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set apart to them for that purpose. (2.) He would have them free from worldly encumbrances and cares, that they might devote themselves more entirely to the service of God in the functions prescribed them. (3.) The ends aimed at in the institution of such an order required that when not serving at the sanctuary they should be dispersed among the people, to whom they would serve as a bond of union. (4.) Their sequestration from secular interests, and their entire dependence upon the special providence of the Lord, would afford a striking specimen of a heavenly life, and tend to call off the minds of the nation at large from placing too great a value upon earthly things. (5.) The arrangement would tend also to strengthen the ties of charity and brotherly kindness between them and the other tribes, the Levites ministering to those tribes in spiritual things, and they to them in temporal things.¶ Neither shalt thou have part among them. It is reasonable to conclude that these words do not mean precisely the same with those in the preceding clause. There is doubtless some distinction to be understood between "inheritance" and "portion." The original, 'helek, here rendered portion, is indeed in some cases spoken of a part or portion of land, as Josh. 15: 13. 19:9. Yet for the most part it is applied to the part, portion, or share of the spoils taken from a conquered enemy; and so it might here be properly understood of the spoils obtained in the wars with the Canaanites, which were of great value, but which were forbidden to the sons of Levi, because the Lord himself was to be their part and portion. Of these spoils Joshua says, ch. 22:8, "Return with much

21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the

riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren." But in this division the Levites were to have no share, the Lord himself and the holy things of his service having been appointed their portion. They were called to war another kind of warfare in the Lord's sanctuary, as appears from ch. 4: 23, where see Note. The Hebrew writers say on this head, "All the tribe of Levi are warned that they have no inheritance in the land of Canaan; likewise they are warned that they take no part of the spoil at the time when they conquer the cities."- -¶I am thy part and thine inheritance. As Israel was a peculiar people, and not to be numbered among the nations; so Levi was a peculiar tribe, and not to be settled as the rest of the tribes, but in all respects distinguished from them. "A good reason is given why they must have no inheritance in the land,' for, says God, 'I am thy part and thine inheritance.' Note. Those that have God for their Inheritance and their Portion for ever, ought to look with a holy indifference and contempt upon the inheritances of the world, and not covet their portion in it. The Levites shall have no inheritance, and yet they shall live very comfortably and plentifully-to teach us that Providence has various ways of supporting those that live in a dependence upon it; the fowls reap not, and yet are fed; the lilies spin not, and yet are clothed; the Levites have no inheritance in Israel, and yet live better than any other tribe."—Henry.

V. 21. And, behold, I have given all the tenth. He now announces the provision specifically made for the Levites,

tenth in Israel for an inherit- 23 But' the Levites shall do

i

ance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die.

i Lev. 27. 30, 32.

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as he had before that made for the priests. "The covenant of salt for ever," says Chazkuni, was to the Levites also." Though the smallest of all the tribes, yet they were to have a tenth part of all the products of the land, without the trouble and expense of ploughing and sowing. But the details of the provision will appear in what follows.- - For their service which they serve. That is, as a compensation for their services, the specific nature of which is more fully declared in ch. 4.

Vs. 22, 23. Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh. That is, so nigh as to do any act appropriate to the priests or Levites, as had been attempted by Korah and his company. -¶ Lest they bear sin and die. Heb. "Lest they bear sin to die." That is, incur guilt to such a degree as to expose them to die. Gr. "To bear a deadly, or death-bringing sin." "This order seems set in opposition to that concerning the priests and Levites, that they should have "no inheritance in Israel," to show how God dispenses his favors variously. The Levites have the honor of attending the Tabernacle, which is denied to the Israelite; but then the Israelites have the honor of inheritances in Canaan, which is denied the Levites; thus each is kept from either envying or despising the other,

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and both have reason to rejoice in their lot. The Israelites must not "come nigh the tabernacle," but then the Levites must have "no inheritance in the land;" if ministers expect that people should keep in their sphere, and not intermeddle with sacred offices, let them keep in theirs, and not entangle themselves in secular affairs.”—Henry.¶ They shall bear their iniquity. That is, they shall bear the punishment of their own iniquity if they transgress, and that of the people if they suffer them to transgress. Thus Sol. Jarchi :"They, the Levites, shall bear the iniquity of the Israelites, for it is their duty to warn strangers of coming near to them." It was upon this ground that the priests withstood king Uzziah, when he would have burnt incense to the Lord, 2 Chron. 26:17, 18.

V. 24. Which they offer (as) an heaveoffering. Heb. "Which they heave up." Gr. and Chald. "Which they separate unto the Lord." It is not probably to be understood that they were actually heaved up or waved before the Lord, but they were virtually so dealt with by being consecrated and set apart to divinely appointed uses. The words contain essentially an admonition to the people, that as it was the express will of Jehovah that the Levites should have no determinate

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.

25 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave-offering of it for the

portion of land, but should be subsisted upon the tithes of the yearly product of the land, so the people were not to grudge them their due, but were to pay it as an offering to God the supreme Proprietor, who had bestowed it upon them as truly and as completely as he had the lands upon the other tribes.

V. 26. A tenth (part) of the tithe. Or, "the tithe of the tithes," as it is rendered Neh. 10:38. A divine order is here communicated through Moses, requiring that, as the whole nation paid an annual tenth to the Levites, so they also in gratitude to the Lord and as a token of their subserviency to the priests, should regularly pay a tenth of that tithe to the priesthood, who received, therefore, one hundredth part of the produce of the lands and herds. "The Levites were to give God his dues out of the tithes, as well as the Israelites out of their increase. They were God's tenants, and rent was expected from them, nor were they exempted by their office. Thus now, ministers must be charitable out of what they receive; and the more freely they have received, the more freely they must give, and be examples of liberality."-Henry.¶ Ye shall offer up an

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heave-offering of it for the Lord. That is, they were to look upon this tribute in the light of an offering or oblation to the Most High, who, if they rendered it punctually and heartily, would accept it as favorably as he did the tithes of the whole nation paid to them. The language is pregnant in meaning, teaching us that whatever we bestow upon the Lord's people, out of sincere regard to his will, is bestowed upon him, who will never be unmindful of our benefactions. Literal heave-offerings are not now required of us, but prayers and praises lifted up to God, or the heart lifted up in them, will be regarded as a virtual equivalent.

V. 27. Shall be reckoned unto you, etc. That is, though this tithe thus paid was not the fruit of their ground, nor of their own labor, as were the tithes of other Israelites, yet being such as they had, and being cordially offered, it would be as readily accepted as if it were, and should be accredited to them

as such.

V. 28. To Aaron the priest. Not so much to Aaron in person, as to Aaron the head and representative of his tribe. His successors in the high-priesthood were to enjoy the benefit of this law,

29 Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave-offering of the LORD, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof, out of it.

30 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the

p ver. 27.

threshing-floor, and as the increase of the wine-press.

31 And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.

32 And ye shall bear ' no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: g Mat. 10. 10. Luke 10. 7. 1 Cor. 9. 13. 2 Cor. 12. 1 Tim. 5. 18. r Lev. 19, 8. 22. 16.

13.

together with the inferior priests con-propriate tithes, they might use the renected with him. mainder as freely as any man in Israel could use the corn or the wine of his own land when he had paid the prescribed tithes.

V. 29. Out of all your gifts, etc. That is, out of the various gifts bestowed, by the divine appointment, upon the priestly order, embracing not only the tenth of their tithes, but the tenth also of other things, as of their own grounds, the suburbs and fields given to the Levites by the ordinance, Num. 35: 4.¶ Ye shall offer every heave-offering of the Lord. Heb. târimu terumah, shall heave an heave-offering. This was to be actually presented to the priest, but being done by the Lord's order, and in his name, it is accounted as an offering made to the Lord himself.

Of all the best thereof. Not perhaps that all the tithe was to be taken out of the very best part of the crop, and none out of the more inferior; but that it should consist of the best as well as of the worst; or, in other words, that the people should pay to the Levites, and the Levites to the priests, as good of every thing as they retained for themselves.- -T Even the hallowed part thereof out of it. Heb. eth migdesho, its consecration, or that part which was especially consecrated by being set apart and devoted to a holy use.

V. 30. It shall be counted unto the Levites, etc. That is, that when they had thus complied with the divine injunction, and first paid the priests their ap

V. 31. Ye shall eat it in every place. They might have the enjoyment of it with their families in their own houses, or any where else that might seem good to them, provided the place were clean. The tithes were thus distinguished from the other holy things allotted to the priests, which, being offered at the altar, were to be eaten only in the holy place; but the tithes, though a species of offering to the Lord, yet not being presented at the altar, might be eaten any where; provided only the priestly dues were previously paid out of them.

V. 32. Ye shall bear no sin by reason of it. Ye shall not incur guilt, nor suffer punishment by eating it with your households. This, however, they would do, if they heaved not, or separated a tenth part of the best of it, as above commanded. Their "heaving" or offering from it its best portion would prevent its being an occasion of iniquity, and consequently of penalty.

-¶ Neither shall ye pollute, etc. A general warning, both to priests and Levites, that the holy things of the people be not profaned by them, nor be suffered to be profaned by others.

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holy things of the children of AND the LORD spake unto Israel, lest ye die.

a Lev. 22. 2, 15. Mal. 1. 7. 1 Cor. 11. 27, 29.

CHAPTER XIX.

The Ordinance of the Red Heifer. The sudden death of so many Israelites as had fallen under the stroke of the recent judgments, had put great numbers of their friends and relatives into a state of legal uncleanness, which made them incapable of approaching the Tabernacle for divine worship, and which was one ground of the extreme consternation expressed by them, ch. 17:12, 13. To relieve their minds of undue apprehension on this score, the Lord here enacts a standing ceremony for the purification of all such kinds of uncleanness, the performance of which should render them again capable of being admitted to public worship. The ordinance enjoined was one of the most onerous of all that mass of observances which was imposed upon the Jews, and of which it is said by the apostle Peter that they constituted "a yoke which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear." This kind of defilement which was to be remedied was as light and venial as could well be conceived; it implied no moral guilt whatever; nor could it possibly in some cases be avoided; yet it rendered a person unclean seven days; and every thing that he touched was also made unclean; and every person who might, however inadvertently, come in contact with any thing that had been touched by him, was also made unclean. Moreover, if any person that had contracted this ceremonial defilement concealed it, or refused to submit to the prescribed form of purification, he was to be cut off from the Lord's people. Add to this, that the rite was of such a nature

Moses and unto Aaron,

saying,

that even in applying it there was a continual liability to the contraction of fresh defilement. The priest who officiated, the man that burnt the heifer, he that gathered up the ashes, he that prepared, he that sprinkled, and even he that touched the water-all became unclean. Who, then, can wonder that the nation of Israel should have groaned under the yoke of ceremonies in their own land almost as much as they did under the yoke of bondage in the land of Egypt! Who can be surprised that they should have longed for the coming of the promised Messiah, who was to deliver them from such an oppressive burden! As to the reasons which governed the appointment of this peculiar rite, we are aware that the learned have endeavored to show that it pointed, by way of contravention, to some of the superstitions of the heathen world around them, especially the Egyptians. Spencer, in his great work on "The Laws of the Hebrews," goes elaborately into this argument, and incidentally throws valuable light upon many features of the ordinance. He shows that while the Egyptians sacrificed red bulls and oxen, red heifers or cows were never offered by them upon their altars, but held sacred to Isis. So in various other particulars, he would trace an express design to counteract the ideas of the Egyptians in regard to sacrificial worship. The reader will find this view of the subject satisfactorily unfolded in Mr. Kitto's Notes on this chapter. Without denying in toto the soundness of the theory, we content ourselves with deducing from the language of Paul (Heb. 9: 11-15) a typical and spiritual design in the ordinance, the various

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