Levites

Genesis 49, verse 1, And Jacob called his sons and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in last days. Verse 2, gather, a different word is used this time, yourselves together, and hear ye, sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel your father. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength.

The excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. I think he'd have longed if dad had just stopped there. But he goes on, Unstable is water, thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, thou despilest thy, thou went, he went up to my couch.

Now, verse 5 really is my verse. Simeon and Levi are brethren, instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. Over to Exodus, please.

Book of Exodus in chapter 32. Exodus 32, verse number 26. And Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me.

And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And of course, Moses will write, I'm not going to take time to read it, in Deuteronomy 33. Our brother William Gates gave an excellent word on Deuteronomy 33 last weekend, two weeks ago, I guess it was, in Kansas.

And that is true. And now go over to Acts, please. The book of the Acts, chapter 4. Acts chapter 4, and they have brought their possessions and laid them down at the apostles' feet.

Verse 36, Joses, who by the apostles was surname Barnabas, which is being interpreted the son of consolation, a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. Finally, chapter 11 of Acts. Acts chapter 11, verse 19.

Now they which were scattered abroad upon this persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phinehas and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. You notice that. Verse 20, and some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.

And the hand of the Lord was with them, and great number believed and turned unto the Lord. Amazing how God used those men. So not disconnected with Jerusalem, but not really that closely connected with them.

Verse 22, then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church, which is in Jerusalem, and they sent for Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. And when he came, and seen the grace of God, and was glad and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith, and of much people, was added unto the Lord.

Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people.

And the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. Now, I did not take time to read Luke's Gospel chapter 10, but what I'd like to speak on this afternoon is the only two in our New Testament, and Luke tells us about them both, that are called Levites. Who would they be? I said, Luke chapter 10, we have a Levite there.

He's the man that came and passed by on the other side of the road, and offered absolutely no assistance, just a cold, callous, indifferent attitude toward a man that was such in his need. And we find the other Levite mentioned as such in our New Testament, just the opposite kind of a man. Kind man.

He was everything, this man Barnabas was everything, that the other Levite wasn't. Now, I know, just relax brethren, all the theologians, I know there's lots of others in the New Testament, we could go over them, I mean there's Aaron, Moses, Phinehas, Samuel, Jehoiada, Ezekiel, Ezra, Malachi, John the Baptist, Matthew, Mark, they were Levites, born of that tribe. But the only two that are called Levites are these two men.

Levi did not have a good beginning. How I want to, just to give you the outset of this, I want to think of Levi in Genesis 49 as the natural man. Just a natural man.

I want you to think of Levi when it came to the sons of Levi in the issue of the calf in Genesis chapter 32 as Levi, the spiritual man. Now we'll come back to that, that was quite a feat that day. Missed all those to step and stand out and join himself unto the Lord.

And to be numbered as his people, gathered again on a different occasion with those that would stand against what had happened with the calf. When we come to the New Testament, you with me? Not falling over, are you? When we come to the New Testament, the first Levite that we read about, he's just a natural man. An unregenerate man, if you want.

A religious man, if you like. With absolutely no connection to a man that stood in such need that day. Could I say this? That if you went to this man's house in the language of Jacob in Genesis chapter 49, there were instruments of cruelty in his house.

When I come to a man like Barnabas, I don't have the natural man. I have the spiritual man. I don't have the religious man, I have a regenerated man.

So I just want to run the two of them together with you, but just come back for a minute, back to Genesis chapter 49, which I find to be a very interesting chapter. Must have been quite a thing when that old patriarch gathered those boys together. They must have been out doing their work.

They were energetic, ambitious men. And they said, hey, Dad wants us. You see them gather.

What's on? What did you do? No, they had bad consciences, all of them. Hey, what are you up to? Dad wants us? Yeah, Dad wants us. So pretty soon the signal is given, the call is given, and they go and see him.

They kind of circle the old man's bed, and there he is. And they watch him as he starts to rise off that bed, swing those old legs out, gets that staff. He looks Reuben right in the eye.

He starts off, Reuben, thou art my firstborn. My might and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. I know it's my imagination, but I almost see Reuben going, whoa, doesn't get any better than this.

I kind of look down the line and say, I wonder how those boys will fare. Did you hear what Dad said? By the time Dad was done talking, you know what Reuben would say? It doesn't get any worse than this. Listen to what he says as he goes on.

Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, and defiled thou it, and thou went up to my couch, and so on. That's Reuben. I can somehow see Levi standing there, not knowing what's coming on now.

Now he's going to pull the two together. Levi, the thirdborn of the family, with a difficult past in his home, with a home that was constantly, where there was contention, there was rivalry, there was everything there shouldn't be in his home. Now here's Levi.

I think he must be just about shaken by now. And he looked at them and he said, Levi and Simeon, instruments of cruelty are in thy habitations. Boy.

The rest of those boys must have thought, whoa. You see, I believe that when it comes to the issue, this is a digression, when it comes to the issue of Joseph, Reuben could have stopped the whole thing. Reminded in worship this morning that he did the best he could.

That's not enough. He would offer to go surety. And Judah would offer his own.

And if you want, personally, I believe that it was Simeon that likely pushed Joseph into that pit. You see, Jacob wasn't always fooled as much as you might think. No, no.

You remember, I think that when they, I don't think at all from the Bible, when they came back with that line about the coat and so on and everything else, that was fine. But what does Jacob say later on? Me, ye have bereaved. You did it.

Boy, you can see the kind of drawback. How did he know that? How did he know that? My father is 93 years of age and I have a hard time sneaking one past him. Just when you think you might want to pull one over on dad, you don't try that, do you? Huh? You never ever.

What are you smiling for? He only pulled one over on Jacob. He knew what was going on. And he knew when it come to this man, Levi.

Simeon, Levi, he says, are brethren. To their credit. They're brethren.

But maybe in the wrong way. Instruments of cruelty, he says, are in their habitations. And really, at the end of Genesis chapter 49, you've just got the picture of a natural man.

Now, if you went over to Deuteronomy chapter 33, where Brother Skates ministered from in Kansas two weeks ago, you got Moses' perspective of him. How different that is. So you've got the natural man back here.

And now we go over and we have the spiritual man in Exodus chapter 32. And it's very given. It's very plain.

It's just spelled out to them. Moses stood in the gate, does it say, of the camp and said, who's on the Lord's side? Brethren, is that a too outdated question to ask you in the meeting this afternoon? Whose side are you really on? Well, you see, the Bre- Someone asked you, whose side are you on? We don't have calves. Excuse me? Hosea didn't think he had idolatry either, but he learned he had it.

In Israel in general, brethren, sisters, we do have things in our lives that keep us on the other side. Keep us on the other side that, I think it was Mr. Bergsman was speaking to us about the other day, the side of the cross. Who's on the Lord's side? And so they must stand and look around.

And of all people, Levi rises to the moment. Almost, count me in. Count me in.

And look at the history of Levi from then as you go along your scriptures. And you get a different perspective of the Levites. But now I want to come quickly to what we have over here in chapter 11.

I'm not going to dwell in chapter 10 with the Levite, with the man at the side of the road. With what I've already said about him, he's just everything we shouldn't be. You know, it wasn't that the Levite and the priest were bad men.

They were just busy men. Did you ever get that way? Well, they tell me if you get retired, you'll never be busier than you ever were. You'll have more to do and whatever that is when you retire.

But you know, I've been at this long enough, brethren, if you want to get a job done, do you know who to get to do it? The busiest man you can find. He can do it. But these men here, on they go.

Thank God for the one that comes along that can meet his need. But now let's come over to Acts chapter 11. So I think you've stayed with me back in the Old Testament.

We've got the picture in Genesis chapter 49. There's the natural man. Simeon and Levi are brethren.

Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. Brethren, it wouldn't hurt after this conference if we went home and did a little housekeeping. Housekeeping.

I tell you, you don't have to go as far as home. As far as I know, after over 50 years in the assembly, one of the greatest instruments, and I would be as guilty as anybody, one of the greatest instruments of cruelty is what's between my teeth right now. Say things and think, what did I say that for? Just to tone away something that said it.

Do I have to go farther than that? Things that are in our habitations are things that are close to us, things that we constantly use. Go to New Testament teaching and we learn the truth of the instruments. The body is an instrument and yielding our members as instruments of righteousness.

Why don't we go in for that? Natural man can't do that. The unregenerate can't do it. The religious man can't do it.

And in Genesis chapter 49, they weren't doing it. But there's a change that happens. In the midst of all that is taking place with the idolatry and Moses coming down on the mountain and so on, with all that is taking place of old people, Levi stands up.

It's nice when we have brethren and sisters that do that. It's nice when we have maybe a couple, maybe I'm speaking to someone today, and really, truth be known, and if you were to be honest just with yourself, if you're not being honest with me, you haven't really put into the assembly what you could. And you know it.

Would that change? What would it take to change that? I don't even want to suggest to you things that can change it because I know people that have changed it. And sometimes it's been a very hard course. But you've got to change, man.

In Exodus chapter 32, you've still got the Levite, mentioned as the Levite, as the natural man, but now we come to a much better character, this man by the name of Barnabas. I want to know some things about Barnabas today. First of all, I want you to know a response, a rejoicing that marked him.

Also, here was a man that was a man marked by generosity. He was a man that was grateful, and he was a gracious man. And I will race through these as quickly as I can and give you just what I consider the main features of it.

Here is a man coming on a scene, Barnabas. And it's very interesting, the circumstances, just the situation in which he has come. Do you know, God never sends, are you with me? God never sends the wrong man to the place of his work.

Now, wrong men have gone to the place they should never have gone to. But God never sends the wrong man. We can call a wrong man, but God doesn't.

Now, that doesn't mean you shouldn't call for men. I'm going to show you before I'm done here, there was a calling for men. But here's Barnabas, and he comes upon the scene, and he's just thrilled.

He sees that, you know, don't tell me there weren't difficulties in a new work. There is. Some of us have been there, so to speak.

I haven't done that. I would say that in a natural sense. We're still trying to do it.

But there are difficulties associated with a new work, whether it is down in Ankeny, whether it is back in New Brunswick, whether it is in the north of Ireland or the northern part or southwest east of the United States. There are difficulties. Now, it isn't that this man would blindside that, but he would see something that was so surmounting to that.

You know what it was? The grace of God. He would come, and he would see the grace of God, and he was glad, it says. That's his response, because it says the hand of the Lord was with them.

Whenever the hand of the Lord is with them, there's always blessing. Isn't that what we covet? We covet his hand. We covet his presence.

The hand of the Lord was with them, it says. There was blessing. But more than that, you know, maybe just at this moment, I don't want to be too hard on older established assemblies, but maybe just at this moment, the work in Antioch was kind of moving underneath the radar of Jerusalem.

They didn't see that. Yeah, something going on up there. They heard maybe whatever.

You know how it goes. But thank God for a man like Barnabas. Here was a man that could see and a church that could hear.

The church back in Jerusalem, whether it was really a desire of theirs to go and see, I'm not sure, but they could hear. Am I speaking today to a church that can hear? And what they heard of was the work being done. And now here's a man, and he actually not only heard of it, but he goes and sees it.

Let me encourage overseers here today, there's nothing more, not just simply because we want you in the meeting for that, but it's delightful in a new work or wherever it might be to see an overseer from the assembly come in and see the work. And he can go back and give firsthand report. And he can put to rest any type of tales or things that are wrong that are going on.

And nice when he can go back and say, listen, I know brethren have traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles to see the work of a man they have commended. And they have come back and told the saints what they saw. And it wasn't long until the man that they went to see, he came back and gave a report.

Nice when there's a fervent interest like that. That's what's happening in the life of this man, Barnabas. You know, more than that, you know, so if Jerusalem doesn't move, God moves other men.

I just came from Phoenix, where I've been all over, San Diego last Sunday. One of the brethren came to me and I could almost tell the tourney was coming. His hands are down, shoulders are drooped.

Well, he said, what do you think? I said, it's terrific. He liked to wonder what state I was in. I was in California.

I said, it's terrific. Last time I was here, brethren, there wasn't a single soul in the back seat. I counted 14 this morning.

14. Yeah, 14. And I might as well tell you there were Mexican people.

Now, don't be asking me are they legal or illegal in the country. Go talk to your government about that. Okay? I'm a Canadian.

I don't live here. I can speak pretty easy. There they were.

And I look around the circle and I watch this man giving thanks and worshiping. And he comes from the same country. And if you had taken that section out of that assembly, you would have seen what I saw 10 years ago in San Diego.

So as we got talking, his shoulders kind of straightened up a bit. Yeah, he said, you know, we're kind of glad too. Let me ask you today, how much does it really rejoice your heart when you hear of God working in these places? Even if it didn't happen to come on your screen, brethren, here's a man that was thrilled.

None of that. The response, the rejoicing. Now, it says he was a good man.

He wasn't a rough man. He wasn't like Esau. We don't need rough men.

Brethren, we can be rough without trying. But we don't need smooth either. No, no, no, no.

Don't you give me these smooth characters. They're like a seal. If they slip going off this platform, they slide to their seat.

Don't want a rough man. I don't want a smooth man. But you know what I want? A good man.

What a Barnabas. Man that was marked by generosity. First thing that we read about this man, having land, sold it.

Don't read about how many acres he had, how much it was worth. He just had land and he sold it. To him, no big deal.

Do you know why? It wasn't really his life. You know where his life was? In this church. In the prosperity of that church.

That's the kind of man that God can use as a generous man. And that's what you find in this man like Barnabas. Now, I am the recipient, as a number of others are here today, to the generosity of God's people.

You will not find me speaking negative, I hope, ever of God's people. I want to tell you there's other countries that could learn much from the American people. That's their generosity.

You know that. I've been to other places. I'm just going to tell you.

Yeah, they give me fellowship. It wasn't enough to park the car at Heathrow Airport. I thought they needed it worse than I did.

I wanted to give it back. I haven't told anywhere else. I'm not going to tell you where it happened either, but I know you're going to start guessing.

But anyhow, let's not get on that. I'm reminded of the man that, of all things, decided he wanted to buy it. He'd been away from home for a while.

He wanted to buy his wife some perfume. That's just not my department. My girls look after that.

I don't get into that, okay? But this boy, he decided he was going to buy her some perfume. Take her home and cheer her heart. Well, buy her something anyhow.

So he went to the store. And the clerk went to the perfume counter. I wouldn't be caught dead in the place, but he was there.

And he said, so what do you got? She said, great girl. He started bringing out some nice perfume. How much is that? $250.

$250? Oh, no, no. So he went down the line, $100 and $150, and finally got down to, I don't know what you can buy a perfume for, $50. Look, he says, do you not understand? He says, I just want to see something real cheap.

She said, no problem. She grabbed the mirror and put it over on him. How do we make out in that? Why don't you get in the perfume department? I don't know who's taking your picture, okay? Here's the generous man.

Why are you going to take his picture? We've got his picture right here in Acts 11. Look at this Levite. You take the name, the association of the name would be enough to say, like the sons of Korah, don't go into our past.

Here's the grace of God. Not only the grace of God, he sees the grace of God. He sees a work developing.

Now, mind you, in all honesty, maybe he would have said, hey, this is you boys, kind of clear out here. He said, I'll look after it from here, and I'll write the magazine and tell them how good my work's going. Besides, you boys don't have any, like Mr. Paisley says, pens in your pocket, and a big Bible case, so out.

No, no, you don't do that. Know what he came to do? He came to strengthen their hands and encourage them in the work. Nice way you could do that.

And that's the generous man. He sees the grace of God, and he is glad. He is a grateful man.

Yeah, he's grateful for what God has done. Just read down there in the verses as we read together. Exhaust them that with purpose of heart they should cleave unto the Lord.

Good advice. But you know what this man realized? That there's somebody else that's likely needed in this work too. In other words, he doesn't start to become a turf tiger.

Okay, like, hey, you're on my turf here. What are you doing here? Don't know. He said, you know what this work needs? He's a younger man than I am, but that's what the work needs.

And it takes a big man to do this. Mind you, it takes a big man to rejoice in the work of others. I remember hearing Tom Bentley minister years ago, and he said there is something about us that finds it much easier to sympathize with a man that's going through deep sorrow and bereavement than there is to rejoice with a man when he's seeing God's hand and blessing to write him and say, hey, we're with you.

Glad to hear that. Speaks to me. I'll be honest with you, I've had to push myself to do it.

You know how many times I've heard from anybody? Twice in 35 years. I'm talking about full-time servants. Of course, that's all we got is two servants, isn't it? Here's a man, he's a big man.

He not only can rejoice in that work, but he's a big enough man to send for somebody else and say, hey, come on, we need you. Come and help us. Paul wouldn't have gone without invitation.

Saul wouldn't have gone, as we say, without invitation. So it tells me something else, that he is not only a grateful man, he is a gracious man. Gracious man.

And as a result of that, Paul will come and, not to come and put his stamp on this thing, but simply to come and just to be able to, the number of testimony, view what is going on and to join in the rejoicing and the thanking of God for it. Brethren and sisters, we do that when we come to Iowa. We do.

We do. God knows we do. To come and see the grace of God and to rejoice in it and thank God for it.

I trust that we can always do that. You know how it started out with? It started with a man that was a Levite. Now you and I, I go back to Genesis chapter 49.

You know what Levi first had to face? We had to face when we were in our sins, our past. Our past, our guilt. No argument about it.

Simeon and Levi own up to it. Things got much better when you get to what Moses says in Deuteronomy chapter 33. As a result, what had happened in Exodus chapter 32, when there was a tribe that stood up and claimed themselves on the Lord's side, almost parallel to what those men would say in David's day.

What did they say? Thine we are, David. Thine we are. And on thy side comes son of Jesse.