Números 18

Números 18

Johnson has an interesting comment on the original Hebrew of "soothing aroma" - In the Hebrew text, it is literally an odor of rest, and the word translated “rest” in that literal expression is the one from which the name Noah comes. That was his name: “rest giver” or “rest” was his name. So the idea is that as a result of our Lord smelling the sweet savor of the sacrifice he has an odor of rest. And because it is an odor of rest, His claims are met in the sacrifice and He, therefore, rests. This stresses the fact that the animal completely satisfies God and in the antitype is a (beautiful) reference to our Lord Jesus’ finished work. When he said, “It is finished,” it was then that in the whole Godhead there was an odor of rest. It’s a beautiful expression - an odor of rest and is referred in the New Testament in Ephesians 5:2, “An odor of a sweet smell to the Lord.” (Hebrews 2:1-16) THE NEW TESTAMENT PARALLEL - Ephesians 5:2+ "and Walk in love (present imperative - command calling for this to be our lifestyle), just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant (sweet) aroma.." Comment: What is Paul commanding, a natural or a supernatural lifestyle? Clearly the latter. And so this begs the question of how we can possibly obey this command! Of course, God's commandments always include His enablements. His enablement is His Spirit Who alone can give us the "desire" and the "power" for this quality of conduct (See Php 2:13NLT-note; see our part in Php 2:12-note, also only possible as the Spirit enables us)! Agape speaks of a "death to self" type of love if you will, a love that is sacrificial, a love that gives expecting nothing in return. We can only walk this supernatural walk as we are obeying the command to be continually filled with the Spirit of Christ (Eph 5:18+) and the command to "Walk by the Spirit" (Gal 5:16+). When we do that, we are empowered by the indwelling Spirit to walk in love like Christ, and like Him (and because of Him) our life gives off a wonderfully fragrant aroma, a soothing aroma, to our Father and to those we encounter (cp 2 Cor 2:14-15 where God "manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him [Christ] in every place" and goes on to explain "we are a fragrance of Christ to God (The Father) among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.") That we as fallen sinful men and women can now live in such a way that our life is a soothing aroma to the Father should cause us all to cry out like Paul "Who is adequate for these things?" (2Cor 2:16) Only the Redeemer is adequate but because of His redemption, we are now in Christ, and have the incredible privilege of daily living as "sweet savor" sacrifices to the Living and Holy God. Does this truth not overwhelm us and humble us and motivate us to daily present ourselves to Him as "living and holy sacrifice acceptable (pleasing) to Him?" (Ro 12:1+; cp Ro 6:12-14+) O, the breadth and length and height and depth of God's amazing, redeeming, transforming grace! Thank You Jesus. Amen! Numbers 18:18 "Their meat shall be yours; it shall be yours like the breast of a wave offering and like the right thigh. BGT Numbers 18:18 καὶ τὰ κρέα ἔσται σοί καθὰ καὶ τὸ στηθύνιον τοῦ ἐπιθέματος καὶ κατὰ τὸν βραχίονα τὸν δεξιὸν σοὶ ἔσται NET Numbers 18:18 And their meat will be yours, just as the breast and the right hip of the raised offering is yours. NLT Numbers 18:18 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. ESV Numbers 18:18 But their flesh shall be yours, as the breast that is waved and as the right thigh are yours. NIV Numbers 18:18 Their meat is to be yours, just as the breast of the wave offering and the right thigh are yours. KJV Numbers 18:18 And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine. YLT Numbers 18:18 and their flesh is thine, as the breast of the wave-offering, and as the right leg, it is thine; LXE Numbers 18:18 And the flesh shall be thine, as also the breast of the wave-offering and as the right shoulder, it shall be thine. ASV Numbers 18:18 And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave-breast and as the right thigh, it shall be thine. CSB Numbers 18:18 But their meat belongs to you. It belongs to you like the breast of the presentation offering and the right thigh. NKJ Numbers 18:18 "And their flesh shall be yours, just as the wave breast and the right thigh are yours. NRS Numbers 18:18 but their flesh shall be yours, just as the breast that is elevated and as the right thigh are yours. Numbers 18 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Their meat shall be yours - The priest could eat all the meat from the sacrifice of the firstborn animals except for the fat. it shall be yours like the breast of a wave offering and like the right thigh - As described in Exodus and reiterated in Leviticus. Exodus 29:26-28+ “Then you shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of ordination, and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be your portion. 27 “You shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering which was waved and which was offered from the ram of ordination, from the one which was for Aaron and from the one which was for his sons. 28 “It shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the sons of Israel, for it is a heave offering; and it shall be a heave offering from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their heave offering to the LORD. Leviticus 7:31-34 The priest shall offer up the fat in smoke on the altar, but the breast shall belong to Aaron and his sons. 32‘You shall give the right thigh to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifices of your peace offerings. 33‘The one among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat, the right thigh shall be his as his portion. 34‘For I have taken the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as their due forever from the sons of Israel. UBS - They could eat this meat just as they could eat the breast and the right rear shank of a peace offering. Wave offering (08573) see note above on tenupah Numbers 18:19 "All the offerings of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you, as a perpetual allotment. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD to you and your descendants with you." BGT Numbers 18:19 πᾶν ἀφαίρεμα τῶν ἁγίων ὅσα ἂν ἀφέλωσιν οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ κυρίῳ σοὶ δέδωκα καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς σου καὶ ταῖς θυγατράσιν σου μετὰ σοῦ νόμιμον αἰώνιον διαθήκη ἁλὸς αἰωνίου ἐστὶν ἔναντι κυρίου σοὶ καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου μετὰ σέ NET Numbers 18:19 All the raised offerings of the holy things that the Israelites offer to the LORD, I have given to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual ordinance. It is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD for you and for your descendants with you." NLT Numbers 18:19 Yes, I am giving you all these holy offerings that the people of Israel bring to the LORD. They are for you and your sons and daughters, to be eaten as your permanent share. This is an eternal and unbreakable covenant between the LORD and you, and it also applies to your descendants." ESV Numbers 18:19 All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to the LORD I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. It is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD for you and for your offspring with you." NIV Numbers 18:19 Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the LORD I give to you and your sons and daughters as your regular share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD for both you and your offspring." KJV Numbers 18:19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee. YLT Numbers 18:19 all the heave-offerings of the holy things which the sons of Israel lift up to Jehovah I have given to thee and to thy sons, and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute age-during, a covenant of salt, age-during it is before Jehovah, to thee and to thy seed with thee.' LXE Numbers 18:19 Every special offering of the holy things, whatsoever the children of Israel shall specially offer to the Lord, I have given to thee and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, a perpetual ordinance: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord, for thee and thy seed after thee. ASV Numbers 18:19 All the heave-offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto Jehovah, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, as a portion for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before Jehovah unto thee and to thy seed with thee. CSB Numbers 18:19 "I give to you and to your sons and daughters all the holy contributions that the Israelites present to the LORD as a permanent statute. It is a permanent covenant of salt before the LORD for you as well as your offspring." NKJ Numbers 18:19 "All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD with you and your descendants with you." NRS Numbers 18:19 All the holy offerings that the Israelites present to the LORD I have given to you, together with your sons and daughters, as a perpetual due; it is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD for you and your descendants as well. the offerings: Nu 18:8,11 Nu 15:19-21 Nu 31:29,41 Lev 7:14 De 12:6 2Ch 31:4 covenant of salt: Lev 2:13 2Ch 13:5 Numbers 18 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Numbers 18:8 Then the LORD spoke to Aaron, “Now behold, I Myself have given you charge of My offerings, even all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel I have given them to you as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual allotment. Numbers 18:11 “This also is yours, the offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel; I have given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you as a perpetual allotment. Everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. Leviticus 2:13+ ‘Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt. 2 Chronicles 13:5 “Do you not know that the LORD God of Israel gave the rule over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt? COVENANT OF SALT All the (heave or raised) offerings (terumah from rum) of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel offer (rum - raise or lift up high) to the LORD, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters (all your descendants, both male and female) with you, as a perpetual (olam) allotment - Notice how Yahweh ends up His direct discourse to Aaron regarding their provisions with words almost identical to those in Nu 18:8, which may function as an inclusio which bookends (so to speak) the LORD's provisions for the priesthood. In a sense, this verse also summarizes Numbers 18:8-18. Given is the Hebrew verb nathan translated in Lxx by didomi which is in the perfect tense indicating a past completed act with enduring (in this case "perpetual") results or effects. God is faithful to His promises to His people. Offerings (heave offering) (08641) see notes above on terumah from rum = to be high or exalted, depicts something being lifted up as one would do in an offering) Note that terumah is a key word in Numbers 18 occuring 8 times - Nu 18:8; Nu 18:11; Nu 18:19; Nu 18:24; Nu 18:26; Nu 18:27; Nu 18:28; Nu 18:29; Holy (most holy, holy things, sanctuary) (06944) see note on qodesh The Lxx renders qodesh with hagios indicating those things set apart from common use and for uses related to Yahweh. Today the "holy gift" we should offer up to God is ourselves, Paul writing "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable (pleasing) to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (Ro 12:1-2+) Perpetual (05769) see olam Allotment (due, ordinance, portion)(02706)(choq/hoq from chaqaq = to cut in or engrave in stone - hew a tomb in rock Is 22:16, draw picture on a brick Eze 4:1 or a wall Eze 23:14) is a masculine noun that means regulation, law, ordinance, decree, custom. The primary sense of hoq is an expectation or mandate prescribed by decree or custom. In the present context choq/hoq designates "privilege" or "due." The Egyptian priests had a right which exempted them from selling their land (Ge 47:22). The Aaronic priest's share in the sacrifice was a perpetual right (Ex 29:28; Lev 24:9), established by God's decree. The Septuagint translates choq with nomimos which means in agreement with law or pertaining to being conformable to law It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD to you and your descendants with you." UBS = "These privileges apply forever. In my eyes they are as irrevocable as a covenant that is affirmed by eating salt together." There was a Near Eastern custom of establishing a bond of friendship through the eating of salt. It was said that once you had eaten a man’s salt, you were his friend for life. Salt was included in all of the offerings in [Lev 2:4-10, 14-16] since salt was emblematic of permanence or loyalty to the covenant. Each grain offering must include salt. Salt was an important part of the offering, because it spoke of purity, of preservation, and of expense. Salt, as a preservative, will arrest the normal operations of the flesh - it is the nature of flesh to spoil, but salt cured meats will stay good. Related Resource: Henry Clay Trumbull's book The covenant of salt as based on the significance and symbolism of salt in primitive thought Wenham - The binding and permanent nature of these obligations is underlined by calling them a covenant of salt, that is to say, this covenant is indestructible, like salt (19; cf. 2 Chr. 13:5; Exod. 13:2; 22:29f.; 34:19f.; Lev. 27:26–27, 6). (TOTC-Nu) NET NOTE on salt - Salt was used in all the offerings; its importance as a preservative made it a natural symbol for the covenant which was established by sacrifice. Even general agreements were attested by sacrifice, and the phrase “covenant of salt” speaks of such agreements as binding and irrevocable. Note the expression in Ezra 4:14, “we have been salted with the salt of the palace.” Salt of the Covenant - an emblem of perpetuity and incorruptibility. (John Eadie) Ryrie - salt stands for permanence and incorruption (cf. Num. 18:19; 2 Chron. 13:5). (In 2 Chr 13:5) The permanency of the Davidic covenant (see note on 2 Sam. 7:12-16) is emphasized by referring to it as a covenant of salt. See notes on Lev. 2:13 and Num. 18:8-20. Criswell - Since salt was associated with permanence, the expression "covenant of salt" was used to emphasize the binding or permanent nature of the stipulation (cf. Ex. 30:35; Lev. 2:13, note; 2 Chr. 13:5; Ezek. 43:24).