This was their appointed order of ministering when they entered the temple of the LORD, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their ancestor Aaron, as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded him. – 1 Chronicles 24:19

Today's Scripture Reading (October 30, 2025): 1 Chronicles 24

Unemployment. It is the scourge of modern society. If only we had jobs for every non-disabled (my computer tells me able-bodied is a non-inclusive term; I am still learning) worker, maybe we could cure some of the ills of our society. As I write this, the local jobless rate is 7.8 per cent. It has changed little from a year ago, when the unemployment rate was 7.5 percent. At this moment, the unemployment rate is one of the highest in the nation. Part of the problem is that this area is also one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation, and evidently, jobs have not been able to keep up with the increasing population.

But if we are going to compare unemployment rates, I am much happier with the 7.8 percent local unemployment rate than with the jobless rate in places like South Africa, which currently sits at 33.2 percent. In South Africa, one in three people seeking employment can't find it.

Of course, unemployment rates are also problematic because they don't count people who want to work, but have given up on the hope of finding employment. Unemployment is also different across various industries in the area. One sector might have a surplus of workers while another is desperate for people with a particular skillset or education. All of this makes unemployment a complicated problem to tame.

In the time of Aaron, the tribe of Levi had been set aside to work in the Tabernacle. There was a particular number of people, and a set number of jobs. For instance, there were some workers whose job it was to tear down, move, and set up the Tabernacle. However, in the time of David, the Tabernacle seldom moved. And soon, David had plans for a permanent Temple in Jerusalem, and that building would never be moved. There had also been a considerable increase in the number of people from the Tribe of Levi who had been set aside for work in the Temple. So, the choice was to give the lucky few work in the Temple or to spread out the various tasks among all the Levites.

David decided to do the latter. He decided to divide the Levites into twenty-four groups, with each group serving in the Temple for one week, twice a year. Later, these groups of Levites would be attached to the forty-eight-week Lunar Calendar. Of course, it also had to be flexible, with some groups losing members while others grew and had too many. At the time of the first return after the Babylonian exile, only enough Levites chose to return to have four groups ministering at the destroyed Temple. A decade later, that number had increased to twenty-two groups of Levites, but half of them were new creations and not the original groups that David had organized. However, the system allowed all of the Levites who wanted to be involved to serve in the manner that had been imagined back in the days of David, as well as in the era of Moses and Aaron.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 25