SERVICES IN THE TEMPLE

The Levites were Israelites from the tribe of Levi. God chose this tribe to take care of the temple and guide the people in worshiping Him. The temple priests were all descendants of Aaron, who was a Levite.

The people of Israel had 12 tribes, which were the descendants of the 12 sons of Jacob. The Lord directed the tribes to their seat around the Tabernacle so that no tribe would be far away, but they would remain at an equal distance. The sound of the trumpets would direct them to march or stay in place. The tribes were, therefore, distributed according to God's instructions regarding their service. The Levites were descendants of Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah. Levi was a violent man, but his descendants became a large tribe.

During the Israelites' slavery in Egypt, the most famous Levites in Israel were born: Moses, his brothers Aaron and Miriam. Under Moses' leadership, the Israelites freed themselves and left Egypt, heading for the promised land. Miriam was a prophetess, and Aaron was chosen by God to be his priest, the bridge between the people and God (Exodus 28: 1).

Before reaching the promised land, the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert. Once, during this time, the Israelites rebelled against God and turned to idolatry. But the tribe of Levi remained faithful and fought against the idolaters. Therefore, God chose the Levites to work in the temple service (Numbers 8:9-11).

The Levites stayed around the Tabernacle, as it was their duty to take care of the entire Tabernacle, from the ark to the nails and utensils in general. Thus, they were not counted among the tribes (Numbers 1:47-51). They served the priesthood (Number 2:33). The Levites did all the work connected with the temple of God. Aaron's descendants were the priests, the only ones who could enter the temple building to offer sacrifices to the Lord (Leviticus 1:10-11). They also blessed the people, carried the Ark of the Covenant, and received sacrifices for their sustenance.

The tribe of Levi would fight in the spiritual army. God had marked them for this work. Aaron would have significant work ahead of him. Numbers 3:9 says, "You shall then give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; from among the children of Israel gifts are given to them."

The other Levites were divided into clans and, at the time of the Tabernacle, carried all parts of the tent whenever it changed location. When the temple was built in Jerusalem in Solomon's time, the Levites had taken on several other functions linked to the temple:

• Doormen
• Guards
• Administrators
• Musicians and worship leaders
• Teachers who taught the laws of God

Aaron was a High Priest. Children were priests through their relationship with their Father, just as we are priests before God through our relationship with the Lord Jesus. This would make them one body, one family.

Since they worked for the temple, the Levites did not receive an inheritance of land like the other tribes of Israel. God was his inheritance. Their work in the temple was very important to the nation, so the rest of the people were responsible for supporting the Levites with their tithes (Numbers 18:23-24). The Levites then gave tithes of what they had received to support the priests. They also received some cities spread across Israel to have somewhere to live. Thus, the Levites were close to all the Israelites.