Offerings for Priests and Levites
18 The Levitical priests—indeed, the whole tribe of Levi—are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the food offerings presented to the Lord, for that is their inheritance. 2 They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them.
3 This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull or a sheep: the shoulder, the internal organs and the meat from the head. 4 You are to give them the first fruits of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your sheep, 5 for the Lord your God has chosen them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in the Lord’s name always.
6 If a Levite moves from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all earnestness to the place the Lord will choose, 7 he may minister in the name of the Lord his God like all his fellow Levites who serve there in the presence of the Lord. 8 He is to share equally in their benefits, even though he has received money from the sale of family possessions.
The priests and Levites served similar to how our pastors serve today. Their duties included teaching, setting an example, caring for the sanctuary, caring for the sanctuary workers, and distributing the offerings. God made special provisions for the Levites because they could not own property or a business. They were provided for so they could serve the Lord. Today, we need to take care of our pastors as they perform their work for the Lord. Look at your own church in light of God’s Word. Make sure the pastor is paid in accordance with their skills and their time. Make sure the pastor has evenings home with family so the continual absence for nightly meetings does not become harmful to the family. What ways do you see where you can honor the leaders God has put in place?
Spirit and Truth
