Reach Out and Touch Someone

"And you shall bring the Levites before the tabernacle of meeting, and you shall gather together the whole congregation of the children of Israel.  So you shall bring the Levites before the Lord, and the children of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites."

--Numbers 8:9-10  (NKJV)

From the daily Bible reading on March 11, 2013 of Psalm 50:1-15; Acts 17:1-15; Numbers 8-10:10.

It isn't real clear here whether God commanded that all the tens of thousands of people of the house of Levi were to be brought together for the cleansing ceremony, or its 22,000 males over the age of one month (see Numbers 3:39), or just the 8580 males from the age of thirty to fifty that were assigned to do the work of the tabernacle (see Numbers 4:48).  Either way, this was a large number of people to be gathered in one place, in the center of their mobile city, just outside the tabernacle.  Nor is it clear if all the children of Israel or just the sons (traditionally, the males stood for the houses) or just representatives from each house, be it hundreds of thousands or tens of thousands or maybe just thousands, but an additional huge throng was to be gathered around the Levites in the middle.  A sea of humanity in the desert, with one center point.  I envision Moses standing with Aaron at his side and Aaron's sons at his side, each of them touching one another with one hand and reaching down to touch a Levite kneeling before them with the other hand, each Levite reaching out to their brother (or sister) around them, the first row of the Israelis, also kneeling, touching the Levite before them and the Israeli beside, and behind these the children of Israel, all kneeling, touching the one in front and the one beside.  People as far as the eye can see, hands reaching outward in a never ending circle, straining forward toward a central focus, a center point.  Hands to the side and hands to the front, starting way at the rear at the fringes of our vision and surging forward, all joined in common purpose.

The power emanating forward toward the center would be incredible.  I have been the focal point of a much smaller circle of friends and brothers, once when elected and appointed as a Deacon and once when ordained as a minister of our Lord.  The feeling of power coming from those hands, reaching in from all directions, was immense.  I could not feel any individual hand, nor individual touch, just the one overwhelming all encompassing touch of God flowing from my friends.

What a picture this vision paints of Christian cooperation and purpose.  Each of us should be laying our hands on each other, supporting each other, holding each other up.  From way at the back, each of us straining forward, helping and encouraging a brother or sister to our side but ever reaching forward toward the center.  And there, at the center, at the very core of our faith, with hundreds of thousands and thousands of millions of hands reaching out to touch Him, stands Jesus, reaching down to touch each and every one of us.  More hands than can be counted surging, grasping forward, unconditional love radiating back.  With Jesus our Savior at our center, we have more than the world can ever provide.  Amen.

Lord Jesus, too often we get caught up with the busyness of our earthly life and fail to keep You at our center, at our core.  When we do so, we forfeit all the strength and energy and power You can give us with a simple touch.  Please help us stay focused on what truly matters to us, help us keep You at the center of our lives.  In Your blessed name, Lord Jesus we pray.   Amen.