Old Testament: Relationship between the Levites and Worship in Ancient Israel

The Old Testament supports the tracing of the the relationship between the Levites and worship in Ancient Israel. Worship in Ancient Israel was based on doctrine supported by the covenant and interventions that had been initiated by God. Yahweh showed a considerable amount of compassion and protection to the descendants of Isaac, Abraham and Jacob. For example, the Israelites were rescued through their leader, Moses, from slavery and oppression and then led through Sinai to the Promised Land. Here, the set of instructions, still followed today, was revealed to them (The 10 Commandments).#

The book of both Genesis and Exodus gives a somewhat extensive genealogy of the Levite ancestory. The Levite tribe, in relationship to worship in Ancient Israel, was given the responsibility of ministering in the sanctuary. Some scholars interpret Levite to also mean “priest”, while some merely state that the Levites worked to assist the priests. Nevertheless, the Levites were given roles of ministry and responsibility in the church of Ancient Israel. 1 Chronicles 6:16;31, These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there, proceeds to name the Levites as the temple musicians.# Numbers 3:5-10; 18:1-7, The LORD said to Moses, “Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to assist him. They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the tent of meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle. They are to take care of all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him. Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. Anyone else who approaches the sanctuary is to be put to death. This particular scripture in Numbers supports the idea of the Levites acting as assistants to the priests of the