The Leviticus Man

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.  2 Timothy 4:2

Be Ready – What does it mean to “be ready?”  Do you think of poised preparation?  Do images of textbooks and classrooms come to mind?  Are you carrying an invitation card in your purse?  Have you memorized the right verses?  When we read this verse, we are likely to think of sermon preparation and, since most of us are not preachers, this does not apply to us.  We are the listeners, not the doers.  Right?  We are expected to attend, not to speak. 

But just as we learned that “preach” is the word for “proclaim what Jesus did,” so we now discover something new about “be ready.”  Actually, it’s not new at all.  It’s very old – as old as Leviticus 16:21 (see June 30).  The Greek word here (ephistemi) literally means, “to stand near at hand.”  It should remind us of a funny Hebrew word, a word that is only used once in the entire Bible.  That word is itti.  In Leviticus, this word tells us that there is a man who stands ready no matter how long it takes to carry out the task of leading the scapegoat out of the camp.  Paul might have been thinking about this Hebrew word when he wrote to Timothy.  “Stand near, waiting until the time is right, willing to act when needed.”  That’s the Leviticus man.  Be ready to lead away the sin in the camp.

Every Christian is called to be a Leviticus man.  Unnamed, without glory or recognition, waiting for the right moment when the High Priest invites us to lead someone out of sin, we stand near.  We never know when that moment will come.  We do not orchestrate the circumstances.  We are simple roll players in this drama.  We have only one job – to lead away.  But unless we are standing near, the High Priest cannot use us to accomplish this crucial task.

One of the great tragedies of contemporary evangelical Christianity is the misguided language of “saving souls.”  We often hear those intimidating words, “How many have you lead to Christ?”  The answer is, “None.”  I am the Leviticus man.  I am not the High Priest.  The Father draws (John 6:44).  Jesus delivers.  All I do is lead away the goat.  And how do I do that?  By offering someone else a look at my own sorrow and sin, as I watched the goat being lead away from me.