Living on support: What Christian workers can learn from the Levites

When we’re training and supporting Christian workers, participants often share with us their fear of asking people to join their support teams and partner with them in their Christian work, spiritually and financially.

Some struggle with being perceived as ‘beggars’ or ‘lazy’. Others get anxious over being reprimanded by people or being told to ‘go and get a proper job’. At Stewardship we understand these worries and recognise the special honour and privilege it is to live on the support of others to advance the Kingdom of God here on earth.

It’s worth remembering that there is a wonderful biblical precedence for living on the support of others  that can transform perceptions of everyone involved in sending and going on mission work.

Numbers 18 is where our journey begins. The Israelites were finally on the verge of entering the Promised Land after their great Exodus out of Egypt, plus an extra 40 long years in the wilderness due to their unbelief. The time had come for them to be established as a special nation, chosen by God to be His people.

But there was one tribe from the 12 in the nation of Israel that was not going to be working an allocation of land like everyone else. God did not want them to be self sufficient but set apart to serve Him and His temple as a royal priesthood.

Support for Priests and Levites

Numbers 18:18-19 says:

‘The Lord gave these further instructions to Aaron “I myself have put you in charge of all the holy offerings that are brought to me by the people of Israel. I have given all these consecrated offerings to you and your sons as your permanent share… 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.”

I don’t know about you, but I am sure Aaron was surprised when he found out that the Lord had called him and his tribesmen into service at His temple and had allocated them the most holy offerings.

Aaron was one of the few Israelites that had been alongside Moses to see Pharoah and had seen first hand God do miraculous signs and wonders for the nation of Israel through the ten plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea and the provision in the wilderness. He had probably been looking forward to entering the Promised Land and having an allotment of land to farm, call home and create an inheritance for his family and his tribe. But God had other plans for the Levites.

It can be like that for us too. We give our lives to the Lord and see Him begin to work in our situations and circumstances. When we see what God can do, we get excited and begin to make all these wonderful plans about our future. We start to dream and begin to put things into place, only to find out God had other plans all along.

A different way of life

Numbers 18:20 then says:

‘And the Lord said to Aaron “You priests will receive no allotment of land or share of property among the people of Israel. I am your share and your allotment. As for the tribe of Levi your relatives, I will compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle. Instead of an allotment of land, I will give them the tithes from the entire land of Israel.”

Not only do the Levites now work in the temple instead of receiving a portion of land, but they also have to depend on the giving of the other 11 tribes of Israel?! Living on the support of others? Most likely unheard of. The situation must have caused feelings of uncertainty.

After being enslaved for 400 years, all the Israelites had become accustomed to working hard to provide for themselves. Yet God in His wisdom proclaimed that this was His will for this one particular tribe. He established that those called to serve Him were to receive their income from those who benefitted from their service.

Modern-day Levite

There can be similar feelings for us in the 21st Century. I was confused at first when I felt the conviction from God to leave my job and become a full-time missionary overseas. If you’re involved in Christian work, it could have been a surprise when God called you into  a situation where potentially you no longer receive a regular paid salary for your services. Everything that you thought was going to happen dramatically changed.

There are some who have known all along that they wanted to be involved in Christian work. Either way, we too have all been called into the service of the Lord and are to follow the biblical example  of living on the support of others as the Levites and Jesus and His disciples did.

Paul understood this concept when he said:

“In the same way the Lord has commanded that those who spread the Good News should earn their living from the Good News.” – 1 Corinthians 9:14.

It is joyous work to be a part of the Kingdom of God here on earth and to invite others to partner in what we believe the Lord has called us to do for His glory. Building a partner team that support you both in prayer and financially gives God opportunity to work miraculously as we depend and trust on Him to be the faithful provider He is.

I believe Aaron and the Levites had their fair share of concerns at first but found over time that serving the Lord in His tabernacle to be an honour. As a modern-day Levite, I hope you do too.