Are you willing to defend your faith? To what extent are you willing to obey God’s commandments? Who do you defend when there is injustice? In 2 Chronicles 23 and 24 Jehoiada secures the rule of Judah for Joash who was just a child of seven. The Levites gathered to protect this young ruler from anything that could harm him. These Levites stood alert and ready to react to anyone who would seek to enter the Temple to harm Joash. Is there a parallel to our relationship to Jesus Christ found in the story of Jehoiada, Joash, and the Levites? Continue Reading…
Tag Archive - Levites
Foreshadowing of Jesus Christ in the defense of a child: 2 Chronicles 23 and 24
Faith developed in communion: 2 Chronicles 11 and 12
It is exciting to read through 2 Chronicles after reading through 1 and 2 Kings because details are drawn out that I didn’t notice. There was preparations for a civil war among the kingdom of Judah and Israel after they split. It amazes me that they so easily lost their focus on God and sought to keep what they deemed their own after the death of Solomon. The idea of civil war in Israel is nothing new because you have the fighting that occurred between the descendants of Saul and David in 2 Samuel and you have the sons of Israel rising up against the tribe of Benjamin in Judges 19 and 20. Why does God prevent the battle among Judah and Israel from occurring? We know that both kingdoms of Judah and Israel are taken away in exile from their homes by reading 2 Kings 25. Are some lessons learned more readily why when we are taken away from everything we know? It will never cease to amaze me how God chooses to sometimes use war while other times he uses exile to remind people they need Him. Continue Reading…
Light that illuminates darkness: 1 Chronicles 23 and 24
The ebb and flow within the book of 1 Chronicles really seems sporadicly presented. Why are the events and genealogies laid out the way they are? It seems that the flow of the book of 1 Chronicles covers the history of the Israelites from Adam through the rule of Solomon with emphasis on genealogies and critical events of the nation.
The Levites who where set aside for service to God are transitioned from service in the Tabernacle to service in the Temple in 1 Chronicles 23 and 24. What was it like for the men who served within the Tabernacle to enter the Temple of the Lord for the first time? What would they have felt as they entered into service in God’s new dwelling place among the people of Israel? Continue Reading…
Lineage of Ruben and Levi: 1 Chronicles 5 and 6
The detailed genealogy of the sons of Israel continues in 1 Chronicles chapters 5 and 6 with the lineage of Ruben and Levi. It is amazing to see the connectedness of all the people from the Bible stories. I’ll be honest that I have dreaded reading through the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles because I knew from my previous times glancing through them that they are filled with so many names that didn’t have a connection with. Thankfully I was wrong about how impacting these book of the Bible are.
Ruben’s sinfulness by sleeping with one of Israel’s concubines happened in Genesis and see how that act of sinfulness had effects a many generations after Ruben. What acts do we choose to commit today that will have lasting effects for good or bad for generations? Continue Reading…
God’s faithfulness proved in fulfillment of promise: Joshua 21 and 22
I am stunned today during my time reading in Joshua chapters 21 and 22. The words seemed to come to life as I read them. It can be easy to just read through the Bible just to finish a particular book or chapter. It was encouraging to see how scripture is fulfill which God promised and proclaimed to the Israelites. God is faithful to complete all that He promises us and that is a great encouragement. The Levites receiving cities to dwell in and the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returning home after the other tribes were at rest testifies to the faithfulness of God. Continue Reading…
The better inheritance to desire found in Joshua 13 and 14
What type of inheritance do you desire? A few million dollars, some property, priceless works of art, or a collection of super cars would easily appear on my short list of things I wouldn’t object to inheriting. When I think of an inheritance it usually is inevitably linked to the death of someone, which makes it bitter sweet if you were close to them. What inheritance will your legacy produce? The things you set your heart on in this world create and build your legacy. If you build your legacy upon worldly wealth and renown instead of upon a foundation of faith in God what will your true legacy be? I challenge you to fix your eyes upon Jesus Christ and seek Him alone as your hope for a future legacy and the inheritance you leave to children and grandchildren. Continue Reading…
What is the true meaning of sacrifice: Deuteronomy 17 and 18
Why does God require an unblemished ox or sheep to be used as a sacrifice? In Deuteronomy 17 Moses reminds the people of Israel that they shall never offer a blemished sacrifice to God. It seems a little weird to me at first to think that God wanted perfect animal to be sacrificed. I tried to place myself into the story of the Israelites in Deuteronomy and that is when I started to understand why it was important. Let me put this command in a more modern sense. My sacrificing a blemished animal would be me giving my church money only after I have everything I need or it is like donating your car to your church only after you have upgraded to a new and better one. Continue Reading…
Dedication of the Tabernacle and foreshadowing of the Messiah: Numbers 7 and 8
I wonder what the energy level of the Israelites was like on the day that Moses had finished setting up the Tabernacle? Was there an awe and reverence of God? Were the millions of men, women, and children pressing in to see just a glimpse of the Tabernacle? In Numbers chapters 7 we get a little of the feeling of what took place when the Tabernacle was completed. What blessing God bestowed upon Moses. Moses was within the Tabernacle anointing and consecrating the walls, furnishings, and utensils. Moses was declaring that the Tabernacle and all with in it was Holy and God’s. Continue Reading…
The Levitical redemption for Israel and Myself: Numbers 3 and 4
Numbers 3 and 4 are the two chapters that I read today in my journey to blog as I read my way through the Bible two chapters at a time. In Numbers 3 and 4 God is giving continued instruction to the people of Israel. Specifically God instructs Moses and Aaron to take the Levites as the priesthood in service to God. The Levites were divided by the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons and all the generations of these households were in service to the Tabernacle of God. The sons of Gershon were instructed to manage the the tent of meeting and the hangings in the court within the Tabernacle. The sons of Kohath were instructed to minister within the sanctuary with the ark, table, and lamp stand. The sons of Merari were instructed to manage the framework of the Tabernacle.
