Division of Labor
“Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel” (Exod. 19:5, 6).
How can we relate those words above to ourselves, today, as a church called to bring a message to the world? Is this calling unconditional? See 1 Pet. 2:9, Rev. 14:6–12.
In Numbers 18:1, the Lord wanted to give assurance to the worshipers that they would not die, but only if they approached the sanctuary through His specially chosen priests, who would act as mediators between them and the Lord. The priests, as distinct from the remainder of the Levites, were responsible for seeing that no unauthorized person approached the tabernacle, thereby defiling it. This would allay the fears of the congregation that in coming near the tabernacle they risked death.
Read Numbers 18:1–7. What distinctions were made in the roles given these men?
What’s important to note here is that although all the nation was to be a “kingdom of priests,” only certain people were allowed into certain roles, as seen here in the division of the Levites and the family of Aaron from the general population, and then in the division made between Aaron’s family and the Levites. Obviously, in New Testament times, hereditary roles, such as found with the Levites, clearly have been abolished, yet we find in the New Testament distinct roles in the church (1 Cor. 12:28–31, Eph. 4:11).
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