9/08/2004 09:19:16 AM|||Laura|||They couldn't prove their heritage; they (and their fathers) had not valued it enough to preserved any records or proof. We're talking only 70 years here - if this was important to them, they would have had proof. But now that it's time to rebuild, they want to be priests.
The following were those who came up from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addan, and Immer, though they could not prove their fathers' houses or their descent, whether they belonged to Israel: the sons of Delaiah, the sons of Tobiah, and the sons of Nekoda, 652. Also, of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, and the sons of Barzillai (who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name). These sought their registration among those enrolled in the genealogies, but they were not found there, and so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. (Ezra 2:59-62)
You may have heard the saying, "If they were rounding up Christians, would you be taken?" Would they find a dust-free Bible in your house, sermon notes tucked inside? Would anybody testify against you? (I'm batting 500 here - I doubt anyone would testify against me but I have the rest covered. Still working on it...) I think it's interesting that this was not true for these guys, and it's obvious they didn't have a clear understanding of what the priesthood really meant or they wouldn't have applied for the job. Today, they would be televangelists, with the "glory" of public speaking, money, and a perceived position of authority, without the responsibility of shepherding a flock. Was it Solomon who said there was no new thing under the sun?
|||109465476269477569|||Wannabe televangelists?