Year 1, Day 96: Leviticus 7

Religious Taxation

As we continue on with the Levitical regulations in Leviticus 7, I am struck again by the references to the fact that with most of the offerings on the table a portion of it went to the priest who offered it.  So I’m going to attempt to do a difficult thing, here.  I am going to attempt to walk a fine line between religious “taxation” and “over-taxation.”

Let’s talk a little bit about “over-taxation” since that is the one that we all will have a problem with.  Over-taxation occurs when the person collecting the tax get greedy and gluttonous.  It can happen with governments.  It can happen among entertainers.  It can happen among athletes.  It can happen with social clubs.  It can happen with schools.  It can happen within religious institutions.  And it can certainly happen with pastors and priests. 

When people think that they are worth than they actually are worth, bad things happen.  People who are under such leaders are asked to give more than they should have to give.  Resentment starts to occur.  This is true regardless of whether we call it an offering, a tax, a fee, a due, a wage, a ticket-price, or whatever.  In the end the result is “over-taxation” and resentment among the people.  This is always bad.

However, there is the case where people do have a certain right to expect compensation.  Employees have a right to a fair compensation.  People who perform a service have a right to expect something in return.  Thus, there is such a thing as proper compensation (or proper taxing) in contrast to over-compensation (or over-taxation). 

What I am trying to begin with is the idea that somewhere we should be able to find a happy medium where proper compensation/taxation can and should occur.  It is okay for governments to charge taxes, just not too much tax.  It is alright for entertainers and athletes to have ticket prices associated with their performances, just not too much.  The same can be said for everyone else who performs a job or service for another person or group of people.

This then leads me back to the priest and the right to a portion of most sacrifices.  It can be said that the priest who offered the sacrifice had the right to claim their portion.  Now imagine, if you will, some over-zealous priest who is always doing the sacrifices and not leaving room for other priests to do them.  That one priest gets the right to all the portions.  In reality, this can be almost seen as gluttonous while the priests around him get very little.  This is clearly wrong.  The gluttonous priest has an over-inflated misconception of his worth to the sacrificial process.  He should step back and let other priests have their share.

However, the priest is certainly expected to do some of the work.  That is why each priest received a portion of what they offered.  Those priests who did little by choice received little by consequence.  So that also comes into play here.  Balance is needed.  We need to work enough to provide.  But we should not work so much that we deny others the opportunity to provide for themselves.  When we reach for too big of a personal share, we are guilty of self-centered gluttony.

Bringing This Concept Into Ministry

Let me wrap this up as neatly as I can.  We can see that if this sacrificial system is an analogy to doing ministry, only those people who are actually doing ministry have any right to expect to reap the benefits of said ministry.  If you are sitting around watching other people do ministry then why should you think that you will be allowed to reap any of the benefits?  If you are watching everyone else make disciples, why would you ever think you would have a disciple yourself?  If you watch everyone else read their Bible, pray, and worship but do not do it yourself, why would you ever thin that you would reap the benefit of a right relationship with God?

On the other hand, if you also force yourself to be at the center of all of those experiences of ministry you can be seen as being self-centered.  You become quite personally gluttonous.  In those situations you actually gain nothing from the ministry of the people around you.  Ministry is a balance between doing what God calls us but releasing control enough to let others do what God calls them to do as well.

Ministry is a funny thing.  Like the priests working in the tabernacle we should be careful and understand our role.  We must – absolutely must – participate in ministry.  But we should also be willing to appreciate the others working around us as well.

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