Ver. 6-8. And if a Levite— i.e. One of the tribe of Levi, whether priest or Levite: Shall come with all the desire of his mind; i.e. with a sincere desire to consecrate himself entirely to the service of the sanctuary, and to fix his abode in the same place with the sanctuary; then he shall minister in the name of the Lord, ver. 7 or, he shall minister to the name of the Lord, as in the LXX; i.e. he shall continually attend at the altar, to perform the service of the sanctuary, as the other priests do in their courses. This was the case with Samuel. And they shall have like portions to eat, ver. 8 that is, the rest of the priests who wait at the altar shall allow such person the same portion which they themselves have in the sacrifices. Willing to engage the ministers of religion to consecrate themselves entirely to the functions of the ministry, Moses here determines, upon the whole, that all those who hereafter should come to fix themselves entirely at the house of the Lord, should be treated absolutely upon the same footing with their colleagues, associated with them in their functions and emoluments. Beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony means, beside what personal estate he had gotten himself, or was left him by his relations, and which was to be sold for his use; for, though the priests had no share in the land of Canaan given them at the division of that country, yet they might purchase houses, goods, and cattle, and sometimes land too; as we read that Abiathar had fields of his own at Anathoth; 1 Kings 2:26 and the prophet Jeremiah, who was also a priest, purchased a field of his uncle's son. Jeremiah 32:7-8.
REFLECTIONS.—Provision is made for the support of a godly ministry. 1. They were to have no inheritance among their brethren, nor any worldly care to draw them off from attending to the duties of their function. God was to be their portion; and they who have his love in time, and the hope of his glory in eternity, need not wish a greater. Note; A worldly-minded priest is a scandal to his profession, and a living lie. Not that they should want a competency, though they were debarred from getting gain by agriculture or commerce. As servants at God's altar, they had a part of every sacrifice for their maintenance; and the first-fruits of the corn and wine and the fleece of the sheep were given them, that they might have both food and raiment sufficient for them. Note; He that loves God's altar, will never grudge a liberal contribution to support those who are chosen of God to minister before him. Whom God honours, we must honour. 2. If a Levite, from a holy zeal for God's service, desired out of his course to go up and serve at the altar, he might, and share the work and wages with his brethren there: for, in settling a certain number alway, to minister, no exclusion was put on those who voluntarily offered themselves. Note; Besides the generally established service, a zealous minister will delight to be employed for God, out of common seasons, as well as in season; and, though his colder brethren may count this step irregular, God will regard it as highly commendable.