“But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.”’
~ Numbers 18:7
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you giving back to God some of what God has given you? Who would you say has given you everything that you have? Is it your dad and ma who have given you everything that you have? Have you gotten some things that you have from your Uncle Chris and Aunt Lynn and/or from your ma’s ma and dad and/or from your Aunt Kay and/or from your grandmaa and grandpaa and/or from . . . have you ever received something from Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy? Can you think of something that God has given to you? Who would you say gave you life? Who would you say chose who would be your ma and dad? Who would you say sends angels to protect you from danger? Who would you say watches over your health? Who would you say is allowing you to have everything that you have right now? Who would you say has promised to give you the best life that a kid could ever have? God has given you and is giving you everything that you have and will have. If you listen and do what God desires that you to do, you will experience God’s mercies. Numbers 18 has God speaking to Aaron. Aaron is Moses’ bro. Moses is the guy who scribed the Numbers Book. Moses knew that God spoke to and what God said to his older bro. God prepared Moses to lead His specially chosen guys, gals and kids – the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kids, from Egypt to the land that God had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that their extended families would always have to live in as their very own land. After the Israelite people group’s guys forty years after the Israelite people group’s guys, gals and kid left Egypt for this land area that God . . . had overrun and purged out most of the guys, gals and kids who were living in this land area – which was known as Canaan, Canaan would become known as Israel. When Jesus was born – which was about 1400 years after God’s specially chosen guys took possession of the land that God had given to His specially chosen guys, gals and kids to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . , this land area that had once been called Canaan and then Israel was now being called Palestine – or the land of the Philistines. This same diminutive Middle East sliver of land today – which is only about fifty miles wide from the Jordon River to the Mediterranean Sea – east to west, and which is only about one hundred and fifty miles long from Lebanon to Egypt – north to south, is now known by the names of both Israel and Palestine.
When God said it was time for His specially chosen guys, gals and kids to leave Egypt for a minuscule piece of land which He had told their forefathers that their extended families would always have to live on, God wanted His specially chosen guys and gals to begin to worship only Him instead of the inanimate wood, stone and metal idol gods that they were worshipping in Egypt. When God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids left Egypt, there were thirteen family tribal clans representing eleven of Jacob’s sons and Joseph’s two sons – Manasseh and Ephraim. Joseph’s two sons replaced Joseph among the Israelite people group’s tribal clans. Out of these thirteen Israelite people group’s tribal clans, God chose one of the Israelite people group’s tribal clans – the Levite tribal clan, to be the tribal clan to represent Him before the other twelve Israelite people group tribal clans. Moses and Aaron were members of the Levite tribal clan. Aaron and his sons were asked by God to be priests. Priests were the guys who made the sacrifices to God that God wanted made to Him. While the other Israelite people group’s tribal clans fought against and killed the guys, gals and kids who were living in the land area that God had promised to them that they would always have to live in as their very own land if . . ., God tasked the Levite tribal clan to help Aaron and his sons care for the Tent of the Testimony. While the other Israelite people group’s tribal clans took possession of and were given shares by lots of the land that . . . , God asked the Levite tribal clan to help Aaron and his sons with the duties and the tasks that were related to the Tent of the Testimony. While the other Israelite people group’s tribal clans raised oxen, sheep and goats along with wine and grain on their own land, the Levite tribal clan was to eat from the ten percent of the very best which the other twelve tribal clans were to bring to the Tent of the Testimony as offerings to God. God chose the Levite tribal clan to be the intermediary or mediator tribal clan between Him and the twelve other Israelite people group’s tribal clans.
Out of the thirteen Israelite people group’s tribal clans, God chose just one tribal clan – the Levite tribal clan, to take on a special role for the other Israelite people group’s tribal clans. Aaron and his sons had an even greater responsibility as they were the guys who went into the Tent of the Testimony with special sacrifices to God. God wanted Aaron and Aaron’s sons to accept the tasks and duties that He wanted them to do as a gift from Him to them. Verse 7 says, “But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.”’ When God asks a guy and/or gal – like your grandmaa and grandpaa to serve Him as missionaries, God is giving a special gift to your grandmaa and grandpaa. When Aaron was living, God expected His specially chosen guys and gals to give back to Him the firstborn of their animals and ten percent of the very best of everything that they grew. God expects His specially elected guys and gals today to give back to Him at least ten percent of everything that He has and is giving to them which He expects will be used for His Kingdom work such as what your grandpaa and grandmaa are doing. What are you giving back to God from all that He has and is giving to you?
Numbers 18 (209)