All Aboard?

Scripture Verse that Caught my Attention Today: Ezra 8:15 I gathered them by the river that runs to Ahava, and there we camped three days. As I reviewed the people and the priests, I found there none of the descendants of Levi.

Observation: Ezra wanted to assure that all were represented.

Application: Reading through lists of names and tribes and such in the Old Testament can be a little monotonous, at least for me. The various regions and lineages are not the kind of stuff with which I am intimately familiar. The big names stand out, of course. But most of the others tend to blur together. Yet in those days each name was important. And Ezra took it upon himself to pull a Santa and, after making a list, checked it twice. In so doing he realized that the Levites were missing and went about the process of rectifying the situation.

This is so contrary to how so many people operate today. In politics in particular, efforts to get what is desired (by whoever is in charge) often trump efforts to include everyone at the table. And sometimes even when everyone is at the table there is such obstinacy at the table that it’s almost understandable why some don’t work very hard to include everyone in the first place.

Still Ezra’s example is a worthy consideration. It delayed their venture for a little while. But when they finally set out, it was a unified effort.

Prayer: Lord, help us, in our fragmented society, to seek a more inclusive way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.


(Scripture Readings today included: Ezra 7-8 and Luke 20)