Wealthy industrialist R. G. Le Tourneau is remembered for giving away 90 percent of his income to missions and Christian causes. Le Tourneau explained, “It’s not how much of my money I give to God, but how much of God’s money I keep for myself.”

Throughout Scripture, God’s economy looks a lot different than the world’s! In Numbers 18, after confirming Aaron’s priesthood through the miraculous budding staff, God established the terms of priestly service and then addressed the issue of compensation. The arrangement God outlines may seem radical by human standards—the priests and Levites would receive no land inheritance in the Promised Land. His declaration was both sobering and stunning: “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites” (v. 20).

Instead of land ownership, the priests and Levites would receive “all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting” (v. 21). They would be supported by the offerings and tithes of the people they served. This wasn’t a punishment—it was a privilege that came with profound responsibility. The priests were entrusted with “the care of the sanctuary and the altar” (v. 5). Their compensation matched their calling: instead of earthly real estate, they received the Lord Himself as their inheritance.

This arrangement required extraordinary faith. While other families acquired wealth through land ownership, the priests would trust God to provide through the faithfulness of the people they served. Their security came not from what they owned, but from God.