(Numbers 17:12-13) Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, we perish, we are dying, we are all dying! 13 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, must die. Are we to perish completely?”
(Numbers 18:1-7) So the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s household with you shall bear the guilt in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt in connection with your priesthood. 2 But bring with you also your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you, while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3 And they shall thus attend to your obligation and the obligation of all the tent, but they shall not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary and the altar, or both they and you will die. 4 They shall be joined with you and attend to the obligations of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but an outsider may not come near you. 5 So you shall attend to the obligations of the sanctuary and the obligations of the altar, so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel. 6 Behold, I Myself have taken your fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord, to perform the service for the tent of meeting. 7 But you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as a bestowed service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
There is a lot of evidence to show that even unbelievers will benefit in some way by just being around godly people. I grew up in a town which had a very strong Christian presence. With a reputation of being "clean" and safe, many people who were not believers wanted to move there because they wanted a "nice" place to live and raise a family. People living in such an area, or even attending church, will witness and experience a different way of living. But this is not enough to save them, nor should they be serving in the church until they become believers.
Paralleling the roles of Aaron, the priests, and the Levites: pastors and congregations have responsibilities in their roles. The higher the calling, the more responsibility there is. The first shall be last and the last shall be first.
Pastors are called by God to lead people in God's will. As overseers, pastors and elders should make sure that those who are serving in the various ministries are truly believers. And so, believers in any congregation are called to be serving in the church. We are a gift to the Lord, and therefore we have the honor to serve Him. All of this reflects the church's testimony to the world around us - about Jesus - our perfect High Priest.
All of us need to recognize and understand the Lord's role, never daring to think that we can take the place or the role of Jesus, which is critical to everything! Only Jesus is the Judge over all. And salvation is only through Jesus. Without Jesus in one's life - one cannot draw close to God - and there is only death. It is by being clothed in His righteousness that we can approach God - and LIVE - not only to have eternal life, but have a personal relationship with Him.
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