1 Chronicles 24:1 – 31 “The Divisions of the Priests These were the divisions of the descendants of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they had no sons; so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.
With the help of Eleazar’s descendant Zadok and Ithamar’s descendant Ahimelech, David divided them according to the offices of their service. Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than those of Ithamar, they were divided accordingly. There were sixteen heads of families from the descendants of Eleazar and eight from the descendants of Ithamar. Thus they were divided by lot, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both Eleazar’s and Ithamar’s descendants. The scribe, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded their names in the presence of the king and of the officers: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites—one family being taken from Eleazar, and then one from Ithamar.
The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab, the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, the nineteenth to Pethahiah, twentieth to Jehezkel, the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul, the twenty-third to Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
This was their appointed order for service when they entered the house of the LORD, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their forefather Aaron, as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded him.
The Rest of the Levites
Now these were the remaining descendants of Levi: From the sons of Amram: Shubael; from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah. As for Rehabiah, from his sons: The first was Isshiah. From the Izharites: Shelomoth; from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath. From the sons of Hebron: Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. From the sons of Uzziel: Micah; from the sons of Micah: Shamir. The brother of Micah: Isshiah; from the sons of Isshiah: Zechariah. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The son of Jaaziah: Beno. The descendants of Merari from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.From Kish: Jerahmeel the son of Kish. And the sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
These were the sons of the Levites, according to their families. As their brothers the descendants of Aaron did, they also cast lots in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites—the family heads and their younger brothers alike.
Why were these divisions so important? What was the reason for carefully and meticulously recording all these details? Land, money, and food were the big concerns. The tribe of Levi was given some land throughout Israel, rather than having a separate territory of their own. This was so that the priests would serve the Lord where they were located and not congregate in one particular area. Priests and Levites enjoyed certain portions of the sacrifices, and remember the sacrificial animals had to be perfect. That meat was probably much better than anything available in the local market. The priests and Levites also shared in the meal offerings as well as the show bread. There were certain monies available for the upkeep of the temple, and the priests may have shared some of these as well. Competition for any benefits would have been keen; therefore, it was necessary to select leaders and then to draw lots so that nobody could accuse anyone of favoritism.
Centuries later, when Zakaria, the father of John the Baptist, was a priest, he was serving in the temple at his allotted time when the angel Gabriel appeared to him, foretelling John’s birth and ordering that Zakaria should name this son John.
Yet another reason that Ezra recorded all these details was for the benefit of those returning from Babylon. Remember that the exile took place because the Israelites had forgotten their God. As the high priest, Ezra was setting forth these details to restore order to worship as the Israelites rebuilt Jerusalem. Unfortunately, during the Babylonian exile, there were many Levitical families who intermarried with Babylonians. Ezra recorded these details to remind the priests and Levites so that no unqualified person would wind up ministering before the Lord.
APPLICATION: God gave Moses the order for worship as well as the order for service. While Aaron may have passed on that information to the Levites, it was God who gave the orders in the first place, informing Moses, who then informed Aaron. All of nature should teach us that God is a God of order and not the author of confusion. Confusion belongs to the devil.
God wanted worship to go on smoothly, so He gave explicit instructions regarding all the forms of worship, the handling of sacrifices, the handling of the furniture and other items in the temple, and even the necessary disposal of waste after the temple sacrifices. Each group of Levites had its own assignment to be carried out routinely, even if some of the duties were distasteful.
IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD, THERE ARE NO LITTLE PEOPLE, ONLY OBEDIENT ONES!
Edward Kimball was teaching a Sunday School class in Boston that included a young shoe store clerk named Dwight L. Moody. One day, God moved Kimball to seek out Moody in the shoe store where Moody was working. Kimball took Moody to the rear of the store and led him to the Lord. Moody became one of the foremost evangelists of the late nineteenth century with an international ministry. Wilbur Chapman got saved under Moody’s ministry and became an evangelist. Chapman was preaching at the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago in 1886 when a ball player named Billy Sunday stumbled into the meeting and got saved. Billy Sunday went on to have an amazing evangelistic ministry. One of Sunday’s converts was a man named Mordecai Ham. Mordecai Ham was preaching when a twelve-year-old boy named Billy Graham heard him and got saved. Billy Graham’s ministry has touched untold millions and hundreds of other ministries have spun off from Graham’s ministry.
There were probably priests and Levites who wished that they had more glamorous duties or that they received more public recognition. But all the time those men were hauling out ashes from the sacrifices and cleaning up the temple, they were still working for God. Those duties were just as important as those of the priests who were reading scripture. While men draw distinctions, God does not.
Has God called you to clean toilets or collect garbage? Fine! Clean those toilets or collect that garbage to the glory of God. You are giving vitally important service and God knows all your struggles. Are you working in some small obscure place? God is there, and if God is there, be at rest. You never know who is watching you or the lessons they are learning from you.
One friend who was caught up in drugs and satanism eventually accepted Jesus. While there were many people who helped this lady along the way, the night she came to Jesus, her prayer was “Whatever Bob and Jean have, want it!” When we learned this, we were overwhelmed. We had never tried to preach to this lady; what happened was that God caused her to see something of himself despite all of our shortcomings. May God help each one of us so that we will work to His glory, realizing that others might be watching and learning about God despite our failures!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to work heartily, knowing that no matter what we are doing, we are working for You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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