Your responsibility in the wilderness
Clarifying your role during a difficult experience (Numbers 18:6-7)
As the Israelites continue their wilderness experience — a time marked by unrealized hopes, recurring disappointment, and what seems like perpetual conflict — they are perhaps in a place to really hear God, and He begins to provide more rules and expectations for the community. (In fact, after The Ten Commandments, offered soon after they begin their wilderness journey, He details over 600 rules.)
God also communicates expectations for certain roles. In particular, He provides expectations of Aaron’s family as priests, and of the Levites as caretakers of the “tent of meeting,” or the place of worship. In speaking to Aaron, God says:
“And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to the Lord, to do the service of the tent of meeting. And you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death. (Numbers 18:6-7)
God has specific instructions for how these two groups will support the life of the community. The priests are to guide the process of worship and the Levites are to watch over and protect the tent and the altar. The priests are ministering to the people, and the Levites are ministering to the priests.
In the midst of a wilderness experience in our family or family business, it may be a struggle to just get through the day. If we’re dealing with financial pressure, strained relationships, emotional turmoil, or spiritual weariness, the goal may simply be to suvive the current situation. But this passage suggests the value in thinking more deeply about your role, and the structure of your interaction with your family or company, while in the wilderness. What does leadership, support, or ministry in the wilderness look like? What should your role be in caring for others?
When you reflect on your own wilderness experience, can you see what roles different people played (think leader, mentor, mediator, challenger, or supporter)? If you are currently in the wilderness, what role does your family need you to play during this difficult time?