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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
18:1-32 Duties and Privileges of Priests and Levites. The preceding events have demonstrated the necessity of properly appointed mediators between God and Israel, if the nation's sins are not to lead to her destruction. This chapter sums up the duties of the priests (cf. Lev. 10:8-11) and Levites, and lays down the rewards that they are to receive for their service. Aaron's special status is underlined by God speaking directly to him (Num. 18:1, 8). Usually in Numbers God speaks to Moses, who then passes on his instruction to the appropriate people.
18:1-7 Guard Duties in and around the Tabernacle. In general, the priests, as the descendants of Aaron, must guard the interior of the tabernacle (vv. 5-7), and the Levites must guard its exterior (vv. 3-4). This is to prevent intrusion by any outsider (i.e., unauthorized person), who is to be executed if caught (vv. 4, 7). If a Levite should trespass into the area guarded by the priests, both Levite and priest will die (v. 3). These rigorous measures are designed that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel (v. 5). In the future, the risk of divine judgment is limited to the priests and Levites, who bear iniquity connected with your priesthood (v. 1).
18:8-20 The Priests' Income. The income of priests is derived from the sacrifices and similar offerings. Most of the privileges listed here are mentioned elsewhere in the law, but here the rights are all brought together. First, there are the parts of those sacrifices that only priests could eat: the cereal, sin, and guilt offerings (vv. 8-10). Second are those sacrifices and other offerings that all clean members of the priestly families could eat (vv. 11-19). These include parts of the peace offerings (v. 11), firstfruits of the harvest (vv. 12-13), and firstborn animals (vv. 17-18). Firstborn humans and unclean animals cannot be sacrificed but instead must be redeemed. That means the parents must give five shekels for their firstborn son (v. 16; see also Ex. 13:1-2, 11-16).
18:19 Covenant of salt forever indicates a permanent and inviolable principle (cf. 2 Chron. 13:5). The significance of salt may be its qualities as a lasting preservative, well known throughout the ancient Near East, or its use as a seasoning of food, which would point to a shared meal between the two parties of the covenant as symbolic of their friendship and the binding nature of their agreement.
18:21-24 The Levites' Income. The income of the Levites comes from the tithe given by the other tribes. It is their reward for
18:25-32 The Tithe of the Tithe. The Levites had to give a tenth of their income to the priests. Indeed, as God's representatives the priests were to receive the best tenth of the tithe (vv. 29-30; cf. Lev. 22:18-25; Mal. 1:6-14; 3:6-10).
