THE DIVOSIONS OF THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES King David put a very elaborate plan for building the temple and for organizing the worship in it. He purchased the land on which the temple would be built; and prepared the building materials; And now, in this chapter, he organizes the system of ministry by the priests and the Levites; according to their fathers’ houses. He informs us that there were 24 groups of priests (1 – 19), and 24 groups of Levites (20-31); Every group had its own schedule of service; so that every individual would have his chance to minister in the house of the Lord. A group of Levites used to come to serve under the leadership of a priest; then another group would come to replace it under the leadership of another priest. The number of fathers’ houses of the Levites so increased, that it would be impossible for all of them to serve at the same time. As we also saw the number of Levites increase from 8000 in the time of Moses to 38,000; Therefore David divided them into groups, through a divine inspiration. The service in the temple was very well organized. For an elaborate rite does not contradict with the work of the Spirit of God; according to the words of the apostle: “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace; … Let everything be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14: 33, 40).. Yet, an elaborate rite does not mean a deadly literality; For although heaven has an elaborate system, yet literality has no place in it. 1- The divisions of the priests 1 – 19 2- The divisions of the Levites 20 – 31 1- THE DIVISIONS OF THE PRIESTS: Priesthood started for the Jews by the divine choice of Aaron as a high priest; He did not inherit it, but since then, it became inherited. Every priest had to be referred to the family tree up to Aaron, the first high priest, the brother of Moses. As two of the four sons of Aaron, died childless (Numbers 26: 61), All priests are therefore descendants of the other sons of Aaron: Eleazar, and Ithamar. According to some, the author did not include ‘Abiathar’ together with the priests in the dedication of the temple; on account of that he supported Adonijah the son of David in his attempt to take the throne by force instead of his brother Salomon chosen by God. That elaborate priesthood ministry symbolizes the heavenly liturgy; “For the Lord of glory Jesus Christ came as High priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands, that is not of this creation, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place, once and for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrew 9: 11, 12). In his epistle to the Hebrews, the apostle Paul presents to us a living portrait of the Lord Christ as a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, bringing us into the heavenly sanctuaries, interceding for us with His precious blood, and offering His life a sacrifice on our behalf. In his fifth chapter he started his talk by the essence of the subject of his epistle; namely, “The Priesthood of the Lord Christ”, not according to the order of Aaron, but to that of Melchizedek forever. He starts talking about Aaron being the first high priest, directly called by God for this task; and surpasses all the high priests who followed him; Yet he was in need of offering sacrifices on his own weakness, before offering them on those of the people; Then to present to us Him, who is un-proportionally superior to him; namely our Lord Jesus Christ, who brings us forth into the heavenly sanctuaries, who intercedes for us on a new and a unique level. Parading the features and work of the high priest, to reveal the exalted superiority of the Lord Christ, compared to Aaron; and to make clear the priestly work of the Lord Christ for us in the new covenant, the Apostle Paul says: “The priest always went into the first part of the tabernacle performing the services” (Hebrew 9: 6); … “And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God” Hebrews 10: 11-12). While in the shadow of the Aaronite priesthood, was offered the blood of animals led to slaughter against their will; In the new covenant, the High Priest offered Himself, through His own free will, and His obedience to His Father even to death, the death of the cross, and His love for humanity, when it was against Him. According to St. Augustine: [You are the Priest; and You are the sacrifice. You are the One who offers, and the offering]. … And comparing between the animal sacrifice of the old covenant, and the exalted sacrifice of the new covenant, St. John Chrysostom says: [How great is the difference! He is the ransom, the Priest, and the sacrifice! For if it is not the case, there would be need for offering several sacrifices; and He would be crucified several times]. + The apostle says: “Now all things are of God who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5: 18-19)…. By that, there will be reconciliation in and by Him; on account of that the Father remains in Him through the same nature, reconciling the world to Himself, in and by Him. (St. Hilary, bishop of Poitier) “Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar” (1) The line of Eleazar extended more in the royal era; getting a double inheritance for being the firstborn. That line had its importance because of the appearance of Zadok, the most prominent priest since the days of Solomon, who was most probably a descendant of Eleazar. The other line through Ithmar, confirmed it presence after the return from captivity (Ezra 8: 2); hence the author of the book of Chronicles concentrated on it. “And Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children, therefore Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests” (2) Two of the four sons of Aaron died childless; and their death was a kind of punishment on a sin they committed (Numbers 26: 61) which was not mentioned in this book. That is why all the priests come from either Eleazar or Ithmar “Then David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of ithmar divided them according to the schedule of their service” (3) In this chapter we see Zadok, together with king David, carry out the division of the priests into 24 groups, to minister according to the schedule of the lot. It so seems that this system was not followed before the captivation, but after it until the days of the Lord Christ (1 Chronicles 24: 10; Luke 1: 5). In this system of division, it is noticed” a- Those who walk according to the flesh, like Nadab and Aihu, were turned away. b- Ithmar lost his priority, yet among the descendants of Eleazar, came Zadok, who occupied a prominent position because of the zeal of Phinehas on the holiness of the house of the Lord c- David divided the priests into groups according to their chiefs: Zadok of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of Ithmar. d- Eleazar occupied a position of special blessing (4); For, while there were 16 of the fathers’ houses from the family of Eleazar; there were only eight from that of Ithmar. e- Division was done by lot (5), a sign of delivering the will into the hands of God, and not in those of men; That was long before the Holy Spirit dwelt upon the church (Acts 1: 26; Luke 1: 9). f- The priests were divided into 24 groups; And in the book of Revelation it came that in heaven, there are 24 elders; The 24 groups of priests are analogous to 24 groups of the Levite singers (25: 31) The book of revelation proclaimed to us the bond between the worship here on earth and the heavenly liturgy, where the 24 un-corporeal elders worship day and night before the divine throne (Revelation 4: 4. 10), holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5: 8). “Now there were more leaders found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithmar, and thus they were divided. Among the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen heads of their fathers’ houses, and eight heads of their fathers’ houses among the sons of Ithmar” (4) “Thus they were divided by lot, one group as another, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of the house of God from the house of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithmar” (5) What was done by the lot was fixing the priorities of schedule, and not of those who become officers of the sanctuary (5). to say who among the chosen heads of their fathers’ houses, to minister first, and who is next; to let everyone of them know exactly his set time to serve. Of the 24 heads of their fathers’ houses, 16 were from the house of Eleazar, and 8 from that of Ithmar; on account of that the later was supposed to have decreased since the verdict issued on the household of Eli the priest who belonged to that house. The way by which the lot was cast, as mentioned in verse 6 of the chapter, was as such: “One father’s house was taken for Eleazar, and one for Ithmar” (6). The names of the 16 heads of their fathers’ house from Eleazar were put in one basket, and the eight from that of Ithmar were put in another basket; and in turn, two were drawn from the basket of Eleazar, followed by one from that of Ithmar. Such a system was followed to organize their ministry; For “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14: 33) particularly in the issues pertaining to the ministry of his Worship. A great number without order is valueless, and may be a cause of confusion . In the body of Christ (namely His church), every member has his own work for the benefit of the whole body (Romans 12: 4-5; 1 Corinthians 12: 12). The Levites used to cast the lot before the king and the leaders, to let everyone know to which group he belongs; by which every cause of controversy or anger for taking sides would be eliminated; and no one could claim that he was unjustly treated. God, being a God of order, He is as well, God of peace; and as said by Solomon the sage: “Casting lots causes contentions to cease” (Proverbs 18: 18). Using the lot for holy purposes is according to a divine will (Leviticus 21: 18; Numbers 26: 55; 1 Samuel 14: 41; Proverbs 16: 33; 18: 18); particularly before the feast of Pentecost, when the lot was publicly cast with great piety and reverence, in the presence of the king, the leaders, and the priests; to eliminate any chance of fraud; on account of that the lot was a call for the intervention of God. The apostle Matthias was chosen to replace the traitor Judas by lot and prayer (Acts 1: 24, 26). “And the scribe, Shemaiah the son of Nehaneel, one of the Levites, wrote them down before the king, the leaders, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and Levites, one father’s house taken for Eleazar and one for Ithmar” (6) In this chapter, the name of “Shemaiah’ a Levite official assigned to writing the names on which the lot is to be cast, was mentioned Ahimelech; was a son of Abiathar, and a grandson of another Ahimelech, one of the priests killed by king Saul (1 Samuel 22: 11-18). Both Abiathar and Zadok were high priests in the days of David; the former in the tabernacle in Jerusalem, where the ark of the covenant was, and the later In Gibeon, where the tabernacle of meeting was. And it so appears from (1 Chronicles 18: 16), that Ahimelech started to carry out some of the duties of his father Abiathar when he grew old. “Now the first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah” (7) “The third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim” (8) Each of the 24 groups used to minister in the temple, a shift of two weeks every year; and the rest of the time to minister in their home towns. This system was followed even until the days of our Lord Jesus (Luke 1: 5-9). “the fifth to Malachijah, the sixth to Mijamin” (9) “the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah” (10) Of the 24 groups, the eighth was of ‘Abijah’, mentioned in (Luke 1: 5); a member of which was ‘Zechariah, father of John the Baptist It is obvious that the groups set by David, despite stumbling during the reign of the bad kings, and stopping altogether during the captivity; yet they resumed later on until the second temple was destroyed on the hands of the Romans. “the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah” (11) “the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim” (12) “the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab” (13) “the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer” (14) “the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez” (15) “the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jachin to Jehezekel” (16) “the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul” (17) “the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah” (18) “This was the schedule of their service for coming into the house of the Lord according to their ordinance by the hand of Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel commanded him” (19) Every division was called by the name by which it was set from the beginning by Aaron their father (19). Whoever called a high priest had to be revered and honored by the priests as their father; the way Aaron was honored. The Lord Christ is a High Priest over the house of God; and those who believe in Him are a chosen race, and a royal priesthood, who should submit to Him (1 Peter 2: 9). 2- THE DIVISIONS OF THE LEVITES: The tribe of Levi was of little fame during the days of the judges, until the appearance of Eli and Samuel; but when David revived the worship, the Levites became more famous, and of them some were found who were able to honor their tribe. “Now the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael, of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah” (20) Most of the Levites here were previously mentioned in chapter 23; and were among those who stood before the priests in the ministry of the house of the Lord; but they were mentioned here again as heads of the 24 divisions of Levites who ministered under the 24 divisions of priests; hence they used to cast the lot together with their brethren the sons of Aaron, who did not prevail upon the priests of God, but, according to St. Peter: “Not as being lords over those entrusted to them, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5: 3). For the whole ministry to be supported by God, the heads of the fathers’ houses used to cast the lot among their lesser brethren; Namely, those who belong to a higher house were treated on the same level as those who belong to a lower house; to take their position, not according to seniority, but to a lot according to a divine ordinance. For, to Christ Jesus, there is no difference between a slave and a free man, or between the older and the younger, The younger brethren, in case they are faithful in faith, are as acceptable by God as the older ones. The young Levites had the same portion as the heads of their fathers’ houses. “Concerning Rehabiah, of the sons of Rehabiah, the first was isshiah” (21) “Of the Izharites, Shelomoth, of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath” (22) “Of the sons of Hebron, Jeriah was the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and jekameam the fourth” (23) “Of the sons of Uzziel, Michah,; of the sons of Mich, Shamir” (24) “The brother of Michah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah” (25) “The sons of Merari, were Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah, Beno” (26) “The sons of Merari by Jaaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zaccur and Ibri” (27) “Of Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons” (28) “Of Kish: the son of Kish, Jerahmeel” (29) “Also the sons of Mush were Mahli, Eder, , and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses” (30) “These also cast lots just as their brothers the sons of Aaron did, in the presence of king David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and Levites. The chief fathers did just as their younger brethren” (31) The set duties in the temple: (1) The administrative duties: a- Officers to look after the work of the house of the Lord (1 Chronicles 23: 4-5) b- General administrators (1 Chronicles 26: 29-31) (2) The priesthood duties: a- Priests (1 Chronicles 24: 1) b- Prophets (1 Chronicles 25: 1) c- Helpers in the presentation of the sacrifices (23: 29-30) d- Helpers in purifying of all holy things (23: 27-28) (3) The supporting duties: a- Bakers of the showbread (1 Chronicles 23: 29) b- Watcher on all kinds of measures and sizes (23: 29) c- Officers to take care of the Most Holy Place (23: 28) (4) The financial duties: a- Over the treasuries of the sanctuaries (26: 20) b- Over all the treasuries of the dedicated things (26: 26- 28) (5) The artistic duties: a- Musicians (1 Chronicles 25: 6) b- Singers of praise to the Lord (1 Chronicles 25: 7) (6) The guarding duties: a- Guards of the temple (23: 5) b- Gatekeepers and storehouse keepers (26: 12-18) (7) The Individual duties: a- Scribe (26: 6) b- King’s seer in the words of God (25: 5) c- King’s personal prophet (25: 2) d- Chief of guards (26: 1) e- Overseer of the treasuries (26: 23-24) ----------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM 1 CHRONICLES 24 GRANT ME, O LORD, TO EXPERIENCE THE DEPOSIT OF HEAVEN + When You commanded the prophet Moses to build for You the tabernacle of meeting; You showed him a model to help him do it according to heaven; He saw all the details of the model, to make it a true icon of heaven; You raised his heart and his inner insight up high; To ignite his depths with longing to the exultant heavenly life; He desired that all the priests, the Levites, and all the people be like a heavenly host; So that when they set forth to eternity, Their liturgies and praises would be in harmony with the angelic work; To become a wonder in the sight of the heavenly creatures. + Then came David seeking to build a temple for You; You revealed to him a heavenly model; That came conforming in his spirit to the tabernacle of meeting; David made an elaborate system for the priests and the Levites, from which they should not divert; He set an elaborate rite of the worship; Not to be practiced according to the deadly letter; But to be practiced with deep spirituality, and with order. + You granted us Your Holy Spirit, to set us a holy temple; To bless it by Your amazing presence. O heavenly High Priest! And to pour on it the joy of the Spirit; So that the body members would partake of the praise together with the soul and the Spirit; With Your divine presence, the enemy would not be able to crawl to corrupt my love for You; + In the Tabernacle, as well as in the temple, the priest slay the clean animals and birds; But in my heart, You are the Priest, the sacrifice, and The One who receives the offerings; In the tabernacle and the temple, millions of sacrifices were offered, yet unable to sanctify the heart; The sacrifice of Your cross, though it happened only once; Became the secret of the reconciliation of the past and present generation to the Father; + When a high priest dies, another of the descendants of Aaron is chosen to replace him; He dies with no return until the day of Your second coming on the clouds; The garments of glory would be taken off him to put on the new priest; Corruption will come on his body, until You raise him in Your great day; As to Your death, it has shaken Hades and destroyed its gates; No Corruption could ever come to Your body; But those who have fallen asleep will exult in You, and will perceive the secret of Your salvation; You ascended to heaven by Your body risen from the dead; Intercede before the Father on behalf of all Your believers; Glory be to You, O the High Priest, the heavenly Intercessor. ------------------- AN ANNEX TO CHAPTER 24 AARON IS THE HIGH PRIEST; AND OUR CHRIST IS THE HEAVENLY HIGH PRIEST 1-The heavenly High Priest challenges death: The first book of the Chronicles cared for the priests and the Levites; who bore a symbol of the heavenly High Priest, I intend to refer to the role of the Lord of glory as the heavenly High Priest, and to compare Him to the priests of the old covenant. It is difficult to express the feelings of the multitudes of the people of Israel in the old covenant toward the glory of the priests in general, and the high priest in particular. Hence the Lord proclaimed that the tribe of Levi would have no portion in the promised land; to let each of them sing together with the prophet Jeremiah, saying: “The Lord is my portion, says my soul; Therefore I hope in Him” (Lamentation 3: 24); Cities were set aside for them in the midst of the tribes, both on the East and on the West bank of the Jordan; to let them become like the salt in food, and the light in the world; according to the words of the Lord Christ, saying: “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5: 13); “You are the light of he world” (Matthew 5: 14). It is therefore befitting of them, as well as of us, to support our brethren in corruption; and to give them light in the darkness; through the grace of God working in us. To perceive the seriousness and holiness of their work, Whoever stretch his hand to the priestly work from any other tribe, will be subject to the divine wrath, even if he is a king like Saul, who, on account of offering a burnt offering and peace offerings, the kingdom was taken away from him (1 Samuel 13: 13- 14); And when king Uzziah entered by force into the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense, the Lord struck him with leprosy until the day of his death (2 Chronicles 26: 19-31). The high priest represented the heavenlies when he puts on the priestly garments; and everyone stood trembling when he enters into the Most Holy Place once a year on the great day of atonement. The spirit of many priests were broken down when they were led into captivity, and were denied of their priestly work. But there is a great difference between the high priest from the tribe of Levi, and the heavenly High Priest, the only begotten Son of God. Aaron the high priest and all his descendents died in weakness against their will, being descendants of Adam the sinner; Whereas Jesus Christ died with His own free will for the sake of His love for humanity; then was risen to let us rise together with Him. By portraying the episode of Aaron’s death on the mountain, after the transfer of his priesthood to his son, St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi intends to reveal the helplessness of the Levite priesthood, for the high priest has a beginning and an end of days; his work is only temporary, goes from one generation to another, until the symbol comes to an end, and “a High Priest over the house of God” (Hebrew 10: 21), comes; …”A High Priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the heaven” (Hebrew 8: 1); He who, not only challenges death, but grants us to challenge it as well. + The Lord said to Moses: Why are you standing; approach, and “takethe garments of your brother Aaron off” Take off from him the priestly garments, and put them on Eleazar, the priest I have chosen; Take off from him the rank of a Levite, take off his garment to go naked to death; Like your father Adam who stood naked among the trees; Having entered into the world with holiness, was not defiled, and did not sin against Me, I shall take him away with holiness; Moses approached his brother as he was commanded; and seeing him approaching, Aaron bowed his head; Aaron delivered himself to be bared of the priestly garments, then to go to the new world; Moses approached, stretched his hands, took off the crown of glory from his brother’s head, and put it on his son’s; He took off from him the glorious turban, and put it on his son’s head; He took off his tunic from him, and put it on Eleazar before his father’s eyes; Watching his brother Moses take off his clothes of the sanctuary, Aaron was not disturbed; Taking off his priestly garments, the old man became bared of priesthood; And putting them on the young man, he received the secrets of the house of God Watching his son clothed in his garments in splendor as a high priest; Aaron rejoiced and his heart exulted; on account of that he is replaced by his son; Hw watched him putting on the crown, the tunic, and the sash. The trouser, the golden bells, the twelve pomegranates that embody a great secret; He watched the young man being adorned like a groom for the wedding, The two brothers (Moses and Aaron) stood on the top of the mountain, Aaron naked like Adam between the trees; While Eleazar had on him the divine priesthood, Moses stood barely able to hold his tears; Who could hold his tears, seeing Aaron naked, bared of priesthood, and about to die? (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) While Moses laments the death of his brother, and his loss of priesthood; the gospel calls us to exult in the death and resurrection of the Lord Christ. + Today, salvation came to the world, both the seen and the unseen; Christ is risen from the dead; Let us rise together with Him; Christ came back and sat in His place; Let us come backtogether with Him; Christ was liberated from the grave; Let us be liberated from the bonds of sin; The gates of Hades were opened, death was destroyed; The old Adam went away; and the New Adam came back to us; “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5: 17); We should also be renewed. (St. Gregory the Nezianzen) + It was written: “He shall put the holy linen tunic” (Leviticus 16: 4); whose fiber threads come from earth. They are holy tunics worn by Christ, the true High Priest; having taken upon Himself our earthly nature; about which it is said: “Of dust, and to dust he will return” (Genesis 3: 19). My Lord and Savior took an earthly body, intending to raise up him who descended to earth, to carry him up and ascend together with him to heaven. (The scholar Origen) 2- By His Priesthood, He granted us the general and the sacramental priesthood: Our Savior, the Lord of lords, sets out of us an icon of Himself; … the King of kings, set out of His believers spiritual kings; …The heavenly High Priest, in the water of Baptism, “Has made us kings and priests to His God and Father” (Revelation 1: 6)….Our Lord Jesus Christ chose for Himself disciples and apostles, to practice the shepherding and sacramental work, not to take His place, but to work in and by them, to fulfill the salvation of humanity, in the worthiness of His precious blood, and through the work of His Holy Spirit, according to the pleasure of the Father. We therefore, praise and glorify God and give Him thanks for the riches of His gifts, and the exalted work of His grace. + O the Greatest Clergy, the High Priest, the Lord of the sacrifices, help me to talk about Your Divinity; O the Grantor of life, and the Revealer of secrets to all the simple; Reveal Your secrets to me, to reveal them to the needy; He, from whom is the Word, the reason, and the tongue; help me to raise my voice, and sing delightful tunes. (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi). 3-By His priesthood, He removed the veil from the church of the old covenant: When the Lord Christ cried out on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27: 51). That veil, according to St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi, was worn by the church of the old covenant, betrothed to the anticipated Messiah. But, having come, and she did not accept Him, He removed the veil from her; not to be called betrothed any more; and to be denied the heavenly wedding. + The veil of the holy temple was torn in two, to proclaim to the city that her Lord is dead; When the Lord of the sanctuary, who was rejected by the clergy, cried out, the sanctuary was shaken and exposed; The veil of the temple was torn in two, when it heard the cry out of the Lord of the sacrifices on the Golgotha. When the only begotten Son cried out on the cross, the ark of the covenant was terrified, and in anger its power tore the veil. The house was desolate because its Lord was crucified, and the Spirit refused to dwell in it any more; When the Lord yielded up His Spirit, He tore the veil, to turn the house where its Lord was insulted desolate; When the bride got out of her mind, and crucified her Groom; His Father was provoked to anger, entered, and tore her clothes, and drove her out of His inheritance. He uncovered her head, for she despised the Lord of the house, made her a ridicule among the congregations, for she got corrupted. After having her face covered by the veil of betrothal, to be chaste in her secret place; being corrupted, He tore her veil up, uncovered her head, to become the ridicule of the whole earth. O Levites! From now onward, your house is left desolate, without priesthood, nor sacrifices (Matthew 23: 38). (St. (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi)
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