Deuteronomy 18:1 - Meaning and Application

Magistracy and ministry are two God-given institutions that help support and grow God’s kingdom among people. The laws about magistrates were given at the end of the previous chapter, and here we get instructions about the priests. God sets clear boundaries here between what belonged to the priests and what belonged to the people.

First, the priests were not to get caught up in the concerns of ordinary life or try to make themselves rich from this world’s wealth. They had better things to do. They were to have no part or inheritance with Israel, meaning no share in the spoils of war or in the land that was divided by lot (Deuteronomy 18:1). Their work was spiritual, both as servants in God’s house and as caretakers of his worship, and that was enough to fill their hands with work and with provision.

“The Lord is their inheritance” (Deuteronomy 18:2). Those who have God as their inheritance under the new covenant should not be greedy for great things in this world. They should not cling tightly to what they have or keep reaching for more. Instead, they should look at present things with the calm trust that belongs to people who believe God is enough.

At the same time, care was taken that the priests would not lack the comforts and needs of daily life. Even though God, who is Spirit, was their inheritance, that did not mean they were meant to live on nothing. The people were to provide for them, and they were to receive what was rightfully theirs from the people (Deuteronomy 18:3). Their support was not to depend on generosity alone, but on law.

Whoever is taught God’s word ought, in fairness, to share with the one who teaches him. And anyone who benefits from regular worship gatherings should help support those who lead them. The priests who served at the altar in their assigned turns were to receive their share of the sacrifices, especially the peace offerings brought during their service. Besides the breast and shoulder already assigned to them before (Leviticus 7:32-34), the cheeks and stomach were also to be given to them. The law did not reduce what had already been granted, it increased it.

The first produce that came from each area was also to be brought in. It seems this was given to the priests who lived among the people, for their support in the countryside. They were to receive the first of the grain and wine for food, and the first of the wool for clothing (Deuteronomy 18:4). The priests taught others, so they too were to learn contentment with food and clothing. The first produce was set apart for God, and he appointed the priests to receive it for him.

If God counts what is given to the poor as a loan to himself, to be repaid with interest, then that is even more true of what is given to support poor ministers. There was a good reason for this lasting charge on the people’s estates (Deuteronomy 18:5). The Levites, members of the tribe set apart for religious service, were chosen by God, so his choice must be respected. Those whom God honors, we should honor too. They stood before the Lord to minister in his name, by his command, in his service, and for his praise. They and their children after them were to receive proper encouragement, because they were among the most useful members of the nation.

The priests also were not to block one another’s service. If a priest, who by law was only required to serve at the altar in his appointed turn and was paid for that, had such zeal for the sanctuary that he chose to serve there constantly, leaving the comfort of the city where he had his land, then the priests whose turn it was had to welcome him. They were to let him join in the work and share in the pay, and not resent either the honor or the reward, even if his presence seemed to cut across their ordinary order (Deuteronomy 18:6-8).

A sincere desire to serve God and his church, even if it slightly disturbs a set pattern and looks a little irregular, should be encouraged, not discouraged. If someone shows a real love for the sanctuary and truly enjoys serving there, let him minister in God’s name. He will be as acceptable to God as the Levites who were on duty, and he should be welcomed by them too. The system of assigned turns was meant more to make sure unwilling men did their duty than to keep willing men from doing more.

A volunteer in this service was to receive the same pay as one who was assigned by duty, besides whatever came from the sale of his inherited land. The Roman Catholic Church requires those who give up their estates to enter a monastery to bring the income from those estates into the monastery’s common fund, as if gain were godliness. But here the rule is different. The one who willingly devoted himself to religious service was to keep the income from his inheritance, because God never appointed religion or ministry to serve a worldly interest, however often people have twisted it that way.