Numbers 18 describes what the Levites get and what they don’t get. They got all these special privileges, getting to consume the tithe – the best food from all of Israel. Most of all, they got to come nearer into God’s temple and be closer to him than the others. But of course they didn’t get their own land.
This is a pretty strong verse:
20 Yahweh said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.
They had NO inheritance in the land. All of their brothers were given an inheritance and they were given none. Imagine being in a family of 12 brothers and your father gave every son an inheritance except for you. But God says “I am your inheritance.” That just strikes me as such a powerful statement. What could be better? Not having an inheritance in the land isn’t a bad thing, but a good thing because it is replaced with God himself.
Truly this is our inheritance as well, even more so than for the Levites. Through Christ, we no longer have an inheritance in this world, but Christ, God himself, is our inheritance. We can definitely do without the riches of this world, knowing that our inheritance is God himself.
Yesterday I watched a video on John Piper’s website about why he abominates the prosperity gospel. His point seems to go well with what I am saying. Why should we care about worldly riches when we have something so much greater?
Richard Venable
Amen, Ricky, Amen.