Wednesday, 26 August 2020 Numbers 18:1-20
“I am your portion and your inheritance ……...” -Numbers 18:20
The Bible is a book of relationship. God created man and was in intimate relationship with them in the Garden of Eden, until sin broke that and man went hiding from God! Later God chose the family of Noah and a strong relationship existed between them. Gen.6:9 says “Noah walked with God.” As time went by, people drifted away from God and God established His relationship with a man named Abraham to whom He said, “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great…” (Gen.12:3; 18:17-19). To this Abraham, God said: “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” (Gen.15:1) One of the promises given to Abraham was that God will make him into a great nation.
A few centuries later, God spoke about that promised nation: “…. If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine.” In Exodus 3 we can see God calling Israelites as “My people” (Vs.7 & 10). However, soon after their deliverance from Egypt, they made an idol for themselves and God said to Moses in Exodus 32:7: “… your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt…" When God’s own possession rejected Him and turned towards idols, God too rejected them.
Nevertheless, God was still pursuing a meaningful relationship with man and chose the Priests from among the sons of Israel and gave them the assurance in our key verse today!! The two things God tells them is that He is their “portion” and “inheritance.” When we look at the words portion and inheritance – they imply the meaning of personal possession. However, an inheritance is something that a person receives by virtue of his relationship with the person who gives it. One does not work and earn an inheritance, but receives it freely from the donor, by virtue of his relationship with the donor. As we know that the Law was a shadow of the things to come, the priests mentioned here is a shadow of the believers!
Of all the relationships that are described in the Bible, the most valuable of them is found in the relationship of God with man through Jesus Christ! “For God so loved that world, that He gave His only begotten Son…..” (John 3:16). The reason for the preciousness of this relationship is that it is established through God’s own Son. The Son of God stands between man and God, to re-establish the former relationship that was broken due to sin. Contrary to the belief of some, Jesus Christ did not come only for a few select people or for those who are foreordained by God – He came for all (1Timothy 1:15) those who are called sinners!! Having established our relationship to God through Jesus Christ, we are reminded of our inheritance which by virtue of us being Children of God.
Like the priests in Numbers Chpt.18, believers today have no promise of inheritance in this world. Nevertheless, believers are promised an inheritance in the future kingdom (see Romans 8:17 and 1 Peter 1:4). In John 14:1 Jesus said He is going to prepare a place for us; in the book of Revelation several rewards for believers are listed. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4:7-8 that having finished his course, there awaits a crown of righteousness for him and for all who have kept their faith in Christ Jesus!
“Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:11) Let not unbelief harden your heart from receiving Jesus Christ as your portion and inheritance!
Think on: "LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine." -Psalm 16:5 [NLT]
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