The sons of Moses the man of God were counted as part of the tribe of Levi. – 1 Chronicles 23:14

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 1, 2016): 1 Chronicles 23

Being King is often a hereditary affair. Queen Elizabeth II can trace her direct lineage back to Queen Victoria. Victoria, in turn, was the niece of William IV, who died without a legitimate heir. But even then, there was a historical and a blood connection. The next three Kings of the United Kingdom are very likely to be her direct heirs of Elizabeth II. Even if there are some untimely deaths in the family, there are enough of her direct descendants to carry the title on for at least the next sixty or seventy years, and probably much longer. The only question is what kind of state the Kingdom will be in when they rise to the throne. But being a royal is a family affair.

Sometimes in the Bible there is a comment that stops you, brings you back and forces you to reread it one more time. For me, this is one of those statements. Again, Chronicles was written after the Babylonian exile. It is a history book, probably drawn on many sources as it tells the story of Israel. But this phrase is a little, well, duh. Of course, Moses’ sons were part of the tribe of Levi. Moses was a member of the tribe of Levi and he would pass that position down to his sons. There was no other tribe that with whom they could be reckoned. They weren’t just counted as part of the tribe of Levi, they were full-blood members of the tribe. So the question is, what exactly is the message that the author of Chronicles is attempting to tell us?

And the reality is that there might be multiple levels to the message. But the most obvious message is that Moses was not a king. It was not an attempt to downgrade Moses. He was a man of God, and it was God who had chosen Moses for the task that he had fulfilled. But there was no hereditary angle to the position. Moses chose not to find the leadership for the next generation in his children. The responsibility for the priesthood has handed to Aaron and his sons. The political leadership of the nation was given to Joshua, a man that Moses had personally developed and mentored. After the death of Moses, his sons became just common members of the tribe with no special responsibilities. They were not heirs to the throne. God would raise up who it was that he needed to lead the nation.

A deeper message might have been that this is possibly the model that Israel needed to follow as it moved into the future. A number of the hereditary kings of Israel had led the nation astray. What they needed was God raised leadership to be in control of the nation. Nothing else would do. And maybe that is what Moses believed when he allowed his sons to become just ordinary members of the tribe of Levi.    

But on the other side of the coin, God has the ability to work even within hereditary systems. Jesus would rule as a descendant of David. He would be a hereditary king, but one that God had raised and used to change, not just Israel, but the world.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 24

Personal Note: To my Canadian Friends, Happy Canada Day.