Priests to His God and Father
All the Rest of
Israel – Part 3: Meet the Levites
(1
Chronicles 6:1-81, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, July 30, 2017)
[1]
The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. [2] The sons of
Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. [3] The
children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of
Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. [4] Eleazar
fathered Phinehas, Phinehas fathered Abishua, [5] Abishua
fathered Bukki, Bukki fathered Uzzi, [6] Uzzi fathered Zerahiah,
Zerahiah fathered Meraioth, [7] Meraioth fathered Amariah, Amariah
fathered Ahitub, [8] Ahitub fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Ahimaaz,
[9] Ahimaaz fathered Azariah, Azariah fathered Johanan, [10] and
Johanan fathered Azariah (it was he who served as priest in the
house that Solomon built in Jerusalem). [11] Azariah fathered
Amariah, Amariah fathered Ahitub, [12] Ahitub fathered Zadok, Zadok
fathered Shallum, [13] Shallum fathered Hilkiah, Hilkiah fathered
Azariah, [14] Azariah fathered Seraiah, Seraiah fathered Jehozadak;
[15] and Jehozadak went into exile when the LORD sent Judah and
Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
[16]
The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. [17] And these are
the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei. [18] The
sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. [19] The sons
of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites
according to their fathers. [20] Of Gershom: Libni his son,
Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, [21] Joah his son, Iddo his son,
Zerah his son, Jeatherai his son. [22] The sons of Kohath:
Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, [23] Elkanah his
son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, [24] Tahath his son, Uriel his
son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. [25] The sons of Elkanah:
Amasai and Ahimoth, [26] Elkanah his son, Zophai his son, Nahath his
son, [27] Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. [28] The
sons of Samuel: Joel his firstborn, the second Abijah. [29]
The sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son,
Uzzah his son, [30] Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his
son.
[31]
These are the men whom David put in charge of the service of song
in the house of the LORD after the ark rested there. [32] They
ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting
until Solomon built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they
performed their service according to their order. [33] These are the
men who served and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman
the singer the son of Joel, son of Samuel, [34] son of Elkanah,
son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toah, [35] son of Zuph, son of
Elkanah, son of Mahath, son of Amasai, [36] son of Elkanah, son of
Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah, [37] son of Tahath, son of
Assir, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, [38] son of Izhar, son of
Kohath, son of Levi, son of Israel; [39] and his brother Asaph,
who stood on his right hand, namely, Asaph the son of Berechiah, son
of Shimea, [40] son of Michael, son of Baaseiah, son of Malchijah,
[41] son of Ethni, son of Zerah, son of Adaiah, [42] son of Ethan,
son of Zimmah, son of Shimei, [43] son of Jahath, son of Gershom, son
of Levi. [44] On the left hand were their brothers, the sons of
Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, son of Abdi, son of Malluch,
[45] son of Hashabiah, son of Amaziah, son of Hilkiah, [46] son of
Amzi, son of Bani, son of Shemer, [47] son of Mahli, son of Mushi,
son of Merari, son of Levi. [48] And their brothers the Levites
were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of
God.
[49]
But Aaron and his sons made offerings on the altar of burnt
offering and on the altar of incense for all the work of the Most
Holy Place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that
Moses the servant of God had commanded. [50] These are the sons
of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, [51]
Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, [52] Meraioth his son,
Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, [53] Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.
[54]
These are their dwelling places according to their settlements
within their borders: to the sons of Aaron of the clans of
Kohathites, for theirs was the first lot, [55] to them they gave
Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands, [56]
but the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the
son of Jephunneh. [57] To the sons of Aaron they gave the cities
of refuge: Hebron, Libnah with its pasturelands, Jattir, Eshtemoa
with its pasturelands, [58] Hilen with its pasturelands, Debir with
its pasturelands, [59] Ashan with its pasturelands, and Beth-shemesh
with its pasturelands; [60] and from the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon,
Geba with its pasturelands, Alemeth with its pasturelands, and
Anathoth with its pasturelands. All their cities throughout their
clans were thirteen.
[61]
To the rest of the Kohathites were given by lot out of the clan of
the tribe, out of the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh, ten cities.
[62] To the Gershomites according to their clans were allotted
thirteen cities out of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and
Manasseh in Bashan. [63] To the Merarites according to their clans
were allotted twelve cities out of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and
Zebulun. [64] So the people of Israel gave the Levites the cities
with their pasturelands. [65] They gave by lot out of the tribes of
Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin these cities that are mentioned by name.
[66]
And some of the clans of the sons of Kohath had cities of their
territory out of the tribe of Ephraim. [67] They were given the
cities of refuge: Shechem with its pasturelands in the hill country
of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands, [68] Jokmeam with its
pasturelands, Beth-horon with its pasturelands, [69] Aijalon with its
pasturelands, Gath-rimmon with its pasturelands, [70] and out of the
half-tribe of Manasseh, Aner with its pasturelands, and Bileam with
its pasturelands, for the rest of the clans of the Kohathites.
[71]
To the Gershomites were given out of the clan of the half-tribe of
Manasseh: Golan in Bashan with its pasturelands and Ashtaroth with
its pasturelands; [72] and out of the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with
its pasturelands, Daberath with its pasturelands, [73] Ramoth with
its pasturelands, and Anem with its pasturelands; [74] out of the
tribe of Asher: Mashal with its pasturelands, Abdon with its
pasturelands, [75] Hukok with its pasturelands, and Rehob with its
pasturelands; [76] and out of the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in
Galilee with its pasturelands, Hammon with its pasturelands, and
Kiriathaim with its pasturelands. [77] To the rest of the Merarites
were allotted out of the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmono with its
pasturelands, Tabor with its pasturelands, [78] and beyond the Jordan
at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, out of the tribe of
Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its pasturelands, Jahzah with
its pasturelands, [79] Kedemoth with its pasturelands, and Mephaath
with its pasturelands; [80] and out of the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in
Gilead with its pasturelands, Mahanaim with its pasturelands, [81]
Heshbon with its pasturelands, and Jazer with its pasturelands.
We have been hearing
the story of ancient Israel: north, south, east, and scattered. This
week we get to meet the Levites, scattered by God throughout all the
rest of the nation for a series of purposes that reach down to the
present day and our lives together as Christ's church.
The tribe of Levi
did not have a grant of territory like the other tribes. Their
inheritance was “in the Lord” and they were to be supported by
the tithes of the people. In that sense, they were “scattered”
throughout Israel, with certain designated cities and villages from
the other tribal allotments. Among those cities were certain cities
of refuge where people could run for justice. Priests and Levites
were called to discern difficult matters of life and to teach.
(Nehemiah 8:8) How was the tribe structured and how did their
function change over the centuries?
Priests
and Designated Assistants
The Levites lived in
a world that was very different from ours. From the earliest age boys
in that tribe knew what they would be based on what their fathers
did. They grew into those roles throughout their young lives. Within
the tribe of Levi, one family line, the descendants of Aaron, served
as priests. Don't think about today's “priests” in certain
denominations, but think about animal sacrifices that prepared Israel
for a future blood offering that could cancel guilt once for all
time. Verse 49 reads, “Aaron and his sons made offerings on the
altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense for all the work
of the Most Holy Place, and to make atonement for Israel, according
to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.” The Old
Testament priests offered sacrifices and prayers from the people up
to God and blessings from God down to the people. See also Numbers
6:22-27. They were mediators between God and His people sending down
words of grace from the Lord and sending up gifts and petitions to
the Almighty. The rest of the tribe of Levi were their assistants.
They had specific roles by clan that were connected to the movement
and care of the tabernacle that God had commanded Moses to construct
(Numbers 4).
Samuel,
the Temple, and the Exile
The great Samuel is
mentioned in verse 28 since he was adopted into the priesthood by a
priestly family because of his mother's vow. He was a very
significant figure in the history of God's people during an important
turning point that would lead to the line of David and the change
from tabernacle to temple in the days of David and Solomon. This
would alter the lives of the Levites forever. The days of that
movable worship house would now be over in favor of a permanent
structure in Jerusalem. Levites would now serve as temple musicians,
music leaders, singers, and song writers, which was a new stage in
the worship of the Lord set up by David. A radical change came for
the Levites in the destruction of the temple and the exile (Psalm
137).
Bigger
News: Jesus, the Servant of the Lord, and His Kingdom of Joyful
Servants (Psalm 68:18)
We
have a High Priest over the house of God today. He raises His hands
in benediction over His church (Luke 24:50), and through Him we
worship God (Hebrews 13:15-16). He offered up Himself as a sacrifice
to satisfy justice and reconcile us to God. He is our City of Refuge
who lives forever to intercede for us. As members of His body,
the church is full of worship and service. It is the privilege of the
whole body of Christ to be priests (Revelation 1:6) teaching the
message that God has implanted within us as living letters of the
Messiah. (2 Corinthians 3:3) We speak as those who have the oracles
of God, and we serve as those empowered by the Spirit of the Lord. (1
Peter 4:11) We are a city on a hill for life now and eternally.
(Matthew 5:14-16)
Old
Testament Reading—Psalm 24 –
Who is this King of Glory?
Gospel
Reading—Matthew 8:28-34 –
[28] And when he came to the other side, to the country of the
Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs,
so fierce that no one could pass that way. [29] And behold, they
cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you
come here to torment us before the time?” [30] Now a herd of many
pigs was feeding at some distance from them. [31] And the demons
begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd
of pigs.” [32] And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and
went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep
bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. [33] The herdsmen fled,
and going into the city they told everything, especially what had
happened to the demon-possessed men. [34] And behold, all the city
came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to
leave their region.
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