I Chronicles 23: Born This Way

It wasn't just anyone who could serve as a worship leader in ancient Israel.  The administration of the temple functions and the leadership of the sacrifices was given to one tribe in particular.  You had to be born a Levite in order to be one of the professional religious leaders.

In the modern era, we are used to the personal freedom of anyone becoming whatever they want to be.  As long as you have the right aptitude and the right attitude, you can go anywhere you want.

Not so in much of human history.  This is especially true concerning the worship of God in ancient Israel.  You had to be "born into it" to be a servant of the Lord in the Temple.

I Chronicles 23 describes this ordination of one tribe to be the professional worshiping class.  After finding out there were 38,000 Levite men older than 30, David proclaimed, "Twenty-four thousand of these shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, six thousand shall be officers and judges, four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise" (vs 4 and 5).  These men were now assigned to be a permanent part of the national religious observance of Israel.

This chapter also describes the shift in the responsibilities of the Levites from Tabernacle to Temple.  As David prepares for Solomon to build the Temple, he also prepares a transition for the priestly tribe.  "And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service...but their duty shall be to assist the descendants of Aaron for the service for the house of the Lord, having the care of the courts and chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God" (vs. 26 and 28).

Today we no longer practice the necessity of a someone being born into the right family or tribe to be a religious leader.  In Christ, our high priest, we share in the priesthood of all believers.  Those who seek to answer God's specialized call into the ordained ministry are also free to do so, providing they demonstrate evidence of His gifts and graces in their lives.