Deuteronomy 10:8 – Minister - Sharath

At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day. – Deuteronomy 10:8

This is our last word of worship from the Old Testament.  Again, this is by no means an exhaustive study.  Our intent was to simply highlight some aspects of both Old Testament and New Testament words of worship.  In some aspects, this may be the most significant word we study. Those who partake and may even lead worship will see that even in the time of Moses, there were those separated unto God to lead the worship of Jehovah.  The Hebrew word Sharath “describes the priestly ministry of worship.”  In the context of Deuteronomy chapter ten, we see that this office of worship was in one way a privilege and in another way a liability.  In the following verse (verse nine), the Bible states that since the tribe of Levi had the Lord as their inheritance, they had no official inheritance with their brethren.  In other words, the Levites had a privilege unlike others in Israel, but they also were kept from sharing in basic aspects of Israel’s culture.  This is an important principle to grasp for worship leaders.  As leaders of corporate worship, I believe the same principle holds true.  The importance of our testimony, public appearance, and demeanor are all held at a higher level as leaders of corporate worship.  Oftentimes, leaders and those who contribute musically don’t understand this privilege.  We must understand that, whether we like it or not, we are held to a higher standard than the average church attendee.  Some may ask how we translate this into the Church age.  Consider the principles of avoiding stumbling blocks (1 Corinthians 8:9), abstaining from even the appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22), and not letting your good be evil spoken of (Romans 14).  These are all general exhortations to all Christians that find greater significance in the lives of those who have the privilege of leading God’s people in worship, service, and so forth.  It is a privilege to lead in worship, but it is also something to be taken seriously as others are looking to your example.  To download the entire study with footnotes, click here.