John,
I am excited about something that I found in proofreading (Chapter 1 Tithes & Offerings), and I didn’t want to wait to share it.
I was looking up Numbers 18:24, a scripture reference in the section called “The Priests’ Portion”. This is the second time I’ve looked it up, and both times, it has struck me that it says the tithe is the “inheritance” of the Levites, and they have no inheritance among the children of Israel.
I had to stop and chew on that. First of all, someone’s inheritance is their possession. It is THEIRS. So, that point was more cemented for me. No part of the Tithes belong to the people at any time…they were given by the Lord to the Levites. It was theirs! It makes it more clear, too, how anyone who did not bring their tithes and offerings to the Levites was considered a thief by God.
Also, I’m not sure if my train of thought (as follows) is entirely right, but this was what it was: No inheritance among the children of Israel means no land. No land means nothing to farm. Nothing to farm means the Levites probably didn’t raise their own crops/animals…BUT then, God didn’t give that type of work to them – their work was to judge and teach the law to God’s people. The children of Israel were given land to farm…that was their work. But for the Levites, God provided them NO land to work…their jobs were in His service. (I suppose they ate mainly from what the children of Israel brought as tithes?) I also read a few of the nearby verses in that chapter, and I found this verse 27 says: “And this, [the tithes and offerings which the Levites brought to the priests] shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress.” And verse 30 is similar. So, God counted the Levites’ tithes and offerings from what the nation gave them as if they were offering from the crops and herds that they did not have?
These things were exciting to me. I feel like the nail of understanding was driven deeper or something, concerning the tithe.
🙂
Lyn
==============
Yes, you are seeing that right.
Technically, though, we should note that the Levites were given some land, a very narrow strip surrounding each of the 48 Levitical cities (see Damien’s comment, below). However, that strip of land would not have been enough to produce the food needed by the Levites and their families. Clearly, God intended most of the Levites’ needs to be met by the tithes and offerings of the nation.
jdc
==========
The Levites did have a small 1,000 (or 2,000) cubit-wide piece of land around their cities “for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their beasts” (Num. 35:3).
Incidentally, this could have been the source for the animals that were regularly sacrificed at the temple.
Damien