Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 19:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, (2) “This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without spot, in which there is no blemish, and on which never came a yoke.'"
In the last post, Aaron had been established and confirmed by God in the priesthood; and because the people had been afraid they would die if they came near the tabernacle, God had also given full instructions regarding the office of the priesthood and the priests' responsibility to bear the iniquity of the sanctuary. Now the Lord spoke to both Moses and Aaron, telling them that what followed was the ordinance, or order or direction, of the law that the Lord had commanded when He had told them to tell the children of Israel to bring to them a red heifer, without spot or defect, and one that had never had a yoke. The heifer was a symbol of Jesus Christ with spotless purity. The fact that it was to be red, perhaps being more rare, made it more remarkable and seemingly perfect. Red being the color of blood signified Christ's own blood shed for our sins. One that never had a yoke symbolized Jesus Christ's voluntary offer to sacrifice Himself, bound by no other cords than His love for us. All the children of Israel were to bring this heifer, as all were to have a joint interest in it, as all believers have in Christ.
(3) "'And you shall give her to Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her outside the camp, and one shall slay her before his face.'"
Eleazar was Aaron's son and was probably the second highest priest. The heifer was brought to him, probably to keep Aaron as high priest, completely preserved from any uncleanness. However, Eleazar himself was not to slay the heifer, but someone else in his sight; and that was to be done outside the camp.
(4) "'And Eleazar the priest shall take of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle of its blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times.'"
Eleazar was to take some of the heifer's blood with his finger, and being outside the camp, was to sprinkle the blood directly toward the tabernacle seven times. Again this is symbolic of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The number seven represents completeness or perfection in the Bible. Christ's blood was shed outside the gate (Hebrews 13:12), and was a complete and perfect sacrifice for our sins by the finger of God.
(5) "'And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; he shall burn its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung.'"
Someone other than Eleazar the priest was to burn the heifer with Eleazar looking on. The heifer was to be wholly burnt, its hide, flesh, blood, and even its dung. Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, wrote that the complete burning of all parts of the heifer "may denote the extent of Christ's sufferings, reaching to all parts of his body, skin, flesh, and blood, and the shame and reproach that attended them, signified by dung; as well as how impure and accursed he was accounted when he was made sin for his people, bore their sins and suffered for them, even not in body only, but in his soul also; for his soul as well as his body were made an offering for sin."
(6) "'And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer.'"
The priest, presumably Eleazar, was then to take cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet ribbon, probably with the hyssop wrapped around the cedar wood and bound by the scarlet ribbon, and cast them into the fire that was burning the heifer. These three things were also used in the cleansing of a leper in Leviticus 4:4. For the significance of these three particular items, Dr. Gill referenced Maimonides, the Jewish medieval scholar, who wrote "the cedar wood, being durable, may denote the continued efficacy of Christ's sufferings; the hyssop, being purgative and of a good smell, the purging nature of Christ's sacrifice, who by himself purged away our sins, and the sweet odour thereof ascended to the Lord; and the scarlet, the sins of his people destroyed thereby."
(7) "‘Then the priest shall wash his clothes, he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp; and the priest shall be unclean until the evening.'"
Then the priest, Eleazar, was to wash himself and his clothes, and was considered unclean until the evening, but was then able to return to the camp.
(8) "‘And the one who burns it shall wash his clothes in water, bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the evening.'"
The one who burned the heifer in sight of Eleazar was also to wash himself and his clothes, and was considered unclean until the evening.
(9) "'And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up outside the camp in a clean place; and they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation; it is a purification for sin.'"
Then a man who was ceremonially clean was to gather the ashes of the heifer and put them in a clean place outside the camp. The ashes were to be kept for the children of Israel as "a water of separation". The original word translated as "separation" was "niddah" and more completely meant "rejection, impurity, filthiness", and therefore to be separated. The ashes were mixed with water to be a purification for sin. "Water of purifying" was referenced before in Numbers 8:7.
(10) "‘And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening; and it shall be to the children of Israel, and to the stranger that sojourns among them, for a statute forever.'"
The one who gathered the ashes of the heifer was also considered unclean, and must wash and be considered unclean until the evening. This was to be a statute forever to the children of Israel and to any foreigner who dwelt with them. Forever, at least until the Messiah came and shed His blood to be "laid up" for us for a continual purification for our sins.
(11) "‘He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days.'"
Anyone who touched the dead body of a person would be unclean for seven days, whereas it was only one day for a dead animal. Once again I was struck by Adam Clarke's (Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible) assertion that man was no better than an animal, in this case seven times worse!
"How low does this lay man! He who touched a dead beast was only unclean for one day; but he who touches a dead man is unclean for seven days. This was certainly designed to mark the peculiar impurity of man, and to show his sinfulness - seven times worse than the vilest animal! O thou son of the morning, how art thou fallen!"
My first thought was that man was more important than an animal, and by that reasoning, more would be required. However, I can see that I didn't have the proper respect for the sinless perfect nature of God that I should, and fully understand the filthy sinful nature of man. Animals don't have a conscience and the ability to choose sin as people do. Only man can have the particular impurity of sin. Sinful acts against God are surely seven times worse than the most unclean beast.
(12) "'He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean; but if he does not purify himself on the third day then the seventh day he shall not be clean.'"
The man who touched a dead body must purify himself with the water of ashes described in verse 9 on the third day of his seven day period of uncleanness. It will become clear in a later verse that he must perform this purification on the third and seventh days of his period of uncleanness, but what this verse expresses is that if he fails to do it on the third day, he will not be clean on the seventh day, even if he should purify on the seventh day.
(13) "‘Whoever touches the dead body of any man who is dead, and does not purify himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD, and that soul shall be cut off from Israel; because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is still upon him.'"
If a person who had touched the dead body of a person failed to purify himself, he defiled the tabernacle of the Lord with his uncleanness, and would be cut off from Israel. This might mean excommunication from the church, death by the government, or even death by the immediate hand of God. In the past, whenever I have seen the word "soul" used as it is in this verse, I accepted the translators' and Strong's definition of soul as a living creature, therefore a person in this case. However, soul does indicate so much more than a merely alive and breathing man. The body and thus the person is a physical thing. The soul includes our thoughts, the desires of our hearts, and our wills. When a beast dies, there is only a dead body; when a person dies, there is also a soul that either willfully or ignorantly chose to sin. When another person touched the dead body of a sinful soul (as all people are), and did not purify himself, he chose to defile the tabernacle of God by his irreverent inaction and the apparent disrespect in his heart. That soul must be cut off.
(14) "‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent; all who come into the tent and all who are in the tent shall be unclean seven days.'"
When a person died in a tent, as the Israelites all dwelt in tents at that time, anyone who was there when he died, or anyone who came into the tent where he remained after he died, would be unclean for seven days.
(15) "'And every open vessel, which has no covering bound upon it, is unclean.'"
Additionally, every open container that had no cover on it would be considered defiled by the death in the air considered unclean.
(16) "'And whoever touches one who is slain with a sword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.'"
I don't believe there is any significance in being slain by a sword; I believe the sense is that if anyone had been killed in the open fields, and didn't just die in his home as in verse 14, that anyone who touched that body or any dead body found in the open fields, or any bones of a person, or any person's grave, was to be considered unclean for seven days.
(17) "‘And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put into them in a vessel.'"
For an unclean person they were to take the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, put them in a vessel, and add only running water. It could be water from a fountain or a spring, etc., but not from a pool of still or stagnant water. The original word translated as "running" in this verse was "chay" and it literally means "living, alive"; only living water could be added to the ashes for purification of sin. What a perfect symbol of the Christ to come who would give living water: "Jesus answered and said to her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it
is who says to you, "Give Me a drink," you would have asked Him, and He
would have given you living water.'" (John 4:10)
(18) "‘A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, sprinkle it on the tent, on all the vessels, on the persons who were there, and on the one who touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave.'"
Continuing instructions for what they were to do for an unclean person, a ceremonially clean person was to take hyssop and dip it into the living water that had been mixed with the ashes of the heifer, and sprinkle it on the tent where there was a dead body, on all the open vessels inside that tent, and on all the people who were in the tent, as well as on the person who had touched the dead, or bone, or grave.
(19) "'And the clean person shall sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh
day he shall purify himself, wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at evening.'"
The clean person was to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and seventh days (v. 12) of his seven day period of uncleanness. There is some discrepancy among Biblical scholars about whether the additional purification, bathing, and washing of clothes, referred to the person who had touched the dead and become unclean for seven days, or to the person who sprinkled the unclean person, coming in contact with an unclean person, and making himself unclean for a day. Verse 12 said nothing about bathing and washing clothes, but it seems quite reasonable that this should be done, for the unclean person to be made completely clean. Although a later verse does stipulate that the person who sprinkled the unclean person must also wash, and would be unclean for the rest of the day, I don't think this verse was about him; if he did not bathe and wash his clothes until the seventh day, then he would have been unclean since the third day, and this verse speaks only of one who is unclean until that evening.
(20) "‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the congregation, because he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD; the water of separation has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean.'"
The man who was unclean because of his contact with the dead, who did not purify himself in the way described above, was to be cut off from the congregation because he had defiled the sanctuary of the Lord by coming in contact with it in his unclean state. The water of purification had not been sprinkled on him; therefore his uncleanness was still upon him (v. 13).
(21) "And it shall be a perpetual statute to them, that he who sprinkles the water of separation shall wash his clothes; and he who touches the water of separation shall be unclean until evening."
Additionally, the Lord told Moses and Aaron that it was to be an everlasting statute to the people, that the person who sprinkled the water of purification must wash himself and his clothes, and would be considered unclean until the evening. John Wesley, in his Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, wrote that it seemed strange that the same water would cleanse one person, but defile another who touched it. However, this was to teach us that it was not the water itself that was so magical that it cleansed, but that it was in the way God appointed it to be used that purified. Is that not always God's way? It's all about the heart and motives of a person to follow the Lord and His instruction, and not in some ritualistic thing. Think about how Jesus condemned the Pharisees who outwardly did all the "righteous" things required of them, but were full of hypocrisy and iniquity (Matthew 23). The thing itself does not purify; only the Lord purifies.
(22) "And whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the soul who touches it shall be unclean until evening."
Whatever the unclean person spoken of throughout this chapter touched would also be unclean, and the person whom he touched or touched him would be considered unclean until the evening.
Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, explored the reason behind why touching the dead was such a defiling thing: "Because death is the wages of sin, entered into the world by it, and reigns by the power of it. Death to mankind is another thing from what it is to other creatures: it is a curse, it is the execution of the law, and therefore the defilement of death signifies the defilement of sin." Thankfully our Redeemer Jesus Christ came and triumphed over death!
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Saturday, February 2, 2019
Priesthood of Aaron Confirmed and the Charge Committed to the Priests and Levites
Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(Numbers 17:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Speak to the children of Israel, and take from every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers, twelve rods; write every man's name on his rod."
In the last chapter of Numbers, the Lord had caused a plague that killed 14,700 Israelites because of their murmuring against Moses and Aaron. After the plague had ceased, the Lord spoke again to Moses. He told him to tell the children of Israel to take from each of their twelve tribes a rod and put the name of the prince of that tribe on each rod; there would be twelve rods in all.
(3) “And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi, for there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house."
The Lord further instructed that the rod from the tribe of Levi was to have Aaron's name on it. He again reiterated there was to be only one rod from each tribe, meaning only one head of each tribe, and Aaron was the head of Levi, squashing all debate that had caused the recent rebellious outbreak.
(4) "And you shall lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you."
The Lord further instructed that they were to place the rods in the tabernacle before the Ark of the Testimony where the Lord would meet with them. The Lord wouldn't physically meet with them, but His presence would surely be known to them.
(5) “And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom; and I will make to cease from Me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you."
The Lord declared to Moses that the rod of the man He Himself chose, would blossom, and thus He would put an end to the murmurings of the Israelites against him. In the last chapter the Israelites had accused Moses of taking it upon himself to be ruler over the people and choosing his own brother to be high priest. In this, the Lord would prove that it was He alone who chose the high priest.
(6) And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
Moses spoke to the children of Israel as the Lord had told him to, and took a rod from each prince of his particular tribe. There were twelve rods in all, according to the twelve tribes, and the rod of Aaron was among the twelve.
(7) And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.
Moses laid all twelve rods before the Lord in the tabernacle in the place of the Ark of the Testimony, called witness here.
(8) And it came to pass that on the next day Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, for the house of Levi, was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
The very next day Moses went into the tabernacle and found that not only had Aaron's rod budded, but it had bloomed blossoms and produced almonds. It was unquestionably miraculous, showing that God Himself had chosen Aaron and the tribe of Levi to serve Him in the tabernacle.
(9) And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.
Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord in the tabernacle for the children of Israel to see. Each prince took his own rod.
(10) And the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and you shall quite take away their murmurings from me, that they not die."
The Lord told Moses to bring Aaron's rod back in before the Ark of the Testimony to be kept as a reminder to anyone who might again rebel against Aaron. The phrase "quite take away" was King James translators' translation of the word "kalah" which better is better defined as "put an end to", "complete", "wholly reap". Having Aaron's rod as a constant reminder that God chose Aaron and the house of Levi would serve to put an end to the murmurings and complaints of any potential rebels, lest they die.
(11) And Moses did so; just as the LORD had commanded him, so he did.
Moses did just as the Lord had instructed him to do, and brought Aaron's rod back in before the Testimony to be kept as a constant reminder of God's choice to serve Him.
(12) And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, "Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish."
The people spoke to Moses. They seemed to be terror-stricken by the fate of so many all around them. They were in a sense saying to him to just look at them, they were all dying!
(13) “Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD shall die; shall we be consumed with dying?"
The people continued their cries to Moses. It seemed to them that anyone who even came near the tabernacle of the Lord would die. Would they all eventually die?
(Numbers 18:1) And the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood."
In answer to the people's fears, the Lord told Aaron that he and his sons and the house of Levi would be responsible for the guilt of the offenses of the people in that they would be responsible to make the necessary atonements. They would also be responsible for any sins they themselves bore as priests. After all, they were just mere men and would surely sin, if only unintentionally.
(2) "And bring with you your brethren of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and minister to you; but you and your sons with you shall minister before the tabernacle of witness."
The Lord told Aaron to bring along his brethren of the tribe of Levi that they might minister and serve the priests, but it was to be Aaron and his sons only who would minister in the most holy place. The other Levites served in the court of the tabernacle, but only the priests served in the most holy place before the Ark of the Testimony. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, noted a play on words. The meaning of the word "Levi" was "joined", so the Levites were to be joined with Aaron and his sons, the priests, to assist them.
(3) "And they shall keep your charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle; only they shall not come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor you also, die."
The Levites were to do whatever Aaron and his sons, the priests, committed to their charge to do. They were to assist the priests in whatever manner they required in the tabernacle, but they were not to come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, meaning the ark and the mercy seat, the showbread table and the candlestand, etc. Neither were they to come near the altar to offer sacrifices of incense or burnt offerings. The Lord warned that to do so would result in their death, as well as the death of the priests for granting them access to these holy things.
(4) "And they shall be joined to you, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle; but a stranger shall not come near to you."
Once again, there was that play on words, that those of the tribe of "Levi" would be "joined" to Aaron and his sons, the priests, and would be responsible to keep the charge of the tabernacle, for all the service it needed, but an outsider who was not of the tribe of Levi was not allowed to come near them to minister to them or the tabernacle.
(5) “And you shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar, that there be no more wrath on the children of Israel."
Aaron and his sons, the priests, were to keep the charge of the sanctuary and the altar, so that there would be no more wrath on the children of Israel, as had come upon Korah and his company. Again, this appears to be a direct answer to the people's fearful cries in Numbers 17:12-13.
(6) "And behold, I Myself, have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation."
The Lord told Aaron that He Himself had chosen the Levites from among the children of Israel, and they were given as a gift from the Lord and for Him to assist the priests in their service of the tabernacle.
(7) “Therefore you and your sons with you shall keep your priest's office for everything of the altar and within the veil, and you shall serve; I have given your priest's office to you as a gift for service, but the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
The Lord told Aaron that he and his sons were given the office of the priesthood to minister at the altar and within the veil as a gift. It was a great honor to be chosen to serve in this way. The gift was only to Aaron and his sons, the priests; any outsider who came near to do the office of the priesthood would be put to death.
(8) And the LORD spoke to Aaron, "Behold, I also have given you charge of My heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; I have given them to you by reason of the anointing, and to your sons, by an ordinance forever."
The Lord told Aaron that He had also given him charge of His heave offerings from the children of Israel, meaning not only the charge of them, but for the use of them for them and their families. The Lord had previously given those to Aaron and his sons in Leviticus 7:34 to be a statute forever, because of their office of the priesthood, to which they had been consecrated by anointing.
(9) “This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering of theirs, every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons."
The Lord detailed to Aaron what would be his of the most holy things reserved from the fire, those parts of the sacrifices which were not burnt with fire on the altar of burnt offerings. To be Aaron's was every offering from the children of Israel, including every grain offering made of fine flour and oil, and burnt on the altar, the remainder of which was eaten by Aaron and his sons (Lev. 6:16). It also included every sin offering offered to make atonement for sin, which also belonged to the priests and their sons (Lev. 6:26); it included every trespass offering, what remained of this also, when burnt on the altar, was eaten by the priest and his sons (Lev. 7:6). All these things were most holy and to be used by Aaron and his sons, the priests, only.
(10) "In the most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you."
The most holy things reserved from the fire were to be eaten in a holy place. This did not mean the holy place or the holiest of holies, but in the holy place of the tabernacle court reserved for the priests, as opposed to eating it in the tents of the camp of Israel. Only the males were to eat it, the sons of priests, and they only, not their wives or daughters, and therefore it was not to be eaten in their own houses. It was holy to the priests and to be treated as such.
(11) "And this is yours: the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as an ordinance forever. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it."
In addition, the heave offering, that right shoulder given to the priest for a heave offering of the sacrifices of peace offerings (Lev. 7:32-34), and wave offerings of the children of Israel, were given to the priests to be eaten by them and their sons and daughters (Lev. 10:14), meaning they were not restricted to the males alone, but extended to their families. It was to be an ordinance forever that these offerings were to be the priests' and their families', and permitted to be eaten in their own houses, provided they were ceremonially clean.
(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 to the LORD, them have I given you."
The first of the best oil, wine, and wheat, those first-fruits that the people offered to the Lord, those, too, the Lord had given to Aaron and his sons, the priests.
(13) “Whatever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring to the LORD, shall be yours; everyone who is clean in your house shall eat it."
Besides oil, wine, and wheat, whatever else ripened first in the land, was to be offered to the Lord, and was to be the priests', and everyone who was ceremonially clean in their houses was permitted to eat of it.
(14) "Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours."
Everything that was devoted solely to the Lord, such as fields, houses, livestock, etc. (Lev. 27:28), was to be for the use of the priests.
(15) “Everything that opens the womb in all flesh, which they bring to the LORD, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts you shall redeem."
The firstborn of all life, whether man or beast, was to be given to the Lord, according to Exodus 13:2, and therefore was for the use of the priests. However, the firstborn of man and the firstborn of any unclean beast, they would receive the redemption price rather than the firstborn itself. I had to chuckle at Adam Clarke's thought about this: "Thus vain man is ranked with the beasts that perish; and with the worst kinds of them too, those deemed unclean." That's the kind of thinking that the godless world view has, that animals are equal to man. This did not mean that man was ranked with unclean animals, for they were redeemed for different reasons. Firstborn children were not be be owned and used by the priests; therefore they had to be redeemed with a monetary value that was given to the priests. Unclean animals were not to be owned and used by priests for obviously different reasons, so they also had to be redeemed; they were redeemed with clean animals (Exodus 13:13).
(16) “And those that are to be redeemed from a month old you shall redeem, according to your estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs."
This refers to the firstborn children who were to be redeemed at one month of age, as unclean animals were to be redeemed with lambs, not money. Children from a month old were to be redeemed for five shekels, which was said to be twenty gerahs, according to the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. I have given up trying to determine the value of these Biblical amounts mentioned for it seems there are so many varying views. However, the point is that there was a standard redemption price for firstborn children. Although the redemption price was set, the verse above states it was according to Aaron's estimation. Perhaps the point is merely that the children were presented to Aaron at which point he declared the redemption price. Perhaps it was his estimation that was determined according to the age of the person presented. Leviticus 27:3-7 outlined the different values for people offering themselves or their children to the Lord.
(17) "But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savor to the LORD."
However, the firstborn of cows, sheep, and goats were not to be redeemed, because they were holy and for the use of the priests. They were to be sacrificed and their blood sprinkled on the altar. Their fat was to be burned for a burnt offering, pleasing and accepted by the Lord (Lev. 7:31).
(18) “And their flesh shall be yours, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are yours."
The flesh of these firstborn animals were to be the priests', wholly, just as the wave breast and right shoulder were to be theirs (Lev. 7:34).
(19) “All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you by a statute forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD to you and to your seed with you."
All the heave offerings of the holy things before mentioned that the children of Israel offered to the Lord, the Lord had given as a gift to Aaron and his sons, the priests, and their families, as a statute forever. To be a covenant of salt was said to mean an incorruptible, everlasting covenant. As salt was used to preserve from decay, it became a symbol of incorruptibility and permanence. This was to be an everlasting covenant to Aaron and his descendants after him.
(20) And the LORD spoke to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any part among them; I am your part and your inheritance among the children of Israel. (21) And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, the service of the tabernacle of the congregation."
The Lord continued speaking to Aaron. He told him that the tribe of Levi, with Aaron as the head, would have no inheritance in the promised land of Canaan as the other tribes would have. God alone was to be their inheritance. They were of the tribe that God had chosen to do His service, and they would have a special and closer relationship with Him than would the other Israelites. In addition, God gave them the most part of the tenth or tithes that were offered to Him. When you consider there were twelve tribes, and the Levites received a tenth whereas the other eleven tribes divided the other nine tenths, the Levites actually received a greater share than they would have if they had been given an equal share in the inheritance. This they were given because of their service to Him in the tabernacle.
(22) "Henceforth the children of Israel must not come near the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin and die. (23) But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance."
Again, as in apparent answer to the people's fears in chapter 17 that they might all die, the Lord reiterated the caution that the children of Israel should not come near the tabernacle to do any part of the priest's office, such as burning incense as Korah and his company had done, or to do any part of the service of the Levites, such as keeping watch of the tabernacle and bearing its utensils, etc. If any of the children of Israel did overstep their bounds and again try to perform some such work of the tabernacle, that person would bear the sin of irreverently handling holy things, disobeying the Lord's direct command, and he would die. The Levites alone were to do the service of the tabernacle, and they would bear their sin if they failed in their duties as priests or if they willingly or by negligence allowed others to do the work that was the Levites' alone. It was to be a statute forever that only the Levites were to perform the duties of the tabernacle, and that they would have no inheritance. The Levites had the honor of attending the tabernacle, which was denied the rest of the Israelites, but the Israelites had the honor of inheritances in Canaan, which was denied the Levites; therefore each had reason to rejoice in the honor shown them, and not be envious and despising the other as had occurred with Dathan and Abiram in chapter 16.
(24) "But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as a heave offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’”
The tithes of the children of Israel, called heave offerings because they heaved or lifted them up to the Lord, the Lord gave to the Levites as their inheritance. That was the reason He had stated they would have no part of the inheritance given to the other tribes; they had their own inheritance as specified by the Lord.
(25) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (26) "Thus speak to the Levites, and say to them, ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the LORD, a tenth part of the tithe.'"
The Lord now spoke to Moses, telling him to tell the Levites that when they received the tithes from the children of Israel that the Lord had expressly given them, they in turn were to offer a tenth part of what they received to the Lord. All the people were to offer tithes to the Lord in praise and thanksgiving for all their blessings from Him.
(27) "‘And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the corn of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress.'"
The heave offering of the Levites would be as acceptable to the Lord as if they had harvested it themselves.
(28) "‘Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the LORD from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the LORD’s heave offering from it to Aaron the priest.'"
In the manner described above, just as the Israelites offered their tithes to them, the Levites offered their tithes from the tithes received from the children of Israel, and they were to give those offerings to Aaron and the priests.
(29) "'Out of all your gifts you shall offer every heave offering to the LORD, of all the best of them, the hallowed part of them.’"
Not only out of their tithes, but out of whatever gifts were given by the Israelites to them, and out of the produce of the fields which belonged to them as part of the offerings given to them, in all their offerings, they were to give the best part to the Lord, and that was said to be the hallowed part, the tenth part that was always to be the Lord's, and therefore was holy.
(30) “Therefore you shall say to them, ‘When you have heaved the best of it, then it shall be counted to the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress.'"
The Lord continued to tell Moses what to say to the Levites, perhaps specifically the priests in this case. When they had heaved the best of their offering to the Lord, that tenth part they were to offer to their Lord, it would be as acceptable to Him as if they had harvested it themselves, and the nine tenths that remained would be considered as much their own and lawfully enjoyed, as the corn of the threshing floor and the wine of the wine press.
(31) "'And you shall eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.'"
Then they could eat their portion, not as a holy thing, but with the same freedom with which the other Israelites ate their parts, in any place they and their households wished. That was because it was their reward for their service in the tabernacle, and therefore their own to eat wherever they wished. Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, went further to say that they could even sell it to purchase other necessities, but I will stick with the words given here that say only that they might eat it anywhere.
(32) "‘And you shall bear no sin because of it, when you have lifted up the best of it; but you shall not pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest you die.'"
They were to have no guilt or blame placed on them because they did enjoy it wherever they wished, as long as they had offered up the best tenth of it, but they were not to treat the holy gifts of the children of Israel in that manner. They would be polluting holy things if they ate of the gifts given for holy use, and therefore guilty of irreverence and neglect, or considered even blasphemy, and punishable by death.
In chapter 17 the priesthood of Aaron was confirmed by the budding and blossoming of his rod. Then the people complained of their peril in drawing near to God. In chapter 18 the Lord addressed their fears by explaining how it was the duty of the priests to draw near to Him for them, and it was the priests' responsibility to bear the iniquity of the sanctuary. There should be no puffed up pride of the priests nor envy of them, considering the great care and charge upon them. This is a good lesson to us all that we should never become high-minded and proud, but fear. The greater the trust of work and power that is committed to us, the greater danger there is of betraying that trust. Therefore we should not envy others' honors or high places.
(Numbers 17:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Speak to the children of Israel, and take from every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers, twelve rods; write every man's name on his rod."
In the last chapter of Numbers, the Lord had caused a plague that killed 14,700 Israelites because of their murmuring against Moses and Aaron. After the plague had ceased, the Lord spoke again to Moses. He told him to tell the children of Israel to take from each of their twelve tribes a rod and put the name of the prince of that tribe on each rod; there would be twelve rods in all.
(3) “And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi, for there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house."
The Lord further instructed that the rod from the tribe of Levi was to have Aaron's name on it. He again reiterated there was to be only one rod from each tribe, meaning only one head of each tribe, and Aaron was the head of Levi, squashing all debate that had caused the recent rebellious outbreak.
(4) "And you shall lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you."
The Lord further instructed that they were to place the rods in the tabernacle before the Ark of the Testimony where the Lord would meet with them. The Lord wouldn't physically meet with them, but His presence would surely be known to them.
(5) “And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom; and I will make to cease from Me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you."
The Lord declared to Moses that the rod of the man He Himself chose, would blossom, and thus He would put an end to the murmurings of the Israelites against him. In the last chapter the Israelites had accused Moses of taking it upon himself to be ruler over the people and choosing his own brother to be high priest. In this, the Lord would prove that it was He alone who chose the high priest.
(6) And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
Moses spoke to the children of Israel as the Lord had told him to, and took a rod from each prince of his particular tribe. There were twelve rods in all, according to the twelve tribes, and the rod of Aaron was among the twelve.
(7) And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.
Moses laid all twelve rods before the Lord in the tabernacle in the place of the Ark of the Testimony, called witness here.
(8) And it came to pass that on the next day Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, for the house of Levi, was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
The very next day Moses went into the tabernacle and found that not only had Aaron's rod budded, but it had bloomed blossoms and produced almonds. It was unquestionably miraculous, showing that God Himself had chosen Aaron and the tribe of Levi to serve Him in the tabernacle.
(9) And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.
Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord in the tabernacle for the children of Israel to see. Each prince took his own rod.
(10) And the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and you shall quite take away their murmurings from me, that they not die."
The Lord told Moses to bring Aaron's rod back in before the Ark of the Testimony to be kept as a reminder to anyone who might again rebel against Aaron. The phrase "quite take away" was King James translators' translation of the word "kalah" which better is better defined as "put an end to", "complete", "wholly reap". Having Aaron's rod as a constant reminder that God chose Aaron and the house of Levi would serve to put an end to the murmurings and complaints of any potential rebels, lest they die.
(11) And Moses did so; just as the LORD had commanded him, so he did.
Moses did just as the Lord had instructed him to do, and brought Aaron's rod back in before the Testimony to be kept as a constant reminder of God's choice to serve Him.
(12) And the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, "Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish."
The people spoke to Moses. They seemed to be terror-stricken by the fate of so many all around them. They were in a sense saying to him to just look at them, they were all dying!
(13) “Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD shall die; shall we be consumed with dying?"
The people continued their cries to Moses. It seemed to them that anyone who even came near the tabernacle of the Lord would die. Would they all eventually die?
(Numbers 18:1) And the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood."
In answer to the people's fears, the Lord told Aaron that he and his sons and the house of Levi would be responsible for the guilt of the offenses of the people in that they would be responsible to make the necessary atonements. They would also be responsible for any sins they themselves bore as priests. After all, they were just mere men and would surely sin, if only unintentionally.
(2) "And bring with you your brethren of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and minister to you; but you and your sons with you shall minister before the tabernacle of witness."
The Lord told Aaron to bring along his brethren of the tribe of Levi that they might minister and serve the priests, but it was to be Aaron and his sons only who would minister in the most holy place. The other Levites served in the court of the tabernacle, but only the priests served in the most holy place before the Ark of the Testimony. Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, noted a play on words. The meaning of the word "Levi" was "joined", so the Levites were to be joined with Aaron and his sons, the priests, to assist them.
(3) "And they shall keep your charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle; only they shall not come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor you also, die."
The Levites were to do whatever Aaron and his sons, the priests, committed to their charge to do. They were to assist the priests in whatever manner they required in the tabernacle, but they were not to come near the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, meaning the ark and the mercy seat, the showbread table and the candlestand, etc. Neither were they to come near the altar to offer sacrifices of incense or burnt offerings. The Lord warned that to do so would result in their death, as well as the death of the priests for granting them access to these holy things.
(4) "And they shall be joined to you, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle; but a stranger shall not come near to you."
Once again, there was that play on words, that those of the tribe of "Levi" would be "joined" to Aaron and his sons, the priests, and would be responsible to keep the charge of the tabernacle, for all the service it needed, but an outsider who was not of the tribe of Levi was not allowed to come near them to minister to them or the tabernacle.
(5) “And you shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar, that there be no more wrath on the children of Israel."
Aaron and his sons, the priests, were to keep the charge of the sanctuary and the altar, so that there would be no more wrath on the children of Israel, as had come upon Korah and his company. Again, this appears to be a direct answer to the people's fearful cries in Numbers 17:12-13.
(6) "And behold, I Myself, have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation."
The Lord told Aaron that He Himself had chosen the Levites from among the children of Israel, and they were given as a gift from the Lord and for Him to assist the priests in their service of the tabernacle.
(7) “Therefore you and your sons with you shall keep your priest's office for everything of the altar and within the veil, and you shall serve; I have given your priest's office to you as a gift for service, but the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.”
The Lord told Aaron that he and his sons were given the office of the priesthood to minister at the altar and within the veil as a gift. It was a great honor to be chosen to serve in this way. The gift was only to Aaron and his sons, the priests; any outsider who came near to do the office of the priesthood would be put to death.
(8) And the LORD spoke to Aaron, "Behold, I also have given you charge of My heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; I have given them to you by reason of the anointing, and to your sons, by an ordinance forever."
The Lord told Aaron that He had also given him charge of His heave offerings from the children of Israel, meaning not only the charge of them, but for the use of them for them and their families. The Lord had previously given those to Aaron and his sons in Leviticus 7:34 to be a statute forever, because of their office of the priesthood, to which they had been consecrated by anointing.
(9) “This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering of theirs, every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons."
The Lord detailed to Aaron what would be his of the most holy things reserved from the fire, those parts of the sacrifices which were not burnt with fire on the altar of burnt offerings. To be Aaron's was every offering from the children of Israel, including every grain offering made of fine flour and oil, and burnt on the altar, the remainder of which was eaten by Aaron and his sons (Lev. 6:16). It also included every sin offering offered to make atonement for sin, which also belonged to the priests and their sons (Lev. 6:26); it included every trespass offering, what remained of this also, when burnt on the altar, was eaten by the priest and his sons (Lev. 7:6). All these things were most holy and to be used by Aaron and his sons, the priests, only.
(10) "In the most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you."
The most holy things reserved from the fire were to be eaten in a holy place. This did not mean the holy place or the holiest of holies, but in the holy place of the tabernacle court reserved for the priests, as opposed to eating it in the tents of the camp of Israel. Only the males were to eat it, the sons of priests, and they only, not their wives or daughters, and therefore it was not to be eaten in their own houses. It was holy to the priests and to be treated as such.
(11) "And this is yours: the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as an ordinance forever. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it."
In addition, the heave offering, that right shoulder given to the priest for a heave offering of the sacrifices of peace offerings (Lev. 7:32-34), and wave offerings of the children of Israel, were given to the priests to be eaten by them and their sons and daughters (Lev. 10:14), meaning they were not restricted to the males alone, but extended to their families. It was to be an ordinance forever that these offerings were to be the priests' and their families', and permitted to be eaten in their own houses, provided they were ceremonially clean.
(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 to the LORD, them have I given you."
The first of the best oil, wine, and wheat, those first-fruits that the people offered to the Lord, those, too, the Lord had given to Aaron and his sons, the priests.
(13) “Whatever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring to the LORD, shall be yours; everyone who is clean in your house shall eat it."
Besides oil, wine, and wheat, whatever else ripened first in the land, was to be offered to the Lord, and was to be the priests', and everyone who was ceremonially clean in their houses was permitted to eat of it.
(14) "Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours."
Everything that was devoted solely to the Lord, such as fields, houses, livestock, etc. (Lev. 27:28), was to be for the use of the priests.
(15) “Everything that opens the womb in all flesh, which they bring to the LORD, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts you shall redeem."
The firstborn of all life, whether man or beast, was to be given to the Lord, according to Exodus 13:2, and therefore was for the use of the priests. However, the firstborn of man and the firstborn of any unclean beast, they would receive the redemption price rather than the firstborn itself. I had to chuckle at Adam Clarke's thought about this: "Thus vain man is ranked with the beasts that perish; and with the worst kinds of them too, those deemed unclean." That's the kind of thinking that the godless world view has, that animals are equal to man. This did not mean that man was ranked with unclean animals, for they were redeemed for different reasons. Firstborn children were not be be owned and used by the priests; therefore they had to be redeemed with a monetary value that was given to the priests. Unclean animals were not to be owned and used by priests for obviously different reasons, so they also had to be redeemed; they were redeemed with clean animals (Exodus 13:13).
(16) “And those that are to be redeemed from a month old you shall redeem, according to your estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs."
This refers to the firstborn children who were to be redeemed at one month of age, as unclean animals were to be redeemed with lambs, not money. Children from a month old were to be redeemed for five shekels, which was said to be twenty gerahs, according to the standard weight of the sanctuary shekel. I have given up trying to determine the value of these Biblical amounts mentioned for it seems there are so many varying views. However, the point is that there was a standard redemption price for firstborn children. Although the redemption price was set, the verse above states it was according to Aaron's estimation. Perhaps the point is merely that the children were presented to Aaron at which point he declared the redemption price. Perhaps it was his estimation that was determined according to the age of the person presented. Leviticus 27:3-7 outlined the different values for people offering themselves or their children to the Lord.
(17) "But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a sweet savor to the LORD."
However, the firstborn of cows, sheep, and goats were not to be redeemed, because they were holy and for the use of the priests. They were to be sacrificed and their blood sprinkled on the altar. Their fat was to be burned for a burnt offering, pleasing and accepted by the Lord (Lev. 7:31).
(18) “And their flesh shall be yours, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are yours."
The flesh of these firstborn animals were to be the priests', wholly, just as the wave breast and right shoulder were to be theirs (Lev. 7:34).
(19) “All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you by a statute forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD to you and to your seed with you."
All the heave offerings of the holy things before mentioned that the children of Israel offered to the Lord, the Lord had given as a gift to Aaron and his sons, the priests, and their families, as a statute forever. To be a covenant of salt was said to mean an incorruptible, everlasting covenant. As salt was used to preserve from decay, it became a symbol of incorruptibility and permanence. This was to be an everlasting covenant to Aaron and his descendants after him.
(20) And the LORD spoke to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any part among them; I am your part and your inheritance among the children of Israel. (21) And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, the service of the tabernacle of the congregation."
The Lord continued speaking to Aaron. He told him that the tribe of Levi, with Aaron as the head, would have no inheritance in the promised land of Canaan as the other tribes would have. God alone was to be their inheritance. They were of the tribe that God had chosen to do His service, and they would have a special and closer relationship with Him than would the other Israelites. In addition, God gave them the most part of the tenth or tithes that were offered to Him. When you consider there were twelve tribes, and the Levites received a tenth whereas the other eleven tribes divided the other nine tenths, the Levites actually received a greater share than they would have if they had been given an equal share in the inheritance. This they were given because of their service to Him in the tabernacle.
(22) "Henceforth the children of Israel must not come near the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin and die. (23) But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance."
Again, as in apparent answer to the people's fears in chapter 17 that they might all die, the Lord reiterated the caution that the children of Israel should not come near the tabernacle to do any part of the priest's office, such as burning incense as Korah and his company had done, or to do any part of the service of the Levites, such as keeping watch of the tabernacle and bearing its utensils, etc. If any of the children of Israel did overstep their bounds and again try to perform some such work of the tabernacle, that person would bear the sin of irreverently handling holy things, disobeying the Lord's direct command, and he would die. The Levites alone were to do the service of the tabernacle, and they would bear their sin if they failed in their duties as priests or if they willingly or by negligence allowed others to do the work that was the Levites' alone. It was to be a statute forever that only the Levites were to perform the duties of the tabernacle, and that they would have no inheritance. The Levites had the honor of attending the tabernacle, which was denied the rest of the Israelites, but the Israelites had the honor of inheritances in Canaan, which was denied the Levites; therefore each had reason to rejoice in the honor shown them, and not be envious and despising the other as had occurred with Dathan and Abiram in chapter 16.
(24) "But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as a heave offering to the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’”
The tithes of the children of Israel, called heave offerings because they heaved or lifted them up to the Lord, the Lord gave to the Levites as their inheritance. That was the reason He had stated they would have no part of the inheritance given to the other tribes; they had their own inheritance as specified by the Lord.
(25) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (26) "Thus speak to the Levites, and say to them, ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the LORD, a tenth part of the tithe.'"
The Lord now spoke to Moses, telling him to tell the Levites that when they received the tithes from the children of Israel that the Lord had expressly given them, they in turn were to offer a tenth part of what they received to the Lord. All the people were to offer tithes to the Lord in praise and thanksgiving for all their blessings from Him.
(27) "‘And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the corn of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress.'"
The heave offering of the Levites would be as acceptable to the Lord as if they had harvested it themselves.
(28) "‘Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the LORD from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the LORD’s heave offering from it to Aaron the priest.'"
In the manner described above, just as the Israelites offered their tithes to them, the Levites offered their tithes from the tithes received from the children of Israel, and they were to give those offerings to Aaron and the priests.
(29) "'Out of all your gifts you shall offer every heave offering to the LORD, of all the best of them, the hallowed part of them.’"
Not only out of their tithes, but out of whatever gifts were given by the Israelites to them, and out of the produce of the fields which belonged to them as part of the offerings given to them, in all their offerings, they were to give the best part to the Lord, and that was said to be the hallowed part, the tenth part that was always to be the Lord's, and therefore was holy.
(30) “Therefore you shall say to them, ‘When you have heaved the best of it, then it shall be counted to the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress.'"
The Lord continued to tell Moses what to say to the Levites, perhaps specifically the priests in this case. When they had heaved the best of their offering to the Lord, that tenth part they were to offer to their Lord, it would be as acceptable to Him as if they had harvested it themselves, and the nine tenths that remained would be considered as much their own and lawfully enjoyed, as the corn of the threshing floor and the wine of the wine press.
(31) "'And you shall eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.'"
Then they could eat their portion, not as a holy thing, but with the same freedom with which the other Israelites ate their parts, in any place they and their households wished. That was because it was their reward for their service in the tabernacle, and therefore their own to eat wherever they wished. Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, went further to say that they could even sell it to purchase other necessities, but I will stick with the words given here that say only that they might eat it anywhere.
(32) "‘And you shall bear no sin because of it, when you have lifted up the best of it; but you shall not pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest you die.'"
They were to have no guilt or blame placed on them because they did enjoy it wherever they wished, as long as they had offered up the best tenth of it, but they were not to treat the holy gifts of the children of Israel in that manner. They would be polluting holy things if they ate of the gifts given for holy use, and therefore guilty of irreverence and neglect, or considered even blasphemy, and punishable by death.
In chapter 17 the priesthood of Aaron was confirmed by the budding and blossoming of his rod. Then the people complained of their peril in drawing near to God. In chapter 18 the Lord addressed their fears by explaining how it was the duty of the priests to draw near to Him for them, and it was the priests' responsibility to bear the iniquity of the sanctuary. There should be no puffed up pride of the priests nor envy of them, considering the great care and charge upon them. This is a good lesson to us all that we should never become high-minded and proud, but fear. The greater the trust of work and power that is committed to us, the greater danger there is of betraying that trust. Therefore we should not envy others' honors or high places.
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