Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.” (Numbers 18:20)
In this verse, God establishes a very important concept as it relates to those who serve Him in His Sanctuary — don’t go looking for temporal wealth as others do because “I am your portion.” Subsequent to this, He outlines how the tithes brought to the Sanctuary would be given to them to care for their needs. The Levites received 1/10 (tithe) of the crops harvested by the nation; this “first tithe” went exclusively to the Levites. (There are other tithes that did not go to the Levites but were used for other purposes.) In turn, the Levites were to set apart a “tithe of the tithe” for “the LORD,” i.e. for the needs of the priests.
In this manner, the temporal needs of all those who served in the Sanctuary — a duty which left them no time to plow, sow and reap — were well cared for. And so if I were to sum this up in a way that better applies to our lives today, I’d say that God’s plan for those who serve Him, and especially those who are in full-time ministry is, “Take care of mine and I’ll take care of yours.” If we are diligent to take care of His business, He will supply everything we need to take care of our business. God did not then, and does not now, ask His people to do things that He doesn’t give them the strength, tools and resources needed to accomplish the task.
This concept applies to all His people, not just those in ministry. If we obey his Word and walk upright and humbly before Him, He’ll provide for what we need to live in this world according to His Will. The key is this: put His Kingdom and purpose first and then everything else, including our temporal needs, will fall into its proper place. We’ll close with the words of the Messiah who said, “Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:32-33).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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