“They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.”
My Notes
What Does Deuteronomy 33:10 Mean?
Moses blesses the tribe of Levi with a description of their calling: "They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar." Teaching and worship — the two Levitical functions — define the tribe's identity and purpose.
The teaching function comes first: judgment (mishpat — legal rulings, case law, applied justice) and law (torah — instruction, direction, teaching). The Levites aren't just ritual performers; they're teachers. Their primary responsibility is ensuring that Israel knows and understands God's will. The teaching precedes the worship because informed worship is the only kind that's genuine.
The worship function follows: incense (representing prayer ascending to God) and burnt sacrifice (representing total consecration). The Levites mediate between God and Israel in both directions: they bring God's teaching down to the people and they bring the people's worship up to God. The mediatorial role is comprehensive — information flowing downward, devotion flowing upward.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Which direction of the Levitical calling (teaching downward or worship upward) comes more naturally to you?
- 2.Why does teaching precede worship in the blessing — and what happens when the order is reversed?
- 3.How does the mediatorial role (facing both directions) model any spiritual leadership calling?
- 4.Where in your service are you doing one (teaching OR worship) while neglecting the other?
Devotional
Teach. And worship. The Levitical calling in two words. Bring God's instruction to the people. Bring the people's offerings to God. The tribe stands in the middle — facing both directions — transmitting in both.
The teaching comes first in the blessing, which tells you something about Levitical priority. Before the incense burns and the sacrifice bleeds, the teaching happens. The people need to understand what they're worshipping before the worship has meaning. Uninstructed worship is dangerous (see Nadab and Abihu). Informed worship is the only kind that honors God. The Levite teaches first, worships second.
The two directions — teaching downward (God's law to the people) and worship upward (people's offerings to God) — create the Levite's full job description. They're not just ritual technicians managing the altar. They're translators standing between heaven and earth, converting divine instruction into human understanding and human devotion into divine offering.
The pairing of incense and sacrifice covers the full worship range: incense represents prayer (Psalm 141:2 — "let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense") and the burnt offering represents complete surrender (the whole animal consumed on the altar). The Levite enables both: the community's prayers ascending and the community's surrender offered. The fragrance and the fire together constitute the complete worship the Levites facilitate.
If you serve in any teaching or worship capacity, the Levitical blessing defines your calling: teach God's instruction to the people. Offer the people's worship to God. Face both directions. Transmit in both. The teaching without the worship is academic. The worship without the teaching is uninformed. Both together: that's the Levitical calling.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Bless, Lord, his substance,.... Which lay in tithes, firstfruits, &c. for the priests and Levites had no share in the…
In blessing the tribe of Levi, Moses expresses himself more at large, not so much because it was his own tribe (for he…
among you Lit. in thee.
which chanceth him by night See Lev 15:16; and above on Deu 20:7.
judgements … law Heb.…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture