Numbers: Faith, Law, and History

The Inheritance of the Levites

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Pentateuch

Lesson: The Inheritance of the Levites

Genre:

Track: 35

Dictation Name: RR181T35

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Year:

Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth. The hourcometh and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Let us pray.

Eternal and ever blessed God, Lord of heaven and earth, we praise thee, we thank thee, we rejoice in thee for all thy glorious works. Thy wisdom and thy truth is seen in all thy works. Thy grace and thy mercy are revealed unto us in Jesus Christ, thy son, our savior. Thy power and thy presence are given unto us through thy Holy Spirit. Therefore, we praise thee, we adore thee, we magnify thy holy name forever and forever. Amen.

Our scripture this morning is Numbers 18:20-24, and our subject: The Inheritance of the Levites. Numbers 18:20-24. “And the Lord spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die. But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.”

As I pointed out two weeks ago, God sometimes repeats Himself. He knows we are stubborn and hard-hearted, but we don’t hear too well when we don’t want to, so He repeats Himself, and each time with a different emphasis and something added. So, what we read is something that we have touched on before.

Now, it is inheritance of the Levites. The subject of inheritance has a curious history. In much of history, inheritance has been a central fact of society. Being an heir has been all important. It has often, in fact, had too heavy a social importance and has been too heavily weighted by blood factors rather than faith factors.

In the twentieth century, our view of inheritance has been warped by a number of things. First, there’s a decline of faith and therefore, a decline of sound premises in naming an heir. In scripture, faith is the determining factor. While the heir was normally male, an ungodly, lazy, or incompetent male, even if a believer, could be passed over. Caleb made his daughter his heir, for example, and added a prize for her successful suitor. The line of descent was the line of strong faith and responsibility.

Then second, the state has now made itself the primary heir and it takes its portion before anybody else can touch a penny. The reason for this is the return of paganism and the retreat to the most savage forms of paganism, the desire to destroy wealth, and this urge is based on envy. Everything that the federal government gains through inheritance tax won’t take care of its operations for a day, but because of envy, it must strike at everyone who has something to pass on.

Well, in ancient paganism, this was also true. When a man died, very, very often his wealth had to die with him. This could include his wives or his wife, as in the Hindu seti, or elsewhere the living entombment of wives and slaves, all buried alive with him. Very commonly, the material possessions of the dead man were buried with him, or given away, his property was destroyed, and his house was pulled down or left to decay. Many brutal customs have accompanied death over the centuries. It has not been an easy thing in most cultures, over the centuries, to die, because of what will happen to everyone around you, especially if you have something. No one has written a history, to my knowledge, of these practices.

Envy has often accomplished in funeral rites what it could not do in the life of the man. In times, debts are inherited when everything else is destroyed.

Then third, we are now accustomed to thinking of inheritance in purely material terms, whereas historically, inheritance has also meant a faith, a name, a character, and much more.

Then fourth, we must say that modern thinking on the subject is pagan. Many seem to believe than an inheritance is too material a concern, and they push it out of their minds as something impure. The Bible, however, again and again deals with heir-ship. Here, in this text, is primarily the priestly and Levitical inheritance, which is the subject of legislation.

Upon entering the Promised Land, Israel was to divide the land, first in terms of the twelve tribes or clans, and then in terms of the families in the clans, so that each clan was to get a sizable portion of land. Second, all rural properties were to remain in the possession of an assigned family generation after generation. Such lands could be leased but they could not be sold. Those who left and went to the cities always had a family center in a time of crisis to return to. The rural population was to provide a stable element in the nation. The urban properties could be sold, but not the rural.

In this text, the priests and the Levites were told they would receive no land for their inheritance. The priests would be attached to the sanctuary, and the Levites as the instructors of Israel, the scholars, would be scattered throughout the land in the villages and the cities. For both priests and Levites, God was to be their inheritance. In verses 20 and 23 we read, “I am thy part and thine inheritance.” This fact is repeatedly stressed in Deuteronomy by Moses shortly before their conquest of Canaan. As for example, in Deuteronomy 10:9, “Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren, the Lord is his inheritance according as the Lord thy God promised him.” In Deuteronomy 12:12, “And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye and your sons and your daughters and your menservants and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates for as much as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.” In Deuteronomy 18:1-2, “The priests, the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the offerings made by the Lord made by fire in his inheritance. Therefore, shall they have no inheritance among their brethren. The Lord is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.”

What this means is that while the priests and the Levites served God, their sustenance came from the people. If the people were faithful with their tithes and offerings, the priests and Levites flourished greatly. At other times they were poor or starving. The two groups, priests and Levites, were together the clergy and the clerisy, the source of religious leadership and scholarship. If they were not supported, the nation would decay. God, in this way, tells the people that their future under Him depends on how they treat the clergy and the clerisy. In verse 21, the people are warned against all unlawful entrance into the sanctuary, against any presumptuous assumption of duties not belonging to them, lest they bear their sin and die. There is a division of labor and of responsibility in God’s sight. The tithe was to be given to the Levites, for Levitical work. The Levites were to give a tithe of the tithe to the priests. Now consider the implications of this. There were, in Israel, apart from the Levites, six hundred thousand men. The Levites numbered twenty-two thousand, of which we can say twelve thousand were adult men. That’s perhaps a high figure. This would make the provision of the Levites equal to, let’s say, five adults, if they tithe properly. This presumes faithful tithing.

Now, translated into our times, this would mean that funds sufficient for worship, a tithe of the tithe given to the priest, education, scholarship, schools, universities, all kinds of foundations, and more would all be available. We have always what we pay for as a people, so God says, “You’re going to advance if you obey my law. You’re going to develop the premises whereby you will understand the meaning of my word, of life, of history, of all things. The arts, the sciences, everything will depend on this. Now it should be remembered that the priests also received firstfruits and other gifts, portions of meal offerings, sin offerings, trespass offerings, oil, wine, grain, fruits, and more, and this took the place of their inheritance. God declares himself to be the inheritance of his priests and Levites. He was to be the basis of their existence. They could count on him to take care of them, and they had to serve the people faithfully, and if the people did not respond, they would be judged. So God gives us a very practical test of a people’s faith and character. If His work is not well supported, the people cannot expect God’s blessings. They have shown their contempt for their great landlord. The priests and Levites could own homes in the villages and cities where they served, but this was by purchase, not by inheritance from the time of the conquest. The priest and the Levite, God’s clergy and clerisy, can be called God’s lawyers.

Well, we do know from the New Testament, this was the title for the experts in God’s law, for those who expounded the meaning of the faith to the people. They could be faithful or they could be unfaithful, but that’s what their name was. God’s clergy and clerisy are His lawyers, called to present the case for the Lord against the godless generation. They are required to be faithful in their indictment of an apostate people and culture. Theirs is not a calling to sweetness and light, but to the indictment of self-satisfied and willfully ignorant peoples, and in this and related texts, God says in effect that if His faithful clergy and clerisy are not supported, the people will pay a greater price than money.

A good many years ago, Demelo’s{?} comment on these verses was very much to the point, “Those who are separated to the service of God are taught to depend on Him. He sends no one into warfare at His own charges.” It is an error common to our time to see God’s clergy and clerisy as a soothing luxury rather than God’s army. The world is a battleground of faith and ideas, and God summons His people to provide for those who do battle in the realm of faith and ideas.

Now it is interesting that the poet, George Herbert, whose dates of 1593-1633, and was aware of what I’m talking about, wrote in one of his poems about the tithe, “Restore to God His due in tithe and time, a tithe purloined cankers the whole estate.” Again, Thomas Scott, going back many generations, stated it clearly when he noted that God placed the priests and Levites, “In an inseparable connection with the maintenance of the worship of God,” and also as he made clear elsewhere, the maintenance of the whole of society.

We are today, paying a price for the neglect of God’s work. God summons us to remember that if we do not give the due inheritance to His kingdom, which tithe and offerings consist of, He will take away our inheritance and bring judgment. Let us pray.

Our Father, we give thanks unto thee for thy word and thy sufficiency. Thou hast called us to serve thee. Thou hast declared what great things thou dost promise for faithfulness. Make us a faithful and joyful people. Prosper us that the tents of thy kingdom may cover the earth, the boundaries of thy realm extend from pole to pole, that all peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations become thy faithful people. Bless us to this purpose. In Christ’s name. Amen. Are there any questions, first of all, about our lesson? Yes?

[Audience] They were not yet in the Promised Land. Where were they?

[Rushdoony] They were sitting near the boundary, just a short distance out, because God had said, “You cannot go in because you proved to be cowards, and I had promised you victory, and therefore, you are going to spend a generation here in the desert.” They defied Him and tried to go in then, in violation of His command to prove that they had courage, and they were totally defeated, so they were ordered to stay there. The older generation did not deserve anything and therefore, they were going to live and die in the desert. We can say that God turns the world into desert when people disobey Him. Are there any other questions or comments? Yes?

[Audience] Could you define the firstfruits and the tithe as new believers, how we are supposed to honor that?

[Rushdoony] Define tithe?

[Audience] And how we should give in this day.

[Rushdoony] Oh, yes. Now, the tithe belongs to the Lord. You and I are the administrators of the tithe. Now, the tithe could be given to the Levites, the instructors. It could also be given directly to someone. For example, when the Levites and the priests were alike corrupt, we read that a farmer took everything, he tithed his entire crop, loaded it on a wagon and took it to Elisha and his school of the prophets. That is, his little seminary he was starting out in the wilderness, and they were building the buildings themselves from scratch out of logs. So, you are the administrator of it, and it is to be given where the Lord’s work is being faithfully done, not simply to those who call themselves the Lord’s servants. Does that help answer your question?

[Audience] Also, the definition of firstfruits.

[Rushdoony] The firstfruits were literally the first fruits from the field. As basket of say apples or peaches, or pears, the first sheaf of grain was to be taken to the sanctuary, or the equivalent of it was to be taken. Now, this is an interesting fact because in this country and in this state in particular, the first fruits custom became quite an important thing, and you can still find it in many of the valley churches, among the farming communities. The church will be in town, you go there, and I’ve seen this within the past ten years down in the valley, and as you enter in, there will be box after box after box of fruits and vegetables that the farmers have brought in; first fruits, and bags there for anyone to help themselves and take it; first of all, the pastor, the elderly, all the people who live in town. It’s become standard thing in many, many churches. I would hate to see it end because it’s been a marvelous custom, but it is not common to all the churches any longer. It’s regarded as an old fashioned thing, but it has been a marvelous custom. You could go there and get fruits and vegetables to see you through most of the week, and it was joyfully done. Firstfruits, and it’s surprising how many things like that were practiced in this country. Now, for those who work in the city, it’s, the firstfruits was the top ten percent. So, before the bills are paid, the tithe is paid, so that’s the way it’s been practiced in terms of scripture. Any other questions or comments? Yes?

[Audience] In verse 24, it says among the children of Israel shall have no inheritance, i.e., no share in the land. Does this mean they’re not supposed to be where they are now? Does this mean they’re living in Israel, the current children of Israel living there in violation of God’s pronouncement?

[Rushdoony] Well, He disinherited them when they crucified Christ. The veil of the temple was rent in twain, in judgment and we are told that this, our Lord tells us in Matthew 24, this will be the most fearful judgment in all of history, so that nothing in any military campaign since or any war has equaled the devastation the Romans worked against Judea in their anger, and the Romans were capable of incredible brutality. It was they who refined, and they were masters of torture, crucifixion, and in a way, as a medical expert here, some of you know Dr. Truman Davis, who has studied and written on the subject, to maximize pain, they were total masters of it. So, it was their disinheritance, and they could not be grafted back in to the rootstock of faith, of the Israel of God, apart from Christ. So they have no biblical grounds for being there.

[Audience] So it’s never been lifted?

[Rushdoony] It’s never been lifted, not without faith. I’m glad to say there is a growing number of Christians there. The Palestinians were Christians, and we know how they’re being treated in the West Bank, but among the Jews proper, there are a growing number of Christians. Their meetings at first were being broken up savagely, and some of them arrested and imprisoned, so they’ve tended to go underground, but their numbers are growing to the point where they soon believe that they may, before this century is out, have enough to qualify as a political party, in which case they’re going to be very, very vocal. The one thing that may prevent it is the courts are constantly tinkering with the definition of what constitutes a Jew, and one Jew who became a Jesuit, Catholic, and a Jesuit Priest was denied citizenship. This was a case of some years ago, but other cases similar to it are being fought, so what the conclusion will be, I don’t know, but the number of Jewish believers, underground, is growing by leaps and bounds. Are there any other questions or comments? Well, if not, let us conclude with prayer.

Our Father, we give thanks unto thee for the certainty of thy word and of thy kingdom, for the provision of thy word which shows us the way to walk, the way of blessing and of prosperity. Save us, oh Lord, as a nation. Make us again a godly people. Use us, empower us, and give us victory in Christ. And now go in peace. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost bless you and keep you, guide and protect you this day and always. Amen.

End of tape