20250104

show us our place

1 Chronicles 23:1-24:31

1 Chronicles 23:1 When David was old and full of days, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.
1 Chronicles 23:2 Then he gathered all the leaders of Israel, the priests, and the Levites.
1 Chronicles 23:3 The Levites thirty years old or more were counted; the total number of men was thirty-eight thousand by headcount.
1 Chronicles 23:4 “Of these,” David said, “twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work on Yahveh’s temple, six thousand are to be officers and judges,
1 Chronicles 23:5 four thousand are to be gatekeepers, and four thousand praise Yahveh with the instruments I have made for worship.”
1 Chronicles 23:6 David divided them into divisions according to Levi’s sons: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
1 Chronicles 23:7 The Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei.
1 Chronicles 23:8 Ladan’s sons: Jehiel was the first, then Zetham, and Joel — three.
1 Chronicles 23:9 Shimei’s sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran — three. Those were the heads of the families of Ladan.
1 Chronicles 23:10 Shimei’s sons: Jahath, Zizah, Jeush, and Beriah. Those were Shimei’s sons– four.
1 Chronicles 23:11 Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; however, Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they became one family and received a single assignment.
1 Chronicles 23:12 Kohath’s sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel — four.
1 Chronicles 23:13 Amram’s sons: Aaron and Moses. Aaron, along with his descendants, was set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense in the presence of the Lord, to minister to him, and to pronounce blessings in his name forever.
1 Chronicles 23:14 As for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.
1 Chronicles 23:15 Moses’s sons: Gershom and Eliezer.
1 Chronicles 23:16 Gershom’s sons: Shebuel was first.
1 Chronicles 23:17 Eliezer’s sons were Rehabiah, first; Eliezer did not have any other sons, but Rehabiah’s sons were very numerous.
1 Chronicles 23:18 Izhar’s sons: Shelomith was first.
1 Chronicles 23:19 Hebron’s sons: Jeriah was first, Amariah second, Jahaziel third, and Jekameam fourth.
1 Chronicles 23:20 Uzziel’s sons: Micah was first, and Isshiah second.
1 Chronicles 23:21 Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi. Mahli’s sons: Eleazar and Kish.
1 Chronicles 23:22 Eleazar died having no sons, only daughters. Their cousins, the sons of Kish, married them.
1 Chronicles 23:23 Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth — three.
1 Chronicles 23:24 These were the descendants of Levi by their ancestral families — the family heads, according to their registration by name in the headcount– twenty years old or more, who worked in the service of Yahveh’ stemple.
1 Chronicles 23:25 David said, “Yahveh God of Israel has given rest to his people, and he has come to stay in Jerusalem forever.
1 Chronicles 23:26 Also, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the equipment for its service” —
1 Chronicles 23:27 because according to the last words of David, the Levites twenty years old or more were to be counted —
1 Chronicles 23:28 “but their duty will be to assist the descendants of Aaron with the service of Yahveh’s temple, being responsible for the courts and the chambers, the purification of all the holy things, and the work of the service of God’s temple —
1 Chronicles 23:29 as well as the rows of the Bread of the Presence, the fine flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baking, the mixing, and all measurements of volume and length.
1 Chronicles 23:30 They also stand every morning to give thanks and praise to the Lord, and likewise in the evening.
1 Chronicles 23:31 Whenever burnt offerings are offered to Yahveh on the Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed festivals, they are to offer them regularly in Yahveh’s presence according to the number prescribed.
1 Chronicles 23:32 They are to carry out their responsibilities for the tent of meeting, for the holy place, and for their relatives, the descendants of Aaron, in the service of Yahveh’s temple.”
1 Chronicles 24:1 The divisions of the descendants of Aaron were as follows: Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
1 Chronicles 24:2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.
1 Chronicles 24:3 Together with Zadok from the descendants of Eleazar and Ahimelech from the descendants of Ithamar, David divided them according to the assigned duties of their service.
1 Chronicles 24:4 Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than Ithamar’s, they were divided accordingly: sixteen heads of ancestral families were from Eleazar’s descendants, and eight heads of ancestral families were from Ithamar’s.
1 Chronicles 24:5 They were assigned by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants.
1 Chronicles 24:6 The secretary, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the officers, the priest Zadok, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites. One ancestral family was taken for Eleazar, and then one for Ithamar.
1 Chronicles 24:7 The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,
1 Chronicles 24:8 the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,
1 Chronicles 24:9 the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin,
1 Chronicles 24:10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,
1 Chronicles 24:11 the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,
1 Chronicles 24:12 the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,
1 Chronicles 24:13 the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,
1 Chronicles 24:14 the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,
1 Chronicles 24:15 the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez,
1 Chronicles 24:16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel,
1 Chronicles 24:17 the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul,
1 Chronicles 24:18 the twenty-third to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
1 Chronicles 24:19 These had their assigned duties for service when they entered Yahveh’s temple, according to their regulations, which they received from their ancestor Aaron, as Yahveh God of Israel had commanded him.
1 Chronicles 24:20 As for the rest of Levi’s sons: from Amram’s sons: Shubael; from Shubael’s sons: Jehdeiah.
1 Chronicles 24:21 From Rehabiah: from Rehabiah’s sons: Isshiah was the first.
1 Chronicles 24:22 From the Izharites: Shelomoth; from Shelomoth’s sons: Jahath.
1 Chronicles 24:23 Hebron’s sons: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
1 Chronicles 24:24 From Uzziel’s sons: Micah; from Micah’s sons: Shamir.
1 Chronicles 24:25 Micah’s brother: Isshiah; from Isshiah’s sons: Zechariah.
1 Chronicles 24:26 Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi, and from his sons, Jaaziah his son.
1 Chronicles 24:27 Merari’s sons, by his son Jaaziah: Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.
1 Chronicles 24:28 From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.
1 Chronicles 24:29 From Kish, from Kish’s sons: Jerahmeel.
1 Chronicles 24:30 Mushi’s sons: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. Those were the descendants of the Levites according to their ancestral families.
1 Chronicles 24:31 They also cast lots the same way as their relatives the descendants of Aaron did in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites — the family heads and their younger brothers alike.

show us our place

The Levites were a subculture in the land. Among them were chosen officers who served the temple and its services. They were part of the community but they had special tasks, and were honored by reason of their place among the people. There were no menial tasks. Each was to be performed as unto the LORD. So it is in living the Christian life. The Holy Spirit gives each believer spiritual gifts as he sees fit. Rather than seeking to be someone else, or do something else, we should seek to be ourselves in the most honorable way.

LORD, show us our place, and give us zeal to take it.