OUR DIVINE PORTION

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Lord said to Aaron, "You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites."

"From now on, the Israelites must not go near the Tent of Meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die. It is the Levites who are to do the work at the Tent of Meeting and bear the responsibility for offenses against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: 'They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.'"

The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the Levites and say to them: 'When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord's offering. Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. In this way, you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes, you must give the Lord's portion to Aaron the priest. You must present as the Lord's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.'”

"Say to the Levites: 'When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress. You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the Tent of Meeting. By presenting the best part of it, you will not be guilty in this matter; then you will not defile the holy offerings of the Israelites, and you will not die.'"

Numbers 18:20-32

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In Numbers, chapter 18, we have seen where Aaron has received a lot of direction from the Lord in regard to how he was to execute his priestly duties and how He would provide for His tabernacle servants. As we turn to the closing verses, we see where God provides final guidance.

The Lord said to Aaron, "You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites."

"From now on, the Israelites must not go near the Tent of Meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die. It is the Levites who are to do the work at the Tent of Meeting and bear the responsibility for offenses against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: 'They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.'"

The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the Levites and say to them: 'When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord's offering. Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. In this way, you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes, you must give the Lord's portion to Aaron the priest. You must present as the Lord's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.'”

"Say to the Levites: 'When you present the best part, it will be reckoned to you as the product of the threshing floor or the winepress. You and your households may eat the rest of it anywhere, for it is your wages for your work at the Tent of Meeting. By presenting the best part of it, you will not be guilty in this matter; then you will not defile the holy offerings of the Israelites, and you will not die.'" Vv. 20-32

Primarily what we see here is God giving specific guidance in regard to inheritance and tithes. Of interest, He tells Aaron that neither he nor the Levites would have any part of the Israelite inheritance but just because that was going to happen, it didn’t mean the Lord wasn’t going to make sure they taken care of. Rather, we find the Lord telling Aaron that He would "give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting."

We should note here that income of the Levites would not be without limit for it would be determined by the offerings that Israel brought. The Lord didn’t want His spiritual leaders and workers to be corrupted by money but rather focused on taking care of the tabernacle, of which they had exclusive access to the Tent of Meeting as they oversaw Israel’s worship. The scriptures tell us that Israel was to not go near the special Tent unless they wanted to "bear the consequences of their sin” and die.

So we know that the Israelites were required to contribute offerings to the Levites and the Lord. These offerings to the priests would provide their economic means, sustaining them as they carried out the Lord’s work in the tabernacle.

Now, it’s important to see that the Levites didn’t get a pass on giving just because of their position. They were provide more than just their tabernacle service in the way of offerings, a command given to them by God, not through Aaron but Moses.

The scriptures tell us that the Lord commanded the Levites to "present a tenth" of the tithe received from Israel as an inheritance. From the tithes, the Levites were to "give the Lord's portion to Aaron" and not just any portion but the "best and holiest part of everything given" to them. And by "presenting the best part", the Levites would not be "guilty” and die because they wouldn’t have “defile(d) the holy offerings of the Israelites".

Once again, as we see in many other places in the Bible, the Lord doesn’t just want our leftovers or the things we value the least. Rather, He demands the best we can give Him out of our time, talent, and treasure...just as He has given us His best in all things/ We need only look to His Son and our Savior, Jesus, to know that.

Back to Aaron and God’s words to him at the start of this passage:

"You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them".

Just as the Levites would not share in Israel’s inheritance, neither would their leader but this is where the similarity ends. For while the Levites received Israel’s tithes as their portion and parcel, Aaron received something far greater: God as his "share and…inheritance." The Lord made it clear that He was Aaron’s portion and would be all the high priest would ever need to carry out what He wished for him to do.

Friends, through this passage, the Lord gives us three key points to take away, points that will help us in our growth as Christian believers.

First, our God will provide for us.

As we seek to discern and carry out His will each and every day, we can be assured that He will give us just what we need in order to carry out and fulfill His purposes. There isn’t a time when He doesn’t deeply care for those who serve Him with devotion, obedience, and commitment.

Secondly, when God provides for us, He expects us to give Him our best.

The Lord knows what we need before we even bring any request to Him and with perfect wisdom, provides in His perfect time and in His perfect way. We are blessed every time He does this because anything from Him will always be the best thing possible.

So why would we not give Him our best in return?

As we ponder this, let’s keep in mind that God gives His children more than money. As mentioned prior, we need to recognize His gifts of time and talent, using both to bring glory to His name while carrying out the Kingdom work He calls us to do. All believers need to be committed to give back to the Lord a portion of the divine blessings He imparts.

Finally, all Christ followers need to see that they have their portion in the Lord and He is all they could ever need in life. While the world would have people chasing after wealth and material gain as well as status and prestige, none of it compares to the worth and value found in have the Lord as our soul possession, our divine portion and the firm foundation that we build our life upon.

Friends, what a blessing these words of the Lord are to us. They are liberating and sustaining, encouraging and edifying, and comforting and assuring…all blessed things we gain from our great Provider and Sustainer.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.