VOTW: The Lord is your inheritance (25 July 2021)

"The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the Lord is their inheritance..."Joshua 18:7

This may have seemed like a weird plan, that the people with the highest positions of God's nation are to have no portion of the promised land. Under the Levitical Priesthood, priests are the representatives of the people before God. They were the ones who tended to the house of God, and offered sacrifices for the nation to God. When God accepted the High Priest's offerings, it meant that He accepted the nation of Israel. How is it then, that they are to receive no portion from the wonderful promised land after being so gloriously rescued from Egypt?

We can see why in Numbers 18, years before they even entered the promised land, when Aaron and the tribe of Levi were being given the Levitical priesthood:

"Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel." Numbers 18:20

Let it not escape your eyes. What the natural may overlook, may your spirit catch this blessed promise: "I am your portion and your inheritance."

The Lord never short-changes those who serve Him, for to the Levites was an inheritance much more valuable and needful than any of the good of the land. For though the whole nation had the Lord on their side, it is special favor for the Lord to specifically say to you, "I am your portion.". It did not mean the Lord loved the Levites any more than the other tribes, but it is a beautiful picture of the beloved of the Lord. Some may have felt that the Levites had to service God, but the Word of God says that this "service" is their inheritance! Priesthood was a privilege reserved for the tribe of Levi!

To live a life where your possession is the Almighty God Himself, is at once a fearful and awesome thought. For the disciples of Jesus, they were told to pack nothing for their journey except for the sandals on their feet, the clothes they were wearing and the staff they walked with (Mark 6:8-9). Once again, it is not an instruction for us to forsake everything we own, but to acknowledge the Lord who is all that we need. As shown in Matthew 6:33, we know that the Lord knows the needs that you have in this world, and His way is not to forsake them because they are bad: He wants you to focus on Him, because only through Him, can your needs truly be met.

"you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:5

Believers in Christ, we are now called to be priests of the better covenant! Under our High Priest Christ Jesus, we have the portion of inheritance that the Levites were privileged to. In fact, if theirs were a shadow of the true covenant, ours is the better covenant under the ministry of Righteousness! Let us spend this week meditating on our inheritance: the Lord Himself. He is with you, and for you. Spend every moment conversing and just being in His presence.