Numbers 18
April 22, Year 1
[20] And the LORD said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.
Commentators carefully specify: This does not just refer to the portion from the altar allotted to the priests.
Rather, just as the Levites took the place of the firstborn of all Israel, so the LORD took the place of inherited land.
Their plot of land was the Tabernacle, where they were uniquely allowed to go. (And later, in Canaan, some cities were given to them, with surrounding land, though not whole territories.)
But that’s really it either: Rather, the LORD belonged to them, in a sense exclusive of other tribes.
Does that seem too spiritual, too insubstantial?
What do we have if we have the LORD? What don’t we have?!
“For truly, he who possesses God possesses all things; and the worship (cultus) of Him is infinitely fuller of delight, and far more productive, than the cultivation (cultus) of any soil.” (Andreas Masius, Commentary on Joshua (1574))
“I have the world's largest collection of sea shells. I keep it scattered on beaches all over the world. Maybe you've seen it.” (Comedian Steven Wright)
(I have a huge collection of homes, scattered all over the world. Maybe you’ve seen some of them.)