service worth giving

Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their clans and their fathers' houses, from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting.

Numbers 4:2-3

The sons of Kohath mentioned here were the subset of Levites tasked with the physical maintenance of the tabernacle in the wilderness. They kept the tent of meeting in the best shape possible for uninterrupted worship of the Lord. They moved the tent when Israel was led by God to break camp and travel to another location. They maintained the holiest implements of worship, charged with carrying the veiled ark, the lamp stand, basins, and altar. They were the physical labor force behind the levítical sacrificial system set up by God for Israel in the wilderness. They were the ministry backbone and muscle for the priesthood.

God called upon these men to serve for a two decade span in the prime of their lives. From maturity at age 30 until retirement at age 50, these men gave full attention to seeing that God was worshiped and Israel had access via the work of the priests in the place God designated for atonement that God would provide at the tabernacle. All the different subsets of Levite family clans had specific duties outlined by God in the book of Numbers. This well-ordered system kept the duties of worship clear among the Levites as men in their prime gave to God the best years of their lives in service at His tabernacle.

As I see this pattern, I am simply reminded there are no regrets in the service of the Lord. I’d have been retired from ministry years ago had I been born a Kohathite in the wilderness. But thankfully there are no such mandatory retirement restrictions under the New Covenant in Jesus! And thankfully we don’t have to lug bronze basins and altars around in the desert! All people are free to devote entire lifetimes to His worship, service, and the proclamation of the gospel. That’s service worth giving! That’s a life worth living!