Numbers 18:1-32 Bearing the Iniquity of the Sanctuary and the Priesthood
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Numbers 18:1-32 Bearing the Iniquity of the Sanctuary and the Priesthood
[Study Aired September 4, 2023]
Num 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.
Num 18:2 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.
Num 18:3 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.
Num 18:4 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.
Num 18:5 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.
Num 18:6 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.
Num 18:7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; 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.
Num 18:8 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.
Num 18:9 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, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons.
Num 18:10 In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.
Num 18:11 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.
Num 18:12 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.
Num 18:13 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.
Num 18:14 Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine.
Num 18:15 Every thing 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.
Num 18:16 And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.
Num 18:17 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 savour unto the LORD.
Num 18:18 And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine.
Num 18:19 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 forever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
Num 18:20 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.
Num 18:21 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.
Num 18:22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die.
Num 18:23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
Num 18:24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an 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.
Num 18:25 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 18:26 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 an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.
Num 18:27 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.
Num 18:28 Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the LORD’S heave offering to Aaron the priest.
Num 18:29 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.
Num 18:30 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.
Num 18:31 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.
Num 18:32 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.
Introduction
This chapter comes right after the Lord has caused Aaron’s rod to bud and produce almonds as a demonstration of who the Lord has called and chosen to rule with Him. Therefore, this chapter is to deepen our understanding of who the Lord has called and chosen by clearly delineating the role of Priests and Levites and going further to describe the benefit package for the elect or the priests. As we are aware, it is from the things that are seen that we are able to understand spiritual truth.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
If one is employed by an organization, the person is given a job description and also the benefits package to which he or she is entitled. In this chapter, we are clearly shown the role of a priest and of a Levite. That is the job description. We need to understand that the Levites represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon and Aaron, and his sons represent the priest are the same as the elect. The chapter also focuses on our benefit package as an incentive for us, His elect, to stay on course to the very end. Unfortunately, many have seen the incentive package of the elect but are not excited about it. It is all because they have not been given eyes to see and ears to hear. However, to those who are driven by these incentives, they press on to the mark of the Lord’s high calling.
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
The Lord Jesus gave us a parable of a man who found treasure in a field and decided to go back and sell all he had to possess the field. This parable is to show us that what He has in store for us is so exciting that we let go of everything in pursuit of this treasure in the field. The fact that the man hid the treasure and went back to sell all he had means that not many are given to understand our incentive package, as the treasures are hidden, and it is only those who find this treasure in this life who are excited about it, and their reaction is to let go of everything to possess this treasure.
Mat 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Mat 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Mat 13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
This is how our brother Paul saw the incentive package:
Rom 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Are you excited about the Lord’s incentive package for being a priest of God? Then you must be prepared to lose all that you treasure in this life to gain Christ! Let’s hope that today’s study will kindle that desire to press on to the mark of His higher calling.
Num 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.
One of the incentives the Lord has given to His elect is the promise that we shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary. As we know, the sanctuary is the temple of the Lord and is our body. Unlike sin, which is defined as missing the mark, iniquity has to do with being crooked, bent or inclined in the wrong way. In other words, sin is a particular act which is against the commandment of the Lord, but “avon” (the Hebrew word for iniquity) is a state of being, a description of the human character, which has an inclination toward evil. As we are aware, it is because of the old man, or the beast within, that we have this inclination toward evil. According to Strong, the words “to bear” means to lift or carry away. So, what we are being told in verse 1 of a priest, represented by Aaron and his sons bearing the iniquity of the sanctuary, is that as one of the benefits pertaining to being a priest, that is being called and chosen, our inclination towards evil as a result of the beast or the old man within us which defiles our bodies (temple) will be carried away by the Lord. It is in this sense of our old man being carried away by the Lord through the judgment of our old man that Isaiah made the following statement:
Isa 53:11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
The elect are not only to bear the iniquity of the sanctuary but also to bear the iniquity of the priesthood. A key qualification of being a priest is obeying the voice of the Lord as shown in the following verse:
Exo 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
Although we are called and chosen as priests before the Lord, we do not obey the voice of the true shepherd when we start our walk with the Lord because of the old man within us. We were rather obeying the voice of the stranger before finally we were dragged by the Lord to hear and obey the voice of the Lord. Remember that the voice of the stranger is the false doctrines of the devil (the stranger). The iniquity of the priesthood is our inclination toward hearing and obeying the voice of the stranger (the devil). Here again, the Lord is promising His elect that He will carry away these false doctrines of the devil so we can hear the voice of the true shepherd and obey Him.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Num 18:2 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.
Num 18:3 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.
Num 18:4 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.
A key role, highlighted by the Lord for the elect or the priest in these verses, is to minister before the tabernacle of witness. This is contrasted with the role of the Levites, who are to minister to us by being joined to us. The Levites signify our brothers and sisters in Babylon. In verse 3, as His priests, we are to ensure that the Levite do their work of guarding the exterior of the whole tabernacle. However, we, His elect, are to protect the interior of the tabernacle which consists of the vessels and the altar, such that a stranger does not come within the tabernacle, lest we all perish. The strangers here represent both the Levites, who are our brothers and sisters in Babylon, and the people of the world. This role of a priest here in these verses is consistent with the role the Lord assigned the Cherubim when He drove away Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden. The Cherubim were to guard the way to the tree of life, which in our study is represented by the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar. We are the Cherubim who are to guard the way of life in this age from access by our brothers and sisters in Babylon and people of the world until they have gone through the flaming sword (judgment).
Gen 3:24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Our brothers and sisters in Babylon, representing the Levites, are not allowed to partake with us the word of truth which is Christ. The reason they cannot partake with us the truth of the word of the Lord is that they have been swept away by divers and strange doctrines.
Heb 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
Heb 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
Num 18:5 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.
Num 18:6 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.
Num 18:7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office for everything of the altar, and within the vail; 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.
Here in these verses, the Lord showed to Aaron and his sons, representing the elect, that the Levites are given to us as a gift from the Lord to help us do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. The tabernacle of the congregation refers to our bodies.
1Co 3:16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
1Co 3:17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
The work of the tabernacle refers to everything of the altar within the veil in verse 7. This work entails entering through the veil to offer incense from the altar of incense, the lighting of the candlestick to give light, weekly replacement of the showbread and the eating of the previous showbread. Spiritually, the work of the tabernacle therefore is the presentation of our bodies as living sacrifice to the Lord. This is attained through understanding the word of the Lord as our eyes of understanding are enlightened (eating of showbread). That is when we give light in the darkness (lighting of the candlestick). The weekly replacement of the bread signifies the fact that the revelation of Christ and His words is progressive. What we know today is the result of the enlightenment we have received of His words yesterday. All this work is possible as our old man dies daily through the Lord’s judgment.
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
Heb 10:21 And having an high priest over the house of God;
Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
As His elect, we must not disregard the role that our brothers and sisters in Babylon (Levites) play in the grand scheme of the Lord in bringing people to Christ through the law of Moses. However, inasmuch as we are to appreciate the work our brothers and sisters do in Babylon, we are not to cast our pearls before them or give them the opportunity to desecrate our temple with false doctrines.
Mat 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Luk 9:49 And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.
Luk 9:50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.
Num 18:7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office for everything of the altar, and within the vail; 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.
Num 18:8 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 forever.
Num 18:9 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, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons.
Num 18:10 In the most holy place shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.
Num 18:11 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 forever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it.
In verse 7, it is worth noting that the Lord has given us the priest’s office as a gift. This means that the priesthood office is not something to be attained but given.
Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
The Lord has also given the elect the contributions made to Him and all the consecrated things of the people of Israel. The hallowed or consecrated things of the people of Israel refer to gold in the treasures of the house of God as shown in the following verses:
2Ki 12:18 And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and in the king’s house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.
1Ki 15:14 But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD all his days.
1Ki 15:15 And he brought into the house of the LORD the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.
As we are aware, gold and silver represent the truth of the Lord’s words. This means that the contribution and the hallowed things of the people of Israel given to the elect means that the little knowledge of the truth of the word of the Lord, which our brothers and sisters have, will be taken away and given to the elect.
Mat 13:11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
Mat 13:12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Verse 9 also reiterates the point that the most holy things which are reserved from fire and are given by the people of Israel as meat, sin and trespass offerings are all ours. As indicated, the most holy things are the truth of the word of the Lord which cannot be destroyed by fire. On the other hand, it is our false doctrines which cannot stand the test of fire. Eating these offerings in the most holy place is the same as our hearts and minds (most holy place) being enlightened to receive the truth of the word of the Lord.
Num 18:12 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.
Num 18:13 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.
Num 18:14 Everything devoted in Israel shall be thine.
In these verses, the following items have been highlighted as what the Lord has reserved for His elect: the best of the oil, the best of the wine and of the wheat and the firstfruits. The best in this case refers to the choicest part or the richest. In the Bible, oil is a symbol of the spirit. Being given the best of the oil means that the elect will come to understand the spiritual meaning of what the Lord is saying to us through His words.
Joh 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (ESV)
The best of the wine and wheat being given to the elect means being given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of the Lord through His words. The firstfruit of the people of Israel being given to Aaron and his sons is another way of saying that the Lord’s elect is the firstfruit of the Lord. In other words, we are the first to ripen or become spiritually mature in this age. In verse 14, we are told that the devoted things are all ours. That is to say that everything the churches of this world are offering to Christ is for our sake.
2Co 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
Num 18:15 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.
Num 18:16 And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.
Num 18:17 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 savour unto the LORD.
Num 18:18 And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine.
Num 18:19 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 forever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
Verse 15 says that all the firstborn of all flesh or beasts that are offered by the people of Israel are given to the elect. In order to understand what is being said here, we need to know the spiritual significance of being firstborn. As indicated in Genesis 49:3, the firstborn signifies strength or might. This means that the strength of all humanity (all flesh or beasts), which is helping our brothers and sisters in Babylon to offer their sacrifice to the Lord, are all for our sake.
Gen 49:3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
We must remember that at a certain stage of our walk in Christ, we were helped by the strength of our flesh just as Abraham responded to the Lord’s first call when his father, representing our flesh, brought him to Haran.
Gen 11:31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
It is instructive to note that verse 15 and 16 state that the firstborn of man or unclean beasts shall be redeemed at the appropriate time, as the Lord has already paid for the sins of the world. Spiritually, unclean beasts or man are the same. In verse 16, the ransom price was five shekels or twenty gerah. The five shekels means that it is grace through faith (significance of five) that all humanity shall be redeemed. Twenty (20=4×5) also means that the whole of humanity (significance of four) will be redeemed by grace through faith. The animals that are offered for sacrifice – cow, sheep and goat – represent the elect who in this life are offering their bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord. That is why we are not to be redeemed as we are already holy. Verses 18 and 19 stress the point that we, His elect, are the ones given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
Num 18:20 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.
Num 18:21 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.
Num 18:22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die.
Num 18:23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
Num 18:24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an 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.
In verse 20, the Lord’s elect, represented by Aaron, were not required to have any inheritance among the people of Israel. This implies that we are not to be driven in this life by earthly riches or gain since our portion in this life is to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness as a priceless possession.
Mat 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
This does not mean that the Lord will not bless us physically. As Apostle John said, it is the Lord’s desire that we prosper even as we do well spiritually.
3Jn 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
The Levites, or our brothers and sisters in Babylon, on the other hand, have been given a tenth in Israel for an inheritance as a reward for their service to the Lord. Here Israel represents the world, and therefore it is no wonder that many physical churches of this world are endowed with riches. The work these Levites offer as their service only touches on the periphery of the temple and is principally to make us aware that we are sinful, based on the law of Moses. This is what leads us to Christ, and after Christ has come to us, we no longer need the services of the Levites.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Num 18:25 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 18:26 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 an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.
Num 18:27 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.
Num 18:28 Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the LORD’S heave offering to Aaron the priest.
Num 18:29 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.
Num 18:30 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.
Num 18:31 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.
Num 18:32 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.
The Levites are commanded by the Lord to tithe on the tithes they receive from the people of Israel and give them to Aaron the priest. The Levites’ contribution would be counted as though they had worked, just like a farmer who produces grains for the threshing floor and wine from the winepress. This is to let us know that the work our brothers and sisters do in Babylon is for our sake. As we can see, the more tithe the Levites get, the more contribution Aaron received. This means that the more physical riches our brothers and sisters in Babylon get, the more spiritual blessings we get. This is what the Lord has told us about the work of all the Old Testament people whom the Lord has used for His service, together with the work our brothers and sisters in Babylon are doing – it is all for our benefit:
Joh 4:37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
Joh 4:38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.1Co 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
1Co 3:23 And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.
May the Lord continue to be merciful to us as we grow in Him. Amen!!
Other related posts
- The Position of Miriam In Israel (May 3, 2008)
- The Book of Hebrews - Heb 9:3-5 Part 3 "Cheribims of Glory Shadowing the Mercyseat" (December 10, 2020)
- Numbers 18:1-32 Bearing the Iniquity of the Sanctuary and the Priesthood (September 4, 2023)
- Meaning of Miram Being Shut Out of the Camp (September 27, 2011)
- Exodus 4:1–17 Put Forth Thine Hand, and Take it by the Tail (March 28, 2022)