Vs. 14 tells the Levites that everything in Israel that is devoted (set apart-given over to the LORD be) is yours. All firstborn from the womb belong to the LORD, but firstborn humans are to be redeemed for a set price that is given to the Levites. The firstborn of the livestock cannot be redeemed and are to be used for sacrifices and offerings. They are to sprinkle the blood on the altar and burn their fat to the LORD. The meat can be eaten by the Levites. This meat is set aside for the all in the families of Levites as their regular share, thus bringing sustenance and a regular source of meat to these Israelites called to serve in the tabernacle.
The LORD tells Aaron that he will not have any share in the land as an inheritance because the LORD is his inheritance. This is a lovely gracious gift. The LORD is our inheritance, our portion, our satisfaction. We can have many things in this life and world, but to have the LORD as one's inheritance is the greatest thing! If we have HIm, everything else will be added to us as we need it.
The Levites are given all the tithes as their inheritance in return for their work they do serving in the Tent of Meeting.The Levites are to give Aaron and the priest a tenth of the tithe they receive and this tenth must be the best and holiest part of everything
given to them.
By living according to these regulations the Levites and priests will keep the tithes and offerings of the Israelites holy and they will not die of defiling the holy offerings given to them by the Israelites.
These ordinances ensure that the Levites and priests and their families are properly provided for. There should be no greed to have more than they truly need and to receive all tithes and offerings reverently because they are first of all given to the LORD and then the LORD gives them to the Levites.
After all the ways God brought death and judgment on the people who were rebellious and unbelieving, He should be taken seriously.
In this chapter the LORD explains parameters of serving in the priesthood (only descendants of Aaron) and tabernacle service (only Levites).
After making it clear whom God had chosen for these positions of service by having Aaron's rod bud, Through Moses, the LORD sets down the rules for serving in these positions. No one is to "cross the line", so to speak, by taking on any priestly work that is not assigned to them by the LORD under threat of death and no one, likewise, is to perform the tabernacle service of the Levites who is not a descendant of Levi, under threat of death. These servants were set apart as belonging wholly unto the LORD and therefore hallowed. People of the other tribes were to respect them, give the tithes to them, bring to the priests any and every offering, gift, or sacrifice. The general congregation was to provide for the Levites since the Levites could not possess any land or produce any means of support outside of the duties of priesthood and tabernacle. The Levites themselves were to give a tenth of what they received unto the LORD and not use it for themselves. They could only eat of the foods provided by the tithe if they were ceremonially clean. Sometimes they ate of the offering only within the tent of meeting and other offerings they could eat with non-Levites who were ceremonially clean.
The Levites were to be humble, grateful, and content with what was provided to them by the LORD through the giving of the tithe by the congregation. After all, they were to receive the best of the produce of the land, flocks, vineyards. Since they could not have an inheritance of land like the other tribes, they must have resided in or near the tent of meeting when it was set up in the promised land or lived in the cities dedicated to the Levites. They could not just live anywhere they chose. They were subject to the regulations God had placed on them as spiritual servants of God and the people.
Hello Adrue1. A Heave Offering was a part of the other types of offerings that God had appointed for the children of Israel. The heave offering was not really a separate offering but the portion of another offering, given as a present, that was reserved for the use of the priests.
Exodus 29:27,28: And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons: And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the LORD."
It seems that it was similar to the Wave Offering, where instead of the offering being waved (moved from side-to-side) before the LORD, the Heave Offering was lifted in an up and down motion before God.
The heave offering was often given in conjunction with tithes ( Leviticus 7:14,34) as a provision for the Levites, the priestly tribe who did not have land of their own and therefore could not grow their own food. They depended on the LORD's provision through tithes and heave offerings ( Numbers 18:24,29).
Revelation 6:6 ...and see thou hurt not the oil and wine.
The OLD is a SHADOW of the NEW.
Numbers 18:12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and the wheat, the FIRSTFRUITS of them which they shall offer to the LORD, them have I given thee.
Numbers 18:13 And WHOSOEVER is FIRST RIPE in the land, which they shall bring in to the LORD, SHALL BE THINE; everyone that is clean in THINE HOUSE shall eat of it.
Romans 8:23 Not only they, but WE OURSELVES, which have the FIRSTFRUITS of the Spirit ....
Revelation 14:4 ...being the FIRSTFRUITS unto God and the Lamb.
1 Corinthians 15:23 .....Christ the FIRSTFRUITS ......
Notice Christ the firstfruits is PLURAL.
Galatians 4:19 .....till Christ be FORMED IN YOU ....
Revelation 6:6 ....and see thou not hurt the oil and the wine (the firstfruits).
In the usual meaning in English, 'heave' means to 'lift by effort or force, or, to throw in a similar way'.
In Numbers 18:11, Exodus 29:27, etc., the "Heave Offering", or Terumah (Hebrew), was simply an offering that was made by the Israelites as a present. However, some Rabbis note that in its presentation, the offering was 'heaved' or raised up, or in an up & down motion.
This was distinguished from a 'wave offering', as you may have read of this also. In this offering, the offering was waved (i.e. in a repeated horizontal motion) before being presented.
Please notice that He's not saying we should be. He is telling them that at this point and time in experiencing the fullness of God, He says, YOU ARE the salt of the earth. And then He says, "YOU ARE the light of the world."
Salt was used for two things. Number 1, it was used as a preservative. They used it to preserve food, especially meat and vegetables.
They also used it for purification. In 2 Kings 2:19-23, salt was used to purify bad water. So it was used as a preservative and it was used for purification.
It was for preserving something from decay, and purifying something that has decayed or rotted.
But to know why He used the term salt, there is something that we need to understand. God made a covenant of salt with Israel, Numbers 18:19, which God said would be upon David and his descendants, and Paul in Romans Chapter 11 said all of the Jews of the Kingdom.
Matthew 5:14-16 says you are salt and Light. He went on to say in this section that you can't take a light and put it under a bushel. That is not what people do with it.
What He is saying is you can't snuff out the light of the Lord. The light amongst the Jews was the Messiah. We are salt. Christ in us is the light, and Christ in us is the purification and the preservative for the people around us and especially in our life.
The command is to let your light so shine. But the thing is, is that the light cannot be put out. The literal translation is "Shine your light" which is a commandment of God. Our light always shines because God commands it.
Well the tithe was to support the Priest tribe of Levi in the old testament.
Numbers 18:24 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.
It was to support the tribe that did the work of the Lord for the Tabernacle.
TV preachers who claim you must tithe, to them of course, should MUST prove that they are of the tribe of Levi and are worthy to receive the tithe on behalf of the Lord. IF NOT send them nothing. If they are not of Levi then you are not tithing.
Jesus never said anything about losing salvation over tithes and neither did the apostles.
I suggest you ask the wife to show where this is since I can not find this doctrine.
Offerings yes and they were to be given willingly as one felt led.
Should we help the less fortunate or buy Jet fuel for the TV preachers Lear Jet?
Jet fuel is sure expensive as is the upkeep on mansions.
Both these words bear heavily on Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross, though their meaning & application is different. When we speak of Atonement, though it is mentioned very often in the Old Testament in relation to the Jewish sacrifices, it is mentioned only once in Romans 5:11 "And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." and in Rom 3:25, 1 Jn 2:2, 4:10, the word used is Propitiation. Both very similar in meaning.
In both instances of these words, the reference is to what Jesus' Sacrifice accomplished for us. So, to Atone or Propitiate has two aspects to it: one is expiation of our sins (Jesus dealing with/cancelling our sins) & the other, the removal or satisfying of God's Wrath that was against us sinners. So the word, Atonement, uses these two thoughts which were required by God before He could forgive us our sins. If Christ wasn't the Perfect, required Sacrifice, then there would be no basis for God to accept that Sacrifice. But since He was the Perfect Lamb of God sacrificed for us, God could then forgive us entirely on what Jesus did. If anyone tries to add to that sacrifice, whether by some extra effort to please God or self denial or self harm, then that person is saying that Christ's Sacrifice was insufficient to do its work. And this is very wrong.
So Atonement is what God required from His Son's Sacrifice, & Forgiveness is what we receive from God based on His Acceptance of the Sacrifice & our faith in Jesus.
The word good in V. 34 means useful. In those days, salt was a preservative. They put salt on things to keep it from putrefying. But if salt does not contain the proper ingredients, what is it good for? Jesus talks about salt and light in Matt 5:13-16. He says, "You are the salt of the earth." At this point and time in experiencing the fullness of God, He says, YOU ARE the salt of the earth. And then He says, "YOU ARE the light of the world." Salt was used for two things. It was used as a preservative. They used it to preserve food, especially meat and vegetables. They also used it for purification. In 2 Kings 2:19-23, salt was used to purify bad water.
But to know why He used the term salt, we need to understand that God made a covenant of salt with Israel ( Numbers 18:19), which God said would be upon David and his descendants. Paul in Romans Chapter 11 said all of the Jews of the Kingdom. In Matt 5:14-16, Jesus says you are salt and you are light. He went on to say that you can't take a light and put it under a bushel.
What He is saying is you can't snuff out the light of the Lord. The light amongst the Jews was the Messiah. You are salt. Christ in you is the light, and Christ in you is the purification and the preservative for the people around you and especially in your life.
The command is let your light so shine. Did you ever sing that song "This little light of mine, not going to let anybody blow it out? It can't be blown out. Nobody can blow it out. The command itself, (let your light so shine) kind of sounds like an invitation. But literally, it is "Shine your light," which is a command of God. Shine your light! I don't have to worry about going out to my car to find the light because the Lord said for me to shine it. Israel was said to be the light of the world. Isaiah 42:6, Isaiah 49:6, and Isaiah 60:3 says that the Jews were to be the salt and the light of the world.
Yes. When they took him in the garden and one of His followers cut off ones ear with a sword, He said put up the sword, know yea not that I can call a legion of angels but, that the will of God may be done. He was not helpless at all.
Christ Magnified Glorifying Jesus on Numbers 18 - 7 years ago
End of Bible in a Year Reading for day 32. Playing catchup again, but what a thrill to read this. How forgiving my God is to me. I have often been like the people that trust not, live selfishly, and jealous of others. Dear Lord thank you for your mercy and for the prayers of others for your mercy, care and provision for me. Holy Spirit bring forth the Christ Life in me. I yield to my God.
The Levites are those who have been hand picked by God as a gift to the priests to do service not only within the walls of the church but, to everyone near and far.
_Rosalina_Sayson_Ko_Tapay_ on Numbers 18 - 11 years ago
EVERY ONE THAT IS CLEAN shall eat the HOLY OFFERINGS ( Numbers 18:11). But for THOSE WHO ARE NOT CLEAN Jesus said, "WOE UNTO YOU, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES! for YE PAY TITHE of mint and anise and cummin, and have OMITTED THE "WEIGHTIER" MATTERS OF THE LAW, judgment, mercy, and faith: these OUGHT YE TO HAVE DONE, and not to leave the other undone" ( Matthew 23:23). MEANING: Even you give tithes and yet inside of you is FULL OF DEAD MEN'S BONES AND ALL UNCLEANNESS you are nothing but a CURSED, "WOE UNTO YOU, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear BEAUTIFUL OUTWARD, but are WITHIN FULL OF DEAD MEN'S BONES, AND OF ALL UNCLEANNESS" ( Matthew 23:27). Therefore, IN HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE HIM is what matters most than any other offerings. Most especially AFTER BEING REDEEMED AND DELIVERED: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for HE hath visited and REDEEMED his people ( Luke 1:68), That HE would grant unto us, that WE BEING DELIVERED out of the hand of our enemies might SERVE HIM WITHOUT FEAR ( Luke 1:74), IN HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE HIM, "all the days" of our life ( Luke 1:75). AMEN!
_Rosalina_Sayson_Ko_Tapay_ on Numbers 18 - 11 years ago
God is a just God indeed! Because Aaron was WORTHY in the sight of God being a RIGHTEOUS man therefore God gave him the PRIESTHOOD as a service gift ( Numbers 18:7). Even the most holy offerings of the children of Israel were given unto Aaron and to EVERY ONE THAT IS CLEAN in his household ( Numbers 18:11). EXCEPT for the LAND of the Children of Israel because God was Aaron's part of inheritance already, because he inherited the offerings of the children of Israel ( Numbers 18:20). But for the children of Levi, God gave them the tenth in Israel's land for an inheritance for their service which they serve ( Numbers 18:21). GOD is FAIR! GOD is JUST! God is ever GOOD to all HIS WORTHY people. TO EVERY ONE THAT IS CLEAN IN HIS SIGHT. AMEN!
(Verse 21) "As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I will pay them for their services in the Tabernacle with the tithes (10% of your income) from the entire land of Israel."
This is a part of the Law of Moses under the old covenant. And as Galatians 3:24 explains, it was given to point us to our coming Savior: "Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian and teacher to lead us until Christ came. So now, through faith in Christ, we are made right with God." What I am saying is, when the Jews gave 10% of their income to support their priesthood, they were supposed to see this as a picture of Christ giving himself to God to support his work. That is, Jesus gave himself to God as as atoning sacrifice to pay for the sins of the world. This was his work for God.
Let me put it this way. God divided the dollar into two parts: 10% and 90%. The 10% pictures Christ giving himself to God to redeem the 90%, the world. It can be no other way, because if Jesus did not die for our sins, it makes no difference what we do. We are still lost in our sins.
This is a hard concept for most people to understand because we are too steeped in pride and self-righteousness to allow our minds to think along these lines. We want to think that we are good, and that we can save ourselves by paying money, or that we don’t need any saving at all.
Just think of it: All because of the law’s demand, nearly 2,000 years ago, a poor, helpless man in His early 30’s was executed by crucifixion like a common criminal. He never wrote a book, never pastured a mega-church, never traveled on an airplane, and never was awarded man-of-the-year. Furthermore, He never took a wife, and never had the pleasure of eating a meal in a fine restaurant. Yet, His death saved us all.
Why? Because His death was a substitutional atonement; that is, the law recognized it as a legal replacement for all mankind, and at the same time the only means by which man could be reconciled to God. That’s why the cross is the symbol of the Christian faith and the crux of human history.
The first two verses and refrain of the old hymn, “At the Cross,” express this view:
Alas, and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote ... [such a] sacred head
For such a worm ... [am] I?
Was it for crimes that I had done?
He groaned upon the tree
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
Pt. 2
Vs. 14 tells the Levites that everything in Israel that is devoted (set apart-given over to the LORD be) is yours. All firstborn from the womb belong to the LORD, but firstborn humans are to be redeemed for a set price that is given to the Levites. The firstborn of the livestock cannot be redeemed and are to be used for sacrifices and offerings. They are to sprinkle the blood on the altar and burn their fat to the LORD. The meat can be eaten by the Levites. This meat is set aside for the all in the families of Levites as their regular share, thus bringing sustenance and a regular source of meat to these Israelites called to serve in the tabernacle.
The LORD tells Aaron that he will not have any share in the land as an inheritance because the LORD is his inheritance. This is a lovely gracious gift. The LORD is our inheritance, our portion, our satisfaction. We can have many things in this life and world, but to have the LORD as one's inheritance is the greatest thing! If we have HIm, everything else will be added to us as we need it.
The Levites are given all the tithes as their inheritance in return for their work they do serving in the Tent of Meeting.The Levites are to give Aaron and the priest a tenth of the tithe they receive and this tenth must be the best and holiest part of everything
given to them.
By living according to these regulations the Levites and priests will keep the tithes and offerings of the Israelites holy and they will not die of defiling the holy offerings given to them by the Israelites.
These ordinances ensure that the Levites and priests and their families are properly provided for. There should be no greed to have more than they truly need and to receive all tithes and offerings reverently because they are first of all given to the LORD and then the LORD gives them to the Levites.
After all the ways God brought death and judgment on the people who were rebellious and unbelieving, He should be taken seriously.
In this chapter the LORD explains parameters of serving in the priesthood (only descendants of Aaron) and tabernacle service (only Levites).
After making it clear whom God had chosen for these positions of service by having Aaron's rod bud, Through Moses, the LORD sets down the rules for serving in these positions. No one is to "cross the line", so to speak, by taking on any priestly work that is not assigned to them by the LORD under threat of death and no one, likewise, is to perform the tabernacle service of the Levites who is not a descendant of Levi, under threat of death. These servants were set apart as belonging wholly unto the LORD and therefore hallowed. People of the other tribes were to respect them, give the tithes to them, bring to the priests any and every offering, gift, or sacrifice. The general congregation was to provide for the Levites since the Levites could not possess any land or produce any means of support outside of the duties of priesthood and tabernacle. The Levites themselves were to give a tenth of what they received unto the LORD and not use it for themselves. They could only eat of the foods provided by the tithe if they were ceremonially clean. Sometimes they ate of the offering only within the tent of meeting and other offerings they could eat with non-Levites who were ceremonially clean.
The Levites were to be humble, grateful, and content with what was provided to them by the LORD through the giving of the tithe by the congregation. After all, they were to receive the best of the produce of the land, flocks, vineyards. Since they could not have an inheritance of land like the other tribes, they must have resided in or near the tent of meeting when it was set up in the promised land or lived in the cities dedicated to the Levites. They could not just live anywhere they chose. They were subject to the regulations God had placed on them as spiritual servants of God and the people.
see part 2
Exodus 29:27,28: And thou shalt sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for his sons: And it shall be Aaron's and his sons' by a statute for ever from the children of Israel: for it is an heave offering: and it shall be an heave offering from the children of Israel of the sacrifice of their peace offerings, even their heave offering unto the LORD."
It seems that it was similar to the Wave Offering, where instead of the offering being waved (moved from side-to-side) before the LORD, the Heave Offering was lifted in an up and down motion before God.
The heave offering was often given in conjunction with tithes ( Leviticus 7:14,34) as a provision for the Levites, the priestly tribe who did not have land of their own and therefore could not grow their own food. They depended on the LORD's provision through tithes and heave offerings ( Numbers 18:24,29).
Revelation 6:6 ...and see thou hurt not the oil and wine.
The OLD is a SHADOW of the NEW.
Numbers 18:12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and the wheat, the FIRSTFRUITS of them which they shall offer to the LORD, them have I given thee.
Numbers 18:13 And WHOSOEVER is FIRST RIPE in the land, which they shall bring in to the LORD, SHALL BE THINE; everyone that is clean in THINE HOUSE shall eat of it.
Romans 8:23 Not only they, but WE OURSELVES, which have the FIRSTFRUITS of the Spirit ....
Revelation 14:4 ...being the FIRSTFRUITS unto God and the Lamb.
1 Corinthians 15:23 .....Christ the FIRSTFRUITS ......
Notice Christ the firstfruits is PLURAL.
Galatians 4:19 .....till Christ be FORMED IN YOU ....
Revelation 6:6 ....and see thou not hurt the oil and the wine (the firstfruits).
God Bless YOU!
In Numbers 18:11, Exodus 29:27, etc., the "Heave Offering", or Terumah (Hebrew), was simply an offering that was made by the Israelites as a present. However, some Rabbis note that in its presentation, the offering was 'heaved' or raised up, or in an up & down motion.
This was distinguished from a 'wave offering', as you may have read of this also. In this offering, the offering was waved (i.e. in a repeated horizontal motion) before being presented.
Jesus says, "You are the salt of the earth."
Please notice that He's not saying we should be. He is telling them that at this point and time in experiencing the fullness of God, He says, YOU ARE the salt of the earth. And then He says, "YOU ARE the light of the world."
Salt was used for two things. Number 1, it was used as a preservative. They used it to preserve food, especially meat and vegetables.
They also used it for purification. In 2 Kings 2:19-23, salt was used to purify bad water. So it was used as a preservative and it was used for purification.
It was for preserving something from decay, and purifying something that has decayed or rotted.
But to know why He used the term salt, there is something that we need to understand. God made a covenant of salt with Israel, Numbers 18:19, which God said would be upon David and his descendants, and Paul in Romans Chapter 11 said all of the Jews of the Kingdom.
Matthew 5:14-16 says you are salt and Light. He went on to say in this section that you can't take a light and put it under a bushel. That is not what people do with it.
What He is saying is you can't snuff out the light of the Lord. The light amongst the Jews was the Messiah. We are salt. Christ in us is the light, and Christ in us is the purification and the preservative for the people around us and especially in our life.
The command is to let your light so shine. But the thing is, is that the light cannot be put out. The literal translation is "Shine your light" which is a commandment of God. Our light always shines because God commands it.
Hope this helps!
Numbers 18:24 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.
It was to support the tribe that did the work of the Lord for the Tabernacle.
TV preachers who claim you must tithe, to them of course, should MUST prove that they are of the tribe of Levi and are worthy to receive the tithe on behalf of the Lord. IF NOT send them nothing. If they are not of Levi then you are not tithing.
Jesus never said anything about losing salvation over tithes and neither did the apostles.
I suggest you ask the wife to show where this is since I can not find this doctrine.
Offerings yes and they were to be given willingly as one felt led.
Should we help the less fortunate or buy Jet fuel for the TV preachers Lear Jet?
Jet fuel is sure expensive as is the upkeep on mansions.
In both instances of these words, the reference is to what Jesus' Sacrifice accomplished for us. So, to Atone or Propitiate has two aspects to it: one is expiation of our sins (Jesus dealing with/cancelling our sins) & the other, the removal or satisfying of God's Wrath that was against us sinners. So the word, Atonement, uses these two thoughts which were required by God before He could forgive us our sins. If Christ wasn't the Perfect, required Sacrifice, then there would be no basis for God to accept that Sacrifice. But since He was the Perfect Lamb of God sacrificed for us, God could then forgive us entirely on what Jesus did. If anyone tries to add to that sacrifice, whether by some extra effort to please God or self denial or self harm, then that person is saying that Christ's Sacrifice was insufficient to do its work. And this is very wrong.
So Atonement is what God required from His Son's Sacrifice, & Forgiveness is what we receive from God based on His Acceptance of the Sacrifice & our faith in Jesus.
The word good in V. 34 means useful. In those days, salt was a preservative. They put salt on things to keep it from putrefying. But if salt does not contain the proper ingredients, what is it good for? Jesus talks about salt and light in Matt 5:13-16. He says, "You are the salt of the earth." At this point and time in experiencing the fullness of God, He says, YOU ARE the salt of the earth. And then He says, "YOU ARE the light of the world." Salt was used for two things. It was used as a preservative. They used it to preserve food, especially meat and vegetables. They also used it for purification. In 2 Kings 2:19-23, salt was used to purify bad water.
But to know why He used the term salt, we need to understand that God made a covenant of salt with Israel ( Numbers 18:19), which God said would be upon David and his descendants. Paul in Romans Chapter 11 said all of the Jews of the Kingdom. In Matt 5:14-16, Jesus says you are salt and you are light. He went on to say that you can't take a light and put it under a bushel.
What He is saying is you can't snuff out the light of the Lord. The light amongst the Jews was the Messiah. You are salt. Christ in you is the light, and Christ in you is the purification and the preservative for the people around you and especially in your life.
The command is let your light so shine. Did you ever sing that song "This little light of mine, not going to let anybody blow it out? It can't be blown out. Nobody can blow it out. The command itself, (let your light so shine) kind of sounds like an invitation. But literally, it is "Shine your light," which is a command of God. Shine your light! I don't have to worry about going out to my car to find the light because the Lord said for me to shine it. Israel was said to be the light of the world. Isaiah 42:6, Isaiah 49:6, and Isaiah 60:3 says that the Jews were to be the salt and the light of the world.
This is a part of the Law of Moses under the old covenant. And as Galatians 3:24 explains, it was given to point us to our coming Savior: "Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian and teacher to lead us until Christ came. So now, through faith in Christ, we are made right with God." What I am saying is, when the Jews gave 10% of their income to support their priesthood, they were supposed to see this as a picture of Christ giving himself to God to support his work. That is, Jesus gave himself to God as as atoning sacrifice to pay for the sins of the world. This was his work for God.
Let me put it this way. God divided the dollar into two parts: 10% and 90%. The 10% pictures Christ giving himself to God to redeem the 90%, the world. It can be no other way, because if Jesus did not die for our sins, it makes no difference what we do. We are still lost in our sins.
This is a hard concept for most people to understand because we are too steeped in pride and self-righteousness to allow our minds to think along these lines. We want to think that we are good, and that we can save ourselves by paying money, or that we don’t need any saving at all.
Just think of it: All because of the law’s demand, nearly 2,000 years ago, a poor, helpless man in His early 30’s was executed by crucifixion like a common criminal. He never wrote a book, never pastured a mega-church, never traveled on an airplane, and never was awarded man-of-the-year. Furthermore, He never took a wife, and never had the pleasure of eating a meal in a fine restaurant. Yet, His death saved us all.
Why? Because His death was a substitutional atonement; that is, the law recognized it as a legal replacement for all mankind, and at the same time the only means by which man could be reconciled to God. That’s why the cross is the symbol of the Christian faith and the crux of human history.
The first two verses and refrain of the old hymn, “At the Cross,” express this view:
Alas, and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote ... [such a] sacred head
For such a worm ... [am] I?
Was it for crimes that I had done?
He groaned upon the tree
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
God bless you!
Do you have a Bible comment or question?
Posting comments is currently unavailable due to high demand on the server.
Please check back in an hour or more. Thank you for your patience!
Report Comment
Which best represents the problem with the comment?