It's the Heart That Counts

God chooses people to serve Him, and God also chooses the role of service for each person. Sometimes God determines a special position of leadership and blessing, as He did for the house of Aaron. Regarding the tribe of Levi, "Thus says the LORD, 'Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh's house? Did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be My priests?'" (I Samuel 2:27-28).

By the time this passage was recorded, many generations had passed. God's choice of the tribe of Levi to serve as priests was well-established and long-standing. It seemed to be a given that every Levite to follow would enjoy the same position of honor and distinguished service.

The story of Eli and his sons, however, reveals that God has requirements for those who would serve Him in special roles. In addition to the warning delivered through young Samuel, God also sent a prophet to declare His displeasure with the sons of Eli.

The prophet proclaimed, "Therefore the LORD God of Israel declares, 'I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever'; but now the LORD declares, 'Far be it from Me - for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed'" (I Samuel 2:30).

God's message through the prophet reveals that He did indeed intend for the role of the Levites as priests to be a given. God intended for that role to continue perpetually. In Eli's case, however, God was making an exception. The position of honor would be taken from Eli's family. Eli's sons would die, and Eli's family would be disgraced. God said that He would "not cut off every man" of Eli's family, lest the grief be too much to bear, but "everyone who is left" would have to come begging before the new priest, asking for the most menial jobs in order to have food to eat (vs. 33&36).

What had happened in Eli's family that warranted such harsh judgment? What had they done to deserve being cut off from the historic and traditional role of the Levites? The two sons were worthless men" (v. 12). They made themselves "fat with the choicest of every offering," abusing the system of provision God had established (v. 29). They forcibly appropriated meat without even allowing it to follow the normal offering procedure (vs. 15-16). "They lay with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting" (v. 22). God's summary was that these sons "despised" the very worship in which they were supposed to be serving (vs. 17&20). Sadly, Eli never did more than offer verbal rebukes. God declared that Eli honored his sons above God Himself (v. 29).

God's decision was clear. He would not allow such godless, self-honoring men to continue in roles of distinguished service. God would bring dishonor instead of the honor they had enjoyed until now. These men who cared nothing for God's work but who cared only for themselves and their own pleasure would no longer be permitted to continue in their positions. The father who allowed and enabled his sons to take such a careless position would see the ruination of his family.

The heritage of these men did not matter. Their heritage was rich. Their family had been hand-chosen by God and placed into the special role as priests. For many years the Levites had continued in that role. Their ancestor Aaron was a great man of God, and there were instances in which only the Levites remained faithful when the rest of Israel fell into sin. The Levites had sometimes been called upon to execute purifying judgment as well as to continually lead in right worship. That heritage was not enough to save Eli and his sons.

The actual position of these men did not matter. They were in the role of priests and had been so for many years. In spite of their abuses, shenanigans, and sins, they had so far remained in that position. It probably seemed as if their position made them immune from judgment. They had gotten away with their self-honoring practices for so long that it seemed they would be allowed to continue using the priestly office for their own benefit. God determined that their actual position was not enough to save them.

It is not hard to see why God was so displeased with these men. Any fair-minded reader will acknowledge that it was right for God to remove them from their office. They clearly fell far distant from God's expectations.

If heritage and position are not God's requirements, what are His requirements? What would a man have to be like in order to be approved for God's service? God reveals His answer by telling about the priest He would choose. "But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always" (I Samuel 3:35).

Someone who would serve God must be faithful. He must do what God wants him to do. He must be in tune with God's heart and care about the same things God cares about. Someone who serves God must be God-honoring instead of self-honoring. Instead of despising God's work, he must be devoted to that work. When God finds a servant with these characteristics, He is willing to establish such a man or woman in perpetual service. This is the kind of person who can serve with God's approval until the day he dies.

"My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me" (Psalm 101:6)

Something Changed

When Joshua became Israel's leader, the people made a commitment to him. "All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you" (Joshua 1:16-17). At one point when I read this statement in my Bible, I made a little notation: "Oh, no!" After the trouble Israel had repeatedly given Moses, their statement to Joshua didn't seem very reassuring.

Continued reading and studying revealed that their promise wasn't that outrageous. True, Israel had sometimes failed (like with the golden calf). More frequent than disobedience, however, was grumbling and complaint. For the most part, Israel basically followed Moses' commandments. They just gave him a hard time in the process. Among the statements that Israel obeyed Moses are Exodus 12:28, Exodus 12:50, Exodus 39:32, Leviticus 24:23, Numbers 2:34, Numbers 31:7, and Deuteronomy 34:9.

Even under Joshua's leadership, the people continued to obey what Moses had commanded. "Thus the sons of Israel did just as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they divided the land" (Joshua 14:5). Joshua himself acknowledged this obedience. "You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you. You have not forsaken your brothers these many days to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God" (Joshua 22:2-3).

As Joshua neared the end of his life and leadership, he challenged the people to continue in obedience. "But you are to cling to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day" (Joshua 23:8). Again, he states that they have been doing it, and he wants them to continue. They did. "The people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD which He had done for Israel" (Judges 2:7).

I didn't realize Israel had been so obedient, yet I also knew there was some reason for my skepticism about their commitment to Joshua. Why did I think Israel was so disobedient? The answer came as I read what happened after the deaths of Joshua and the elders who survived him. Immediately after that point, the Bible records a multitude of negative statements about Israel's obedience. These statement include "did evil in the sight of the LORD," "served the Baals," "forsook the LORD," "followed other gods," "did not listen to their judges," "turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do as their fathers," "when the judge died, ... they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers" (Judges 2:11-19).

Everything fell apart. Instead of obedience being the norm, rebellion became the norm. The book of Judges contains a well-known theme statement: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25, also 17:6). This was a far cry from obeying what Moses commanded. Now no commandment seemed to have any bearing on them. Individuals became their own law. This pattern of rebellion sometimes subsided temporarily, but for the most part it was indicative of their behavior from that point forward.

What made the difference? The Bible itself says obedience continued only through those "who had seen all the great works of the LORD which He had done for Israel" (Judges 2:7). The younger ones who did not see the great works of God also did not follow Him.

While there is a challenge for everyone to remember the great works he himself has seen, the greater challenge is to somehow help newer generations see God's works. No one is going to follow any god that he does not think is worthy of following.

It is a shame when people will not follow the true God, because He is indeed worthy of following. People have to know Him well enough to realize that. Certainly it is a great tragedy for children to grow up in Christian homes and solid churches and not come to that realization.

I don't have all the answers, but I believe we must do better at magnifying God. Instead of contributing to a diminished perception of God's greatness, we ought to be exalting Him at every opportunity. We need to be telling others what He has done in our lives. We need to publically share testimonies that highlight His great hand. We cannot take for granted the blessings that He routinely gives. We must help our children to see His works on a regular basis.

Sharing God's great works in our lives is important, but we must also help people to see God's great works in their own lives. Our young people need to realize that God is doing great things for them and that He is involved in their lives. They need to realize how actively He is involved and how very different their lives would be without His hand at work. God's action is constant but easily overlooked.

This must be why the Bible instructs as it does in Deuteronomy 6 that the teaching of our children must be constant. God states the purpose: "that you and your son and your grandson might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life" (v. 2). Then God tells how to achieve that purpose: "You shall teach [these words] diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up" (v. 7). May it never be that the young people within our sphere of influence fail to follow God because we failed to regularly make God big to them!

Remember Where You Came From

"Remember that you were a slave." This instruction, or a similar wording, occurs at least ten times in God's instructions to Israel. Strange as it may seem, it was God's plan for His people to live in Egypt for a time. His initial purpose was to preserve the nation in a time of famine. He then used that bountiful land as a haven where the nation could multiply. Even the slavery aspect of the sojourn in Egypt had divine purposes.

First, the history of slavery was intended to prompt gratitude and worship to God. As Moses reviewed the fourth commandment about keeping the Sabbath, he instructed: "You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day" (Deuteronomy 5:15). A God who would bring such a grand deliverance was deserving of worship. It was fitting that the people would reserve one day each week to gratefully serve their deliverer-God.

In the instructions about celebrating the Feast of Weeks (Harvest), Moses described the giving of offerings at the taking in of the first grain. The corporate celebration was to include family, strangers, and widows. Moses urged, "You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes" (Deuteronomy 16:12). The very God who had delivered them from slavery was now giving them additional provision. Again, gratitude and worship were due to this faithful provider-God.

Second, the history of slavery was to prompt respect rather than bitterness for the oppressors.  God instructed, "You shall not detest an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land" (Deuteronomy 23:7). The Israelites were treated harshly in Egypt, but there are two sides to every story. The everyday Egyptians had not asked to be infiltrated by a people that would grow to the point of threatening their existence. The common Egyptians had not invited the family of Jacob. From a certain aspect, Egypt was invaded. Israel was no threat in the beginning, but the balance changed over time. To some extent (especially at first) the Egyptians absorbed these strangers and allowed them to consume a portion of their bounty. While the Egyptians didn't exactly embrace the Israelites, they did provide life-sustaining sustenance during a time of need. God said the proper response was respectful thanks for the good rather than bitter hatred for the evil.

Third, the experience of slavery was to promote compassion. As God described the proper treatment of aliens residing among the Israelites, He declared, "You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 23:9). Having suffered, having been hurt, and having been mistreated, Israel knew what that felt like. They knew the awkwardness, the sense of not belonging. Their memory of those feelings ought to have prompted them to try to alleviate those feelings for others. There was no place for calloused indifference nor for vengeful "payback." Their compassion should have brought an end to the cycle of hurt.

Fourth, having been slaves should have fostered a sense of justice. As slaves, Israel was without a protector or advocate. Now in their own land, people falling into that defenseless position included aliens, orphans, and widows. God commanded that justice for these needy ones was not to be perverted. "But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing" (Deuteronomy 24:18). "You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 22:21). When Israel was oppressed in Egypt, it was not right; neither was it right for Israel now to oppress the vulnerable in their midst.

Fifth, the history of slavery was to encourage generosity. When an Israelite owned a kinsman as a slave, he was to set that slave free in the seventh year. More significantly, the owner was not to send the former slave away empty, but rather to furnish him liberally, giving of God's blessings to him. "You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today" (Deuteronomy 15:15). Generosity was also expected with regards to the aliens, orphans, and widows. Farmers were not to go back over their fields again to gather leftovers; instead, they were to purposefully leave those remnants for the needy. "You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing" (Deuteronomy 24:22). Those who had previously gone without provision were to make sure others did not fall into the same condition.

Sixth, the experience of slavery was to prompt love. God Himself revealed that He gave justice to the widows and love to the aliens by giving them His provision. Likewise, God's people were to love and provide for others in need. "So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 10:19). Israel was instructed not to do wrong to strangers, but instead to treat them as one of their own. "The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 19:34). Slaves are not generally loved. Those who had experienced the lack of love were to offer it to others.

Having been mistreated and oppressed teaches believers how to interact with God and others. The memory of that previous oppression and the realization of the present deliverance and blessing should prompt grateful worship to God and compassionate love for others who don't yet see deliverance.