For The Furtherance Of The Gospel

“And they delivered the king’s commissions unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors on this side the river: and they furthered the people, and the house of God.” (Ezr 8:36 AV)

The ‘they’ here are the priests.  When Ezra was organizing the rebuilding and administration of the temple, he discovered all the priests serving at the time were not descendants of Levi.  They were not of the tribe which God determined to serve in the duties of the temple.  Ezra sought out a group of Levites that had returned and commissioned them to perform the duties assigned to their tribes.  This was all done before construction and operation of the temple commenced.  The non-Levitical priests were not serving for any nefarious reason.  At least there is none mentioned in the scriptures.  We don’t know why there were no Levitical priests at Jerusalem.  The reason did not matter.  Ezra never condemned the non-Levitical priests.  He simply corrected something that was not right.  What we do want to notice is that once this correction took place, then the people and the house of God were furthered.  It may very well have been so with the non-Levitical priests.  We will never know.  But what Ezra was intent on doing was to follow the letter of the law if they were to undergo any work for God.

The statement above is not a criticism or even an implication the other priests would not have done the same.  It is a simple statement of fact the Levitical priests took their responsibilities seriously and because they performed their duties, it benefited the people and the house of God.  In fact, the question I have is why the Levitical priests were not where they were supposed to be in the first place.  It could be unqualified men served because the Levites were unwilling or lacked the faith to do so.  Ezra had to search to find them.  Why were they not in Jerusalem attempting to do the work God called them to do?  Maybe they were out in the fields and gathering to themselves homes and lands which they were forbidden to do.  The non-Levitical priests saw a need and filled it even though they were not qualified to do so.  We simply do not know.  All we do know is Ezra filled those positions with those who were supposed to be serving in them, and when they filled those positions, they were faithful in the discharge of their responsibilities.

The lesson is easy enough to infer.  We need to be in whatever place we are called to be and discharge our duties faithfully.  In the above account, there is no blame placed on anyone.  It is a fact of Jewish history.  That is all.  There is no criticism of character or ability.  It is a simple statement that those who are called need to fulfill that calling.  It is as simple as that.  We are all called to serve God in different ways and different offices.  God has equipped us to do so.  There are spiritual gifts given as God wills when we come to Christ in repentance and faith.  These gifts are intended to be used for the furtherance of the people and the work of the house of God.  Our personalities, our abilities, and our faith all work together for the benefit of the body of Christ.  There is no non-essential saint.  Maybe we cannot be a priest because we are not Levites.  Other things can and need to be done.  Maybe we cannot serve in an area where we see a genuine need.  The non-Levitical priests above served because there was a need.  A need does not necessarily translate into a calling.  The key is to know what gifts God has given and then pray for His direction.  The big thing is, to be where you are supposed to be and do what you are supposed to be doing.  Then the people and the house of God will be further down the road than they were before.