seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Numbers 18:8 Then the Lord said to Aaron, “I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion, your perpetual share. 9 You are to have the part of the most holy offerings that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain or sin[a] or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons. 10 Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it. You must regard it as holy.
11 “This also is yours: whatever is set aside from the gifts of all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I give this to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.
12 “I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain they give the Lord as the firstfruits of their harvest. 13 All the land’s firstfruits that they bring to the Lord will be yours. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.
14 “Everything in Israel that is devoted(b) to the Lord is yours. 15 The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours. But you must redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals. 16 When they are a month old, you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels[c] of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.
17 “But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow, a sheep or a goat; they are holy. Splash their blood against the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 18 Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering and the right thigh are yours. 19 Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord for both you and your offspring.”
20 The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.
11 “This also is yours: whatever is set aside from the gifts of all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I give this to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.
12 “I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain they give the Lord as the firstfruits of their harvest. 13 All the land’s firstfruits that they bring to the Lord will be yours. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean may eat it.
14 “Everything in Israel that is devoted(b) to the Lord is yours. 15 The first offspring of every womb, both human and animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours. But you must redeem every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals. 16 When they are a month old, you must redeem them at the redemption price set at five shekels[c] of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs.
17 “But you must not redeem the firstborn of a cow, a sheep or a goat; they are holy. Splash their blood against the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 18 Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering and the right thigh are yours. 19 Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the Lord I give to you and your sons and daughters as your perpetual share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord for both you and your offspring.”
20 The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.
a. Numbers 18:9 Or purification
b. Numbers 18:14 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
c. Numbers 18:16 That is, about 2 ounces or about 58 grams
I've heard it said that when the priest went into the holy of holies, they tied a rope around his waist. This was so if something happened while he was in there.... they could safely retrieve him.
We've already seen that if the attitude was wrong or if the mind wasn't totally on the task at hand, then they could be burned to a crisp.
Being a priest, it seems, was a very dangerous position. They couldn't be tent makers or shepherds. They had to earn a living by being the priest but who was going to issue the paycheck? Well, this is what these verses are about.
I got this from the easy English site.
God did not allow the priests to own any property or land. Instead, he promised to provide what they needed by means of the people’s gifts to him (verse 20).
This passage describes which parts of the sacrifices and offerings belonged to the priests.
There were two types of offerings:
1. The ‘most holy things’ (verses 8-9). These were the sin offering, the guilt offering and the grain offering. God allowed only the priests to eat parts of these offerings.
2. The ‘holy things’ (verses 11-18). The priests could share parts of these offerings with their families. But anyone who ate them had to be clean (verses 11 and 13). This was because people had offered the food to God first.
‘Everything that the Israelites have completely given to me’ (verse 14). Usually, this phrase meant the things that the Israelites had taken during a war (compare with Leviticus 27:28-29; Joshua 6:18-19; 1 Samuel 15:21).
Also, the priests received money. This money was the payments for the first-born sons and also the first-born male animals that were unclean (see Numbers 3:41).
The people did not give their first-born sons to the priests. Instead, they paid 5 pieces of silver. This was the same amount of money as a person would earn in six months. The priests could not sacrifice unclean animals. So they received a payment for every first-born animal that was unclean, too.
By this means, God promised to provide everything that the priests and their families needed.
This passage describes which parts of the sacrifices and offerings belonged to the priests.
There were two types of offerings:
1. The ‘most holy things’ (verses 8-9). These were the sin offering, the guilt offering and the grain offering. God allowed only the priests to eat parts of these offerings.
2. The ‘holy things’ (verses 11-18). The priests could share parts of these offerings with their families. But anyone who ate them had to be clean (verses 11 and 13). This was because people had offered the food to God first.
‘Everything that the Israelites have completely given to me’ (verse 14). Usually, this phrase meant the things that the Israelites had taken during a war (compare with Leviticus 27:28-29; Joshua 6:18-19; 1 Samuel 15:21).
Also, the priests received money. This money was the payments for the first-born sons and also the first-born male animals that were unclean (see Numbers 3:41).
The people did not give their first-born sons to the priests. Instead, they paid 5 pieces of silver. This was the same amount of money as a person would earn in six months. The priests could not sacrifice unclean animals. So they received a payment for every first-born animal that was unclean, too.
By this means, God promised to provide everything that the priests and their families needed.
This is from GodVine.
In the land of the children of Israel. You shall not have a distinct portion of land, as the other tribes shall. The reason of this law, was, partly because God would have them wholly devoted to his service, and therefore free from worldly incumbrances; partly, because God had abundantly provided for them otherwise, by tithes and first - fruits and oblations; and partly that by this means being dispersed among the several tribes, they might have the better opportunity for teaching and watching over the people. I am thy part - I have appointed thee a liberal maintenance out of my oblations.
