Deuteronomy 18:1-8
The Lord Himself is the inheritance of the priests and Levites, so Israel must honor their sacred service by giving the appointed portions and welcoming Levites who come to minister before Him.
1 The priests and the Levites—all the tribe of Levi—shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the offerings of Yahweh made by fire and his portion.
2 They shall have no inheritance among their brothers. Yahweh is their inheritance, as he has spoken to them.
3 This shall be the priests’ due from the people, from those who offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give to the priest: the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the inner parts.
4 You shall give him the first fruits of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep.
5 For Yahweh your God has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to minister in Yahweh’s name, him and his sons forever.
6 If a Levite comes from any of your gates out of all Israel where he lives, and comes with all the desire of his soul to the place which Yahweh shall choose,
7 then he shall minister in the name of Yahweh his God, as all his brothers the Levites do, who stand there before Yahweh.
8 They shall have like portions to eat, in addition to that which comes from the sale of his family possessions.
The LORD Himself is the inheritance of the priests and Levites, so Israel must honor their sacred service by giving the appointed portions and welcoming Levites who come to minister before Him.
Moses instructs Israel that the Levitical priests and the whole tribe of Levi will have no territorial inheritance like the other tribes, because their portion is the LORD Himself and the offerings given to Him; therefore Israel must provide the prescribed priestly portions, and Levites who come to the LORD's chosen place may minister there and share equally in the provision.
Moses speaks to Israel east of the Jordan as the nation prepares for settled life in the land. In that land, the tribes will receive territorial inheritances, but the Levitical priests and the tribe of Levi will not receive land like the others. Their life is bound to the LORD's worship, His chosen place, and the sacred portions He assigns through Israel's offerings.
Priests, Prophets, and the Word That Is Near
God provides for his people through legitimate mediators — Levitical priests sustained by covenant portions and a coming prophet like Moses — while forbidding every counterfeit form of access to the divine.