It is clear that the Hebrew people had a different system of worship than what we are commanded to have. At the heart of that system is the Levitical priest. When Moses writes Deuteronomy, he summarizes the service of the Levites, “At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to serve Him and to bless in His name until this day” (10:8). In this passage there are three specific areas of their service that are highlighted: to carry the ark, to stand before Him in service and to bless His name. Each of these can play a role in causing us to examine our role in worship.
It must first be noted that the Levites had been set apart. We see this happen in Exodus 32 in relation to the idol worship at Sinai. Moses called to him all the men who were for God and only the family of Levi came. He said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.’” So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. Then Moses said, “Dedicate yourselves today to the Lord for every man has been against his son and against his brother in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today” (Ex. 32:27-29). Tie in, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). It is easy to begin to see the parallel to us today. We must be set apart, even if it is from our own family.
To carry the Ark of the Covenant was to carry the central icon and the physical resting place of the presence of God on earth. With it came the tabernacle and the furnishings of the tent. In a similar way, we are the temple of God. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Cor. 6:19).
To stand before the Lord and serve Him is in reference to the sacrificial system. It was the Levites that were commanded to administer these sacred offerings. We, too, have been called to a life of service. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession…” (1 Pet. 2:9).
To bless Him carries the idea of worship. “To bless” in Hebrew means “bend the knee.” It is our privilege to do the same in our worship to God and when we kneel in prayer. “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice…” (Rom. 12:1).