I have a favorite doughnut, a decadent confection that combines a yeasty outer layer with a creamy, rich filling. The meshing of pastry and ooey-gooey cream-cheesiness makes this a cut above the other Danishes on the bakery shelves. To separate its exterior from its filling would reduce it to ordinary—a glazed, empty version of itself. Israel was a lot like my cream filled doughnut. Within this Hebrew family was a clan devoted to spiritual service. The Levites were a set-apart center of the Israelite community. While everyone was required to bring sacrifices to the tabernacle and to follow the Law, it was the Levites who carried out the nation’s worship. They attended the tabernacle, maintaining its sacred atmosphere, carrying its artifacts as they traveled, and reassembling it so the glory of God would dwell among them. This tribe included the priesthood, who enforced the feasts, determined what was clean or unclean, and offered sacrifices on behalf of the people. The high priest even entered the most holy place, where the glory of God descended.
If a person was to observe the Levites in the context of their other relatives, they would not be recognizable. They were set apart. Their dwelling was around the tabernacle perimeter. They looked peculiar. Their behaviors differed from the other descendants of Jacob. They were governed by an exclusive set of rules. They were held to a higher standard, their lives more restricted. Their calling was to the things of God, and as such, they were distinctive, easily distinguished from the rest of Israel. This family represented the people to God and God to the people. Their responsibilities were many, but their reward was greater closeness to the sacred. In fact, the closer they were permitted to the holy presence of God, the more unique they were.
Perhaps, you find yourself in the middle of a Christian community feeling a little out of sorts. Could it be, that you are like the Levitical tribe of Israel? Could you be called to a higher purpose? The answer for your feeling of disconnect is not found in uniformity but rather in glorifying God with the kind of life He has called you to. You are a vital part of the Body of Christ, necessary to the well-being of all God’s family. Though your responsibilities may be greater than those of people around you, the glory you encounter in your separation is richer as well. Like the middle of a cream-filled doughnut, you make the whole sweeter, inspiring others to become more than ordinary…and glazed. There’s a greater meshing with the sacred because you connected with the true Infilling and dared to draw close to the ooey-gooey goodness of the glory of God.
Tip/tidbit: Don’t be afraid to step away from the ordinary to follow God. You can be confident that He has something sweeter for you if you follow Him.
If a person was to observe the Levites in the context of their other relatives, they would not be recognizable. They were set apart. Their dwelling was around the tabernacle perimeter. They looked peculiar. Their behaviors differed from the other descendants of Jacob. They were governed by an exclusive set of rules. They were held to a higher standard, their lives more restricted. Their calling was to the things of God, and as such, they were distinctive, easily distinguished from the rest of Israel. This family represented the people to God and God to the people. Their responsibilities were many, but their reward was greater closeness to the sacred. In fact, the closer they were permitted to the holy presence of God, the more unique they were.
Perhaps, you find yourself in the middle of a Christian community feeling a little out of sorts. Could it be, that you are like the Levitical tribe of Israel? Could you be called to a higher purpose? The answer for your feeling of disconnect is not found in uniformity but rather in glorifying God with the kind of life He has called you to. You are a vital part of the Body of Christ, necessary to the well-being of all God’s family. Though your responsibilities may be greater than those of people around you, the glory you encounter in your separation is richer as well. Like the middle of a cream-filled doughnut, you make the whole sweeter, inspiring others to become more than ordinary…and glazed. There’s a greater meshing with the sacred because you connected with the true Infilling and dared to draw close to the ooey-gooey goodness of the glory of God.
Tip/tidbit: Don’t be afraid to step away from the ordinary to follow God. You can be confident that He has something sweeter for you if you follow Him.
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