How to understand Numbers 18:12 in light of Leviticus 10:8?

Question

Leviticus 10;9 KJV

Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:

In the above text the Priesthood is forbidden to take wine or strong drink,but in the book of Numbers they are seemingly given wine and other food stuff as a gift

Numbers 18:12 KJV

All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the LORD, them have I given thee.

i am interested in the issue of drinking wine whether they were only forbidden when entering the tabernacle or forever

How can we understand the above texts without contradiction?

Answer 1

The priests were forbidden from drinking wine when entering, and also from consuming wine inside the tabernacle boundaries. But they were allowed to take wine that had been offered and consume it outside. We can deduce this from the context of Numbers 18.

9 ... every oblation of their's, every meat offering of their's, and every sin offering of their's, and every trespass offering of their's which they shall render unto me, shall be most holy for thee and for thy sons. 10 In the most holy place shalt thou eat it;

Note that wine is not included in the list of food to be consumed within the sacred precincts. ("Most holy place" does not mean "holy of holies" here.) However, as the OP states, wine WAS given to the priests from the offerings Num. 18:12; but no permission is given to consume it inside the sacred place.

Conclusion: Wine was specifically given to the priests in Num. 18:12 but excluded from the list of items they may consume inside the sacred precincts in 18:9. They were also forbidden to drink when when/before entering. (See also Ezekiel 44:21)

Answer 2

This statue was a response to the sin of Aaron’s sons immediately after the tabernacle was first built:

Leviticus 10:1 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and presented strange (zuwr זוּר) fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them to do. Then fire came from the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.

The implication from the verse that follow are that Aaron’s sons were drunk and therefore did not treat God as holy, and instead treated Him as though he were common:

8 The Lord spoke to Aaron: “You and your sons are not to drink wine or beer when you enter the tent of meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute throughout your generations. You must distinguish between the holy and the common, and the clean and the unclean, and teach the Israelites all the statutes that the Lord has given to them through Moses.”

What’s ridiculous here is the priests of God violate one the Ten Commandments in the holy of holies on it’s very first day of operation:

Exodus 20:7 Though shall not take (carry nasa נָשָׂא) the name of the Lord in vein (treat it as nothing/empty - shav שָׁוְא)

This doesn’t mean don’t curse, it means if you are representing Me do not make Me out to be common, worthless, empty or anything other than holy.