THE CHARGE AND PORTION OF THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES, YOUTH STS
MEMORY VERSE: “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” (Numbers 18:12).
TEXT: Numbers 18:1-32
In the previous study, God honoured Aaron. His rod budded and blossomed while others’ rods were lifeless and dry. This was a mark of God’s approval of Aaron. He warned them of the grave danger of coming near the tabernacle. “Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?” (Numbers 17:13).
Question 1: Why did God command the children of Israel not to approach the tabernacle?
“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” (Numbers 18:3). God is holy and does not allow any act of rebellion in His presence. The omniscient God knew that the children of Israel were fond of rebelling against Him and His servants. In order for Him not to consume them, He decided to deal with them through a representative – the priest. Christian youths need to learn from this. Sin is always a reproach to anyone. Sinning youths are not members of the invisible church of Christ though they come to church. If they continue in sin, they are in danger of missing the rapture. Also, God gave detailed instructions to the priests on their duties and charged the Levites to assist them. Furthermore, the covenant of great provisions for the welfare of the priests and the Levites was given in our text.
1.DUTIES OF THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES.
Numbers 18:1-7,22, 23,32; 3:3-37; 1 Samuel 6:15; 1 Kings 8:3,4; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; 1 Peter 2:9; Ecclesiastics 9:10.
“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” (Numbers 18:1). God gave Aaron and his sons the priest’s office, and their charge was to minister to Him before the “tabernacle of witness”. Priesthood is a hallowed service, which God bestowed on Aaron and his sons. “And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron” (Hebrews 5:4). Aaron and his sons were the mediators between God and the people. They were exalted servants that bore the Lord’s vessels.
Question 2: What challenge do youths receive from Aaron and his sons being priests of the Lord?
“And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel” (Numbers 18:5). God is holy and will not allow the children of Israel to serve him with sin. This is a challenge to Christian youths. Many boys and girls whose parents are in the church and even workers are not born again. Some have brought reproach on their parents. It is time for youths to serve the Lord in holiness and truth. This will bring great glory to the Lord and blessings on them.
“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” (Numbers 18:6). The Levites on their part were gifts to Aaron and his sons. They were to assist them in the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. For the priests and Levites, the honour placed on them by virtue of their offices came with great responsibilities. The priests alone had to bear the iniquity of their priesthood. The duty of preventing unqualified people from getting into the priesthood rested on them. Negligence attracted death penalty “…that neither they nor ye also die” (Numbers 18:3).
Question 3: State some consequences of allowing unqualified people to become workers in the church.
“Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest’s office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death” (Numbers 18:7). Youth leaders should be prayerful, careful and thorough in screening and choosing Student Instructors, School Visitors, choristers and other workers to assist in the work. It is true that the harvest is plenteous, but the labourers are few. If caution is not taken, ravening wolves would be allowed into the work to pervert, pollute and destroy the flocks of God. Moreover, we should know that negligence also attracts eternal damnation on the part of leaders saddled with such responsibility. The Levites were not to touch or see the holy things or else they would die (Numbers 18:3).
Question 4: List some of the areas saved youths can serve the Lord in the church today.
“Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11). Like the Levites, we are gifts to our pastor. Saved youths should cooperate with the church and assist in the work of the ministry. Youths can clean the church premises, arrange the chairs, support the publicity of gospel crusade, join the youth choir and serve as Instructors or School Visitors. Most importantly, we are all given the ministry of reconciliation – soul-winning. We must take it as a task that must be done by preaching the gospel to unsaved youths in our schools and neighborhood.
2.DIVINE PROVISIONS FOR THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES.
Numbers 18:8-19,21,24-31; Matthew 19:27-29; Exodus 23:25-27; Hebrews 6:10; Philippians 4:19; Malachi 3:8-12.
“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” (Numbers 18:12). The priests and Levites were to do no other work than what the Lord committed into their hands. They were to wait on their service only. As a result, the Lord commanded them not to have any inheritance among the children of Israel. God made great provisions as a reward for their service (Numbers 18:20).
“And the LORD spake 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 for ever. 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” (Numbers 18:8,9). The provisions made for them were centred on the worship of God in order for them to be focused in service. This agreed with the truth of the Scripture, which says: “Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:13,14).
Question 5: What provisions did God make for the priests and Levites as a reward for their services?
“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” (Numbers 18:21). God gave the priests the sacrificial gifts. Some were to be eaten in the premises of the sanctuary by the priests alone because they are sacred. Others were to be eaten in any clean place freely. The showbread and the olive oil (Leviticus 6:25, 30) were to be eaten in the sanctuary. The heave offering, wave offerings, the firstling of the flocks and the firstfruits of the harvest (the best of the wine, oil and wheat) were to be eaten in any clean place in the camp by the priest’s family (Numbers 6:17,20; 18:11-19). The burnt offering is wholly burnt to the Lord; they are not given to the priest. The Levites on their part were given the tithes collected from God’s people. Of these tithes, they were also to pay the tenth to the priests, even the best of the tithes (Numbers 18:25,26).
Question 6: What is tithe? Should the Levites pay tithes?
Tithe is the tenth part of one’s gross earning. In spite of the fact that what the Levites earned was God’s gift given to them, He commanded them to tithe them. Youths also are to pay tithe from any money given them as pocket money or gift. Obedience to the command always brings blessings (Malachi 3:10; Luke 6:38).
3.DEPENDABLE COVENANT WITH HIS SERVANTS.
Numbers 18:19; 25:13; Deuteronomy 28:1,2; Malachi 2:4-7; Hebrews 6:10.
“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 for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee” (Numbers 18:19). God gave the priests assurance of continuous provisions. He called this a “covenant of salt”. It should remind us of the importance of salt as a preserving agent. Besides, it signified the continuity of the covenant. It was an ordinance instituted to prevent spiritual decay among the people as long as it was observed and honoured. Although this covenant is permanent in nature, the priest themselves must obey God’s command. They must perform their priestly duty as instructed in order to enjoy this provision. Eli and his son’s were required to keep this instruction (1 Samuel 2:28,29). Today, born again youths are royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). As long as we make God our inheritance, love Him sincerely and serve faithfully, we have His promised provisions and all sufficiency. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Safety and victory is sure as we make God our inheritance. “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them” (Deuteronomy 33:27).
The covenant of salt also reminds us of our position in Christ and the world. Christ said, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13). Saved youths must engage in constant evangelism so as to save the world from destruction. They must also preserve holiness in our days and by extension to the generation to come. Negligence to do this might terminate the inflow of God’s provisions on believers. It will also bring us into God’s judgment (Ezekiel 3:18).