Good day friends. Welcome to my blog. I hope to encourage you as we follow the Lord Jesus Christ together.
This month I would like to discuss Deuteronomy 10:8,9. It states: “At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before Yahweh to serve him and to pronounce blessings in his name, as it is today. For this reason, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance like his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord your God told him.”
The tribe of Levi was to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, a symbol of His presence. they were to be a blessing among the nation of Israel. But how, did they become a blessing?
The Levites were the descendants of Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah (Gen.29:34). The name Levi sounds like the Hebrew words for ‘attached to’ and in naming her son Leah expressed her wish that her husband would become more attached to her and love her more. Leah felt unloved, because her younger sister Rachel was the favorite wife.
In Genesis 34, Simeon and Levi take revenge on Shechem and the men of his city for the rape of their sister Dinah. Jacob was unhappy with his sons for they had used deceit to ensure they had the upper hand in the battle. He was afraid their actions would cause further problems for his family. At the end of his life, Jacob expressed his thoughts about his sons. He spoke of Simeon and Levi in Gen. 49:5-7. It states: ‘Simeon and Levi are brothers; their knives are vicious weapons. May I never enter their council; may I never join their assembly. For in their anger, they kill men and on a whim they hamstring oxen. Their anger is cursed, for it is strong and their fury, for it is cruel! I will disperse them throughout Judah and scatter them throughout Israel.’
Jacob was not blessing his sons when he said this. The blessing to Abraham included land for each tribe, and for these tribes not to have land meant they were not fully participating in the blessing.
Jacob’s words did not stop God from blessing the tribe of Levi. God chose them to carry the ark and to be a blessing to the rest of the nation. They were not scattered among the tribes as a curse, but sent among the tribes as a blessing, to lead them closer to God.
Let’s discuss more about how this blessing happened. They had the option to stand for God and decided to do so.
As Christians we carry the presence of God to our nation, just like the Levites did for the nation of Israel. My challenge to myself this month has been: how good am I at carrying the presence of God into the situations that I face? I admit, I have not always done a perfect job of this. Daily time with God helps me carry his presence better. May we all carry the presence of God into our world. May we be used by God to bless others, to lead them closer to God.
"Crucified, Hidden, Seated" 