Levi
Levi (Hebrew: Modern: Levi, Tiberian: Lewi) was, according to the Book of Genesis, the third of the six sons of Jacob and Leah (Jacob's third son), and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Levi (the Levites, including the Kohanim) and the great-grandfather of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.
Relatives: (The 12 brothers; children of Jacob); Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin
Born: 16 Nisan, Paddan Aram
Children: Gershon (son), Kohath (son), Merari (son), Jochebed (daughter)
Parents: Jacob (father), Leah (mother)
There are two Levis of significance in the Bible. One is Levi, the tax collector who became one of Jesus' twelve disciples, better known as Matthew (Matthew 9:9; Luke 5:27). The person most often intended when referring to Levi in the Bible, however, is Leah's third son born to Jacob, who became the head of the tribe of Levites.
Levi got his name because Leah was the unloved wife of Jacob, and with the birth of her third son, she hoped her husband would finally become emotionally attached to her. Therefore she named her son Levi, which sounds similar to the Hebrew word for attached (Genesis 29:34). However, Jacob continued to pour his love and attention into his other wife, Leah's sister, Rachel. Perhaps this disappointment played into the character trait Levi is most remembered for: anger.
Levi, along with his next oldest brother Simeon, became known for his fierce wrath and cruel fury. When Shechem, Levi, and Simeon took justice into their own hands, they tricked the city men into undergoing the rite of circumcision, God's covenant sign with Abraham, promising to give Dinah as a wife and join the peoples together (Genesis 34:1–24). However, three days after the city men had been circumcised, Levi and Simeon "took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males" (Genesis 34:25). Jacob worried, "You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land… if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed" (Genesis 34:30). However, when God told Jacob to move his family to Bethel, "a terror from God fell upon the cities around them so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob" (Genesis 35:5). Thus Levi's bloody revenge did not result in disaster for the family.
Once settled back in Canaan, Jacob's sons, including Levi, "conspired against [their younger brother Joseph] to kill him" (Genesis 37:18). Joseph was the first son of Rachel and was Jacob's favored son. Eventually, the brothers decided to sell him for twenty shekels of silver to Midianite traders on their way to Egypt (Genesis 37:28). Of course, Joseph eventually rose to power in Egypt and stored up grain ahead of a famine. So when Jacob and his sons were in need, Levi and his brothers traveled to Egypt to buy grain, not knowing Joseph was the one with whom they were dealing. Eventually, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and they all reconciled. Jacob and his entire family, including Levi, resettled in Egypt (Genesis 39—50). Jacob's sons eventually became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, Levi being the patriarch of the Levites. He had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari (Genesis 46:11).
When Jacob was on his death bed, he pronounced blessings and prophecies over his sons. Over Simeon and Levi, he said, "Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them between Jacob and scatter them in Israel" (Genesis 49:7). This prophecy came true, but not necessarily as the curse, it was intended to be. When Moses found the Israelites worshipping the golden calf in Exodus 32, he called, "'Who is on the LORD'S side? Come to me.' And all the sons of Levi gathered around him" (Exodus 32:26). He then instructed them to kill their brethren responsible for turning away from God. Three thousand Israelites died that day (Exodus 32:27–28). Moses explained, "Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day" (Exodus 32:29). Thus, the family trait of violent anger was harnessed in zeal for the LORD. In Deuteronomy 10:8–9, Moses further explained, "The LORD set apart the tribe of Levi… Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The LORD is his inheritance." Instead of their own plot of land, the Levites were to be given cities in each portion of the different tribes' land. In these cities, they would act as priests between God and each tribe, acting as judges and settling disputes (Deuteronomy 21:5). Thus the Levites were scattered throughout Israel, just as Jacob had predicted.
Therefore Levi is remembered as Jacob's third son and head of the tribe of Levites, whose violent anger was passed down in such a way as to become passionate zeal for the LORD, thus earning his descendants the role of priests among the people. Moses, Aaron, John the Baptist, Barnabas, and of course, many others were from the tribe of Levi. Levi's name is referenced symbolically in Malachi 2:4–6, specifically alluding to one of his descendants Phinehas (Numbers 25:10–13), and Levi would probably prefer to be remembered by this legacy. "So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the LORD of hosts? My covenant with him was life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity."
Because of Levi's involvement with the killing of Shechemites (Genesis 34), he suffers the anger of Jacob (Genesis 49:5–70; Later in the story, as presented in the Pentateuch, Levi and his family, the Levites, are not numbered with the other tribes (Numbers 1:17–46). Instead, they are set aside for special priestly activities (Numbers 1:47–53), to assist Aaron (Numbers 3:5–9), and to be consecrated to Yahweh (Numbers 3:11–13). Since the Levites have no land, they are allotted a tithe to sustain themselves while working as priests (Numbers 18:21, 24). Furthermore, they are to receive a series of cities, referred to as "Levitical cities," in which they are to live (Numbers 35:1–8). These cities are scattered throughout the remaining tribes (Joshua 21). The relationship between Levi and the Levites, Aaron and the Aaronites ", and Moses is inconsistent. In Numbers 16, descendants of Levi oppose Moses and Aaron.
In contrast, in Exodus 32, the Levites join with Moses in opposing the activities of the people and Aaron. In Deuteronomy 33:8–11, as part of Moses's blessing, Levi is set aside to handle the Urim and Thummim (sacred lots) and teach Jacob's descendants. This sets the stage for the ongoing changing and often conflicting relationship between the three priestly groups in the Hebrew Bible: Levites, Aaronites, and Zadokites. The nature of this relationship changes over time. Early on, the Levites were intimately associated with the cultic practices of ancient Israel. Later on, when a monarchy was formed, the Zadokites became the prominent priestly group (2 Samuel 8:17; 1 Kings 1:38–40; 2:35). Finally, the Aaronites were the dominant priestly group in the postexilic period (after 586 BCE). The Levites are subservient priests, singers at the sanctuary, and guardians of the temple precincts (1 Chronicle 23–24). Despite the picture of subservience to the Aaronites, Levi, the eponymous [of, relating to or being the person or thing for whom or which something is named]: of, relating to, or being an ancestor of the Levites, Levi remained the preeminent ancestor of all priests in the Second Temple period, including in pseudepigraphical [falsely or wrongly attributed to Dead Sea Scrolls materials].
In the last book in the Old Testament, Malachi reveals a third individual who walked with God. In the second chapter, God says, "My covenant with him (Levi) was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My name. True instruction was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity" (Malachi 2:5, 6).
God reveals six characteristics that equipped Levi to walk with Him in these two verses.
1. Levi revered God. He adored and worshiped God.
2. Levi stood in awe of God's name. He had a reverential fear of God.
3. Proper instructions were in Levi's mouth. He knew God's will and faithfully taught others.
4. Unrighteousness was not found on Levi's lips. He did not speak evil or unclean things.
5. Levi walked in peace and uprightness. His life was pure and good.
6. Levi turned many back from iniquity. He had a strong moral influence on the lives of many.
Although Enoch, Noah, and Levi are the only three individuals mentioned explicitly in the sixty-six books of the Bible as having walked with God, we understand that many other Bible heroes also had a personal, dynamic fellowship with God.
In the New Testament, Luke gives a vivid description of what it means to "walk with God." In the first chapter of his Book, Luke describes Zechariah, a priest, and his wife Elizabeth, "And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord" (Luke 1:6).
To say that this priest and his wife were both righteous and walked blamelessly meant that they loved God and obeyed him. They took His Law seriously. Because Zechariah and his wife lived a righteous and obedient life, God honored their walk with Him by blessing them with the son they had long prayed to have. We know their son as John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ.
The New Testament tells of additional people described as "righteous in the sight of God." Among these is a Roman Centurion, Cornelius. Because of his walk with God, Cornelius saw his family saved. Luke, writing in Acts, described Cornelius as "a righteous and God-fearing man, well-spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews" (Acts 10:22). Cornelius loved God and obeyed him, and showed his faith in his love for his neighbors. The Bible says, "Cornelius was a devout man and one who feared God with all his household and gave many alms to the Jewish people" (vs. 2, 3).
These lives reveal that to walk with God, a person must live a life that is obedient and pleasing to God. What type of experience is this? The obedient life is the life that loves God and obeys him. It is a life of commitment and obedience. Just as Zechariah and his wife walked a good and holy life, and Noah was found to be blameless in God's eyes, and Cornelius lived a righteous life by proving his love for God through his love for his neighbors. Anyone who wishes to walk with God must walk faithfully with God and keep his commands, which Jesus summed up as Love God and Love your neighbor.
Here are the characteristics of the other two men we studied who walked with God.
Enoch:
1. Enoch was pleasing to God. Enoch's intimate relationship with God was possible because Enoch did what God wanted him to do. His actions reflected God's Will for his life.
2. Enoch was faithful to God. The Bible says that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Enoch, through his faith, pleased God. Enoch is an example of the righteous man that Paul wrote about in Romans 1:17, "But the righteous man shall live by faith."
Noah:
1. Noah was righteous. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time (Genesis 6:9b). He did what was right in God's sight. Noah's walk equaled his talk.
2. Noah was obedient. He took God at His word and did all that God commanded. "Thus Noah did; according to God's command, he did" (Genesis 6:22).
3. Noah was patient. Noah had no evidence of what was coming or how long it would take to build the ark. Noah built the ark while the sun was shining long before the rains came.
4. Noah was faithful. The roll call of the faithful records, "By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith" (Hebrews 11:7)
Meet Matthew the Apostle, Ex-Tax Collector.
He went from a crooked tax collector to a Gospel writer and follower of Jesus.
Matthew is traditionally identified as the author of the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew, the apostle, had been a dishonest tax collector driven by greed until Jesus Christ chose him as a disciple. Also called Levi, Matthew was not a stand-out character in the Bible; He is only mentioned by name in the lists of apostles and in the account of his calling.
Life Lessons from Matthew the Apostle
Money, fame, and power cannot compare with being a follower of Jesus Christ. God can use anyone to help him in his work. We should not feel unqualified because of our appearance, lack of education, or past. Jesus looks for sincere commitment. We should also remember that the highest calling in life is serving God, no matter what the world says.
We first meet Matthew in Capernaum, in his tax booth on the main highway. He collected duties on imported goods brought by farmers, merchants, and caravans. Under the Roman Empire's system, Matthew would have paid all the taxes in advance, then collected from the citizens and travelers to reimburse himself.
Tax collectors were notoriously corrupt because they extorted far and above what was owed to ensure profit. Because Roman soldiers enforced their decisions, no one dared object.
Matthew the Apostle
Matthew, whose father was Alphaeus (Mark 2:14), was named Levi before his call by Jesus. We do not know whether Jesus gave him the name Matthew or changed it himself, but it is a shortening of the name Mattathias, which means "gift of Yahweh" or simply "the gift of God."
On the same day Jesus invited Matthew to follow him, Matthew threw a great farewell feast in his home in Capernaum, inviting his friends so they could meet Jesus too. From that time on, instead of collecting tax money, Matthew collected souls for the kingdom of God.
Despite his sinful past, Matthew was uniquely qualified to be a disciple. He was an accurate record keeper and a keen observer of people. He captured the minor details. Those traits served him well when he wrote the Gospel of Matthew some 20 years later.
By surface appearances, it was scandalous and offensive for Jesus to pick a tax collector as one of his closest followers since the Jews widely hated them. However, of the four Gospel writers, Matthew presented Jesus to the Jews as their hoped-for Messiah, tailoring his account to answer their questions.
From Crooked Sinner to Transformed Saint
Matthew displayed one of the most radically changed lives in the Bible in response to an invitation from Jesus. He did not hesitate; he did not look back. He left behind a life of wealth and security for poverty and uncertainty. He abandoned the pleasures of this world for the promise of eternal life.
The remainder of Matthew's life is uncertain. Tradition says he preached for 15 years in Jerusalem following the death and resurrection of Jesus, then went out on the mission field to other countries.
How Matthew died is disputed. According to Heracleon, the apostle passed away from natural causes. The official "Roman Martyrology" of the Catholic Church suggests that Matthew was martyred in Ethiopia. Foxe's Book of Martyrs also supports the martyrdom tradition of Matthew, reporting that he was slain with a halberd (a combined spear and battleax) in the city of Nadar.
Accomplishments
Matthew served as one of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ. As an eyewitness to the Savior, Matthew recorded a detailed account of Jesus' life, the story of his birth, his message, and his many deeds in the Gospel of Matthew. He also served as a missionary, spreading the good news to other countries.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Matthew was an accurate record keeper. He knew the human heart and the longings of the Jewish people. He was loyal to Jesus, and once committed, he never wavered in serving the Lord.
On the other hand, before he met Jesus, Matthew was greedy. He thought money was the most important thing in life and violated God's laws to enrich himself at the expense of his fellow citizens.
Fast facts about Levi
Levi
• Levi is the third son of Jacob and his first wife, Leah.
• Levi's name is drawn from the verb "to join," expressing Leah's hope that her husband would now be drawn to her. She says, "Now, this time, my husband will join me because I have borne to him three sons."
• Levi is also the progenitor (ancestor) of the Tribe of Levi, which becomes known as the Levites.
• Because the Levites are priests, some scholars think "Levi" means priest. They also argue that the Levites are first, and the Tribe of Levi is invented to explain the origin of the priestly class.
• Scholars are still debating the origin of the name.
• Levi is included among the "sons of Jacob" who were "indignant and very angry" upon hearing that Shechem "defiled" their sister, Dinah.
• He and Simeon go to the city on the third day after all the males have been circumcised and kill them while still incapacitated.
• Jacob says to them, "You have brought ruin on me by making me a foul odor among the world's inhabitants."
• Jacob is worried that the neighbors will retaliate.
• They defend their actions by saying, "Should our sister be treated like a prostitute?"
• He is also with his brothers when they sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites.
• Levi has three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, though there are various spellings of their names throughout the Bible.
• The Levitical priesthood comes through these three sons.
• Levi and his three sons travel with Jacob and the whole clan to Egypt.
• In Jacob's final blessing to his sons on his deathbed, in Genesis 49, he finally condemns the actions of Simeon and Levi in Shechem, saying: "their swords are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. They were cursed by their fierceness and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel." (5-7)
• In the Apocryphal writings, there is a document known as the Testament of Levi.
• In it, Levi speaks about this incident and claims that he and Simeon are greatly opposed to the idea of having the Hivites circumcised because they are not Israelites. (At least that is one possible translation of the verses in question.)
• If that is the case, then Levi is cast as a radical believer who desperately wants to maintain the purity of the tribe at all costs. He says that he is given a vision instructing him to destroy Hamor and Shechem.
• He claims that he and Simeon do that, and only that. The other brothers renege on the agreement, kill all the men, and sack the town.
• His version makes the tribe of Levi well-suited to head up the radical nature of the priesthood.
• The Book of Jubilees affirms this by stating, "the seed of Levi was chosen for the priesthood, and to be Levites, that they might minister before the Lord,… and that Levi and his sons may be blessed forever; for he was zealous to execute righteousness and judgment and vengeance on all those who arose against Israel."
• The story continues in the Book of Jubilees with Jacob visiting Isaac and Rebekah. He takes Levi and Judah with him.
• The spirit of prophecy comes to Isaac, and he blesses Levi, saying, "May God….cause you and your seed, from among all flesh, to approach Him to serve in His sanctuary…."
• While they are still at Bethel, Levi dreams that he is ordained and made "the priest of the Highest God, him and his sons forever; and he awoke and blessed the Lord."
• Biblically speaking, the choosing of the tribe of Levi for the priesthood happens during the time of Moses and the Golden Calf incident.
• After coming down from the mountain, Moses (a descendant of Levi) challenges the people: "Whoever is for the Lord, come to me." Members of the Levite tribe are the first to respond.
• Then the Levites get an unexpected assignment. They are to kill those who do not commit themselves to the Lord. It says that about three thousand were killed that day.
• The Levites are rewarded for their role in the slaughter. They are "set apart and blessed," according to the text.
• This is what inaugurates the tribe of Levi to be Levites.
• After that, they are the champions for Yahweh, thereby earning the leadership role of the priestly order.
• When the census is taken, the tribe of Levi is exempt. Their job is to care for the tabernacle of the covenant and everything associated with it, not to fight.
• They also set up the tabernacle, take it down, and camp around it, standing guard over it to maintain its holiness.
• When they reach Canaan and land is allocated to the tribes, the Levites receive cities "because the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance."
• The other tribes pay them tithes.
• Levi becomes the ancestor of the holy priesthood, but the Levites always have to depend on the other tribes for sustenance
