Numbers 1:4-16 And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.… : — I. CO-OPERATION IN DIVINE SERVICE. 1. The toil of Moses and Aaron would be lessened. 2. The accomplishment of the task would be facilitated. 3. The envy of the princes would be prevented. Grumblers are seldom found among the workers of the Church. II. SOCIETY'S NEED OF LEADERS. 1. Because they are at present indispensable to social order and progress. Certain objects of utmost importance to society cannot possibly be attained without cohesion of purpose and effort on the part of a large number of men, and such cohesion is impossible without leaders. "Amongst the masses," says Guizot, "even in revolutions, aristocracy must ever exist; destroy it in nobility, and it becomes centred in the rich and powerful Houses of the Commons. Pull them down, and it still survives in the master and foreman of the workshop." 2. Because of the differences in the faculties of men. These men were "princes" from, the nobility of their birth: and they were probably men distinguished also for their abilities. "We must have kings," says Emerson, "we must have nobles; nature is always providing such in every society; only let us have the real instead of the titular. In every society, some are born to rule, and some to advise. The chief is the chief all the world over, only not his cap and plume. It is only this dislike of the pretender which makes men sometimes unjust to the true and finished man." III. THE GRAND CHARACTERISTIC OF TRUE LEADERS. They are pre-eminent in service. (W Jones.) Parallel Verses KJV: And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.WEB: With you there shall be a man of every tribe; everyone head of his fathers' house. |
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