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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/murray-mccandless/levites/
To Genesis 49 verse 1. And Jacob called his sons and said gather yourselves together that I may tell you that which shall befall you in last days. Verse 2. Gather different word is used this time yourselves together.
And here ye sons of Jacob and Harkon unto Israel your father Reuben thou art my firstborn my might and the beginning of my strength the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. I think he longed if dad it's just stopped there but he goes on unstable as water.
Thou shalt not excel because thou wentest up to thy father's bed. Thou despised thy thou it. He went up to my couch. Now. Verse 5. Radius my verse. Simeon and Levi are brethren. Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
Or X's. Please book of Exodus in chapter 32. Exodus 32 verse number 26 and Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said who is on the Lord's side let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
And of course Moses will write I'm gonna take time to read it. And Deuteronomy 33 our brother William skates give an excellent word on Deuteronomy 33 last weekend two weeks ago I guess it was in Kansas.
And that is true. And now go over to Acts. Please the book of the Acts chapter 4. Acts chapter 4. And they have brought their possessions and laid them down at the Apostles feet. Verse 36. Joseph's who by the Apostles was certain Barnabas which is being interpreted the son of consolation a Levite and of the country of Cyprus having land sold it and brought the money and laid it at the Apostles feet.
Finally chapter 11 of Acts. Acts chapter 11. Verse 19. Now they which were scattered abroad upon this persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phinehas and Cyprus and Antioch preaching the word to none other to none rather but unto the Jews only and notice that.
Verse 20. And some of them were men of Cyprus Cyrene which when they were come to Antioch spake unto the Grecians preaching the Lord Jesus and the hand of the Lord was with them and great number believed and turned unto the Lord meeting how God used those men so not disconnected with Jerusalem but not really that closely connected with them.
Verse 22. Then tidings of these things came under the ears of the church which is in Jerusalem and they sent for Barnabas that he should go as far as Antioch when he came and seen the grace of God and was glad and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord for he was a good man full of the Holy Ghost and of faith.
And a much people was added unto the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus for to seek Saul. And when he had found him he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people and the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Now I did not take time to read Luke's gospel chapter 10. But what I'd like to speak on this afternoon is the only two in our New Testament and Luke tells us about them both that are called Levites. Who would they be.
I said Luke chapter 10. We have a Levite there. He's the man that came and passed by on the other side of the road and offered absolutely no assistance. Just a cold callous indifferent attitude toward a man that was such in his need.
And we find the other Levite mentioned as such in our New Testament just the opposite kind of a man. Kind man. He was everything this man Barnabas was everything that the other Levite wasn't. Now I know just relax brethren all theologians I know there's lots of others in the New Testament we could go over them.
I mean there's Aaron Moses Phinehas Samuel Jehoiada Ezekiel Ezra Malachi John the Baptist Matthew Mark. They were Levites born of that tribe. But the only two that are called Levites are these two men.
Levi did not have a good beginning. Okay how I want to just to give you the outset of this. I want to think of Levi in the first in Genesis 49 as the natural man just a natural man. I want you to think of Levi when it came to the sons of Levi in the issue of the calf and Genesis chapter 32 as Levi the spiritual man.
I will come back to that. That's quite a feat that day missed all those to step and stand out and join himself unto the Lord and to be numbered as his people gathered again on a different occasion with those that would stand against what had happened with the calf when we come to the New Testament.
You with me when we come to the New Testament the first Levite that we read about he's just a natural man an unregenerate man. If you want a religious man if you like with absolutely no connection to a man that stood in such need that day could I say this that if you went to this man's house in the language of Jacob in Genesis chapter 49 there were instruments of cruelty in his house.
When I come to a man like Barnabas I don't have the natural man I the spiritual man. I don't have the religious man. I have a regenerated man. So I just want to run the two of them together with you. But just come back for a minute back to Genesis chapter 49 which I find to be a very interesting chapter.
That's been quite a thing when that old patriarch gathered those boys together you know they must have been out doing their work. They were energetic ambitious men and they say hey dad wants us. You see them gather.
What's on. What'd you do. You know they had bad consciences all of them. Hey what are you up to. Dad was a shed that wants us. So pretty soon that signal is given the calls given. They go and see him.
They kind of circle the old man's bed and there is they thought. And they watch him as he starts to rise rise off that bed swing those old legs out gets that staff. He looks Ruben right in the eye. He starts off Ruben power my firstborn my might and the beginning of my strength.
The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. You know I know it's my imagination but I don't see Ruben going. Whoa does it get any better than this. Can't look down the line say what all those boys will fare.
You hear what dad said by the time dad was done talking. You know what Ruben would say doesn't get any worse than this. This is what he says as he goes on unstable as water. Thou shalt not excel because thou wentest up to thy father's bed then defiled out it and I went up to my couch and so on.
That's Ruben. I can somehow see Levi standing there not knowing what's coming on now. Now he's going to pull the two together. Levi the third born and the family with a difficult past in his home with a home that was constantly where there was contention there was rivalry there was everything there shouldn't be in his home.
Now here's Levi. I think he must be just about shaken by now. And he looked at them and he said Levi and Simeon instruments of cruelty are in thy habitations. Boy the rest of those boys must have thought whoa.
You see I believe that when it comes to the issue this is a digression. When it comes to the issue of Joseph Ruben could have stopped the whole thing reminded worship this morning that he did the best he could.
That's not enough. He would offer to go surety and Judah would offer his own. And if you want personally I believe that it was Simeon that likely pushed Joseph into that pit. You see Jacob wasn't always fooled as much as you might think.
No no you remember I think that when they I don't think at all from the Bible when they came back with that line about the coat and so on and everything else that was fine. But what does he. What does Jacob say later on me.
Ye have believed. You did it boy you see them. Kind of drawback. How do you know that. How did he know that my father is 93 years of age and I have a hard time sneaking one past him. Just when you think you might want pull one over on dad.
You don't try to do you huh. You never heard we smile for you know pull one over. And Jacob he knew what was going on and he knew when it come to this man Levi Simeon. Levi says our brethren to their credit their brethren.
But maybe in the wrong way instruments of cruelty says are in their habitations. And really at the end of Genesis chapter 49 you just got the picture of a natural man. Now if you went over to Deuteronomy chapter 33 where brothers case ministered from in Kansas two weeks ago you got Moses perspective of them.
How different that is. So you've got the natural man back here and now we go over. We have the spiritual man in Exodus chapter 32 that's very given us a very plain it's just spelled out to them. Moses stood in the gate.
And the gate doesn't say of the campus it who's on the Lord's side brethren. Is that a too outdated question to ask you in the meeting this afternoon. Who's are you really on. Well you say the Brett. Someone asked you.
Whose side are you on. Oh we don't have calves. Excuse me. Didn't think he had idolatry either. But he learned he had it. And Israel in general. Brethren sisters we do have things in our lives that keep us on the other side.
Keep us on the other side that I think was mr. Bergsman was speaking to us about the other day the side of the cross. Who's on the Lord's side. It's so they must stand to look around. And of all people Levi rises to the moment almost count me in.
Count me in and look at the history of Levi for a minute. You go along your scriptures and you get a different perspective of the Levites. But now I want to come quickly to what we have over here in chapter 11.
I'm not gonna dwell in chapter 10 with the Levite with the man at the side of the road just to sit with what I've already said about him. He's just everything we shouldn't be. You know it wasn't that the Levite and the priest were bad men.
They were just busy men. We get that way. Well they tell me if you get retired you'll never be busier than you ever wear. You'll have more to do and whatever that is when you retire. But you know if you I've been at this long enough brethren if you want to get a job done do you know who to get to do it.
The busiest man you can find he can do it. But these men here don't want they go. Thank God for the one that comes along that can meet his need. But now let's come over to X chapter 11. So I think you've stayed with me back in the Old Testament.
We've got the picture in Genesis chapter 49 there's the natural man. Simeon and Levi are brethren. Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. Brethren wouldn't hurt after this conference if we went home and did a little housekeeping.
I tell you don't have to go as far as home. As far as I know after over 50 years in the assembly one of the greatest instruments I would be as guilty as anybody. One of the greatest instruments of cruelty is what's between my teeth right now say things.
I think what I say that for just the tone away something has said it try to go further than that. Things that are in our habitations or things that are close to us things that we constantly use go to New Testament teaching.
And we learn the truth of the instruments. The body is an instrument. And if and yielding our members as instruments of righteousness what do we go in for that natural man can't do that. The unregenerate can't do it.
The religious man can't do it. And in Genesis chapter 49 they weren't doing it. But there's a change happens in the midst of all that is taking place with the idolatry and Moses coming down on the mountain.
So on with all that is taking place of old people. Levi stands up. Nice when we have brethren and sisters that do that. Nice when we have maybe a couple maybe someone today. And really truth be known.
And you were to be honest just with yourself not being honest with me. You haven't really put into the assembly what you could and you know it. Would that change. What would it take to change that. I don't know even want to suggest to you things that can change it.
Because I know people that has changed it and sometimes have been a very hard course. But you got to change man in Exodus chapter 32 and you still got the Levite mentioned as the Levite. There's the natural man.
But now we come to a much better character this man by the name of Barnabas. Well know some things about Barnabas today. First of all I want you to know a response a rejoicing that marked him also here was a man that was a man marked by generosity.
He was a man that was grateful and he was a gracious man. And I will race through these as quickly as I can and give you just what I consider the main features of it. Here's a man coming on a scene Barnabas.
And it's very interesting the circumstances just the situation which is come you know God God never sends. Are you with me. God never sends a wrong man to the place of his work. Now wrong men have gone to the place they should never have gone to.
But God never sends the wrong man. We can call a wrong man. God doesn't. Now that doesn't mean you shouldn't call for men. I'm going to show you before I'm done here. There was a calling for men. But here's Barnabas and he comes upon the scene and it's just thrilled.
He sees that. Don't tell me there weren't difficulties in a new work. There is some of us have been there so to speak not and done that. I would say that in a natural sense we're still trying to do it.
But there are difficulties associated with the new work. Whether it is down in Ankeny whether it is back in New Brunswick whether it is in the north of Ireland or the northern part or southwest east of the United States.
There are difficulties now. It isn't that this man would blindside that but he would see something that was so surmounting to that you know what it was grace of God. He would come and he would see the grace of God and he would.
He was glad it says. That's his response. Because it says the hand of the Lord was with them whenever the hand of the Lord is with them. There's always blessing. Isn't that what we covet. We covet his hand we covet his presence.
The hand of the Lord was with him. It says there was blessing. But more than that you know maybe just at this moment I don't be too hard on older established assemblies but maybe just at this moment the work in Antioch was kind of moving underneath the radar of Jerusalem.
They didn't see that. Yeah something going on up there. They heard maybe whatever you know how it goes. But thank God for a man like Barnabas here was a man that could see in a church that could hear the church back in Jerusalem.
Well there was really a desire of theirs to go and see. I'm not sure but they could hear my speaking today to a church that can hear. And what they heard of was a work being done. And now here's a man and he actually not only heard of it but he goes and sees it.
Let me encourage overseers here today. There's nothing more. Not just simply because we want you in the meeting for that but it's delightful in a new work or wherever it might be to see an overseer from the assembly come in and see the work.
And he can go back and give first-hand report. And he can put to rest put to rest any type of tales or things that are wrong that are going on. And nice when you go back say listen. I know brethren have traveled hundreds and hundreds of miles to see the work of a man.
They have commended and they have come back and told the the Saints what they saw. And it wasn't long till the man that they went to see he came back and gave a report. Nice when there's a fervent interest like that that's what's happening in the life of this man.
Barnabas. You know more than that you know. So if Jerusalem doesn't move God moves other men. I just came from Phoenix where I've been all over San Diego last Sunday one of the brethren came to me and I could almost tell the tourney was coming.
As you know hands are down shoulders are drooped. Well he said what do you think. I says terrific. You'd like to wonder what state I was in. I was in California. I says terrific. Last time I was here brethren.
There wasn't a single soul in the backseat. I called I counted 14 this morning. 14. Yeah 14. I might as well tell you they're Mexican people. Now don't be asking me are they legal or illegal in the country.
Go talk to your government about that. Okay. I'm a Canadian. I don't live here. I can speak pretty easy. There they were. And I look around the circle and I watched this man giving thanks and worshiping.
And he comes from the same country. And if you had taken that section out of that assembly you would have seen what I saw ten years ago in San Diego. So as we got talking his shoulders kind of straightened up a bit.
Yeah I said. You know we're kind of glad to let me ask you today how much does it really rejoice your heart when you hear of God working in these places even even if it didn't happen to come on your screen brethren here's a man that was thrilled.
None of that. The response the rejoicing. Now it says he was a good man. He wasn't a rough man. He wasn't like Esau. We don't need rough men. Rather we could be rough without trying. But we don't need smooth either.
No no no no. Don't you give me these smooth characters. They're like a seal. They slip going off this platform. They slide to their seat. Don't a rough man. I don't want a smooth man. But you know I want a good man.
What a Barnabas man that was marked by generosity. First thing that we read about this man having land sold it. Don't read about how many acres he had how much it was worth. He just had land and he sold it to him.
No big deal. Do you know why it wasn't really his life. You know his life was in this church in the prosperity of that church. That's the kind of men that God can use as a generous man. And that's what you find in this man like Barnabas.
Now I am the recipient as a number of others are here today to the generosity of God's people. You will not find me speaking negative. I hope ever of God's people. I want to tell you there's other countries who could learn much from the American people.
That's their generosity. You know that I've been to other places. I still tell you. Yeah they give me fellowship. Wasn't enough to park the car at Heathrow Airport. I thought they needed it worse than I did.
I want to give it back. I haven't told anywhere else. I'm gonna tell you where it happened either. But I know you're gonna start guessing. But anyhow let's not get on that. I'm reminded of the man that of all things decided want to buy it.
He'd been away from home for a while. I want to buy his wife some perfume. That's just not my department. My girls look after that. I don't. I don't get into that. Okay. But this boy he decides gonna buy her some perfume.
Take her home cheer her heart. Well buy her something anyhow. So he went to the store and the clerk went to the perfume counter. I wouldn't be caught dead in the place. But he was there and I just so what do you got.
She's a great girl. He started bringing out some nice perfume. And how much is that. $250. So we went down the line. A hundred and a hundred and fifty. And finally got down to. I don't know what. You buy a perfume for $50.
Look he says. Do you not understand. He says. I just want to see something real cheap. She said. No problem. She grabbed the mirror and put it over on him. How do we make out. Not. Don't you get in the perfume department.
Never know who's taking your picture. Okay here's the generous man. Why you can take his picture. We got his picture right here. Next chapter 11. Look at this Levite. You take the name. The association of the name would be enough to say you know.
You know like the sons of Cora don't go into our past. Here's the grace of God. Not really the grace of God. He sees the grace of God. He sees a work developing now mind you. In all honesty you know. Maybe he would have said hey this is you boys kind of clear out here.
He said. I'll look after it from here and I'll write the magazine. Tell how good my works going besides you boys. Don't have any mr. Paisley says pens in your pocket and a big Bible case out. No no you don't do that.
Nor he came to do. He came to strengthen their hands encouraging them in the work. Nice when you could do that. And that's the generous man. He sees the grace of God and he is glad he is a grateful man.
Yeah he's grateful work God has done. Just read down there in the verses as we read together exhort some that with purpose of heart they should leave unto the Lord. Good advice. But you know what. This man really realized that there's somebody else that's likely needed in this work to you know.
In other words he doesn't start to become a turf tiger. Okay like you're on my turf here. You know we doing here. Don't know. He said you know what this work needs. He's a younger man than I am. But that's what the work needs.
It takes a big man to do this mind. It takes a big man to rejoice in the work of others. I'm over here in Tom Bentley minister years ago and he said there is something about us that finds it much easier to sympathize with a man that's going through deep sorrow and bereavement than there is to rejoice with a man when he's seeing God's hand and blessing to write him and say hey we're with you.
Glad to hear that speaks to me. Be honest me I've had to push myself to do it. You know many times I've heard from anybody twice in 35 years I'm talking about full-time servants. Of course that's all we got is two servants.
Isn't it. Here's a man. He's a big man. He not only can rejoice in that work but he's a big enough man to send for somebody else and say hey come on. We need you come and help us. Paul wouldn't have gone without invitation.
Saul wouldn't have gone as we say without invitation. So it tells me something else that he is not only a grateful man he is a gracious man gracious man. And as a result of that Paul will come in. Not to come and put his stamp on this thing but simply to come and just to be able to the number of testimony view what is going on and to join in the rejoicing and the thanking of God for brother and sisters.
We do that when we come to Iowa we do we do. God knows we do to come and see the grace of God and to rejoice in it and thank God for it. I trust that we could always do that. How it started out with start with a man that was a Levite.
Now you and I I go back to Genesis chapter 49. You don't leave. I first had to face. We had to face when we were in our sins. Our past our past our guilt. No argument about it. Similarly if I own up to it things got much better when you get to what Moses says in Deuteronomy chapter 33.
As a result what have happened in Exodus chapter 32 when there was a tribe that stood up and claimed themselves on the Lord's side. Almost parallel to what those men would say in David's day. What did they say.
Thine we are David. Thine we are. And on thy side the Son of Jesse.