1 Chronicles 23:6-11: a reflection

6David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 7Of the Gershonites: Ladan and Shimei. 8The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, Zetham, and Joel, three. 9The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ households of Ladan. 10The sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. 11Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah didn’t have many sons; therefore they became a fathers’ house in one reckoning.

As David organizes the Levites for the service of God's house, dividing them into their families and their duties, the record notes a small detail about two of them. The sons of Shimei included Jeush and Beriah, and, the text says, they did not have many sons; therefore they became a father's house in one reckoning. Two small families, without many descendants, were counted together, but they were still counted, still given a place and a share in the service of God.

Notice that even the small families were included and given their place. In the organizing of God's service, the large and prominent families were not the only ones to matter; the small ones, with few sons, were reckoned in, assigned their part, counted among those who served. No family was too small to have a place; each was given its share in the work, whatever its size.

That is a quiet encouragement for those who feel small or insignificant in God's work. We can imagine that God's work is really for the large, the prominent, the ones with much to offer, and that our small contribution hardly counts. But in David's ordering of the Levites, even the smallest families were given their place and reckoned among the servants of God. Your part in God's work matters, however small it seems; you are not overlooked because your contribution is modest. God has a place in his service for the small as well as the great. Take your place and do your part, however small, knowing that God counts and values it, as he counted these small families among his servants.

Lord, as David organized the Levites for your service, even the small families with few sons were counted and given their place among those who served. Encourage me with that. I can imagine that your work is really for the large, the prominent, the ones with much to offer, and that my small contribution hardly counts. But you gave even the smallest families their place and reckoned them among your servants. Thank you that my part in your work matters, however small it seems, and that I am not overlooked because my contribution is modest. You have a place in your service for the small as well as the great. Help me take my place and do my part, however small, knowing that you count and value it. Let me not despise my small share, but offer it faithfully, glad to be counted among those who serve you.