“But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance:
the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them.” (Jos
13:33 AV)
This
phrase appears five times in the old testament.
Once in the book of Deuteronomy.
Twice in the book of Numbers.
Once in the book of Joshua. And
once in the book of Ezekiel. Why so
often? Why must the Levite be reminded
five times that he and his family will receive no inheritance among God’s
people because of their assigned profession?
As he looks upon the fields and estates of the people whom he serves, he
is told the calling of life to which he was born is of higher value. He is told he will never have the things that
others have.
One
can only imagine how the Levite must have felt as he saw others enjoy a lifestyle
he would never enjoy. I know exactly how
he feels. It is a hard thing to watch
the people of God enjoy a level of living knowing that serving the LORD with
one’s life might very well prohibit the same in the life of the man of
God. Especially in his early ministry,
he may be eking out a living while others seem to be comfortable. Don’t get me wrong. They have earned every penny and are entitled
to enjoy the fruit of their labor. We
are just being honest here. The man of
God must fight envy. The Devil wants him
to be discontented with the lack of the things of this world so that he will
surrender his calling or surrender to the lust of the eyes. No doubt, as the Levite left the city to
which he was assigned and traveled to Jerusalem for his rotation of service, he
passed by many nice estates. No doubt he
saw many large flocks. He passed by
affluent neighborhoods of the people whom he would serve. He would have to fight the temptation of envy
as he went on his way to work.
But
a funny thing happens along the way. He
is reminded (five times) his inheritance is not of this world. He has the privilege and responsibility to
walk with God for the sake of others.
Over time, he learns his lot in life is far better than those who value
the things of this world. He understands
he gets to approach God in a way that others cannot. At least on this side glory. There are also riches that only he can
experience. Putting lives back together is
a treasure incomparable to anything the world has to offer. Leading a soul to Christ and discipling him
into Christlikeness is a privilege beyond words. When he stands behind the pulpit and feeds
the sheep, he is reminded of how awesome a responsibility and privilege it is
to be the venue by which the Holy Spirit works to change lives. When he counsels with those who desperately
need help and a course change to spiritual health is achieved, he remembers
just what it was to which God has called him.
The older I get, the more I appreciate what God has called me to. What a great privilege to serve God and His
sheep. There is no earthly treasure that
comes close to comparison.
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