Word of Encouragement (03/19/2023)
And of Levi he said, "Give to Levi your Thummim, and your Urim to your godly one, whom you tested at Massah, with whom you quarreled at the waters of Meribah; 9 who said of his father and mother, 'I regard them not'; he disowned his brothers and ignored his children. For they observed your word and kept your covenant. 10 They shall teach Jacob your rules and Israel your law; they shall put incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar. 11Bless, O LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; crush the loins of his adversaries, of those who hate him, that they rise not again." (Deut. 33:8-11)
Moses moves on to his benediction of the tribe of Levi, which is his own tribe. Jacob’s benediction on Levi (and Shechem, Gen. 49:5-7) was not a benediction; it was more of a curse on account of the violence Levi and Simeon committed against the Hivites for Shechem’s rape of their sister, Dinah. In this benediction, Moses focuses his blessing on the priestly role the tribe of Levi has been given.
Thummim and Urim refer to the precious stones on the breastplate of the high priest. They were used to inquire about God’s will. (We recently saw it used by Ahimelech to find out God’s answer regarding David’s rescue of the people of Keilah, 1 Sam. 23). So, we can say that Thummim and Urim represent the priestly office, which is given to the tribe of Levi. Then, Moses mentions the incidents at Massah and Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with Moses (and Aaron, Levi) when they ran out of water. Since Moses and Aaron were from the tribe of Levi, quarreling with them is seen as challenging the priestly authority God has bestowed on Levi.
What he goes on to describe in the next section—Levi disregarding his father and mother and disowning his brothers and ignoring his children—is about what happened during the golden calf incident. When Moses saw what the Israelites had done while he was receiving God’s commandments on Mount Sinai, he called on volunteers to execute God’s judgment on Israel: “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor” (Ex. 32:27). The sons of Levi gathered around him and carried out the execution, killing 3,000. For this, Moses blessed the tribe of Levi, saying, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day” (Ex. 32:29). This blessing turned out to be the privilege to serve as the priestly tribe, which was confirmed when Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson, executed the man who brought a Midianite woman into the camp of Israel after the Israelites worshipped Baal of Peor in Shittim (Num. 25:12-13).
These incidents make us uncomfortable—both the cruelty of executing one’s own flesh and blood and God’s commendation and blessing of those who performed these cruel deeds. This seems too extreme. We are wary of religious fanaticism, which has caused much bloodshed throughout history. But we must keep in mind that these incidents happened in theocratic Israel. In a theocracy, religion and state are united: Israel received not only God’s Word but also the sword of justice. Religious sins were treated as crimes and were punished by the state. But the kingdom of God is now manifested through the church of Jesus Christ, which is given, along with God’s Word, the keys of the kingdom instead of the sword of the state. Therefore, the church no longer applies corporeal punishment to its sinning members; the authority of the church is shown through church discipline, which is spiritual and moral in nature.
The church throughout its history has indeed made many mistakes by failing to understand this truth and taking up the sword to advance the kingdom of God. The church defends the truth of God’s Word not with the sword but with the preaching of God’s Word and willingness to suffer persecution for our faith. And in Jesus Christ, all believers are made God’s royal priests (1 Pet. 2:9), and, as such, we have the responsibility to defend the sanctity of God’s name through our pure doctrine and holy life. May the Lord give us the courage to do so!