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"Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the heads of the Levites, had the oversight of the business outside of the house of God."
(Nehemiah 11:16)
When our biblical text states that the Levites "had the oversight of the business outside of the house of God," this is in reference to part of the work needed in the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. Their job included a host of things such as supplies, maintenance, and landscaping. Also, it involved judging and handling civil or daily affairs. Warren Wiersbe writes, "Some supervised the maintenance of the building (Neh. 11:16) while others ministered with prayer and praise (vv. 17, 22); and both were important." (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Determined, pp. 131–132) I would add that both groups were needed. Like today in the local church, we need those who work with their hands and others who lead with prayer and praise or teach. While working with supplies and maintenance does not sound glamorous to us today, it was vitally needed. The Lord raised up individuals who rolled up their sleeves and got to work. No task was beneath them.
Right after Booker T. Washington, renowned black educator, became President of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he walked through a wealthy part of town and was stopped by a white lady. She asked if he would like to earn some money by chopping wood. Professor Washington said he would. After cutting the wood he stacked it neatly by the fireplace. A young girl recognized Washington and later told the wealthy woman. The next day, she went to Washington's office and greatly apologized. Washington said, "It's perfectly alright, Madam. Occasionally I enjoy a little manual labor. Besides, it's always a delight to do something for a friend."
Every church needs people like Shabbethai, Jozabad, and Booker T. Washington. We are blessed at our church with people like Jim Wright who is our chief train engineer. God blessed us with two beautiful trains, and we use them for big events like VBS. Jim also serves on our Finance Committee and sings on our worship team–a man of many talents.
Let me encourage you that if you see something that needs to be done in your local church, step up and do it.
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