“When I see the Lord Jesus Christ, I simply want to be what He wants me to be.” —Oswald Chambers
Did you notice the mention of Barzillai in Ezra 2:61? Actually there are two by that name. And there’s a lesson here that we can’t miss. We met the original Barzillai, an octogenarian who met David when he was fleeing his son Absalom (2 Sam 17:27). Barzillai was a wealthy man from Rogelim in Gilead, and was one of those who supplied the king’s court in exile as they waited out the rebellion at Mahanaim, on the north bank of the Jabbok River. David was so appreciative of this service that, after Absalom’s death, he invited Barzillai to join him to live at the palace in Jerusalem. On the far side of the Jordan, Barzillai demurred, but asked if his servant Chimham (or Kimham) could take his place. And that’s what happened. So why are we talking about him here? It seems a priest saw the possibility of a better life by marrying a daughter (or female descendant) of Barzillai’s family. He was so enamored with the association that he changed his own name to Barzillai! And therein lay the problem. In doing so, he muddied up his own genealogical record, and when he tried to prove his right to function as a priest, he, along with others, couldn’t find his registration, “therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled” (Ezra 2:62). So being a priest of the most high God didn’t carry enough status? We shouldn’t be too hard on the fellow, I suppose, because we’re all susceptible to what the old preachers called pride of race, face, place, and grace. I’m reminded that when a TV evangelist decided to run for President, National Review magazine titled their article on the news, “Pat Robertson Seeks Lower Office.” As Spurgeon reportedly said, “If God has called you to be His servant, don’t stoop to be a king.”