SCRIPTURE: NUMBERS 18
DUTIES OF PRIESTS AND LEVITES (vs. 1-7)
Duties of Aaron and his sons:
- Aaron, his father’s family and his sons are to bear the responsibilities for offense against the sanctuary.
- Aaron and his sons are to bear the responsibilities against the priesthood.
- Aaron is to bring fellow Levites from their ancestral tribe to assist him and his sons to minister before the Tent of Testimony, but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar, or they will die.
- Aaron is responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar and he is to serve as priest.
OFFERINGS FOR PRIESTS AND LEVITES (vs. 8-32)
Aaron is in charge of the offerings presented to the Lord. God gave to him and his sons these offerings: grain, sin, guilt, wave – as their regular share. All the land’s first fruits that were given to the Lord will be theirs. Everything in Israel that is devoted to the Lord will be theirs. They must redeem every first born son and every first born male of unclean animals at the redemptive price set at 5 shekels of silver that weights 20 gerahs. They must not redeem the first born of an ox, sheep or goat because they are holy. Their meat – the breast and thigh – are their share.
Aaron will have no inheritance in their land because God is his share and inheritance among the Israelites. All the tithes are given to the Levites as their inheritance for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting. But they must present 1/10 of the tithes and offerings they received to the Lord. They may eat the product of the threshing floor or winepress as their wages for their work at the Tent of Meeting and they bear the responsibility of offense against the Tent of Meeting.
THOUGHTS:
Moses, Aaron and his sons served the Lord and God supplied their needs. The Levites owned no land but the tithes of the Israelites are their share. However, they still have to tithe like everyone else. The tithing principle is still applicable until now.