Turned into Blessing

The Levites, we read in chapter 18 have no portion among you, so that’s the curse, but then it says, “For the priesthood of the Lord is there heritage, that’s the blessing.” Even in their rebellion now the Lord has turned to their favor. One of the reasons he did it is because when the Lord needed judgement upon his people at Mount Sinai, it was the Levites who took their sword, those who were fierce, and they administered justice for God’s sake. And so God has turned the curse that was against Levi into a blessing. No heritage of land, you can be my priests.

So brothers and sisters, God is not pleased when we sin. We are not better off for having sinned. Don’t think while this is great, I love to sin, God loves to forgive, that’s why we get along so well. No, may it never be, Paul says, that we sin in order for grace to abound. That’s not the thinking of a born again Christian. However, don’t think if you have in your past, and we all have sins, and if you think well I have horrible egregious sins, I’ve ruined my life, as Christopher said during the Sunday school when he was in prison and walked by a trash can and thought, “That’s my life, it’s garbage, I’ve made rubbish out of my life.” If you think that about your life, don’t think that God has run out of ways to use even your sin to accomplish his purposes. You may have chosen cursing for yourself and God can yet turn it into blessing. If you will listen to Him, be faithful unto Him.

So these cities the Levites surely I hope stood back and wondered and said, “Can you believe of all people we will be in the land the Lord’s priests, and we will receive these cites."

This clip is part of the sermon “Other Refuge Have I None” delivered by Dr. Kevin DeYoung at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, NC on January 26, 2025.