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Part Of Your World


            Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribal families of Israel at Shiloh in Canaan and said to them, “The LORD commanded through Moses that you give us towns to live in, with pasturelands for our livestock.” So, as the LORD had commanded, the Israelites gave the Levites the following towns and pasturelands out of their own inheritance:(Joshua 21:1-3)

            And the winner is... Judah. And the winner is...Joseph. And the winner is...Simeon, and so on down the line. I can almost imagine Joshua dusting off his hands, glad to be done with what was probably more difficult and more contentious than conquering: the division of the land among the tribes. He's ready to go to his tent, have a glass of wine and relax, when a group of men approach with the "We need to talk" look on their faces. They weren't pushy about it, they just reminded Joshua and the other tribes that God promised Levi that the rest of the tribes would provide them with towns to live in.
            Were you ever one of those kids who got picked last when your gym class chose teams? I wonder if Levi sometimes felt like that kid. The rest of the Israelites went off to war, Levi cleaned and polished the Tabernacle. Sure,  "it's an honor" and all that but everyone else is cutting the throats of our enemies, while we're cutting the throats of bulls, rams and turtle doves. Yeah, we're privileged but  we have to beg and we have to remind others about their responsibilities to us because we don't have the same rights as everyone else.
           I understand the feeling. Other people my age are married. Their kids are married and they have grandkids. As I walk around my neighborhood, I see some pretty nice looking places, and some ram shackles. My home here is closer to the latter. I don't have a regular job, haven't watched TV in a year, and I've only gotten my hair cut once since September, 2015.
           Don't get me wrong - I don't regret the choices I've made, but "everybody else".... Other people have "normal" lives that I probably wouldn't want if they were offered, but it's easy to long for something you don't have, even if you know it wouldn't make you happy, just because "everyone else" seems to be enjoying it.
            Here are the instructions God gave Israel and the Church in the New Testament. If you are part of one of the categories of "others" (widows, orphans, priests/ministers, singles,  prisoners, the poor...not as a result of sin) then do not hesitate to call on the Israel or the Church to share with their inheritance with you. If you are blessed with a more typical life, be sure to set aside part of your world for the members of your community who have been called to a different life. It's not your responsibility to take care of them - but it is your responsibility to share your world with them and to protect them so that they can do what God has called them to do.

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