Title: LEVI—A MAN OF
ALLIANCES
Focus: Levi’s story underscores God’s grace to reverse a curse into a blessing, and the story also points to God’s perfect High priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Function: To encourage the people to seek God’s strength and presence in the midst of trouble and adversity, for God’s grace in Jesus Christ is sufficient for us in our pilgrimage of faith.
Texts: Gen. 29:31-34; 49:1,2,5-7
Andrew was 48 years old when doctors diagnosed him with multiple myeloma. Andrew died about 18 months later. In those months of illness, treatments and therapies Andrew learned to rest in God’s ways for him. At first, Andrew found himself asking, “Why me?” Eventually, he came to testify, “Why not me?” Andrew’s diagnosis was a curse, which led to his death.
But strange though it may sound, the grace of God at work in Andrew reversed the curse of multiple myeloma into a blessing for Andrew and his family. When Andrew died, he left a legacy of faith and faithfulness. And today he is with the Lord, awaiting his inheritance when Christ will return and make all things new. In the midst of trouble, God reversed the curse of Andrew’s cancer into an unexpected triumph of grace. Out of death, God brought forth shades of grace and rays of joy and true life.
I see a similar thing happening to Levi—the third-born son of Leah and Jacob. Levi’s story underscores God’s grace to reverse a curse into a blessing, and Levi’s story also points to God’s perfect High priest, Jesus Christ. Tonight, the Scriptures encourage us to seek God’s strength and presence in the midst of trouble and adversity. For God’s grace in Jesus Christ is sufficient for us in our pilgrimage of faith.
Levi is a man with a troubled history. His troubles started before he was born. For his mother Leah was in a vicious rivalry with Rachel, competing for Jacob’s love and supremacy in her marriage. Leah used her “weapon” of fertility to get back at Rachel. First, it was Reuben who was to win over Jacob’s love for Leah; then it was Simeon. Now it is Levi.
The Scripture says that Leah again “…conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, ‘Now at last my husband will become attached to me,’ because I have borne him three sons.’ So he was named Levi.” Now the name “Levi” means something like: to adhere, to connect, to unite, to bring together, to make alliance. When Leah named her third-born son “Levi,” she expressed a strong hope that Levi would be the “glue” that would bond Jacob forever with Leah, in such a way that Rachel would no longer have supremacy or first place in her marriage with Jacob. Levi was Leah’s hope to win over Jacob’s love. Levi was supposed to be the middleman, the link, the alliance between Leah and Jacob.
Thus Levi’s troubles started already before he was born. Levi lived up to his name. He was a man of alliances. He allied himself especially with his brother Simeon. The two were like hand and glove; they were rash in their judgments, prone to self-righteousness, eager to settle disputes with brute force, and they were calculated in advancing their own self-interests. Thus we see Simeon and Levi working in tandem to kill Shechem and the members of his clan.
The story of Simeon and Levi, working in alliance like two dogs leading a pack and killing the Shechemites, is a story filled with horror and grief for their father Jacob. And thus we hear God, speaking through Jacob, reproaching Simeon and Levi. And we hear these unforgettable words: “Simeon and Levi are brothers—their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.”
Last week we noticed what this reproach meant for Simeon. Today, we observe from Scripture what God’s reproach to Levi meant: it meant that Levi would not receive a designated territory in the Promised Land of Canaan. Levi would be scattered. He would not be able to hold on to any region that he could call his “home.” Levi’s offspring would be “homeless,” living scattered and dispersed among the tribes of Levi’s brothers.
Levi would not receive an inheritance; he would not hold in his hand a deed of a portion of the Promised Land. Homelessness, being without a home territory—that’s Levi’s curse and the burden for his offspring. The man who is supposed to “hold and bring things together,” is unable to ally himself with any territory in the Promised Land. Levi’s tribe would be landless and scattered in Israel. God’s reproach upon Levi, then, is severe. Homelessness is Levi’s cross to bear. But…and here we see God’s power and grace, in due time God reverses Levi’s curse into a blessing.
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Four hundred years go by. Levi and his brothers are long dead. Their offspring find themselves in Egypt, in slavery. The house of Jacob is under stress. Will God remember his promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Will God lead them into their inheritance—the Promised Land of Canaan? Listen: (Ex. 2:1) “Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son.” That son is Moses.
In the first 80 years of his life, Moses shows himself a true son of his father Levi. He’s rugged, smart, calculated, and a man of violence. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew—a member of Jacob’s family-one of Moses’ own people. So what does Moses do? (Ex. 2:12) “Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.” Here father Levi unleashes his cursed anger and rash violence through Moses. And Moses gets into trouble.
Trying to mediate between two fighting Hebrews, Moses discovers that his killing of the Egyptian is a public matter. He flees to Midian and hides as a shepherd in the wilderness. The Levite called Moses is scattered and homeless.
Then God acts. God tames Moses in the wilderness and turns Moses’ Levitical curse into a blessing. God makes Moses a royal figure, a leader, who would stand between God and the Israelites. Moses, the Levite, becomes a man of alliances. He stands between Pharaoh and Israel. And Moses stands between Israel and God.
Moses is a true Levite: he adjoins, connects, mediates, links—he becomes the glue that holds these Hebrew slaves in Egypt together. He leads them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, through the wilderness, into the Promised Land. God is reversing Levi’s curse into a blessing.
But there is more. Moses has a brother—his name is Aaron. He, too, is a son of Levi. And God has a special calling for Aaron. Aaron and all Levi’s offspring receive the privilege of maintaining and nurturing the relationship of Jacob’s offspring with the living God. To Aaron is given the priesthood of Israel. Aaron is the priestly link between God and Israel.
Aaron would sacrifice animals on behalf of the people: sin offerings, burnt offerings, fruit offerings—prayers and petitions—all these would arise before God through the man of alliances, the son of Levi, called Aaron. Thus we see that God has a special calling for Levi’s offspring—a calling that reverses Levi’s cross or curse into a blessing.
Here are two fascinating insights from the Scriptures:
a. Levi finds a home in God’s house: Levi is homeless; he does not have any plot of land coming to him as an inheritance. Levi’s inheritance is NOT land, but God himself. God offers Levi and his offspring his house—the tent of Meeting, then the tabernacle, then the temple and entire priesthood. Levi may live and serve in the house of the Lord. This is an act of incredible grace. God reverses Levi’s curse into a blessing.
Note that Levi has not done anything to deserve this grace. Levi rests in his lot, and in doing so, Levi—through Moses and Aaron--seeks to serve God and advance God’s purposes or rule by acting on behalf of God’s people. Through willing obedience and faithful service, the Levites discover that God is calling them to a high task—serve me in my temple, live in my house, and mediate on behalf of my people. Thus I will bless you! Says the Lord. Homeless Levi receives a home in God’s house. What a portion! What an incredible inheritance!
b. Levi must serve God, not himself. Levi must give up rashness, violence, and self-will. Levi must learn to discern God’s will and guide God’s people in doing God’s will. If not, then Levi would suffer severe punishment.
This truth becomes evident when you study the Scriptures and enter the stories of Korah, the Levite, who joined Dathan and Abiram (members of Reuben’s clan) in opposition to the leadership of Moses and Abiram. God punished them severely by opening up the earth, which swallowed them and their families.
Whenever Levites failed to serve God in their task as priests and guardians of God’s temple and law among the Israelites, the Levites would receive severe punishment. Think about Eli, the priest in Samuel’s day. Think about Hofni and Phinehas, the wayward sons of Eli, who defiled God’s house of worship and led God’s people astray. They were killed in battle--their names forever engraved in the minds of the Israelites.
Clearly, the Levites’ portion in God’s house was a high privilege, a sign of God’s grace reversing Levi’s curse of homelessness. But with that privilege and grace comes a huge responsibility: the Levites must serve the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. For that, too, is part of their inheritance as God’s people Israel.
Their alliance must be with God, not the devil; their mediation must be one of serving God and his people—until the day that God would send his perfect High priest, Jesus Christ.
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That’s right. In Hebrews 7:23 we learn that God sent his eternal Son, the Lord Jesus to do what Levi and his offspring could not do: Levi’s sins, Levi’s Shechem legacy, Levi’s rashness (really, our rashness and sins as well) kept Levi from offering the perfect sacrifice to take away our sins, once for all. Only Jesus—whose origin is divine and extends beyond the boundaries of sinful flesh or human nature—only Jesus could present such an offering. And thus we read that “(Jesus) is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. (Jesus) sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”
When Jesus finished his work on the cross and in the tomb, the curtain in the temple tore in two. No longer was there a need for Levites to enter into God’s presence and mediate on behalf of God’s people. For now Jesus has become our mediator, our perfect High priest. When Jesus ascended into heaven and sent his Holy Spirit, there was no longer a need for Levites and a temple in Jerusalem. Jesus temples in us, the church. And we may dwell in Jesus, through his Word and Spirit. Thank God for Jesus Christ, his eternal Son, and our Savior.
Here, then, is what we should do: Learn from Levi. God can make something beautiful come out of something dreadful. Adversities and troubles—things we may experience as a curse—are instruments and occasions for God to turn into unexpected blessings. Andrew’s illness was a dreadful thing; yet God used Andrew’s illness to create a legacy of faith that inspires us to continue our journey of faith in good times and in bad times. Learn from Levi. Rest in God’s providential care, and seek to serve the Lord always.
And be sure: Always turn to Jesus; God’s perfect High priest. Always appeal to his sacrifice on the cross. Jesus’ blood washes away our sins. Jesus’ death and resurrection provide us with access to God’s throne room. Jesus’ intercession and prayers on our behalf reach the ears of our heavenly Father. Always, always turn to Jesus. He will grant us our portion, our inheritance—the gift of eternal life on the restored, renewed creation.
When that time comes, we shall see Jacob and his sons; we shall see Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, to name a few. And we shall serve the living God, together, joined, allied, connected together by the love and mediation of Christ, our High priest. Now and forever. Amen.