Numbers 18:1 And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father’s house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
The Burdens and The Blessings
I don’t know about you, but it is natural for me to exaggerate the blessings of the responsibilities of others and to exaggerate the burdens of my own responsibilities. It is easy to look at other people and think, “I wish I had their job. It would be so easy, glamorous, or appreciated compared to the work I am doing.”
In Numbers 18 God gives us an illustration of a healthy sense of responsibility. He is talking to Aaron and the Levites when He says in verse 1, “Thou and thy sons and thy father’s house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and…of the priesthood.” Now God was not saying it was a sin to be serving in the priesthood. God was saying that the purity of the sanctuary was their responsibility.
As you read Numbers 18, you realize that a healthy sense of responsibility means to accept the burdens and acknowledge the blessings of your task. There is a balance.
There are three things that we ought to do. First, bear the burden. In verse 1, God says that Aaron and the Levites would “bear the iniquity of the sanctuary.” Verse 23 says, “But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity.” He is talking about their responsibility.
Do you think Korah wanted the work and responsibility of Moses and Aaron when he rebelled against them? No, he wanted just the blessings he perceived. He did not want their burdens. Take the responsibility that God has given to you. Aaron was wrong to want Moses’ responsibility in Numbers 12, and Korah was wrong to want Aaron’s responsibility in Numbers 16.
Secondly, watch the work. That means that we are to take charge of the things that God has given us to do. When we think of someone being in charge we think of them as being the boss. That may be, but being in charge means being in service. When we are in charge we are to watch the work. It’s ours.
Thirdly, accept the gift. I mean both the responsibility and the rewards. In verse 31, God tells the Levites, “It is your reward for your service.” There were things that the Levites enjoyed that others could not, and there were burdens the Levites endured that no one else did.
I’m thankful that I was open to God’s calling on my life when it came. This was largely because I had parents who made it a point to bear their burdens and accept their blessings. Many times when something good happened to us because we travelled in evangelism, my dad would say, “Kids, isn’t this great? The reason we get to do this is because God has called us to this ministry!” Do you have a healthy sense of responsibility? If you do you are going to accept your burdens and acknowledge your blessings.