Around the second century b.c., a herdsman drives sheep through the scrub brush of the Jordan Valley. The wind blowing down from the massive limestone peak of Mount Hermon cuts through thick wool garments. Levi stands waist-deep in the dry grass of Abel-Meholah. He grieves over the corruption of mankind. Watching predators circle the vulnerable flock breeds a constant, defensive anxiety. Profound physical exhaustion settles into his bones from hours of standing watch. An unexpected vision provides sudden and total consolation.
Levi tends his father's livestock near the mountain. He falls asleep in deep sorrow. The sky tears open above him. An angel commands him to enter the highest spheres. This ascension maps out the moral architecture of the universe. The lower regions hold fire and ice prepared for the judgment of the Gentile nations. The upper regions house the Most High. The angel reveals the strict laws governing human behavior. Understanding these laws ensures physical and spiritual survival in a hostile land.
The physical pastures mirror the spiritual gates above them. Men build stone fences to keep wolves away from their sheep. The angels construct layers of heaven to keep human corruption away from the throne of the Creator and his holy presence. A heavy wooden gate requires massive physical labor to swing shut. Spiritual boundaries operate with the same brute force. They protect the innocent and block out the wicked.
A fence only works if the posts are driven deep into hard dirt.
The recorded vision cemented the priestly authority of Levi across centuries of Judean history. Men continued to tend sheep in the valley while keeping a cautious eye on the heavy clouds above.