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My Daily Blessing from My Daily
Bible Reading
with meditations
by my mother, Poetess Gertrude Sanborn
February 20
Numbers 17:6 -- Numbers 20:23
NO FREE
RIDE FOR THE LEVITES
Numbers 18:26
"Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye
take of . . . the tithes . . . offer up . . . for the
LORD , . . a tenth part of the tithe . . ."
It is of interest to me that not
only were the people of the congregation to offer tithes
to the Levites, but also, the Levites were to take a
tenth of that tithe and give it to the LORD. I
believe that their tithe was given to the Priests.
The chosen tribe of holy service to the LORD got no
"free ride."
When it comes to giving a gift to
God from one’s substance, no one is immune. I am
afraid that many who claim the name of Christ forget
this. Just because one has bills to pay, just because a
new baby and following expenses have come, or just
because a job is lost, that is no excuse not to give a
gift to God.
Today, we have no wilderness
tabernacle. You and I can’t lead a bull or a goat to
the slaughtering place to be burnt on the burnt altar.
No. Today, we put money in an offering plate where ever
we worship on Sunday, and we mail a contribution to the
place where God has burdened our hearts to give. It is
to that church of believers, or to the ministry that is
proclaiming the truth, that you and I should contribute
our financial and gifts to God.
I am learning two truths from this
passage in Numbers. First, that the general
people-–the ones from all the other tribes-–were to give
willingly a tenth of their substance to the Levites.
This giving to those in the service at the Holy
Tabernacle was the method God used to keep the Levites
going financially. The Levites received goods and food
in this manner.
Mostly it is to the local church
that funds are given. Then it is from those funds
that the pastor is paid, that the church expenses are
made, and that the missionaries received their monthly
checks.
Sad to say, in the past, some who
attended our church grew tired of our church and left.
We missed them. To my surprise, in some instances, there
was no significant financial loss to the ministry. (This
was not true of everyone who had left, but of many.) The
absence of their personal presence was a loss, but their
financial absence was not evident. It must have meant
that their giving was so small, that the absence of that
giving was not felt at all. (I am not trying to demean a
person with little to no income, but I am trying to
emphasize that some who could contribute to the ministry
were not. It was not that important to them.)
Personally, I think that this is a disgrace to the name
of the LORD.
Then there are others who had to
move away from our fellowship for one reason or another.
Their loss was not only felt by the loss of their
personal presence with us, but their absence was very
evident by the loss of their financial support to the
ministry. If you dropped out of your church, would there
be a financial loss to that church?
The other thing I learned from
today’s verse is that it was required of the Levites
to give a tithe of their substance to the LORD.
If you recall, the Levites included the priests and all
those who transported the tabernacle here and there
during the forty years of wilderness wanderings.
Remember? They had a sacred duty to fulfill the LORD’s
commands given to them by Moses in regards to the care
of all the holy things. They could not pocket all the
offerings given to them and forget their duty to God.
They could not conjecture that they were above
tithing. So they gave.
I am afraid that some ministries
and missionaries have this frame of mind, as well as
many parishioners. Think of all that God could do if
everyone–pastors and layman–gave a tenth of his income
to the LORD’S work. What shame some will have when they
stand before Him at the Judgment Seat and see how little
they gave from their substance to the LORD while here on
earth. Shame on some of us! (ysw)
"DAILY BIBLE READING"
(II Timothy 2:15)
We should read our Bible every day.
It is God speaking!
It is God’s words to us and for us.
If we miss a day, we miss His words
for us that day.
We do not have a guarantee of many
days to read His Word.
The Bible is for us to read and study
and obey on earth now!
One day we will be required to give an
account of this privilege and responsibility.
He may ask, "HAVE YOU READ MY WORDS?"
(GGS)
And
Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he
said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly
return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo,
Sarah thy wife shall have a son. (Genesis 18:10)
Under God's Care,
Yvonne S. Waite
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