A Rope and A Levite

Luke 1:5-10

In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years. 8 Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty,9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. 10 Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside.

Have you ever picked up on the five subtle words that set the stage for Zachariah's encounter in the temple "he was chosen by lot". Why would one need to be chosen by lot to serve the Lord? Was there a waiting list among the Levites to be the one to enter into the sanctuary of the Lord? Well...not exactly. As you may or may not know, the Levites were the priestly tribe of Israel. They had been called out by God to serve as priests and servants at first in the tabernacle and then in the temple. The Levite men were on a rotation of sorts and twice a year, when it was your "section" or team's turn, you served in the temple and performed all of the ritual duties. One of those duties was to make offerings and care for the "sanctuary of the Lord" you may have also heard it called the "Holy of Holies".

The sanctuary of the Lord was the area of the temple that it was believed that the spirit of the Lord dwelled. Because the presence of the Lord was so palpable, so strong, so real here, it was separated by a thick curtain or veil from the rest of the Temple lest the average person be overcome. The man who got the job to perform the sacred duties of the sanctuary was chosen by lots or lottery. It was by chance, but as we all know, God leaves nothing up to chance. He had a plan for Zachariah that day.

It was a pretty common occurrence that the servant on duty in the Holy of Holies would either pass out or even die from the power of God's presence. In fact, in case this happened, the priest serving there was required to wear a rope around their ankle and bells. The rope led to the other side of the veil. If your fellow priest did not hear your bells as you walked around performing your duties, they would assume that you were either dead or unconscious and pull you back out of the Holy of Holies by the rope on your ankle. And yet, this was the highest honor of a Levite's life. It was such a high honor in fact, that you could only be chosen once in your life to do it and the risks were great. Perhaps when the lots were drawn, if the name wasn't yours, you heaved a small sigh of relief over not having to take on such a dangerous task.

To be in God's presence, to truly serve God comes at great risk at times. For the Levites, to even be willing to be present for the drawing of lots took great courage. The best way not to get chosen was simply not to be there. They were a priestly class of men, not warriors or craftsmen but they were not faint of heart. They were willing to risk it all in the service of the Lord.

What do we risk in our service to God? Time? Money? Sometimes we are not even willing to risk that. Has the thought ever crossed your mind about church that the best way not to get chosen is not to show up? When the choice is a tough one, do we choose God over pleasure or convenience? Today, may God open our hearts to be like Zechariah and his "section". May we be willing to sacrifice our wants and desires in service to our Lord.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive us for thinking that inconvenience is sacrifice. May we be willing to offer a greater sacrifice to you today. Show us how to serve you best. Amen.