Being Like a Levite

Day one hundred ninety-one

This Sunday is a little bitter sweet as it is the last time my eldest son will speak in church prior to his mission.  I am excited to hear his thoughts and his feelings, he usually brings some interesting insights to his topics.  However, I will miss hearing his thoughts on a daily basis at home.  In honor of his talk my prayer was directed towards him.  I prayed that the Spirit would be with him and with those listening, that all involved would receive the message that the Lord wants them to hear.  I also prayed that this week would be filled with wonderful opportunities for us as a family to spend some quality time together and to prepare for the upcoming changes in our lives!

Joshua 21

Joshua 21 is a general winding up of the history from the thirteenth chapter, which narrates the occupation of the land by the Israelites.  The last to receive their inheritance would be the Levites, the tribe whose male members held the Aaronic Priesthood and who were assigned to carry out the daily rites and rituals of the law of Moses for the people.

The Levites were divided among 48 cities that were spread throughout the land.  They and their families lived in these cities and the suburbs around them.  What wisdom is there in having them spread out and not in one area like the other tribes?

With the Levites spread out among the tribes it ensured that the priesthood ceremonies associated with sacrifices and offerings were made easily available to all Israelites.  It was important to the Lord that all His children have access to the ordinances of the gospel.

This is still true today.  Each of us is asked to do missionary work to help establish God's Church throughout our communities.  We live among those we are to teach, not separated from them.  Full time missionaries, young and old, are asked to spread the gospel throughout the world, living among the people they teach. Through this work, the membership of the Church grows, new stakes and temples are established bringing the members the full organization of the Church and the blessings of the temple.  This is not a new pattern, it is actually quite old, and it is effective because it is based on divine design.

There are some benefits for the Levites in this design too.  There is a love that grows from living among those that you serve. When you truly love someone and are concerned for their salvation, you become a better person.  You want to lead by example.  The Levites have all of Israel looking to them for salvation and they need to live a life worthy of such an honor.  We too have people watching us, looking to us for guidance, hoping that we will be the example of Christ in their lives.  It is a big job, but it comes with being a Christian.

This is a good Sabbath Day lesson for me.  It reminds me of how important it is for us as Christians to be among our neighbors and friends, always trying to be an example of Christ in their lives.  We may be the only example of Christ that they have in their lives!  The question we have to ask ourselves is: How are we doing?