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Numbers Chapter 18
- 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.
Here was the order: It was not to exalt one brother over another but to
keep people from going before God unclean and die in the process.
Remember though as we read these things that we as believers in
Jesus Christ are not to go back under the ceremonial and ritual
ordinances of the law for cleansing. We are not to set up hierarchy
to rule over the flock of God as they had to do. Jesus Christ died
and paid the supreme sacrifice for all sins and to go back under the
law of ordinances and sacrifices is to undo what Christ did on our
behalf.
Some churches in trying to organize to overcome heresy, put back
what Jesus Christ died to free us from. They corrected one error
with many other errors and became heretics themselves. Before Christ,
the way was not perfected that would cleanse mankind from sin enough
to allow them near the presence of God. After Christ there is
sufficient power to overcome sin and walk in the Holy Spirit. We
can now come boldly before the throne of grace.
- Hebrews 7:22 By so much was
Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
- 23 And they truly were
many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by
reason of death:
- 24 But this man,
because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
- 25 Wherefore he is
able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by
him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
- 26 For such a high
priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
- 27 Who needeth not
daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for
his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once,
when he offered up himself.
Before Jesus came however we see that the sinfulness of man was so
great that they had to follow God's instructions very carefully in
order to be able to serve the tabernacle and make sacrifices to God.
It had to be done His way.
Now He has made a new covenant with Israel and a new way of
salvation. If we ignore this new way, there remains no more
sacrifices for sin. We will die in our sin and be lost eternally.
Strangers or Gentiles could partake of some things as we have seen
in previous chapters but when it came to the sacrifices and the
tabernacle service, they could not come close.
Nothing unclean also can ever enter heaven or the New Jerusalem that
will one day come down from heaven and come upon the earth after all
evil is cleansed forever.
Only through Jesus can one be made clean and not have to suffer
eternal judgment in the fires of hell. God made a way for the
unclean Jew or Gentile to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ. To
neglect this only way to God is to neglect eternal life.
Their continual offerings and sacrifices would bring to memory the
holiness of God and the need for salvation of mankind. Faith
exercised in obedience to these ordinances until the final sacrifice
of the Messiah would keep the wrath of God from being poured out for
their sins.
-
Numbers
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.
Just as the Levites were considered gifts so is anyone who gives
himself to the cause of Christ in preaching the gospel and becoming
a minister or the word of God. We are to lead people to Christ
though and not gain followers to ourselves.
This is because just anyone that has no clue as to the holiness of
God and the need for cleansing from sin could come near when the
offerings and sacrifices are taking place.
This is also why we must be careful also in administering the elements of
the Lords' supper. He or she that eats or drinks unworthily can
cause damnation upon themselves. The juice represents the blood
Jesus shed for our sins and the bread represents His body that was
broken as He paid the price for our sins. To eat and drink of these representations without knowing what they
are for and without having received forgiveness and cleansing of sin
is to not discern the holiness of God and the price that was paid to
obtain our salvation.
It seems as though some of us have forgotten how holy God is and how much we need to
be cleansed from sin. Only the blood of Jesus can accomplish this.
Our faith in what Christ did, our receiving Him into our lives, and
our willingness to turn away from sin is what saves our soul. When we do
this the Holy Spirit comes to us and we are "born again" by the
spirit of God. We cannot partake of the Lord's table without first allowing Him to
cleanse us from sin.
All these Old Testament ordinances and sacrifices were pointing them
to the savior to come. When they obeyed and did this according to
the will of God, they were saved by faith in what was to come. We
are saved by faith in what has already come.
Jesus died, was buried and rose after 3 days. Faith in Him brings
salvation to those who believe and continue abiding in Christ.
- Numbers 18:8 And the LORD spoke
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.
- 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.
- 10 In the most holy place
shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy
unto thee.
As this meal was considered most holy so is believing and receiving
the word of God which is food for our souls.
- Numbers 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.
- 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 Every thing devoted in
Israel shall be thine.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 forever: it is a covenant of salt
forever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
We see a great lesson on redemption and how important it is to
redeem the lost mankind back to God by payment of a price. This is
what Jesus did when He died for our sins. He redeemed us who were
lost and separated from God back to God and in fellowship with Him.
Passover was the time when the firstborn of unbelievers in Egypt
were killed and the firstborn of Israel were spared the visitation
of the death angel. Who ever put the blood of the lamb on the
doorposts, were spared. It was a preview of salvation by
faith. If any did not put the blood on the door posts, it would have
been a sign of unbelief. The first born had to be redeemed to acknowledge
how God had spared them. Tribe of Levi were given to God's service
instead of the firstborn of all Israel.
This first covenant of ordinances and sacrifices was broken not by
God but by Israel.
A second final covenant had to be made and is made through the death
and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
- Hebrews 8:7 For if that
first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have
been sought for the second.
- 8 For finding fault
with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when
I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah:
- 9 Not according to the
covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took
them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because
they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
- 10 For this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those
days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and
write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and
they shall be to me a people:
- 11 And they shall not
teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the
greatest.
- 12 For I will be
merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
iniquities will I remember no more.
- 13 In that he saith, A
new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which
decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Christ Jesus is the mediator of the New covenant that was foretold
in the book of Jeremiah
- Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the
days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with
the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
- 32 Not according to
the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I
took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt;
which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband unto
them, saith the LORD:
- 33 But this shall be
the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After
those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward
parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and
they shall be my people.
- 34 And they shall
teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother,
saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the
least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I
will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no
more.
Oh how good and wonderful is the Lord God. Just think about it: A
new covenant, a new beginning, His law in inward parts written
within, those who receive and believe these things become God's
people and their sins are remembered no more.
-
Numbers
18:20 And the LORD spoke 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.
The tribe of Levi didn't have a land inheritance but their
inheritance was the Lord Himself.
All believers in Jesus who continue steadfast in the faith until the
end, will have the Lord as their inheritance.
- Ephesians 1:10 That in the
dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together
in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which
are on earth; even in him:
- 11 In whom also we
have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to
the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of
his own will:
- 12 That we should be
to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
- 13 In whom ye also
trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,
- 14 Which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory.
The Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance until He comes
again to receive us unto Himself. He is coming again not matter what
the scoffers say. He is coming again to gather both the dead in
Christ and the living who are trusting in Christ.
-
Numbers
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.
A tenth or tithing was set up so all Israel could support those who
didn't have an inheritance as they had but gave themselves to the
service of the tabernacle.
Not only strangers but all Israel who were not appointed to serve
the tabernacle could not do so. This points to "ONE WAY" and only
God's way to salvation.
- Numbers 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.
- 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 spoke
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 fullness 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
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.
To fail to tithe and support those God had appointed for the service
of the tabernacle and sacrifices was a serious offense. They had
given up their inheritance and had no way to make a living. This was
a way God Himself chose to support those that served Him in this
manner.
Remember though the tithing system was for the priests and Levites
of Israel. It is not for the New Testament church. We are to give
and support those that labor for the Lord by the law of love.
Tithing a tenth is a good way to do this but it is not mandatory but
willingly. It is a good guideline since most of us would have no
clue how much to give. I like the tithing system but we are no
longer under any curse if we don't tithe. Jesus died to free us from
any curse of the law.
The Malachi curse was for those who were neglecting the poor, the
Levites and priests. Some of the priests were robbing God by not
giving a portion to the poor. This was the only way they had to make
a living.
I believe in supporting our local church and pastor but we are to
live by the law of love and the Holy Spirit not by threats and intimidation.
It is actually fun to give if done in love. Try it. Find a good
local church with a faithful pastor and give him support. Ask God to
lead you in this. Do it though from the depths of your heart and not
because you are afraid your finances will be cursed if you don't.
Jesus did say give and it shall be given so there is an element of
truth in receiving if a person is a faithful giver but God sees when
we give for the right reasons, to help, to share, and to love His
work and those that work for Him. DC
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