Leviticus was a bit of a right hook and two quick jabs: painful and sure to give you a headache. Yet there were some insights I never expected to find amoung all the judgement-death-don't-sleep-with-a-relative-have-a-good-harvest stuff. A bit like a roundhouse punch, I suppose. And who would have thought the last of these was in the final chapter.
How much should an employee of a church get paid? Do we expect them to scrape together for meals or must they mingle with the rich and famous? Perhaps the Israelites were asking the same questions in Leviticus 27 when they were given clear instructions on how much 'temple employees' should be paid. Lucky for them, inflation remained stable in their world for at least 200 years at a time, so God could set the price and then get back to more important things. Perhaps that's the problem we see today - what you get paid is more important than the work that you do. I'm extrapolating things here I know, but there seems to be a some serious flashiness in the modern church that makes me (cynically, I'm afraid), wonder why the individuals want to be in those positions. At least the people of Leviticus knew up front what the deal was. Or maybe I'm just one goat short of a burnt offering.......
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