Numbers 18

CHAPTER 18THEME: Aaron and the Levites confirmed in their position and responsibilitiesWe have seen the rebellion of Korah and the 250 princes of Israel against the constituted authority of Moses and Aaron. God judged him and his followers with a very severe judgment because his rebellion was actually against God. Then there were repercussions throughout the camp and a murmuring of the people. They felt the judgment had been too harsh. After all, these had been attractive men, leaders in Israel. Because these soft-hearted folk had no spiritual discernment, they found fault with Moses. Well, Moses was no more guilty of their death than Simon Peter was guilty of the death of Ananias and Sapphira. I’m of the opinion that Moses himself was quite surprised at what really took place. Then a plague came upon the people because of their murmuring. Aaron stood between the living and the dead, and he became, actually, their intercessor at that time. Then God testified to the priesthood of Aaron by resurrectionHe caused Aaron’s rod to bud, blossom, and bear fruit. Now God finds it necessary to confirm the priesthood.

Numbers 18:1

AARON AND THE LEVITES CONFIRMEDGod is telling the Levites that they are responsible for what takes place. We need to remember that Korah was a Levite; the rebellion arose within the tribe of Levi. It was very serious. God is telling them they are responsible. You and I are responsible today for our Christian testimony, for our families, and for our church. A great many people like to pull their skirts around them and assume a holier-than-thou attitude, shine up their halo, and then look down at the church today and talk about it going into apostasy. Now that is true; the church is going into apostasy. But it is also true that when there is sin in the church, you and I bear a certain amount of responsibility. We cannot escape the responsibility for sin in our lives, sin in our families, and sin in our church. You see, this is the thing God is saying to Aaron. Aaron cannot look at all that is happening among the Levites and take a holier-than-thou attitude. Aaron cannot elevate himself by pointing that he is God’s elect, the one whom God has chosen as the high priest. God’s man is to walk in humility. God’s man bears responsibility!

Numbers 18:2

God outlines for them very specifically that they, that is Aaron and his sons, are in charge of the sanctuary, the vessels of the sanctuary, and the altar. Then God goes into detail concerning the part of the offerings that belongs to the priesthood. They were to be sustained by their part of the offerings, and the entire “wave offering” was given to the priest. The wave offering was not offered as a burnt sacrifice, but was given to the priests.

Numbers 18:19

That was the way a covenant was sealed in that day. Salt was regarded as a necessary ingredient of the daily food and was used in the sacrifices to the Lord. A covenant of salt became a covenant of permanent obligation.

Numbers 18:20

Aaron and all the Levites would have no part in the land. They would not have farms to keep, or vineyards to tend, or olive groves to protect. God, Himself, was their inheritance. May I put this in very plain terms for today? The people in the church are to pay their preacher. You are to pay the one who is bringing you spiritual food. The man who is spending his time doing that cannot be working on a farm or in a field or in an office. It is a tragic thing to see that many of God’s finest workmen, both here and in the mission fields, must take a secular job in order to survive. The ministry suffers, and the church suffers. God provides support for the Levites, and He expected the church to support its pastor. Now I recognize there are problems in looking to the Lord for His provisions, but it is also a wonderful thing. I have been a minister for many, many years, and although there have been difficult times which have tried our faith, it has been quite marvelous to be in this position. I want to testify how good God is. He has been mighty good to this poor preacher. That is what David said in the sixteenth Psalm: “The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot” (Psa_16:5). It is a wonderful thing to have God as your inheritance, and to have Him as your paymaster, and to look to Him for every need. It is really a glorious position to be in. The Lord places the Levites in that position. They lived by faith.

Numbers 18:21

They were to serve in the tabernacle of the congregation, and they were to be supported by the tenth in Israel. This meant that the Levites must walk by faith. Now the question often arises whether preachers, missionaries, and church staff members should give to the church. I find that today a great many feel that they should not. I’d like to say a word in that connection. We are dealing here with rules and regulations in the Mosaic Law. Although you and I do not live under the Mosaic system, I believe it furnishes great principles by which we are to live. They are road maps for us to help us out in these questionable areas.

Numbers 18:25

God told the Levites that they were to offer a tenth part of what they received. May I say to you, I think that the Christian worker, whoever he is, is to give to the Lord’s work also. I think he ought to give to his church and through his church into his church’s program. I have always given to missions and I have always encouraged my staff to give. I always had the offering plate passed on the pulpit platform so we might set an example for the congregation in this matter of giving. We have had some thrilling experiences, by the way. It is our policy to send out books and tapes to missionaries and not to charge them a thing. But do you know that half of them pay for them? We had a missionary from one of the leading faith missions boards who was home on furlough. He was discouraged and felt he was losing his faith, but he started listening to our program. He never missed one, and then he came to our headquarters to get our tapes. We wanted to give him the tapes, but he insisted he was going to pay for them. May I say to you, he had the right principle. Many of our missionaries simply cannot pay and we are glad to give them our tapes and materials. I have been impressed by the poverty of the missionaries out on the foreign fields I have visited. They have driven me in cars that were like the one-horse shay, ready to fall apart. Often the gas tank would be so nearly empty I would wonder whether we would make it to the airport. It is a shame and a disgrace that we do not pay our missionaries adequately, nor do we give them the proper instruments and tools to carry out their work. This eighteenth chapter is a very practical chapter. It has a very definite message for us today.