Contrary to the Law of Moses King David Reassigns the Duties of the Levites
In the book of Numbers, Moses details the assignments and responsibilities of the tribe of Levi, mentioning them over fifty times.
Though the priests, descendants of Aaron, are from this tribe, the rest of the Levites have God-assigned responsibilities too.
Chief among them is taking down, moving, and setting up the tabernacle and related elements of worship. They must do this each time God’s people move camp as they wander about in the wilderness.
The nation of Israel spends about four decades in the desert, sometimes moving frequently and other times not so much. This keeps the Levites busy.
Then they get to the promised land, conquer it, and occupy it. No longer is there a need to disassemble, transport, and reassemble the tabernacle.
What do the Levites do now that their primary job is irrelevant? That’s a good question.
Over four hundred years later, some four centuries with the Levites having nothing to do, King David arrives on the scene. He reassigns the Levites to new tasks that relate to worshiping God.
Who does David think he is to countermand the commands of Moses, as received from God?
It seems ill-advised to ignore what’s in Scripture—God’s written word—and replace it with something that makes better sense to us. But this is precisely what David did.
Though we could concoct a principal from this and say that when Scripture—God’s past commands—no longer makes sense in the present, we are free to change them.
Just like David did. Yet, I’m not going to go there. I think it’s an overstretch, a misapplication.
Remember, after all, David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). That’s significant.
Whenever I encounter something in the Bible that doesn’t make sense, I don’t ignore it. Instead I meditate on it. I ask the Holy Spirit to supernaturally explain it to me.
Sometimes he does so right away, in other instances it takes a few days, and on occasion I wait for years.
But until God instructs me otherwise, I’ll hold to what the Bible says and apply it the best I can to my life and our culture today.
[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 1 Chronicles 24-26, and today’s post is on 1 Chronicles 24:3.]
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
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