What do we Owe our Pastors?

The Law of the Administration of the Priest and Prophet -- Part 1

[courtesy of Servants of Grace]

Deuteronomy 18:1-5 -- Gems and Thoughts from the Passage

First I would point out that God identified a whole tribe, the tribe of Levi, or the Levites as the ones who would have the responsibility for the priestly duties amongst the people of Israel. This had associated privileges, but also associated restrictions as we will see.

It also meant that in those days, being a priest wasn't so much of a "calling" as it was an inheritance. Though God does say He called them "as a group" (Deut. 18:5).  Just to put it into perspective for us, we offer the following lineage:

Jacob had Levi.  Levi had Amram.  Amram had Aaron (the first well-known high priest who was also the brother of Moses [who led the children of Israel out of Egypt] and Miriam, their sister.  From there on, it was Aaron and Sons, grandsons, etc. You get the picture.

We should also provide a point of clarification, quoting from Wikipedia:

So Jacob, then Levi, then Amram, and then Aaron.

Our current passage in Deuteronomy tells us again that the Levites had no inheritance but were to rely entirely on what God provided to them directly or through the people as they served them in their priestly duties. In Chapter 18, verse 2, we have this great phrase: "the Lord is their inheritance, as He promised them." I love that phrase. We would do well to apply it to ourselves -- even though we are not Levites or priests or pastors. That's then only inheritance I want.  God is all I need now.  God is all I will ever need. And He "promised" it to us.

In verse 4, we see that God expected the Israelites to give the priests the "first fruits of your grain, your new wine, and your oil, and the first shearing of your sheep."  Wow, for most Israelites -- that was "the first" of everything they had.  That is very different from how well clergy have fared in more recent times. Yes, there are those who are provided way too much (and we see them on television) and sometimes we see them fall big-time. But for the most part, the majority of pastors are not in the high income brackets of our society. Truly, their inheritance is the Lord.  That does not excuse us from seeing to it that our pastor and his family are appropriately taken care of. Hopefully, your church has a means by which to do that.  I recommend a dedicated elder or two for that purpose, or a committee for taking care of the needs -- physical, material, social, and spiritual -- of your pastoral team.

And then verse 5 tells us why that is important. God is very direct about it: Because He has chosen them  "to stand and serve in the name of the Lord forever."  Two things.  First, they stand and serve in God's place. That requires us to listen.  I am not suggesting blind obedience, but I am suggesting that we seriously consider the direction of our pastor.  Only object when he is going directly against Scripture.

During the Covid-19 situation, our church was ordered to close down for a long time. I didn't like it at all. I felt it was wrong. I still do. But I had to go along with our pastor. I had to listen. I looked for reasons why I should not, but God didn't give me any.  We are being squeezed still -- controlled attendance, six feet apart, masks, and no singing.  But the feeding from the Word of the Lord through our pastor each week is excellent. I would not miss it.  

Secondly, God in this 5th verse says, they stand and serve "forever".  Folks, the priesthood was instituted by God in the Old Testament and continues today just as the Church was instituted in the New Testament. There is no back-up plan.  Until Christ returns, the Church and the Priesthood will be in place. Get on board.

I look forward to your thoughts and comments.  Please take time enter your comments below if possible.

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