Numbers 4: Definition
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
We all know people who want to follow blindly; they do not want the responsibility of defining their work or of finding creative solutions to complex problems. Their world is a construct of simple yes/no options with all questions answered by thumbing through regulations until the proper – and appropriate – solution is found. Roles are defined by strict standards; rules are enforced without deference to circumstance.
We also know people who do not want to follow; they ignore or even shun any structure which holds them accountable. Their world is built of elegant faerie castles with convoluted passageways and hidden places where the secrets that govern decisions are stored but rarely used. The definition of role is determined each day by personal whim, and rules are changed according to some mysterious set of guidelines.
In today’s Noontime we find a set of duties laid out for the Levite priests that were meant to keep the covenant promise with God intact, and were also intended to prepare the people for the desert trek toward the Promised Land. Regimentation and obedience are needed when the pressures of life become overwhelming. In dire circumstances, standard rules may not apply and normal roles may change. Flexibility will have to be matched by fidelity. Creativity must be balanced by sensibility. In order to survive the desert winds as we journey from oasis to oasis, we will have to balance carefully on the tightrope between passion and prudence. This will only happen well when we understand our role as Children of God. It can only happen with serenity when we understand our responsibility as Children of the Kingdom. It can only happen in joy when we understand our definition as Children of Love.
It is not enough to follow blindly in the kingdom; we are called to develop an informed conscience so that our decisions flow from the Gospel Tenets. Nor is it sufficient to hide passively or to strike out entirely on our own; we are called to act in accord with the Gospel Teachings that require us to love God and others before self.
When we act in accord with who God calls us to be then we have no need to hide; nor do we have a need to control. When we act in accord with who we are – God’s children created in love to love others and to be loved – then the thin tightrope of the desert journey becomes a simple path.
And so we pray . . . Good and gracious God, you established the Levite priests to help your faithful make the arid journey safely to their promise. You guide and protect us today just as you lead and guarded the Hebrew people through the Sinai. Help us to better recognize what you require of us. Help us to better appreciate who we are. Help us to better value one another as we journey always to you. And help us to better understand that we define ourselves best when we begin that definition with you. Amen.
Image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tightrope_walking
The Noontimes 