1 Chronicles 24:1 - Meaning and Application

This account of how the priests were organized is of little direct use to us now. But when Ezra published it, it was very helpful in guiding the church’s life after the people returned from exile, so they could put worship back in its proper order.

The heading of this record is, “These are the divisions of the sons of Aaron.” This does not mean divisions caused by conflict or quarrels, though it is a shame if there are ever such divisions among the sons of Israel, and especially among the sons of Aaron. It means the orderly division of their work among themselves. It was a division God appointed, and it was made for his service.

This arrangement was made so their duties could be carried out more regularly. God is still the God of order, not confusion, especially in his worship. A large number of people without order only leads to confusion and trouble. But when each person knows his place and work, the more workers there are, the better. In the church, the body of Christ, each member has a purpose for the good of the whole (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12).

The division was made by lot, so the result would be seen as coming from the Lord. That would prevent disputes and stop anyone from blaming unfairness or favoritism. God is the God of peace as well as order. Solomon says that a lot can settle disputes.

The lot was cast openly and with great care, before the king, the princes, and the priests. This left no room for fraud, or even suspicion of fraud. A lot is a way of appealing to God, so it should be handled with reverence and honesty. Matthias was chosen by lot to be an apostle, with prayer (Acts 1:24, 1:26), and there is no reason to think it could not still be used in faith in similar cases, as an accepted practice. The public recorder used for writing the names and drawing the lots was Shemaiah, a Levite, one of the tribe set apart for temple service (1 Chronicles 24:6).

The priests who were chosen were to oversee the work of the sanctuary, each in his own turn (1 Chronicles 24:5). The lot decided only the order of service, not who would serve, because all the leading men were chosen. It determined who would serve first and who would follow, so each man would know his appointed time and stay in it. Of the twenty-four leading priests, sixteen came from Eleazar’s line and eight from Ithamar’s line. Ithamar’s family had likely become smaller after the judgment on Eli, who was from that house.

The way the lots were drawn is hinted at in 1 Chronicles 24:6. One leading family from Eleazar’s line was taken, and one from Ithamar’s. The sixteen names from Eleazar were placed in one container, and the eight from Ithamar in another. They were drawn out one after another until the names from Ithamar were used up. After that, the remaining places were filled from Eleazar’s line, sometimes two to one, and then one from Ithamar, all the way through.

Among these twenty-four divisions, the eighth was Abijah, or Abia (1 Chronicles 24:10). This is the division mentioned in Luke 1:5, the one Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, belonged to. This shows that the divisions David arranged here, though perhaps interrupted in bad reigns and broken off for a long time by the exile, continued in order until the Romans destroyed the second temple. Each division was called by the name of the man in whom it first began. That is why the high priest is called Aaron here (1 Chronicles 24:19), because later priests followed in his office and authority, even though we do not read that they all bore his name. Whoever served as high priest was to be respected and obeyed by the lower priests, as their father, Aaron, was. Christ is the high priest over God’s house, and all believers, as priests made holy to God, are to submit to him.