inside and out. We must dedicate ourselves to the service of God and the needs of others (Mt. 22). Our motivation for service onto God should be the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. He died for us so that we might live for him by serving the needs of others!

~Mike