On Sunday during worship I had some interesting insight, that I thought was worth digging into a bit more. I was looking at some scripture in Exodus and Genesis, specifically about the Levites, and ran across something that grabbed my attention.
In Genesis, as Jacob is getting ready to die, he calls his sons together and speaks prophetically over them. I remember reading the bit about Judah, and Jacob rightly prophesies that Judah will ultimately rule over the other tribes. Since I was looking at the tribe of the Levites, I thought I would read what Jacob said about them, and these are the verses - Genesis 49:5-7 NIV:
[5] “Simeon and Levi are brothers---their swords are weapons of violence.
[6] Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
[7] Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel."
To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I was expecting (in my poor memory of these verses) something along the line of what Jacob prophesied over Judah, that Levi would serve God, and was chosen by God for this special honor, or something positive at least. Instead Simeon and Levi are essentially cursed, and told that they will be dispersed and lose any significance. Wow, imagine having heard that in the presence of all your brothers! I am sure they were rocked, they might have been mocked, and from that day forward the people of the tribe of Levi must have felt under a heavy word.
As I was reflecting on all of this, one of our pastoral team got up and spoke an encouragement to those that had been with family over the holidays, and specifically those that had difficult situations. As I was listening to him, I was thinking of so many people that I knew who lived under the shackles of harsh or critical words spoken about them, or over them by family members, former teachers, bosses, friends, or whoever. Often these words become turning points, as they become internalized, and people live the rest of their lives trying to prove those words aren't correct, or they live in agreement and allow themselves to be limited by them, suffering self-esteem issues, even self-hatred. There are those that I know that spend their lives trying to gain their parents approval, because of harsh or hurtful words that were spoken to them as children. There are those that experience this afresh when they see family over the holidays. I imagine that Levi, and all the Levites had a similar experience following this word being spoken over their lives, and relived it over an over again.
However, I must say that this is clearly not the end of the story for the Levites, because God had a different plan, and He had a different word He was going to speak over them. I think the first indication of change was that Moses was born into tribe of Levi (See Exodus 2:1). There are several references to Levites in the story of Exodus, but rather than focus on them I want to look at how God spoke about the Levites in Numbers 3:11-13 NIV:
[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.”
What a completely different word God spoke concerning the Levites! In fact later, as the promised land was being allotted, the Levites weren't given an inheritance of land, as noted here - Joshua 13:33 NIV: "But to the tribe of Levi, Moses had given no inheritance; the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as he promised them."
Not only is the tribe of Levi claimed by God, "they are to be mine", He (God) is their inheritance!
Wow, wow, wow! What a complete change of destiny!
This is my great encouragement today! God's word is the only word we should listen to in our lives, concerning our destiny! His word is the FINAL word! He sees our true value, our true purpose, our true destiny. Our parents, former teachers, bosses, false friends, co-workers, coaches, or whoever has spoken negative words into your life, don't have the final say! God's word can set you free!
I am sure that the former words of Jacob, although written in their books of Law, no longer had any weight in the lives of the Levites, after they heard God say He chose them, they were His, and He was theirs!
My prayer today is that the power of any such word, spoken over anyone I know, or who reads this, will be broken by Jesus! For His words are simple and true. I love You, I have chosen You and You are mine!
Amen and Amen!
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