The Jewish Levites were servants to the priests; the Gentile Nethinim were servants to the servants!
According to University Hospitals’ website “The Science of Health,” the top five most stressful life events are the death of a loved one, divorce, a major illness or injury, job loss, and—moving! In the days of Ezra, it was even more of a challenge. For many, leaving Babylon meant leaving the place they were born, the only home they knew. They were leaving stability for the unknown, saying goodbye to homes, jobs, loved ones. And in those days, it really was goodbye! There were no visits by jet travel, no FaceTime calls. Obviously many were reluctant to make the move. As the group encamped “by the river that flows to Ahava” (Ezra 8:15), Ezra “found none of the sons of Levi there.” That would never do! If the priests were the spiritual elders, the Levites were like deacons. In Acts, deacons were to unencumber the apostles so they could concentrate on their main objectives. “Seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:3-4). Ezra also sought out help, as he described it: “by the good hand of our God upon us, they brought us a man of understanding…namely Sherebiah, with his sons and brothers, eighteen men; and Hashabiah, and…Jeshaiah of the sons of Merari, his brothers and their sons, twenty men; also of the Nethinim, whom David and the leaders had appointed for the service of the Levites, two hundred and twenty Nethinim” (Ezra 8:18-20). This last group, remember, were Gentiles from Gibeon, for whom God had turned a curse into a blessing, allowing them to help with the sacrifices of the Lord. And this grateful Gentile says, He did that for me, too!