The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them. – 2 Chronicles 35:15

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 7, 2017): 2 Chronicles 35

One of my favorite quotes is that “if you are a leader and no one is following you, then you are just a person out for a walk.” I like the quote, but I also recognize the problem with it in a fake news world. I am convinced that much of the stories that I am reading on certain “sites” and “social media platforms” was written by people hoping that someone would follow. Because their purpose was to produce followers, often this news is written with a bias that says, “I know that there is a certain part of the population that believes this is true already, so if I write about it, then they will follow me.” In this case, the follows mean hits to websites for which advertisers will pay a premium. New sites are being created on a daily basis, and then shut down as soon as someone labels them as “fake news” only to appear someplace else under a different name. They have followers, but they are not leading us anywhere. They are just playing the tune that we already hear inside our heads.

But there are also other “leaders” who have far fewer followers, or maybe no followers, who are trying to lead us someplace worth going. In a world waiting for war, they whisper peace; in a structure that values the individual performer, they strive for together. Often, in our media blasted world, we don’t hear their voices. But we need to hear them because they are speaking something worth our ears.

The Priests and the Levites were charged with the task of leading the nation spiritually. In some ways, this division was a false one. The priests were Levites, but they were Levites who were descendants of a priestly branch of the family. The descendants of Asaph were also Levites, but in this case, they were Levites in charge of the music in the Temple because of that particular family’s musical ability. But from a spiritual point of view, together they led Israel.

Except, in this case, it seems that the Levites who were not the descendants of Aaron (the priests) or Asaph (the musicians) were followers, but this too is a false reading (or fake news.) In this case, as the Priests ministered before God in the Temple making the sacrifices and the musicians prepared to sing their songs and the gatekeepers (also Levites) stood at their post, the rest of the Levites did the menial task of preparing for the Passover Celebration for them – not because they had to or that they were not leaders, but because it was the right thing to do. They were leading in their own way, whether or not anyone was following.

Real leadership is often lonely because our society doesn’t often seem to care about is right. To lead us into wrong is often more popular than to do the right thing. Our churches and social groups are filled with these kind of servant-leaders who are willing to set the example for us and do what is right. My grandfather left me with a legacy of this sort of leadership example. One phrase I heard him say repeatedly was “I can’t sing, and I can’t preach, but I can support those who do.” This is the kind of leadership we find in this passage offered by the Levites. And our world doesn’t work without this kind of leader.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 36