#342 Talking to Myself

The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his inheritance.

2 Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the Lord is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.

3 And this shall be the priest's due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.

4 The first fruits also of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him.

5 For the Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever.

6 And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned, and come with all the desire of his mind unto the place which the Lord shall choose;

7 Then he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, which stand there before the Lord.

8 They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony.

9 When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.

10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.

11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

13 Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God.

14 For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

15 The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

16 According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.

17 And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.

18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?

22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. Deuteronomy 18 KJV

Here we have the provision of the Levitical priests, and they are removed from much of commerce and inheritance, set apart to the work of God. Like the concerns of those who govern, to provide a quiet and peaceful existence for their citizens, whom they serve, the priests must guide the people in their relationship to God. It is of utmost importance that they be set aside to such duties and study, because God owes no man anything other than his wages. They have seen in times past that the title of priest is not a covering from God's just wrath, for even  Aaron, the high priest, lost two of his sons. It is sadly, in the minds of many, the position of the Sabbath and of show, much like the preachers of our day. This is not so much a job as a calling, a command, and the expectation is much higher than many would like to suppose. It is also the more difficult for men play at Saturdays and Sundays, they would rather the approval of the pastor, the man, then to be open and broken in truth. We can put on masks, convince others that we are "spiritual", but it is a self righteous, a socially righteous condition, not founded in the truth that brings humility. No, the priest job is to say what God said, and the pastors job is to plagiarize the Word of God. As we have come to see thus far, it is God's word that trumps culture, tradition and even what would appear to be the miraculous. Remember in a previous chapter, if one came showing signs and wonders but suggested another word, god or religion other than what God has given in His word, we go with God's word. This is what God has established, this is the measuring stick. Here we see as well that those practicing witch craft are not be feared. Even in our day men and women are drawn to such things, witch craft, talking to dead loved ones and mediums, who can instead of walking by faith, suggest a look into the future, a revelation of things to come. Even if they could produce something that you could not explain, something that looked real to you, what did the God of the universe say? I would rather irritate the whole world than anger God. So there would also come those not so obvious, those that claimed to be of God and their doctrine for the most part relatively in tact. The measure for them is that what they said has to come true and the same standard that upholds the Word of God, remains in tact for them as well. I may listen until you stray, but once you stray then I must confront, and for now, in this time, I believe the scriptures sufficient in every question of doctrine. I believe that there will be prophets again in the end times, but for those in this day and age that insist that they are prophets, I would suggest that you are the wrong sort. To prophecy is to say what God has said, and there is this wonderful thing now called scripture, where a man can study this and have it written upon the pages of his heart. So now anyone who has access to scripture, has access to the words of God. Anyone who repeats scripture, is repeating what God has said. 

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, 3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

6 If you put these things before the brothers,[a] you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and strive,[b] because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

11 Command and teach these things. 12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them,[c] so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. 1 Timothy 4