There's another text which seems to include all of the males, from a month old and upward, in the duties of the sanctuary. Obviously, an infant could do very little. But they were counted as part of the "team."



So that's a little bigger slice.

But Samuel ministered before the LORD, [being] a child, girded with a linen ephod. (1 Samuel 2:18)

Ordination of what we mean seems to be different and in fact, I don't see any specific word being used or reserved for what was back then.

For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things [pertaining] to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: (Hebrews 5:1)

For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore [it is] of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. (Hebrews 8:3)

And [he that is] the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; (Leviticus 21:10)

And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people: (Leviticus 21:1)

I'm not sure if "ordained" fits them in our modern sense of the word, but for them I think that they were ordained, yes.

Consider Samuel, for example. He was a child, who as a child, ministered in the sanctuary. We have no record of when the Levites were to begin their training, nor, so far as I am aware, do we see any special age requirements for, say, high priest. Clearly, Samuel, or any child for that matter, could not have served as a high priest. But Samuel was a priest as a small child.

So here's one important point to catch: They were ordained and eligible for tithe, but not in the way we "ordain" today. Our system today does not match the old system.


There's another very important point here. How did Samuel become a priest, since his father was an Ephraimite? Where do we find that Samuel was a Levite? Where do we find that Samuel was a descendant of Aaron?

1 Chronicles
6:16 The sons of Levi; Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
6:17 And these [be] the names of the sons of Gershom; Libni, and Shimei.
6:18 And the sons of Kohath [were], Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.
6:19 The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. And these [are] the families of the Levites according to their fathers.
6:20 Of Gershom; Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,
6:21 Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeaterai his son.
6:22 The sons of Kohath; Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,
6:23 Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son,
6:24 Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.
6:25 And the sons of Elkanah; Amasai, and Ahimoth.
6:26 [As for] Elkanah: the sons of Elkanah; Zophai his son, and Nahath his son,
6:27 Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son.
6:28 And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni, and Abiah.
6:29 The sons of Merari; Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzza his son,
6:30 Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son.
6:31 And these [are they] whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest.
6:32 And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and [then] they waited on their office according to their order.
6:33 And these [are] they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel,
6:34 The son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,
6:35 The son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,
6:36 The son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,
6:37 The son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,
6:38 The son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.

Let's start with all of the Bible texts (using the KJV standard) on the topic of ordination that relate to people and use some form of the word "ordain" in the English translation. (There are some uses of "ordain" that relate to objects or actions outside the scope of this topic which we will ignore.)

Principal Texts on Ordination
1 Chronicles 9:22	All these [which were] chosen to be porters in the gates [were] two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office.
2 Chronicles 11:14-15	For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the LORD: And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.
Jeremiah 1:4-5	Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Mark 3:14-15	And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
John 15:16	Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Acts 1:21-26	Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all [men], show whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Acts 10:40-42	Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly; Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, [even] to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God [to be] the Judge of quick and dead.
Acts 14:23	And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
Acts 17:31	Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained; [whereof] he hath given assurance unto all [men], in that he hath raised him from the dead.
1 Corinthians 7:17-20	But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
1 Timothy 2:7	Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, [and] lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
Titus 1:5-6	For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
Hebrews 5:1-4	For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things [pertaining] to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as [was] Aaron.
Hebrews 8:1-3	Now of the things which we have spoken [this is] the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore [it is] of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Samuel appears not to have been a descendent of Aaron. However, you may recall that after Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, were destroyed before the Lord, God opened up the priesthood to all of the tribe of Levi.

Hebrews 7:5 says; "And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham;"

Hebrews specifies "sons of Levi".

No, I don't recall that. What I remember is that Aaron's two other sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, took over. I don't remember the priesthood being opened up to the rest Levi. Can you give the reference? Thanks.

Numbers
3:2 And these [are] the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3:3 These [are] the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.
3:4 And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.
3:5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
3:6 Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
3:7 And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.
3:8 And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
3:9 And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they [are] wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.