Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” — Romans 15:4

Exodus 32:25-29
Numbers 8:5-14
Numbers 3

The Tribe of Levi Arranged According to Their Families

Name         Meaning

First Class
Gershon   — A stranger, or exile
Lael         — Dedicated, or belonging to God
Eliasaph   — God has added
Shimei     — Hearing, Renowned
Libni        — For edification, White

Second Class
Kohath  — Congregation, Assembly
Hebron  — Association, communion
Amram  — Exalted people, of the exalted One
Izhar     — Oil
Uzziel   — The strength of God

Third Class
Merari   — Bitterness or sorrow
Mahli    — Sick, Pardon or a harp, sickly
Mushi   — Yielding, one who has found a refuge, forsaking
Abihail  — Father of strength
Zuriel   — My rock is God

Preface.

In sending forth a Third Edition of this little tract it may be well to state that it differs from the First Edition in a very few particulars. The only material alteration that has been made, is the removal of a statement with regard to Ministry in the Word, and Worship, where the former is asserted to be inferior to the latter. This, seeing it interferes with the dignity and importance of the ministry of the word, has been removed, and the subject has been put in a more scriptural point of view.

As to the other alterations, they have reference merely to the structure of sentences, and the softening down of statements which appeared harsh and strong.

With so much of correction this little paper is once more commended to the care of the great Head of the Church.

November; 1840.

There are few exercises more profitable for the Christian than that of reflecting upon the character of God, as unfolded in the history of the saints and fathers of ancient times recorded in the Scriptures of the Old Testament: and indeed this might be expected from the very nature of the subject, which is such that, whatever be its extent, it unfolds principles to us which stand intimately connected with all that is important for us to know or be established in. Thus, whether we get the dealings of God on a limited scale, as with any one of the fathers personally, or more widely extended, as with the seed of Israel afterwards, it is nevertheless the same lesson we are called upon to learn, namely, God and man. Now, this is what should enhance exceedingly the value of the Old Testament to the Christian; almost the great body of its teaching is of the above character: and not only so, but it also (as looked at in this point of view) guards effectually against the mere exercise of imagination; for when we consider the history of any man or people, it is not necessary that we should decide positively what is shadowed out therein; see note, It is enough for us to see that we have before us a more or less extensive development of the character and actings of God and man; and this, without ever descending beneath the surface of Scripture, cannot fail of being instructive and edifying to the soul.

{Note: In many of the Old Testament narratives, however, the instruction is so manifestly typical that even the most cautious reader, if at all familiar with Scripture, cannot refuse to look at it in that point of view. End of note}

But, of all the histories of the Old Testament embodying instruction of the above character, I believe there are few more copious, deep and varied than that which is about to engage our attention. If the narrative of a soul taken up by sovereign and eternal grace from the pit of corruption and deep depravity, carried through the various stages which grace and truth had enacted for sinful man, until at last he is set down in the very sanctuary of God and established in the enjoyment of the covenant of life and peace forever; if, I say, such a narrative would possess charms and present attractions to us, then does the history of Levi abound in this. It is only a matter of astonishment that a history fraught with such rich and varied instruction has not occupied more of the thoughts of those luminaries of the Church whose writings have been a source of comfort and instruction to all who have been taught to value the truth of God.

Yet, much as I see in the history of Levi, and much as I admire what I do see, I could not think of directing the reader’s thoughts to the subject without informing him that I purpose doing little more than to bring before his mind in a connected way the various Scriptures which treat of this most interesting question; however, these Scriptures are so plain and striking that no one who is at all familiar with Scripture truths can fail to enter into them. Now, as I purpose, with the Lord’s blessing and grace, to follow the history of Levi through all the Scriptures in which it is brought before us, I will commence with his birth, as recorded in Genesis 29:34; “And she [Leah] conceived again, and bare a son: and said, Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi” (that is, “joined”).

Here, then, we are presented with the birth and name of this most remarkable character — a name of wondrous significance as looked at in connection with his after history, whether in nature’s wild and lawless extravagance, in which we find him “joined” with his brother in the perpetration of a deed of blood and murder (Genesis 34), or in the day when he was called to drink deeply and largely of the cup of God’s electing grace, when “joined” with Aaron in “the work of the tabernacle.” (Num. 8)

Genesis 34:25-26: “And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and went out.”

As the Spirit of God in Jacob has furnished us with a striking commentary on the above piece of cruelty, we will consider the Scripture in which the commentary is given, namely, Genesis 49:5-7: “Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; to their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel; I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.”

We have here a truly humbling view of human nature as looked at in the light of the holiness of God. It is as if the Lord would say to us, Look here! behold a man clothed in nature’s blackest garb, and presenting nature’s most forbidding aspect. Examine him closely, in order that you, seeing what man is when stripped of all that false clothing which ignorance or vain self-righteousness would put upon him, may know the rich aboundings of My grace, which can avail to lift even such a one into the loftiest heights of communion — heights which human conception would utterly fail to mount, but which My grace, through the blood of the cross, can make available to the very chief of sinners.

In reading such a description as that which the above passage presents to us, how needful it is for the sinner to bear in mind that it is not only in the light of God’s holiness that he is called to look at himself, but also in the light of His grace. When this is learned he needs not be afraid to penetrate deeply into the dark recesses of his heart’s corruption; for if God in grace fill the scene, the sinner (so far as his own righteousness is concerned) must necessarily be out of the scene; and then it is no longer a question of what we think about sin, but how God will deal with it in grace, and that is simply to put it away forever — yea, to bury it forever in the waters of His forgetfulness: thus it will be placing our sin side by side with God’s grace; which is what the gospel invites us to do, and which, moreover, is the only way to arrive at a proper settlement of the question of sin. On the other hand, where this saving principle is not known — not believed — the sinner will undoubtedly seek to make the load of his guilt as light as possible, in order that he may have as little to do as he may. This will ever lead to the most unutterable and intolerable bondage; or if not to this, to that which is much worse, even to detestable religious pride, which is of all things most truly abominable in the sight of God.

Reader, if you have not as yet got the question of sin settled between your conscience and God, ponder, I do beseech you, what I have now stated; for to know this principle in spirit is life eternal. Christ has, once for all, borne sin’s deepest curse in His own body on the tree, and now even Levi can lift up his head for although he be by nature only conversant with “instruments of cruelty,” things which must have kept God forever at a distance from “his secret and his assembly;” although he be by nature cruel, fierce, self-willed, scattered, and divided, yet God can, in the exercise of His mercy, make him conversant with “the instruments of the tabernacle,” bring him into the enjoyment of the covenant of life and peace, in union with the great head of the priestly family, and, in the power of this blessed union, cause him to have his “lights and perfections with his Holy One.” (Deuteronomy 33:8; Malachi 2:4-5) However, we must not anticipate the teaching of passages which are yet to come under our notice; I will therefore close my remarks on this part of our subject by requesting my reader to compare attentively the character of Levi, as above recorded, with that which the Apostle Paul, quoting from the Psalms, has given of man generally whether Jew or Gentile: “There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understands, there is none that seeks after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD: destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace have they not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:10-18)