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. – Numbers 3:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 14, 2015): Numbers 3

Democracy is a bit of a strange animal. In fact, true democracy doesn’t really exist. It can’t exist, except for maybe within very small groups of people. For one thing, democracy is time consuming. I am not sure that I know very many people that are willing to examine even the candidates themselves within an election cycle. If you are an American, what do you know beyond the sound bites of a candidate like Carly Fiorina. She is on the rise, but the more interesting question is simply this - does the average American understand why? In the Canadian political race, there are three contestants for the ultimate Canadian political prize. Two of them are known names, but maybe the most interesting one carries a name that is recognized but few really know the person – again, beyond just the sound bites we hear on T.V. Justin Trudeau carries a well-known political name, and many seem to believe that he was born to be Prime Minister, but I wonder if the average Canadian has taken the time to understand how he is similar and, maybe more importantly, how he differs from his famous father, former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

And if we are unwilling to give the time necessary to research the candidates, then how will we ever make time in our lives to research the issues. The unfortunate truth is that we are shaped in our culture by sound bites. The average person has no idea what needs to be done to fix the economy, or how our foreign affairs could be carried out in a more constructive way. In times of crisis, if it were left up to us we would probably find ourselves hiding somewhere in a hole hoping to survive until the crisis had ended. We don’t have time to do the research, and so we vote for and hire someone else to do that job. Admittedly, after voting for them we often meddle so much in what we hired them to do that the job becomes tremendously more difficult, but that is why they are so well paid. True democracy requires a population that is willing to be informed on every issue, and our reality is that we simply do not have the time or the inclination to be the guardians of that kind of information. If we lived in a true democracy, nothing else would get done.

Israel’s main task was to honor and serve God. It was the main task, but it was not the only task. Much like us, there was a day to day routine that had to be completed. Food had to be brought in so that they could eat and water so that they could drink. Justice had to be handed out to those who refused to follow the societal rules. Public works had to be completed. An army needed to be trained and at the ready in case of a national emergency. The list could go on and on, just like our list goes on. And every one of these tasks took away from the task at hand – honoring and serving God. It is not that the rest of Israel could now be excused from being involved in the main task; God needed to be at the center of every activity. But there were some things that the average person simply had no time to do. If it was left up to them, these tasks would simply remain undone.

Enter the Levites. They were to fill that gap. Their job was to do minister in the Tabernacle before God – to take care of the things in the Tabernacle for which the average person just didn’t have time. They ministered before God, they completed the sacrifices, and reminded the average person of their own personal responsibilities before God – even in the midst of their busy daily lives. As a result of this specialized task, the Levites had no inheritance among Israel, they were to be cared for by the people.

But the unfortunate reality is that often the Levites were forgotten. When the people threw away the God of Israel, they also threw away the Levites. They toiled without the recognition that they deserved. They worked without pay.

As hard as it might be, sometimes we really need to pause and remember our politicians. Whether or not they are of the stripe that we would have ruling over us, theirs is a tough job. And we often don’t make that job any easier. And yet, as we consistently find ourselves in crisis, they are there to respond on our behalf, and to do the job for which they were elected. And for that they deserve our gratitude.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 4