Ezra 2:36-42 – Priests and Levites
Today, we continue with the count of people returning to Judah from the Babylonian Exile. Verses thirty-six through thirty-nine tell us about the priestly houses. During the Old Covenant period, only descendants of Aaron the brother of Moses were allowed to be priests in God’s Temple. By the 530s B.C., it had been nearly nine-hundred years since Aaron and his sons were consecrated to the priestly office. That means there were several branches of the family. Here we find four subsets of the sons of Aaron listed among the returning exiles, including a total of 4,289 priests who would be able to serve in a new Temple.
While the priests were from the family of Aaron of the tribe of Levi, the rest of the men of that tribe had other responsibilities in connection with Temple worship. In verses forty through forty-two, we find a count of men of some other families from the tribe of Levi, including those who would be singers and gatekeepers in a restored Temple. It is worth noting that the singers mentioned here are “sons of Asaph.” Asaph lived in the time of King David, who appointed him to direct the singing of praises when the Ark of the Covenant was brought into Jerusalem. He wrote at least twelve of the Psalms (50, 73-83).
Just as we saw in chapter one that the LORD was faithful to provide the necessary funds to re-establish the Temple, we see today that He also was faithful to provide the necessary priests and worship leaders. Even in our day, He continues to provide the materials and servants necessary for the expansion of His Kingdom and continuation of His worship.
Questions
- Why is it important that priests and other Levites return from the Babylonian Exile?
- Who was Asaph?
Prayer Points
- Pray for the preaching and hearing of God’s Word tomorrow.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.