April 6th, 2015
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Supporting Leaders

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Resurrected One, I praise You for Your sweeping victory. I bless You for the grace and strength You give.

Read NUMBERS 3:1-13

[1] This is the account of the family of Aaron and Moses at the time the LORD spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai. [2] The names of the sons of Aaron were Nadab the firstborn and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. [3] Those were the names of Aaron’s sons, the anointed priests, who were ordained to serve as priests. [4] Nadab and Abihu, however, died before the LORD when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron. [5] The LORD said to Moses, [6] “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. [7] They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the tent of meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle. [8] They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. [9] Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him. [10] Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death.” [11] The LORD also said to Moses, [12] “I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, [13] for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the LORD.”

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

“Christ has turned all our sunsets into dawns” (Clement of Alexandria, 150-215). The Resurrection can mean new life, new hope, and new possibilities for us.

Think Further

Blaise Pascal (1623-62) once said there are two kinds of servants: the servants who go ahead with torches to light the way and the servants who come behind carrying the bags. The service rendered by the Levites in ancient Israel was of the second kind. Their raison d’être was to support the priests in the vital ministry of being intermediaries between God and the people. Teamwork was key for the Levites as they fulfilled their tasks of setting up, dismantling, and carrying the tabernacle during Israel’s 40-year pilgrimage in the wilderness. Mundane tasks? Yes. But necessary. Without the practical support of the Levites, the priests could not have functioned.

The tabernacle was the place where YHWH mysteriously visited his people. Occupying a space equal to half of a modern football field, it was the center of the Israelite encampment and the focus of the pilgrim community. Its basic structure was a courtyard, Holy Place, and Most Holy Place. This configuration is a teaching model of the heavenly sanctuary (Heb. 8:1-6). Today, on Easter Monday, we specially celebrate the fact that the risen Christ is interceding for us within that sanctuary and we rejoice that his mediation prevails. He serves as our great high priest “on the basis of the power of an indestructible life” (Heb. 7:16).

Jesus came to live (literally to “tabernacle”) among us and call disciples to follow and serve him (John 1:1-14,35-51). Some of you reading this note are leaders of today’s followers of Jesus. Others, probably the majority, are called, as were the Levites, to support those in leadership. Offering such support is an important ministry. Without a good team of helpers, leaders find it difficult to implement vision. Helpers also provide a vital channel of feedback. Those who assist in spiritual ministry are greatly privileged. Of them, God says: “They are to be mine” (13).

Apply

In what ways could your church encourage, support, and sustain servant leaders?

Closing prayer

Lord Jesus, You described greatness as serving others. I need Your enabling to move beyond simply doing a service to becoming a servant.

Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.

© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.

Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.

View all readings

Get ENCOUNTER:

in your email:

in Print:

Become a Member | Visit our store