JOB SUPPORT (NUM.18)
Then YAHUSHA said to Aaron, “You, your sons, and your relatives from the tribe of Levi will be held responsible for any disobedient behaviour going on in the Tabernacle, however only you and your sons alone will be held responsible for the priest’s behaviour.
Bring your relatives from the tribe of Levi to help you and your boys as you perform the special duties in front of the Tabernacle of the Blood-Covenant Witness. But as all the Levites go about all their jobs at the Tabernacle, they must be careful not to go near any of the set-apart objects or the altar. Cause if they do, you’ll die along with them! The Levites must join you in working and maintaining the Tabernacle, but no unauthorised strangers can help you.
You yourselves must perform the set-part jobs inside the Tabernacle and at the altar. And if you follow these instructions, My anger will never again blaze against the people of Yisharal, for I Myself have chosen your fellow Levites from among the Yisharalites to be your special assistants. They are a gift to you, dedicated to Me for serving in the Tabernacle. But you and your sons, the priests, must personally handle all the priestly rituals associated with the altar and with everything behind the inner veil that covers the Ark. For I am giving you the priesthood as your special privilege of service. Any unauthorised stranger who comes too near the Tabernacle will be killed.
So now that I’ve put you in charge of all the set-apart offerings brought to Me by the people of Yisharal, you and your sons can all share a portion of them (the offerings not burned with fire), including the LOVE-GRAIN, PURIFYING and FORGIVENESS OFFERINGS. So you must treat this food with respect and all your males may eat them as a most set-apart offering. And all the special offerings that the Yisharalites lift up to Me at the altar also belong to you and both your sons and daughters as your permanent share and any members of your family who are clean may eat them too.
I’m also giving you the harvest gifts brought by the people, the best of the olive oil, new wine, and grain as well as all the first crops of their land, and any member of your family who is clean can eat this food too. The firstborn of every mother, whether human or animal, that is offered to Me will be yours. But you must always redeem your firstborn sons and the firstborn of ceremonially unclean animals. Redeem them when they are one month old. The redemption price is five pieces of silver, however, you may not redeem the firstborn of cattle, sheep, or goats. They are set-apart for Me so sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as a special gift, and a pleasing aroma to Me. The meat of these animals will be yours, just like the breast and right thigh that are presented by lifting them up as a special offering before the altar. Infact everything in Yisharal that is specially set apart for Me, also belongs to you. This is an eternal and unbreakable covenant of salt between Me and you, and it also applies to all your descendants.
You priests will not receive any land or a portion of property among the people of Yisharal for I am your true portion and inheritance. And as for the tribe of Levi (your relatives), I’ll compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle and instead of inheriting land, I will give them 10% (a tithe) from the entire land of Yisharal. So from now on, no Yisharalite except the priests or Levites may approach the Tabernacle, for if they do, they will die for their disobedience. Only the Levites can serve at the Tabernacle, and they’ll be held responsible for any disobedient behaviour that goes on.
This is a permanent Instruction for you, to be observed from generation to generation. So don’t forget, the Levites get no land, cause I’m giving them the tithe (10%) instead, which is a special gift to Me. So this will be their share to support them. Now give these instructions to the Levites: When you receive your 10% from the people of Yisharal, give 10% of what you receive (a tithe of the tithe) to Me as a special offering and I’ll consider this as your harvest offering, as though it were the first grain from your own threshing floor or wine from your own winepress. Got that? You must present a tenth of what you get from Yisharal (the best portion too, none of this deformed, sad looking stuff) as an offering to Me as My portion. Give it to Aaron the priest for Me. And you Levites and your families may eat this food anywhere you wish, for it is your payment for serving in the Tabernacle. You won’t be guilty for accepting My tithes if you give the best portion to the priests. But be careful not to treat the set-apart gifts of the Yisharal as common and nothing, cause if you do, you’re dead!”
SO THE COMMON LEVITES (KOHATHITES, MERARITES GERSHONITES) ARE TO COLLECT A TENTH FROM THE COMMON POPULATION IN THE FORM OF PRODUCE, MEAT, AND MONEY, THEN FROM THESE TITHES, THEY ARE TO GIVE A TENTH TO THE LEVITE PRIESTS FOR THEIR LIVELIHOOD. HOWEVER, THE PRIESTS THEMSELVES (AARON’S SONS) DON’T HAVE TO PAY A TITHE ON WHAT THEY RECEIVE! THE BUCK STOPS WITH THEM SO TO SPEAK!
