Good Morning.
Then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. (Exodus 32:26)
In the previous devotion, we addressed the need for boundaries and the role of God’s people in regard to those boundaries that the Almighty has established. It is our duty to uphold and defend them because, attempts to please people by removing boundaries or blurring boundary lines doesn’t provoke them to loyalty. To the contrary, it typically provokes them to greater rebellion, and at the same time, provokes the Creator to great anger. In fact, we learn later in Scripture that Moses had to intercede for Aaron lest he be destroyed with the rest of the rebels (Deuteronomy 9:20).
Having returned to this great breakdown of morals and duty, Moses looked upon the camp to see who was still faithful to the LORD, it was his own tribe, Levi, that responded. They joined themselves to Moses to fight for the LORD, and as a result, the tribe of Levi was appointed to the service of the Sanctuary. It fell to them to minister unto the LORD and to the people, demonstrating God’s holiness through their service.
Along with the sons of Aaron, they were to discern the distinction between the clean and unclean and then to teach these differences to the people so that Israel would better understand the heart of God. Interestingly, the name Levi is phonetically equivalent to the Hebrew word that means “my heart.” God’s heart is pure and holy, and therefore those who wish to draw near to Him must strive for holiness with pure hearts.
Though others may quickly abandon their pledge to be faithful to God, we must not. Though many may be led astray by the whims and trends prevalent in society, we must not. In a day when it is becoming popular and even preferred to be lawless and rebellious, we must continue to distinguish between what is holy and what is profane and to keep ourselves pure and holy even as He is holy. Obviously, we can’t do this in our own power but, being empowered by the Spirit of God and governed by His Word, we can overcome this world. So as the call goes out, “Who is on the LORD’s side,” let our words and deeds shout to Him, Hineni — “Here I am!”
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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