Jo’s Place

Gifts for the Priests and Levites These are the commands of the Lord, in the book of Deuteronomy Chapter 18: verses 1–8… “Remember that the Levitical priests—that is, the whole of the tribe of Levi—will receive no allotment of land, among the other tribes in Israel.  Instead, the priests and Levites will eat from the special gifts, given to the Lord, for that is their share.  They will have no land of their own, among the Israelites.  The Lord Himself is their special possession, just as He promised them.  “These are the parts, that the priests may claim, as their share, from the cattle, sheep, and goats, that the people bring, as offerings: the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach.  You must also give, to the priests, the first share, of the grain, the new wine, the olive oil, and the wool at shearing time.  For the Lord, your God, chose the tribe of Levi, out of all your tribes, to minister, in the Lord’s name, forever.  “Suppose a Levite chooses to...

​ More about Gifts to the Lord   (The Lord continues His instructions for the Israelites) “You may not dedicate a firstborn animal to the Lord, for the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, and goats already belong to him.  However, you may buy back the firstborn, of a ceremonially unclean animal, by paying the priest’s assessment …of its worth, plus 20 percent.  If you do not buy it back, the priest will sell it, at its assessed value.  “However, anything specially set apart for the Lord—whether a person, an animal, or family property—must never be sold or bought back.  Anything devoted, in this way, has been set apart, as holy, and it belongs to the Lord.  No person, who is specially set apart, for destruction, may be bought back.  Such a person must be put to death.  “One-tenth of the produce, of the land, whether grain from the fields, or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord, and must be set apart to him, as holy.  If you want to buy back...

​ Gifts to the Lord   “If someone dedicates, to the Lord, a piece of his family property, its value will be assessed, according to the amount of seed required to plant it—fifty shekels of silver, for a field planted with five bushels of barley seed.  If the field is dedicated to the Lord, in the Year of Jubilee, then the entire assessment will apply.  But, if the field is dedicated after the Year of Jubilee, the priest will assess the land’s value, in proportion to the number of years left, until the next Year of Jubilee.  Its assessed value is reduced each year.  If the person, who dedicated the field, wants to buy it back, he must pay the value set by the priest, plus 20 percent.  Then the field will again be legally his.  But if he does not want to buy it back, and it is sold to someone else, then the field can no longer be bought back.  When the field is released, in the Year of Jubilee, it will be holy, a field specially set apart, for the Lo...

​ Redemption of Gifts Offered to the Lord The Lord said to Moses,  “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.  If anyone makes a special vow, to dedicate someone to the Lord, by paying the value of that person, here is the scale of values, to be used.  A man, between the ages of twenty and sixty, is valued at fifty shekels of silver, as measured by the sanctuary shekel.  A woman, of that age, is valued at thirty shekels of silver.  A boy, between the ages of five and twenty, is valued at twenty shekels of silver; a girl, of that age, is valued at ten shekels of silver.  A boy, between the ages of one month and five years, is valued at five shekels of silver; a girl, of that age, is valued at three shekels of silver.  A man, older than sixty, is valued at fifteen shekels of silver; a woman, of that age, is valued at ten shekels of silver.  If you desire, to make such a vow, but cannot afford to pay the required amount, take the perso...

​ Paul Preaches     about Collecting Gifts for Christians in Jerusalem   I really don’t need to write to you about this ministry of giving for the believers in Jerusalem.  (Paul says) For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to the churches in Macedonia that you in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago.  In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to begin giving.  But I am sending these brothers to be sure you really are ready, as I have been telling them, and that your money is all collected.  I don’t want to be wrong in my boasting about you.  We would be embarrassed—not to mention your own embarrassment—if some Macedonian believers came with me and found that you weren’t ready after all I had told them!  So, I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready.  But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly....