Numbers 18:1-7

Duties of Levites

18 So the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s household with you shall bear the guilt [a]in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt [b]in connection with your priesthood. 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. 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. 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 [c]outsider may not come near you. 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. Behold, I Myself have taken your [d]fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are a gift to you, [e]dedicated to the Lord, to perform the service for the tent of meeting. 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 [f]bestowed service, but the [g]outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

For anyone in a role of leadership, from pastors to teachers, business leaders, etc. Yours is a high responsibility. We see here that Aaron was given responsibility not just for his own duties, but it was his role to protect others from certain dangers, like Levites touching the tools dedicated only for priestly duties, or non-Levites coming into the Tabernacle or the holy areas.

So too, those in leadership are to keep a watchful eye on their charges, and not take that responsibility lightly. You have been placed in that position not to puff up your own pride, but to help your fellow man (and woman), to guide them in the ways that they should go.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *