You may recall that last week I wrote a little post about why taking a Nazirite vow would be awesome.
Well, just when you thought the awesomeness couldn’t get any awesomer, Numbers 8 comes along and drops more awesome things right into our laps! It is like Christmas all over again!
Are you ready? Let’s do this.
3 Awesome Reasons To Be A Levite
1) Crowd Surfing
What? Crowd surfing? Like at rock concerts when someone gets lifted on top of the crowd and gets all felt up as they cruise along until the people get tired of carrying them and they fall to the floor only to get trampled by the very people who were feeling them up not 10 seconds eariler?
Yes. That. Sounds great right? Well, check this verse out:
“the Israelites shall lay their hands on the Levites, and Aaron shall present the Levites before the LORD as an elevation offering from the Israelites.”
Elevation offering? Usually that is just a piece of meat that someone waves in the air. How would you do it with people? I have an idea . . .
Who wants to get elevation offered next?
2) Early Retirement
Nowadays, people work for most of their lives. You start somewhere in your teens and don’t stop until you are like 92. That’s the official retirement age, yes?
Well, if you were a Levite, you wouldn’t start work until you were 25 and you would retire when you were 50.
That’s a grand total of 25 years of work. Not bad.
What you do after that? Well, that’s up to you. What does a 50-year old do in the desert all day?
3) You Are a Gift
Ok, I am going to get slightly serious with this one.
“I (the LORD) have taken the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the Israelites. Moreover, I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons. . .”
Tis the season!
God separated a whole tribe for himself. But he wasn’t selfish with that tribe. The first thing he did was give that tribe to the priests as a gift. That seems pretty generous. That Tabernacle isn’t going to run itself!
Surprise!
Some say it is better to give that to receive. The Levites say it is better to be given than to give or receive. Take that!
Why would you want to be a Levite? Or if you don’t want that question . . .
What do you want for Christmas this year?
The Whole Dang Thing 
You really bring this book to life! I’m not sure how many actually lived to 50 back then, but I bet if they did they didn’t stop hanging around the Tent of Meeting. Once a priest always a priest. They performed an awesome duty for the people and to God. It was a messy and bloody business (Imagine all those sacrifices!) but they did it.
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