Better with Names

Ezra 8:15

I assembled them at the canal that flows toward Ahava, and we camped there three days. When I checked among the people and the priests, I found no Levites there.

With Holy Week coming up early this year, my hands are already full in preparation for our church’s summer VBS. For starters, I have next week’s kick off to focus on. The pressure is to make it an exciting and excellent first impression. With the task manuals printed, schedules to follow, PPT presentation checked and invitations set, the OC-in-me bugs me of what I might still have missed. And again, like last year, God’s word came right on cue.  

Opening on chapter 8, a list of names welcomed me. I quickly rushed through the thirteen verses thinking it was just one of those lineage thing-y. I jumped to the verse noted above and the phrase ‘(Ezra) found no Levites there’ hit me.  With around thousands of people gathered there, he found one tribe wanting: the Levites. What’s happening here was, supposedly, they were the second wave of remnants who will return to Jerusalem. The temple was already rebuilt, but not so much true worship. Ezra, being a scribe in the line of Aaron, was called for this reform.  Seeing no Levites in his team posed a problem. Only these people were set apart to assist the priests in the temple work. Without them, the priests will probably multi-task. No reason was given why they didn’t respond to the recruitment call. Some said, it may be because it was no position of prominence. Regardless, Ezra did not leave without their representation. And when they arrive, each of their names were likewise registered.

When I imagined Ezra writing their names, I also saw him asking their father’s line and meeting the family they brought along with. That’s ‘taking time’. I may understand that the scribe-in-him bugged him on these details, but the fact that the Scripture gave them one-fourth page is something. It made me realize how each name in my volunteer list is as important as my tasks on hand. It readied my heart for possible ‘no-show’ and that I should seek them out and wait on them. Not because Ezra did it. But because God Himself sought the lost-me, called me by name, and relates with me to this time. I know better how that feels like. Time to do better is what’s next.

Four Bods

1 Chronicles 23:6

David divided the Levites into groups corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

We all heard about that story about Everybody, Anybody, Somebody, and Nobody. Long and short of it was that while the first three assumed and argued it was each other’s job, nobody was already doing it. Or not doing it. My family has another version of that. Film title was Household Chores. Lead role was our mom, representing everybody.  My sister and I alternated as nobodies. We’re villains to anybody, played by my younger brother. Our favorite line? ‘He’s not just anybody here. Let him play lead on this!’ Dad’s place was more like a supervisor. He kept calling us with another name though: ‘Somebody…’, and almost always, his next spiel was  ‘…help your mom!’ But we stick to our character of course. We’re a pro - - lazy pro! hahaha :> 

Magnify those four characters to thirty-eight thousand Levites, and it would sure be a disaster. With Israel’s number growing to a million, imagine the humongous task of assisting the priests in receiving all those offerings and sacrifices. You’d say it would require everybody doing it. But there’s also the task of supervising, officiating, judging, gatekeeping, baking, cleaning, and singing. Somebody had to do that. But in order to make sure it’s done excellently, I’m sure David didn’t just choose anybody at random. The singers, for instance, were trained under their fathers ‘til their level reached skillful. And definitely, it was made sure that nobody will forget his duty. If God said that the lamp should be burning before Him at all times, signifying His presence in Jerusalem, imagine the implication if you were found sleeping on your duty? David wouldn’t take that risk and so he divided the Levites into groups and specified their duties and schedules per family. In the next chapter it even mentioned a scribe named Shemaiah recording the priests’ names in the presence of David and all officials. Their names may seem boring and a drag to our daily readings, but not without purpose. It’s what we actually need to become a pro.

Given only eight weeks to prepare for the kids VBS in our church, the initial push was to get everybody in and start moving. But by everybody, basing on today’s text, means giving each one a specific task, and schedule, and workmates, and supervisors, if possible written and in public - -  to ensure that he or she would not assume that somebody or anybody’s hand was already on it.  We want nobody giving such excuse. Praise God for His Word sparing us from those unnecessary frustrations and time-wasters.  He Himself, though timeless and infinite, orchestrated work seasons and a list of To Do’s as His way of sending us blessings and satisfaction. He is the One who appointed us to be part of the body. Thankfully, not to do everything. But to do a specific something, for anybody in need. It may appear insignificant at first, but it doesn’t mean we’re a nobody. Somebody died for us, remember?