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"Ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people, for (or though) all the
earth is Mine. And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation"
(Exod. 19: 5, 6).
"They shall call them, The holy people" (Isa. 63: 12).
This is the first grand division. For the nations no approach to God was possible apart
from this "kingdom of priests". To them the Oracles of God were entrusted, and of them
the Messiah was to come. Salvation was of the Jews.
The next step was to separate a portion of the earth for their special inheritance.
Palestine a holy land.
"The Lord shall inherit Judah His portion in the holy land" (Zech. 2: 12).
"The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is Mine" (Lev. 25: 23).
"The land of the Lord." "My land" (Isa. 14: 2, 25).
"My land and Mine heritage" (Jer. 2: 7).
First of all, then, we have the nation of Israel separated from all the nations of the
earth, and, after that, their country equally marked off from all other lands. This,
however, is but the beginning.
It is not enough for Israel to be a separate people: they are to be taught the infinite
holiness of their God, and accordingly only one out of all tribes of that holy nation is
chosen to engage in tabernacle or temple service. This tribe is the tribe of Levi.
The tribe of Levi separated from the nation.
"The Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to
stand before the Lord to minister unto Him, and to bless His name" (Deut. 10: 8).
"Behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded" (Numb. 17: 8).
"Thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto
him out of the children of Israel . . . . . and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to
death" (Numb. 3: 9, 10).
It must not be thought, however, that the holiness of God was sufficiently impressed
upon this people by the segregation of Levi. Levi itself was to learn, and learn by a
terrible lesson, that there was a circle smaller than themselves, into which they must no
more penetrate than might a stranger penetrate into theirs.
Aaron and his sons separated from Levi for priesthood.
"The Lord said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall
bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the
iniquity of your priesthood . . . . . And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the
Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the Lord, to
do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. Therefore thou and thy sons with
thee shall keep your priest's office for everything of the altar, and within the vail"
(Numb. 18: 1-7).