Jehovah Is My Share

“I am your share and your inheritance in the midst of the sons of Israel.”​—NUM. 18:20.

1, 2. (a) What was the situation of the Levites as to a land inheritance? (b) What assurance did Jehovah give the Levites?

AFTER the Israelites had conquered much of the Promised Land, Joshua turned his attention to apportioning the land by lot. In doing this, he worked along with High Priest Eleazar and heads of the tribes. (Num. 34:13-29) As for the Levites, they were not to have a land inheritance such as the other tribes received. (Josh. 14:1-5) Why did the Levites have no tribal territory, or share, of the Promised Land? Were they being left out?

² We find the answer in what Jehovah told the Levites. Underlining the fact that they were not being abandoned, Jehovah said to them: “I am your share and your inheritance in the midst of the sons of Israel.” (Num. 18:20)

Jehovah Provides for the Levites

3. What led to God’s taking the Levites for his service?

³ Before Jehovah gave the Law to the Israelites, family heads served as priests among them. When God provided the Law, he arranged for a full-time priesthood and for assistants from the tribe of Levi. How did this come about? When God destroyed Egypt’s firstborn, he sanctified Israel’s firstborn, setting them apart as his, as belonging to him. Then God made this significant adjustment: “I do take the Levites . . . in place of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel.” Since a census showed that the firstborn sons of Israel exceeded the Levites in number, a ransom price was paid to make up the difference. (Num. 3:11-13, 41, 46, 47) Thus the Levites could carry out their role in serving the God of Israel.

4, 5. (a) What did it mean for the Levites to have God as their share? (b) How did God provide for the Levites?

⁴ What did that assignment mean for the Levites? Jehovah said that he was to be their share in the sense that rather than receiving a land inheritance, they were entrusted with a priceless privilege of service. Being “the priesthood of Jehovah” was their inheritance. (Josh. 18:7) The context of Numbers 18:20 shows that this did not leave them impoverished materially. (Read Numbers 18:19, 21, 24.) The Levites were to be given “every tenth part in Israel as an inheritance in return for their service.” They would receive 10 percent of Israel’s produce and of the increase of the domestic animals. In turn, the Levites were to contribute a tenth part of what they received, “of the very best of it,” for the support of the priesthood.a (Num. 18:25-29) The priests were also given “all the holy contributions” that the sons of Israel brought to God at his place of worship. Members of the priesthood thus had good reason for believing that Jehovah would provide for them.

⁵ It appears that the Mosaic Law provided for a second tithe, which was set aside for the household’s sustenance and enjoyment during the holy conventions each year. (Deut. 14:22-27) However, at the end of every third and sixth year of the seven-year sabbatical cycle, this tithe was deposited at the gate for the benefit of the poor as well as the Levites. Why were the Levites included as recipients? Because they had “no share or inheritance” in Israel.​—Deut. 14:28, 29.

6. Though having no tribal share of land in Israel, where would the Levites reside?

⁶ You might wonder, ‘If the Levites had no land assigned to them, where would they reside?’ God provided for them. He gave them 48 cities along with the surrounding pasture grounds. These included the six cities of refuge. (Num. 35:6-8) Thus, the Levites had a place to live when they were not serving at the sanctuary of God. Jehovah provided abundantly for those who gave themselves to his service. Clearly, the Levites were able to show that Jehovah was their share by putting their trust in his willingness and power to provide for them.

7. What was required of the Levites for them to have Jehovah as their share?

⁷ The Law did not include any penalty for an Israelite who failed to tithe. When the people became negligent as to tithing, the priests and Levites were affected. That happened in the days of Nehemiah. As a result, the Levites had to work in their fields, neglecting their ministry. (Read Nehemiah 13:10.) Clearly, the sustenance of the Levitical tribe hinged on the spirituality of the nation. Furthermore, the priests and Levites themselves needed faith in Jehovah and in his means of providing for them.