Numbers 18:1-32

G. LEVITICAL DUTIES AND THEIR EMOLUMENTS (Numbers 18)

TEXT

Numbers 18:1. And the Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. 2. And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness. 3. And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die. 4. And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle; and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you. 5. And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar; that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel. 6. And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the Lord, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. 7. Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the veil; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

8. And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever. 9. This shall be thine of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons. 10. In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee. 11. And this is thine; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it. 12. All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the Lord, them have I given thee. 13. And whatsoever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring unto the Lord, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thine house shall eat of it. 14. Everything devoted in Israel shall be thine. 15. Everything that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the Lord, whether it be of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem. 16. And those that are to be redeemed from a month old thou shalt redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17. But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they are holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savor unto the Lord. 18. And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine. 19. All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
20. And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. 21. And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. 22. Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die. 23. But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statue for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. 24. But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as a heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.
25. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 26. Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up a heave offering of it for the Lord, even a tenth part of the tithe. 27. And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress. 28. Thus ye also shall offer a heave offering unto the Lord of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof of the Lord's heave offering to Aaron the priest. 29. Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the Lord, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it. 30. Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress. 31. And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households; for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation. 32. And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 18:1. And the Lord said unto Aaron, You and your sons, as well as your father's family with you, shall bear the guilt of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt of your priesthood. 2. But bring with you also your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, in order that they may be joined with you to serve you, while you and your sons with you are before the Tent of the Testimony. 3. And they shall attend to your duty, and to the duty of all the Tent; but they shall not come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, lest they, or you, should die. 4. And they shall be joined with you and attend to the duties of the Tent of Meeting, for all the service of the Tent; but no foreigner may come near you. 5. And you shall keep the duty of the sanctuary, and the duty of the altar so that there may be no more wrath upon the children of Israel. 6. And behold, I have taken your brothers from the Levites, from among the children of Israel. They are given to you as a gift for the Lord, to do the duty of the Tent of Meeting. 7. Therefore you and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood for everything related to the altar, and inside the veil; and you shall do the service. I have given your priesthood to you as a service of gift; but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.

8. And the Lord said to Aaron, Behold, I have also given you charge of my heave offerings of all the sacred things of the children of Israel; I have given them to you as a share, and they are unto your sons as a perpetual portion. 9. This is to be yours of the most holy gifts, reserved from the fire: each offering of theirs, each meal offering of theirs, and each sin offering of theirs, and every guilt offering of theirs which they shall render unto me shall be most holy for you and your sons. 10. In the most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you. 11. And this also is yours: the heave offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you by law forever: every one in your house who is clean shall eat of it. 12. All of the best of the oil, and all of the best of the wine, and of the wheat, of the first of them offered to the Lord: these have I given you. 13. The first ripe fruit of everything in the land, which they are to bring to the Lord: these shall be yours. Everyone in your house who is clean shall eat of it. 14. Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. 15. Everything coming forth first from the womb of all flesh, which they bring to the Lord, whether of men or of animals, shall be yours. However, the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16. And those which are to be redeemed are to be redeemed from one month old by your ordinary counting for five shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17. But the firstborn of an ox, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat you are not to redeem: they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and burn their fat for an offering of fire, as a sweet aroma to the Lord. 18. And their flesh shall be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering and the right thigh. 19. All the heave offerings of holy gifts, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you forever by law. It is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord to you and to your children with you.
20. The Lord said to Aaron, You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you own any portion among them: I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel. 21. And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance for the service they perform, even the service of the Tent of Meeting. 22. Neither must the children of Israel come near the Tent of Meeting from now on lest they bear sin and die. 23. Only the Levites shall do the service of the Tent of Meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be an everlasting regulation throughout your generations that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. 24. But I have given the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as a gift to the Lord, to the Levites as an inheritance. Therefore, I have said to them, -Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.-'
25. Then the Lord said to Moses, 26. Furthermore, you shall speak to the Levites and tell them, -When you take the tithes which I have given you from the children of Israel as an inheritance, you shall offer from it a gift for the Lord, a tithe of the tithe. 27. And your offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were grain from the threshing floor, or as the completeness of the winepress.-' 28. In this way you also shall present an offering to the Lord from your tithes, which you receive from the children of Israel; and from it you shall give the Lord's offering to Aaron the priest. 29. From all that is given you, you shall lay aside all that is due as a gift to the Lord, from everything the very best, even the sacred portion of it; 30. Therefore you shall say to them, -When you have laid aside the best of it, it shall be counted to the Levites as the increase of the threshing floor and of the winepress. 31. And you may eat it anywhere, you and your households, since it is your reward for your service in the Tent of Meeting. 32. And you shall bear no sin because of it when you have offered the best from it; nor shall you pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest you die.-'

COMMENTARY

The duties of the priests and the duties of the Levites are now put in clear relationship to each other. The priests attend unto all affairs of the sanctuary and of the altar of sacrifice. The Levites supply what assistance may be required, but they are under severe warning not to come directly into contact with the vessels or the altar, under threat of death (Numbers 18:3). To Aaron and the Kohathites comes the weighty assignment of fulfilling the detailed requirements of the expiation of all types of sins in the various sacrifices and offerings. The inherited office would remain as long as the very covenant itself, making it unnecessary for the members of any other tribe to endanger his life by approaching the sanctuary. The stranger of Numbers 18:4 would not only include anyone of foreign birth, but also any proselyte or other Israelite not of the tribe of Levi; it is a prohibition to be universally applied, exempting only the authorized priests and Levites. Compliance would prevent such calamities as that of Korah'S.

Two gifts are mentioned in Numbers 18:6-7: the Levites are given as servants to the Levites; the priestly office is given unto the descendants of Aaron. The two gifts combine to render effectual service for an entire nation. The services are not to be considered a burden, a problem, or as the mere accident of inheritance, but a sacred privilege.

Various sacrifices, when completed, became, in part or in whole, food for the male members of the priestly family. The general regulation is set forth in Numbers 18:8, which is followed by specific details regarding the individual processes. All of the remaining portion of meat offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings may be eaten, but only in the most holy place, a term almost certainly used of the court of the tabernacle in this context. In addition, all wave offerings, all offerings of the first fruits, everything dedicated to the Lord, and all the firstborn, or their substitutes, came to the priests in lieu of an inheritance of land to the tribe of Levi. The priest's family might partake with him of the wave offering. The total agreement is termed a covenant of salt, or a binding, inviolable agreement. This idiomatic expression was derived from an ancient custom of sealing a bond by sharing the same food; the parties involved would, from that time forward say, There is salt between us, and they were bound to mutual respect and defense, even to death.

Both the priests and the Levites were entirely supported by the revenue from their service of the Tabernacle. Besides the food they received from allotted portions of the sacrifices, they were assigned the tithes from the people. These were exacted upon all produce from the fields, as well as the increase of the flocks and herds. Carefully observing all the instructions which God had given them in the process of implementing the total sacrificial system, the priests and Levites obviated the necessity of the people's personal participation. This was for their own-' protection, since they would have been dealing with holy things, and an abuse or a careless act could well have been fatal. In this sense, the Levites bore the iniquity of the people.
When the Promised Land was later divided among the tribes, no proportionate land grant was given the Levites. Instead, 48 cities with their suburbs were designated as Levitical cities (see chapter 35). Six of these served as cities of refuge; all of them were distributed among the tribal lands, and with each went a two-thousand cubit suburban area surrounding the city proper. Here the Levites might cultivate the land or graze their herds, but by no means could they all live on such a small allotment; the tithes and sacrificial concessions would be essential to their very existence. Paul uses this principle to point out the appropriateness of having those who proclaim the gospel live by the revenue gained through its proclamation. The picture, in both instances, is not that of a staid, complacent professional; the man is first and always a servant of God and a servant of men, whose recompense is totally unwarranted unless he is a faithful servant in both relationships.

The effective program of God with reference to the people's giving depended upon their faithful stewardship, especially in tithing their increase. Malachi 3:8-10 makes it clear that this was not always done. Consequently, the Levites were sometimes deprived, and even poor. Even so, whatever their situation might be the Levites were required to tithe their incomes through heave offerings. And these, like the offerings of the people, were not to be the left-overs, but the very best of all they received, Numbers 18:32. In so doing, they recognized that everything they were given had come from the Lord. They could do nothing less, conscientiously, than this.

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

320.

What clear line of demarcation does God draw between the duties of the priests and the duties of the Levites?

321.

Propose some reasons which would explain why God would commit such duties through inheritance rather than by any other method.

322.

How is the term -stranger-' to be understood here? Why is this an unusual use of the word?

323.

Which of the offerings of Israel became the priests-' food? Why should they be eaten only in the most holy place?

324.

Explain the term, a covenant of salt.

325.

What would be the most grave danger if someone other than a priest or a Levite were to perform the functions of the sacrifice?

326.

Why were the descendants of Levi given no land inheritance in the Promised Land? What were they given instead?

327.

What precedent is set for the Christian system in the paying of tithes to support the priesthood?

328.

Show what improper attitudes might be adopted by the servants of God, and how they might endanger both them and the people.

329.

For what reasons would God require the Levites themselves the tithe?