Daily PresenceSample

At vicarious points in the Bible we encounter these long lists of names and descendants and simply reading through them can seem a chore. Yet, as I was reading through our readings for today, I realized that this list comprises the list of priestly lineage for generations. A father passes down a job to his son, and then he passes it to his son, and so on.

I am a teacher. My father is a consultant in the auto industry. My grandfather was a baker. In no way have we passed along a lineage of jobs or responsibilities. We are just doing what we need to to provide for our family. Yet, the priests in Nehemiah’s time would dedicate their entire life to the temple and the worship of God. When they had sons, they would pass along these responsibilities. Why isn’t this so today? Sure, there are some family businesses that continue in the hands of the family for years, but this is rare. Why has our culture changed so much since the time of Nehemiah?

I believe it has something to do with the idea of what you are working for. Today, we often try to find a job that appeals to our likes and skills to some degree, but ultimately, we work for the sake of provision. Yet, in Nehemiah’s day the priest worked to honor the Lord. They had purpose for their jobs much greater than simply putting food on the table. When you know that the ultimate purpose behind waking each morning is to honor the Lord, it is easy to continue in that same position for decades and generations.

Let us reflect on the fact that we have the same opportunity. Not to say that you must keep your same job forever and pass it along to your children, but our ultimate goal at work is to serve the Lord however that may look.