Numbers 36 - King and Priest

I have officially concluded my reading of the Book of Numbers! I will soon be posting my final thoughts on this book, which took me an entire year to complete, but I first wanted to mention some brief observances of the last chapter of Numbers.

Numbers 36 is primarily concerned with an issue arising out of the tribe of Manasses -- that of an inheritance concern. Moses expounds upon the Law by declaring that the Israelites are to marry only within their tribes to preserve each tribe's inheritance. It was a straightforward chapter, though what caught my attention was a footnote for verse 8. Numbers 36:8 reads, "And all women shall take husbands of the same tribe: that the inheritance may remain in the families." The footnote mentioned that this rule did not apply to the Levites since they did not possess an inheritance. Thus, the connection made by the commentators is that it shouldn't be a surprise that Elizabeth, of the tribe of Aaron, should be related to Mary, of the tribe of Juda. As the Levites weren't bound by the law described in Numbers 36, they could marry outside of their tribe. I had always heard of Mary being of David's (and thus Juda's) line, and thus Jesus, symbolically, was from a kingly line. But now this adds another element. Since Mary was related to Elizabeth, who is of the Levitical line, Jesus, technically speaking and symbolically of course, is both of the kingly line of Juda and the priestly line of Aaron! In God's Eternal Wisdom, He caused His Only Son to be born via a line of kings and priests, as Christ is the King and the Priest!