The Unlanded Priests: A Peculiar Inheritance Text: Deuteronomy 10:6-9
Introduction: A Strange Interjection
As we make our way through Deuteronomy, we find that Moses is a preacher who is not afraid of a parenthetical remark. He is recounting the great story of God's covenant renewal with Israel after the golden calf fiasco. He has just described how God, in His mercy, commanded new stone tablets to be made and placed in the Ark of the Covenant. The flow of the narrative is clear: rebellion, intercession, and restoration. But then, right in the middle of this grand covenant history, Moses inserts what appears to be a dry piece of an old travel itinerary, coupled with a note about clerical organization. It seems abrupt, almost jarring.
Our modern sensibilities, trained by a desire for neat outlines and linear progression, might be tempted to see this as a clumsy editorial insertion. But the Holy Spirit does not make clumsy insertions. God's Word is not arranged haphazardly. This historical note is placed here with deliberate, divine intent. It is a concrete, historical illustration of the very principles of covenant life that Moses is expounding. He is not just giving them abstract laws; he is showing them how those laws cash out in the dusty realities of their journey.
This little section about Aaron's death, the succession of the priesthood, and the setting apart of Levi is a profound commentary on the nature of life and death, worship, and our ultimate inheritance within the covenant. It shows us that God's covenant people are a people on the move, a people led by a succession of mortal men, and a people whose central task is to bear the presence of God. And most strikingly, it teaches us that for those who are called to the closest proximity to God, their inheritance is not a parcel of land, but God Himself. This is a radical idea, one that turns all worldly notions of wealth and security on their head. It is a principle that finds its ultimate fulfillment not in the tribe of Levi, but in the church of Jesus Christ.
The Text
(Now the sons of Israel set out from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried, and Eleazar his son ministered as priest in his place. From there they set out to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water. At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to stand before Yahweh to minister for Him and to bless in His name to this day. Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; Yahweh is his inheritance, just as Yahweh your God spoke to him.)
(Deuteronomy 10:6-9 LSB)
Death in the Desert, Life in the Priesthood (v. 6-7)
We begin with this historical note, this brief travel log.
"Now the sons of Israel set out from Beeroth Bene-jaakan to Moserah. There Aaron died, and there he was buried, and Eleazar his son ministered as priest in his place. From there they set out to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water." (Deuteronomy 10:6-7 LSB)
Now, if you are a diligent student of Scripture, you might notice an apparent discrepancy. Here it says Aaron died at Moserah. But in Numbers 33, we are told he died on Mount Hor. The solution is straightforward. Moserah was not a single spot, but a district or region in which Mount Hor was located. There is no contradiction, merely a difference in specificity. The important point is not the precise GPS coordinate, but the event itself: "There Aaron died."
Why insert this here? Moses has just been speaking of God's mercy after a great sin. Aaron himself was deeply complicit in the sin of the golden calf. Though he was pardoned and consecrated as high priest, his sin still had consequences. He was part of the generation barred from entering the Promised Land. His death in the wilderness is a stark reminder of the wages of sin. Even the great high priest, the man who wore the holy garments and entered the Holy of Holies, was a mortal man, a sinner who would die. This underscores the inadequacy of the Aaronic priesthood. It was a temporary, shadowy institution. The priests kept dying. They could not offer a perfect sacrifice, nor could they continue forever (Hebrews 7:23).
But notice the immediate continuation: "and Eleazar his son ministered as priest in his place." The man dies, but the office continues. God's purposes are not thwarted by the death of His servants. The covenant moves forward. This is a picture of institutional succession and stability. God had established an order, and the death of one man, even the high priest, did not throw the entire system into chaos. The priestly garments were taken from the dead father and placed on the living son. The work of mediation, of sacrifice, of ministry before Yahweh, did not cease. This was a tangible sign of God's faithfulness to His covenant promises. In the midst of death, there is continuity of life and worship.
And then the journey continues, from this place of death to "Jotbathah, a land of brooks of water." This is not just geographical trivia. It is a picture of God's grace. They move from a place of death and burial to a place of life-giving water. Even in the wilderness, even with the constant reminder of their own mortality and sin, God provides for His people. He leads them from the grave to the garden, from the dust to the drink. This is the rhythm of the Christian life. We are constantly reminded of our sin and mortality, but God continually leads us onward to places of refreshment and grace.
A Tribe Set Apart (v. 8)
Moses connects this historical moment to the special calling of the tribe of Levi.
"At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to stand before Yahweh to minister for Him and to bless in His name to this day." (Deuteronomy 10:8 LSB)
The phrase "at that time" connects the formal setting apart of Levi with the whole period of covenant renewal after the golden calf incident. You will remember that when Moses came down from the mountain and saw the idolatry, he cried out, "Whoever is for Yahweh, come to me!" And the sons of Levi rallied to him and executed judgment on the idolaters (Exodus 32:26-28). Their zeal for the Lord's honor in that moment of crisis was the basis for their special consecration. God sets apart those who set themselves apart for Him.
Their duties are threefold. First, they were "to carry the ark of the covenant of Yahweh." The ark was the very throne of God on earth, the symbol of His presence. To carry it was a task of immense privilege and immense danger. It meant bearing the presence of God among the people. It was a holy, weighty responsibility. They were the divine furniture movers, tasked with ensuring the manifest presence of God was at the center of Israel's life, camp, and worship.
Second, they were "to stand before Yahweh to minister for Him." This is the language of royal service. They were like the courtiers in a king's palace, always ready to serve. Their lives were oriented entirely toward the sanctuary. While the other tribes were tending their flocks or preparing for battle, the Levites were tending the things of God. Their work was worship, and their worship was work.
Third, they were "to bless in His name." The priests, who were a subset of the Levites, would pronounce the Aaronic blessing over the people (Numbers 6:22-27). They were the conduit of God's favor. They were authorized to speak God's good will over the congregation. This was not a sentimental platitude; it was a potent, covenantal act. God put His name on the people through the mouths of His chosen ministers.
God as Inheritance (v. 9)
This special calling came with a radical consequence for their material status in Israel.
"Therefore, Levi does not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers; Yahweh is his inheritance, just as Yahweh your God spoke to him." (Deuteronomy 10:9 LSB)
This is the punchline. This is the radical principle that this entire parenthetical section has been building toward. Because of their unique role, the Levites were excluded from the land distribution. When the tribes of Israel would cross the Jordan and carve up the Promised Land, the tribe of Levi would get no large territory to call their own. While Judah and Ephraim and the others received vast tracts of real estate, Levi received scattered cities and pasture lands among the other tribes (Numbers 35). Their brothers got the land; Levi got the Lord.
From a worldly perspective, this was a terrible deal. Land was the basis of wealth, security, and identity in the ancient world. To be landless was to be powerless and dependent. But from a covenantal perspective, it was the greatest deal imaginable. The other tribes inherited a gift from God; the Levites inherited the Giver. Their sustenance would come directly from the offerings and tithes brought to the Lord. Their security was not in fortified cities, but in the faithfulness of God. Their identity was not tied to a piece of dirt, but to the person of Yahweh.
This arrangement served two purposes. Practically, it scattered the Levites throughout Israel so they could teach the law and minister to all the tribes. It prevented them from becoming a landed aristocracy, isolated from the people. But theologically, it was a massive, flashing signpost pointing to a greater reality. It taught all of Israel that the land, as wonderful as it was, was not the ultimate inheritance. The ultimate prize was God Himself. The Levites were a living, breathing object lesson that to have God is to have everything.
The Unlanded New Covenant Priests
This passage, like all of the Old Testament, finds its ultimate meaning and fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ and His church. The Aaronic priesthood, with its dying priests, pointed to our need for an eternal High Priest. Jesus Christ is that priest, "not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life" (Hebrews 7:16). He does not die and need to be replaced. He is the final and perfect priest.
And what He has done is make all of His people a kingdom of priests (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6). In the new covenant, the priesthood is not limited to one tribe. Every believer, Jew or Gentile, man or woman, is set apart for priestly service. We too are called to carry the presence of God, not in a wooden box, but in our very bodies, which are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). We are called to stand before the Lord and minister to Him, offering up spiritual sacrifices of praise and good works (Hebrews 13:15-16). And we are called to bless in His name, to be the instruments through which God's grace and truth are declared to a dying world.
And this means that the principle of inheritance applies to us as well. The Christian's ultimate inheritance is not earthly. We are called to be sojourners and exiles in this world (1 Peter 2:11). Our citizenship is in heaven. Our true portion is not a plot of land, a stock portfolio, or a retirement account. Our inheritance is God Himself. The Psalmist understood this when he said, "Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth... God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:25-26).
The Levites gave up a tangible, earthly inheritance for a spiritual one. This is the call for every Christian. We are to "seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1). We are to hold the things of this world loosely. This doesn't mean we abandon our earthly responsibilities, but it does mean that our ultimate hope and security are not located here. Like the Levites, we are to be dependent on the provision of our God. We are to live by faith, trusting that if we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, all these other things will be added to us (Matthew 6:33).
The world chases after land, after portions, after inheritances that rust and fade. But the church, the royal priesthood of the new covenant, has been given something infinitely better. We have been given Christ. He is our portion. He is our inheritance. And in Him, we possess all things.