Compensation For Ministry

The last plague when Israel was in Egypt, God had sent the death angel throughout the land to kill the firstborn in every home, both of man and beast.  If they had taken the trouble to sacrifice a lamb and apply its blood to the doorposts and lintel however, the firstborn would be spared.  God claimed those firstborn he had saved for himself.  Rather than take the oldest son from every family, God chose the tribe of Levi to take their places, as Numbers 3:11-13 tells us.  “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.”  This included all the Levites livestock as well, according to Numbers 3:41.  “And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.”

As God’s special people, the Levites were chosen to serve as his priests and do whatever was needed relating to the worship and service of God.  Each morning and evening, a lamb was to be sacrificed, as well as special offerings on the first of the month, and on each of the special celebrations.  These sacrifices for the entire congregation were to be taken from among the Levites livestock.  Part of their duties were to teach the people to follow God’s s day by day.  In order to do that they would need to be scattered throughout Israel, so they could not have a separate country of their own.   Compensate them for their time and expenses, since they were paying for repairs on the Tabernacle, as well as the daily and special sacrifices, and spending so much time teaching and serving as priests, the Levites were to receive a tithe or one tenth of what each of the other tribes earned.   

Numbers 18:20-32 describes the way they were to be compensated.  “And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.  And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.  Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die.  But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.  But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.  And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress.  Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the LORD'S heave offering to Aaron the priest.  Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the LORD, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it.  Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress.  And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.  And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.”

When the people brought the tithes, the Levites were to treat it as ordinary income just as if it had been earned any other way.  They were to give a tenth of what ever came in directly to the upkeep and expenses of the Tabernacle.  In addition, they were to donate their own livestock for the various sacrifices for the entire congregation.  If they did so, they were free to use the rest for their own needs.  Trying to get ahead by offering inferior sacrifices or withholding their tithe would expose them to God’s judgment, including death.   This program of compensation would provide the Levites an income roughly the same as the average of the other tribes. 

While the New Testament does not specify how those in ministry should be compensated, I Corinthians 9:7-14 clearly indicates they should be.  “Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?  Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?  Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?  If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.  Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?  Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.”

While serving as a missionary, Paul had not exercised his right to be paid for his ministry, but as he said, God has ordained that those who preach the gospel should be compensated for their work.  God’s arrangement for the Levites provides us with an example of what God considers proper compensation.