Study Questions:

1. Who was supposed to bear the sin of the sanctuary? Numbers 18:1

2. When was the firstborn of a man to be redeemed? Numbers 18:15, 16.

3. What did the Lord give to the sons of Levi as an inheritance for their service in the tabernacle of meeting? Numbers 18:21.

Commentary and Reflection:

The priests, namely Aaron, his sons, and their descendants, had the responsibility to serve in the ministry of the tabernacle of meeting.

The Levites were support personnel for the priests’ ministry; they served as guardians of the tabernacle to prevent unauthorized persons from approaching. They did not occupy a prominent position, but they were important for their behind-the-scenes service.

The Levites were not allowed to do what the priests did. Similarly, the New Testament says that we are all “different parts” of the body, each with gifts and callings (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). God also has a special responsibility for each person.

The priest also received portions of every offering and sin offering, guilt offering; gifts of oil, wine, and wheat, from the offerings of the first fruits. This was how the priesthood was sustained in Israel.

When the firstborn was brought to the tabernacle, either to be given or redeemed with money, it also belonged to the priest. All these belonged to the priests, and it was vital that the children of Israel fulfill their obligation to bring these things.

In Numbers 18:19, God says that the holy contributions made by the people of Israel belong to Aaron and his descendants forever, as a “covenant of salt.” What does that mean? In the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, we find the following:

“Salt Covenant. Biblical phrase for a two-way agreement, the inviolability of which was symbolized by salt. A Middle Eastern saying, “There is bread and salt between us,” meant that a relationship had been confirmed by sharing a meal. Salt symbolized the life and enduring nature of the alliance. In the OT salt appears in the relationship between God and Israel (Lv 2:13). As a purifying agent and preservative in the cereal offering, salt symbolized the indissoluble nature of the covenant between God and Israel. [Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (p. 538). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.].
Spurgeon comments on the salt covenant: “By which it was meant that it was an immutable and incorruptible covenant, which would endure as salt causes a thing to endure, so that it cannot rot or corrupt.” “The Treasure of David: Expository Notes of the Psalms”.

God ordered that tithe be given to the Levites for their sustenance. Tithes belong to God, He says “I have given”, so they are His to give, but He gives them to the Levites. When an Israelite was not tithing, they were not robbing the Levite – even though the money ended up with them. They were robbing God (Malachi 3:8-10), because God received the tithe from the giver and gave it to the Levite.

Numbers 19 speaks to about the ashes of a red heifer intended for purification water and the laws for its use in the purification of the unclean. These instructions were given to Moses and Aaron.

While the cow was consumed by fire, God ordered the priest to take cedarwood, hyssop, and scarlet, and throw it into the fire. Verse 6.

“These very items were used in the cleansing of the leper (Lev. 14:4, 6, 49, 51). Cast upon the still-burning heifer, they were thus mixed with the ashes of the carcass to form ingredients of cleansing. Both cedar and hyssop were credited by the ancients with various medicinal properties. The scarlet thread matched the color of the heifer. Cedar wood was regarded as an emblem of fragrance and incorruption, the hyssop as a symbol of purification. Scarlet was a symbol of sin (Isa. 1:18). In all three there was a typical reference to the shedding of the blood of Christ (see Heb. 9:13, 14).” SDABC, Numbers 19:6.

May God bless you and may you reach new spiritual heights as you walk with Jesus.