A lesson from the Levites

It is my belief that there is an analogy of the Old Baptists to the Old Testament Israeli tribe of Levi; and we would be well served to respect such an analogy today as it involves our personal activities in today’s high-charged political climate.

The events and persons of the Old Testament can be tied/linked with the resulting events of the New Testament under the biblical relationship concept known as “types and shadows”. In other words, persons and events of the Old Testament may be a “shadow” of the “types” of clarifying persons and events of the New Testament. I believe there continue to be Old Testament “types and shadows” of comparable things and/or events in today’s world.

In this article I wish to consider that the Old Baptists in this modern world are a “type” of the tribe of Levi in the Old Testament. As such, I believe we can learn much from the study of scripture upon which to pattern our behavior and actions in today’s political world. I simply offer the Levites of the Old Testament to establish a model of duty and behavior, that Old Baptists would be wise to emulate in “type” — based on our doctrine and the societal “position” of the PBs in the religious and political
world today.

Types and shadows:
As Solomon tells us at Ecclesiastres 1:9, “there is no new thing”. Things that happen today differ little in concept than what has already occurred in history. Sin is not new, and in fact, is a repeat of the exact same sins the Bible tells us have been repeated over and over again.

The so-called “seven deadly sins” Solomon details at Proverbs 6:16-19 are still the same sins that plague all humanity today: (1) pride and ego, (2) lying, (3) murder, (4) wicked hearts, (5) desire to commit sinful acts, (6) bearing false witness against others, and (7) sowing discord among our brethren. An ancient philosopher said: “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.” A study of the Lord’s directives in the Old Testament will provide us a lot of guidance today.

History of the Levites
The Levites were one of the 12 sons of Jacob. (Gen. 29:34). However, Jacob’s sons Joseph and Levi were not part of what became the “12 tribes”. Joseph’s two sons were substituted to complete the 12 tribes (Gen. 48:1-9). Levi was in the 13th family descendant position. But the Lord had a different plan for the family of Levi.

Moses was a member of the family of Levi (Exodus 2:1). Moses’ brother Aaron became the first Levitical priest. (Ex. 4:14; 28:1; 29:1-46; 40:13-15).

Unlike the 12 tribes, the Levites were never assigned a particular geographic area in the land of Caanan. They are not mentioned when the list of the 12 tribes’ assignment of land. (Joshua Chap. 13-22, Deut. 18:1-2). However, the tribe of Levi played a major role in the Old Testament in the Nation of Israel’s service to the Lord. The Levites became the tribe that became dedicated to serving the Lord (Ex. 32:25-29). Moses had been in the top of Mt. Sinai for 40 days receiving the tablets with the 10 commandments from God. Moses returned down the mountain and he found the many of the cother Israelites had rebelled and made themselves a Golden Calf idol to worship. (Ex. 32:1-6)

Moses broke the golden calf and beat it into powder, and made the idolatrous Israelites drink it with water. (Ex 32:7-20). Moses then spoke to all the Israelites and demanded: “Who is on God’s side? Come to me”. The Levites, Moses home tribe, all gathered around him (Ex 32:26).

Moses then called on the Levites to slay all the Israelites who had worshipped the gold calf idol rather than the Lord. The Levites moved through the camp and killed 3,000 men at the command of Moses/God.

At Numbers Chapter 3 the duties of the tribe of Levi are detailed. At Num. 3:11-13 the Lord told Moses that He was claiming the Levi tribe as His for service to Him. “The Levites shall be mine.” See verse 41, 45. At Joshua 13:14 and 33 no land inheritance was given to the Levis, because the “Lord God of Israel was their inheritance.”

The duty of the Levites
The primary duty of the Levites was to keep guard over the tabernacle, worship service, and the Ark of the Covenant containing the 10 Commandments. Effectively, the Levites were to care for and protect the sacred things of God — the Truth. (Num. 1:47 – 53). The Levis guarded the tabernacle and the law caring and protecting it, including that no unauthorized man be allowed to come near it or be subject to death. Num. 1:51.

As such, the Levites were not selected to go to war. Warriors were taken from the remaining 12 tribes that camped around the tabernacle. The Levites were stay back to guard the Lord’s service. When it came time to go to war, the Levite priests were to bear the Ark as the warriors into battle, but generally the Levites let all the other tribes go into battle.

The only time the Levites got into violence was in defense of the tabernacle; as noted at Num. 24:6-8 when an Israelite brought a Midian (pagan) woman into the Israel camp, and took the woman into the tabernacle — apparently trying to get inside the “Most Holy” place. (where God had forbidden unauthorized persons under penalty of death.). Phinehas, a Levite priest killed the two with a javelin to protect the integrity of the sanctuary within the tabernacle.

The Lord was pleased with the act, and removed a plague from the people (a plague that had killed 24,000), and awarded the Levites with a “covenant of peace” (not having to go into battle) and made them a covenant of an everlasting priesthood. Num 25:12-13.

When it came time for war, warriors were selected from the 12 tribes of Israel (Num. 1:1-46) camped around the tabernacle (3 tribes on each of the 4 sides of the tabernacle (Num. Chp. 2). However, the Lord expressly excepted the Levites from among the warriors. (Num. 1:47-54).

Analogy of Levites to the Primitive Baptists
The Old Testament gives us literally hundreds of “types and shadows” of our lives and the church today. It is my opinion that the Primitive Baptists today are a “type and shadow” comparison with the tribe of Levi.

There are many elect children of God in today’s world — they are large in number and from many denominations and religious affiliations. They believe in God, but not all believe in Jesus. (John 14:1). I believe “they” (the elect of God through all ages and around the world) represent, in a spiritual sense, a type of the Nation of Israel. In such a concept, the Old Baptists are a type of the Israeli tribe of Levi.

When it comes time for the religious world to fight the social and political “battles” of the world, it appears to me that such a role is the accepted role of the many various denominations. Today’s Christians go to battle just as did the 12 tribes of Israel. War is dirty and tragic; it spills blood, and brings all kinds of hazards and wounds. War causes “collateral” damage; bad things happen and mistakes of battle do not always make the heroes and the brave look good. Men and women in battle make mistakes, and get blood on their hands — such is the nature of any war.

Exposing religious beliefs in the political and social wars brings public ridicule to the particular religion of the advocate. There are a number of well-known evangelical leaders who make it their public duty to engage in political and social warfare.

The believers in God, from whatever denomination or religion, are the ones who fight the social battles of today’s modern world (including especially the social battles of political life, public prayer, freedom of religions, etc., etc. In fighting such battles, one will get blood on their hands. Going into the world proclaiming religion subjects them to the world’s ridicule, embarrassment; and their religious beliefs will be despised and tore apart and examined to the core. For example, religious people who enter the world of politics will subject their religion to being picked over and taken out of context (Kennedy was shunned as a Catholic, Romney subjected his Mormonism to public ridicule and skepticism. Long-serving House of Representatives Speaker Sam Rayburn was ridiculed for joining the “foot-washing
Hardshells”.

God prohibited bloody hands from ‘holy’ things
God gave the Levites the duty to preserve and protect theTabernacle and the holy things associated with it. As such, the Lord limited the Levites’ duties in bloody battles. He gave them a “covenant of peace”. (Num. 25:12-13).

The Lord also blessed David in a multitude of wars. However, because David suffered the blood and scars of battle, the Lord prohibited David from building the holy temple because David had bloodied himself by those wars (1 Chron. 17:4, 22:6-8). Instead, the Lord blessed Solomon to build the holy Temple and gave “rest from all his enemies”, blessing Solomon with “peace and quietness”. (1 Chron. 22:9-10)

PBs have been blessed with the ‘truth’ In my view the role of the Primitive Baptists, is not to involve ourselves in the “bloody” public mud battles of politics; but, like the Levites, to stay out of the limelight and protect and preserve the “Truth”. We are not to endorse politicians, but ensure the truth endures. Preserving and nurturing the “Truth” is what Old Baptists do well. We are not perfect, but the PBs cherish the doctrine of “love, power and a sound mind” — not fear. We have the doctrine of love — not hate or ridicule, or war. We are peace lovers. I believe the Lord has His warriors — but He also has those whose primary duty is not to fight the messy public battles, but to preserve the holy Truth.

PBs adamantly contend for the Truth. We are true “hard shells” about it. PBs preserve truth with all our power. To the world, PBs are “old fashioned”, “out of date”, and “old timey”, but they all know we love the Lord. It is highly unusual for an Old Baptist to “go to war” politically. We stay and protect the most valuable thing God has revealed and given to us. We “girt our loins” with truth (Eph. 6:14) — and we go to lengths to protect it, cherish it, and love it — and maintain it in its pure and simple form and worship service. We should not go into the world and try to cast it before the swine and dogs.

(Matt. 7:6. “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”).

Old Baptists do not make the Truth a weapon of war against others; instead we use it as peace, comfort and care for sinners and the wounded. But old Baptists, just as the Levite priest Phinehas did to protect the holy things of the Tabernacle, PBs do not hesitate to rise to the defense when it is attacked.

Examples of “Levitical’ responses by PBs:
I was moved, and reassured in my belief of the Levite model a couple of years ago, when a well-known, statewide political commentator (described as Alabama’s premier columnist and commentator) wrote a column detailing the personalities of opposing candidates in a very heated statewide political race. The commentator surmised that one of the candidates was perceived by others as “a demagoguing Primitive Baptist religious nut.” It was a backhanded slur of all PBs.

At least three (of whom I am aware) of our good PB ministers quickly responded: Elder G. Wayne Crocker, Elder Buddy Abernathy, and Elder Craig Blair. Each of these three Old Baptist ministers are known as reserved, humble men. But like Phinehas the Levite, each did not hesitate to respond publicly to this obvious slur attack on the Old Baptist church.

All three immediately contacted the political commentator, and properly and professionally, informed him first that the ridiculed subject of his writing was not, in fact, an actual Primitive Baptist. But each also responded to the derogatory implication against all Primitive Baptists. Elder Blair and Elder Abernathy each described typical PB congregations as honorable members of their communities, including doctors, lawyers, district attorneys, businessmen and educators. All three explained the nature of the Old Baptist church. Elder Blair invited the commentator to a PB church service to see for himself.

Elder Crocker wrote to the commentator and identified prominent Primitive Baptist members that were certainly not “backwoods religious nuts”, including Speaker Sam Rayburn, and John Hart, signer of the Declaration of Independence. It worked. Elder Crocker actually received a personal phone call back from the columnist who acknowledged his ignorance of Primitive Baptists, and said he would not repeat the mistake.

When Congressman Sam Rayburn was ridiculed in the press in the 1960’s for “joining the footwashing hardshells”, he did not show anger or attack back politically. He simply smiled and quoted to the media from John 13 — that Primitive Baptists simply follow the instruction and example of Jesus and do as Christ did: wash one another’s feet.

Prayers are better than protests
When we involve ourselves in the public controversialpolitical battles of the day, we will be subjected to out-of-contextexamination by others who are ignorant of our beliefs. As such,we are offering “holy things unto the dogs,” and casting our“pearls before the swine”. However, when the sanctity of holythings are attacked, we should not hesitate to respond with truth.

I believe in the ‘right’ of protest, and I encourage all tovote. But I know that prayer is much more powerful — even in aheated political climate. (James 5:16b; Prov. 21:1)

Protecting the truth
We have the truth, and it is our duty preserve it, keep it holy, and to share it with those that show evidence of regeneration — those for whom God has already made “new creatures” (II Corin. 5:17), whose heart God has already prepared (as was the Eunoch, Acts 8:1-38; Saul/Paul Acts 9:1-18; and Cornelius Acts 10:1-33). “ . . . And as many as are ordained to eternal life will believe. (Acts 14:48).