Daily
Devotional

Do you feel that you perpetually come in second place—or worse—in everything you try? Consider for a moment that God never intended for us to be “number one.” He is Number One, and in His great plan for the advancement of His Kingdom, He has far more supporting roles than leading ones.

Think about these examples. Most of us know that John 11:35, “Jesus wept,” is the shortest verse in the Bible. But who knows which is the second shortest? It is 1 Chronicles 1:25: “Eber, Peleg, Reu.” They were ancestors of Abraham. And almost everyone knows that Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, with 176 verses, but which is the second longest? It is Numbers 7, with 89 verses. So does the fact that we do not immediately recognize these Scriptures mean there is nothing of value in them except to historians? No, not at all! The Bible says that all Scriptures were given by the inspiration of God, and are “profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Being the “most this” or the “best that” has little bearing on how useful someone is to God.  

In the passage from which today’s focus verse was taken, we read that three groups of Levites were assigned to transport the Tabernacle. Moses had six covered wagons to accomplish the task, so naturally you would expect each group to get two wagons, right?

Wrong. The sons of Merari got four! Was that because Moses was their uncle? No, it was because they carried the heaviest items—those made of wood and overlaid with gold and brass. They needed all the help they could get. And why did the sons of Kohath not even get one? Verse 9 says everything they were responsible for had to be carried on their shoulders; they had no need for a wagon. The last two wagons went to the sons of Gershon, who carried the tapestries, covering cloths, ropes, and pins.

If we had been with the Levites the day they were moving the Tabernacle, they probably would have handed us a bunch of pins and ropes and told us to start hammering—not exactly glamorous work. But stop and consider this: the Tabernacle was a big tent surrounded by a cloth fence, all held up by the ropes and pins. What would have happened if the hammerers had just gone to take a nap under a tree? The first small storm would have caused the entire Tabernacle to collapse! (If it ever stood up at all!)

While we may be tempted to feel that we are unimportant because we do not have a “lead role” in our service to the Lord, we need to remember that there are many positions which must be filled in this Gospel work, and God gives grace and abilities accordingly. Even if we are number two or number three (or even further down the line), our performance of the seemingly minor jobs we have been assigned is actually very important. When we give our best to the Lord, there is no reason to think we are not doing good enough!