Churchwork
06-28-2006, 05:24 PM
Food
Finally, as to the matter of food and sustenance for livelihood, there is much to be learned from Numbers 18 on this subject as well.
(1) The children of Israel receive nine-tenths, or ninety percent, of all the food of the nation (vv.21,24).
(2) The Levites receive one-tenth or ten percent of the food, but they must give as a heave-offering one-tenth of what they receive (v.26), and thus they are left with but nine percent for themselves.
(3) Aaron and his sons have only one percent.
Some Christians possess more on earth. They are always rich and full. May the Lord keep our hearts from being jealous of them or from admiring them.
They have the ability to give much while we have little to give.
They are fed well and clothed well.
If they fail in tithing, the Levites will become hungry. The Lord will suffer and the Levites too will suffer. Whenever people fail the Lord in this regard, some are bound to suffer.
The portion of the Levites is ten percent; still, they must offer one-tenth of what they receive. How hard this is! Is not their portion already small? Have they not offered themselves to serve the Lord? They have hardly enough to live by, and why, then, must they offer again?
But this is a heave-offering to the Lord (v.26). Is there anything impossible for the sake of the Lord? Even if the demand is greater, it is still worth it to meet that demand.
What one part of the ten percent is to be given to the Lord? The very best! (see vv.29,30,32)
The best is to be offered to the Lord for He is worthy of the very best.
The result—"then it shall be reckoned unto the Levites as the increase of the threshing-floor, and as the increase of the winepress" (v.30).
The one percent is received by the Lord as their all. Although they offer only one-tenth, the Lord accepts their heart and reckons it as their all. This is because they are willing to do what the Lord requires. How gracious is the Lord.
There is a reward attached, and the reward is: "Ye shall eat it [the leftover after the "best" has been offered] in every place, ye and your households" (v.31). The Lord owes no one. It is therefore not in vain to labor for the Lord.
The heave-offering is unto the Lord. Yet what belongs to the Lord is given to Aaron and his sons (vv.26,28,8). The Lord’s portion is the portion of the priests. What the Lord has, the priests have; what the Lord does not have, the priests likewise do not have. For they are deeply joined to the Lord. What a blessing this is! Let us lay down all that is earthly and partake in the "have" and "have not" of the holy Father. How noble this is! May the Lord at this time lift our spirits by His Spirit far above this world and unite us with the heart of the One who sits upon the throne. May the Lord cause us to know today the joy of union with Him.
Heave-offering—
(1) "My heave-offerings" (v.8). The heave-offering is the tithe which the Levites offer out of their received tithe. It is Jehovah’s portion.
(2) "Have given thee" (v.8). The Lord gives His portion to the priests. Does the Lord dare to trust us with His things? "Jesus did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men" (John 2.24). Are we worthy of His trust? Are we faithful?
(3) "Unto thee have I given them" (v.8). How great is His grace! Is all that is offered to Him ours? Who can tell the boundless grace that all which is His is ours! "Even all the hallowed things" (v.8). All, all, all is ours! His riches are all ours! "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine" (Luke 15.31). How blessed is this knowledge. Whatever is the Lord’s is the priest’s. This is perfect union.
(4) "Shalt thou eat thereof" (v.10). What we eat becomes bone of our bones and flesh of our flesh. It becomes part of us. To "eat" implies to "appropriate." Since the Lord has given, let us appropriate so that what He gives will become part of us. The first three points above refer to the fact of union. This matter of the heave-offering points to the experience of union.
To whom given—
(1) "By reason of the anointing" (v.8). Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit can alone be united with the Lord in fact and in experience. How our Lord is always anxious to fill us with His Spirit. It is our lack of consecration and obedience which hinders His filling. Let us realize that we ought to obey fully and constantly so that today we too might have this extraordinary blessing.
(2) "And for thy sons" (v.9). This refers to those who are joined to the Lord. There must be union with Him positionally before there can be union experientially.
(3) "Every male" (v.10). This suggests manhood. "Quit you like men, be strong" (1 Cor. 16.13). The strong alone can keep the reward.
(4) "Every one that is clean" (v.11). The Lord is holy, therefore we must be holy. Only the pure in heart and clean in hand may experience God’s special gift. What God has given us is the best (v.12). May we receive His gift with praises.
(Note: As we have seen, the Levites number less than the total of the children of Israel; and the priests number less than that of the Levites. We know that one hundred percent belongs to the children of Israel. If they should fail in giving their tithes, then the Levites and the priests will have nothing. Unfortunately, we know from our reading of the prophets that the children of Israel actually failed in their tithing, thus reducing the Levites and the priests to poverty.)
A Request
Three ways are now placed before you; which one will you choose? Will you be an ordinary believer, a common worker, or one of God’s workmen who always sees His face and works with Him in establishing other believers as well as saving sinners?
Finally, as to the matter of food and sustenance for livelihood, there is much to be learned from Numbers 18 on this subject as well.
(1) The children of Israel receive nine-tenths, or ninety percent, of all the food of the nation (vv.21,24).
(2) The Levites receive one-tenth or ten percent of the food, but they must give as a heave-offering one-tenth of what they receive (v.26), and thus they are left with but nine percent for themselves.
(3) Aaron and his sons have only one percent.
Some Christians possess more on earth. They are always rich and full. May the Lord keep our hearts from being jealous of them or from admiring them.
They have the ability to give much while we have little to give.
They are fed well and clothed well.
If they fail in tithing, the Levites will become hungry. The Lord will suffer and the Levites too will suffer. Whenever people fail the Lord in this regard, some are bound to suffer.
The portion of the Levites is ten percent; still, they must offer one-tenth of what they receive. How hard this is! Is not their portion already small? Have they not offered themselves to serve the Lord? They have hardly enough to live by, and why, then, must they offer again?
But this is a heave-offering to the Lord (v.26). Is there anything impossible for the sake of the Lord? Even if the demand is greater, it is still worth it to meet that demand.
What one part of the ten percent is to be given to the Lord? The very best! (see vv.29,30,32)
The best is to be offered to the Lord for He is worthy of the very best.
The result—"then it shall be reckoned unto the Levites as the increase of the threshing-floor, and as the increase of the winepress" (v.30).
The one percent is received by the Lord as their all. Although they offer only one-tenth, the Lord accepts their heart and reckons it as their all. This is because they are willing to do what the Lord requires. How gracious is the Lord.
There is a reward attached, and the reward is: "Ye shall eat it [the leftover after the "best" has been offered] in every place, ye and your households" (v.31). The Lord owes no one. It is therefore not in vain to labor for the Lord.
The heave-offering is unto the Lord. Yet what belongs to the Lord is given to Aaron and his sons (vv.26,28,8). The Lord’s portion is the portion of the priests. What the Lord has, the priests have; what the Lord does not have, the priests likewise do not have. For they are deeply joined to the Lord. What a blessing this is! Let us lay down all that is earthly and partake in the "have" and "have not" of the holy Father. How noble this is! May the Lord at this time lift our spirits by His Spirit far above this world and unite us with the heart of the One who sits upon the throne. May the Lord cause us to know today the joy of union with Him.
Heave-offering—
(1) "My heave-offerings" (v.8). The heave-offering is the tithe which the Levites offer out of their received tithe. It is Jehovah’s portion.
(2) "Have given thee" (v.8). The Lord gives His portion to the priests. Does the Lord dare to trust us with His things? "Jesus did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men" (John 2.24). Are we worthy of His trust? Are we faithful?
(3) "Unto thee have I given them" (v.8). How great is His grace! Is all that is offered to Him ours? Who can tell the boundless grace that all which is His is ours! "Even all the hallowed things" (v.8). All, all, all is ours! His riches are all ours! "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine" (Luke 15.31). How blessed is this knowledge. Whatever is the Lord’s is the priest’s. This is perfect union.
(4) "Shalt thou eat thereof" (v.10). What we eat becomes bone of our bones and flesh of our flesh. It becomes part of us. To "eat" implies to "appropriate." Since the Lord has given, let us appropriate so that what He gives will become part of us. The first three points above refer to the fact of union. This matter of the heave-offering points to the experience of union.
To whom given—
(1) "By reason of the anointing" (v.8). Those who are filled with the Holy Spirit can alone be united with the Lord in fact and in experience. How our Lord is always anxious to fill us with His Spirit. It is our lack of consecration and obedience which hinders His filling. Let us realize that we ought to obey fully and constantly so that today we too might have this extraordinary blessing.
(2) "And for thy sons" (v.9). This refers to those who are joined to the Lord. There must be union with Him positionally before there can be union experientially.
(3) "Every male" (v.10). This suggests manhood. "Quit you like men, be strong" (1 Cor. 16.13). The strong alone can keep the reward.
(4) "Every one that is clean" (v.11). The Lord is holy, therefore we must be holy. Only the pure in heart and clean in hand may experience God’s special gift. What God has given us is the best (v.12). May we receive His gift with praises.
(Note: As we have seen, the Levites number less than the total of the children of Israel; and the priests number less than that of the Levites. We know that one hundred percent belongs to the children of Israel. If they should fail in giving their tithes, then the Levites and the priests will have nothing. Unfortunately, we know from our reading of the prophets that the children of Israel actually failed in their tithing, thus reducing the Levites and the priests to poverty.)
A Request
Three ways are now placed before you; which one will you choose? Will you be an ordinary believer, a common worker, or one of God’s workmen who always sees His face and works with Him in establishing other believers as well as saving sinners?