J13-11: The Levites Were To Receive ZERO Land From God, Instead They Received The ‘Offerings By Fire’

“Only to the tribe of Levi did Moshe give no inheritance; because the offerings made by fire for Adonai the God of Isra’el are its inheritance; as [Adonai] had said to Moshe.”-Joshua 13:14

From verse 14, we’re told the Levites were NOT to receive any land inheritance.

Now let me pause for a second and let you know there’s a very practical reason why we’re given this quite detailed review of the makeup of the Israelite nation as it stands at this point in history.

Here’s the thing.

There comes a point in time when every generation begins to reflect on why things are the way they are in their society.

Many questions arise such as…

…why are some tribes or clans elevated above others and seem to be in a more advantageous position?

Why do we have the traditions we have today and should they be changed or not?

When facing tough circumstances, what can we do to change them?

See, God wanted to make it clear that it was HE and HE ALONE who had decided on how the Levites should be treated and who should be given which parcel of land within the Promised Land.

It was also God who made a decision on the tribal make-up of the Hebrew nation itself.

And because these were sovereign decisions made by the Lord Himself, they weren’t to messed with by man.

Verse 14 clearly states that the Levites were NOT to receive any land for their inheritance and that was Hashem’s final Word on the subject.

This ruling was also laid down in the earlier books of the Torah but now the Lord is making it real clear.

So if the Levites weren’t to receive any land inheritance, what were they to receive instead?

Verse 14 makes it clear that instead they were to receive the “offerings made by fire to the Lord God”.

However, what does that mean exactly?

Well, it ties in directly to a proper understanding of what holy property is all about.