“The sons of Moses the man of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.”
~ 1 Chronicles 23:14
Hi James and Ellen,
It is 2970 A.D. David is your king. David is old. David announces that his kid Solomon will replace him as your king. Your dad and ma have Levi tribal clan heritage. David gives some final instructions to the Levi tribal clan guys who are in your tribal clan. David is ensuring that the Israelite people groups guys and gals – who he has reigned over as king for forty years, have in place a theocracy governance. David is ensuring that there will always be Levi tribal clan guys in place who will ensure that God be worshipped properly at all times. During the forty years that he is king over the Israelite people group guys and gals, David has amassed a massive amount of wealth and he has accumulated the building material that will be needed to build a majestic temple that he wants built in the city of Jerusalem to be the designated place to worship God. Your king is more concerned about the details of the belief and worship norms that God expects His specially chosen guys and gals to faithfully obey than he is about the possessions and civil norms that your people group of guys and gals have and ascribe to. David wants a total tally of how many Levi tribal clan guys there are who are thirty years old and older. The total count is 38,000 guys. David assigns Levi tribal clan guys who are thirty years old and older to task specific teams. David assigns the extended families of Levi’s kids – who were Gershon, Kohath and Merari, to lead the task specific teams. 24,000 Levite tribal clan guys are on a team that will oversee the construction in the city of Jerusalem of the beautiful temple that he told his kid that he is to see to it that is built where God will be worshipped, 6,000 Levi tribal clan guys are on a team of officials and judges who will work and minister in the temple, 4,000 Levi tribal clan guys are on a team of gatekeepers who will guard the temple and 4,000 Levi tribal clan guys are on a team that will form the temple choir and orchestra.
After David finishes telling the Levi tribal clan guys who are thirty years old and older what they are to do in regards to the temple that will be built in the city of Jerusalem, David tells the Levi tribal clan guys who are between twenty and thirty years old that they are to be temple helpers. David tells the Levi tribal clan guys that when Solomon finishes building in the city of Jerusalem the temple where guy and gals are to go to to worship God, that they are to take charge of caring for the temple’s courtyards, of taking care of the side rooms and of making sure that all the sacred things are taken through a purification ritual and of doing every other duty that will need to be done in the temple. Specific tasks that Levi tribal clan guys will do in the temple that David has tasked Solomon to build in the city of Jerusalem to worship God will be to make the bread that will be set out on the table, measure out the flour that will be offered with the grain offerings and bake unleavened wafers. Levi tribal clan guys each morning and evening will stand to thank and praise God. Levi tribal clan guys will also stand to thank and praise God each time that a burnt offering is offered on a Sabbath to God, during the New Moon festivities and during every other God mandated specified feast days. Everything that is taking place in the Tent of Meeting and in the Holy Place – places that Moses had seen to it were built, are to take place in the temple that Solomon is to see to it that it is built in the city of Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 23 has the Chronicler recording some of David’s final words regarding who he is giving the responsibility for overseeing the temple that he has already enabled and empowered Solomon to build in the city of Jerusalem. The purpose for building an elaborate temple in the city of Jerusalem was to give God a place for His presence to reside and to give the Israelite people groups guys and gals a place to go to to worship God. The Chronicler includes a condensed Levi tribal clan genealogy in the middle of scribing about David’s task specific teams and what each team will do. The Chronicler right in the middle of the genealogy mentions Moses. Verse 14 says, “The sons of Moses the man of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi.” Because Moses was from the Levi tribal clan, there is no debate on whether or not Gershom and Eliezer should be included in Levi tribal clan’s genealogy. The chronicler mentioning that Moses was ‘the man of God’ really jumps out at your grandpaa. What do you think that it means to be ‘a man of God’? Do you think that there are ‘men or women of God’ today? To be a ‘man or woman of God’ – like Moses was to or per the chronicler, means that a guy or gal is to be totally dedicated to serving God, completely committed to being obedient to God’s word and utterly attuned to hearing God’s voice. The life of a guy or gal who is a ‘man or woman of God’ is tainted by sin; as all guys, gals and kids – except for Jesus, are born with lives that are contaminated with sin. God chose the Levi tribal clan guys to be His tithe of guys among His specially chosen guys – the Israelite people group guys, to be the guys to specifically worship Him through caring for His temple, burning animal sacrifices on an alter and praising Him with music. From His elected Christ-follower guys and gals, God still takes a tithe – or a tenth, to be the guys and gals – such as your grandmaa and grandpaa, who will serve Him as His designated Good News spokesmen and couriers.
1 Chronicles 23 (762)