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LEVITICUS 1–3

Week 6, Day 3

The tribe of Levi became the spiritual leaders of the nation. As such, they lost their tribal identity; their place among the twelve was now taken by the dividing of Joseph’s descendants into the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh. The Levites were to find their portion in the Lord rather than in a unit of land.

This book is largely a guide for the Levites in their work, but as such it mattered to all of Israel—perhaps in the same way the Constitution of the United States matters to all its citizens, even though it is the particular responsibility of the courts.

This is especially true for those of us who believe in the Protestant doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Not that we are instructed by the details of conduct at the altar of sacrifice or proper methods of preparing animals for burning, but by the spirit and commitment with which the Levites were expected to do their work.

A grain offering, for instance, was to “be of choice flour”; and if one brought an animal before the Lord, it should be “one without blemish” (2:1; 3:1). God is to receive the first fruits (2:14), not the leftovers and not what is not good enough for the commercial market. If I sing, I will give my best at the church, preparing as earnestly as if it were for a secular concert; whatever I do, it shall be an offering that will be a “pleasing odor to the LORD” (1:9).

PRAYER: Let me be your priest, O Lord, offering my life and my daily duties as my sacrifice of love to you; in your name I pray.

So many intricate details go into the Levitical order of worship. What significance does this hold for you in your own life of prayer and worship?