T H E P R I E S T LY L I N E

A Survey of the Old Testament Priesthood from Adam

to Jesus, the Great High Priest

F. Wayne Mac Leod

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Special thanks to Diane Mac Leod for proof reading.

CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright
Preface
1- Family Priests
2- The Priesthood of Moses in the Wilderness
- The Levites
- The Aaronic Priesthood Established
- The Responsibility of the Aaronic Priesthood
- The Priesthood in the Wilderness
- The Priesthood and the Conquest of Canaan
- The Decline of the Priesthood Under the Judges
- The Priesthood Under Saul, the First King of Israel
- The Reorganization of the Priesthood Under King David
- Kingdom Divided and the Priesthood of God Abandoned
- The Priesthood in the Southern Kingdom of Judah
- The Priesthood During the Exile
- The Priesthood and the Return from Exile
– The Priesthood in the Time of Jesus
- The Need of a New Priesthood
- The Order of Melchizedek
- Jesus the High Priest

19 - Jesus' Qualification as High Priest

20 - The Desire of Our High Priest for Us

About The Author

PREFACE

his is a study of the priesthood of the Old and New Testaments.

The purpose of the study is two-fold. First, to provide, in summary

form, an overall picture of the priesthood of God from its early

beginnings to the time of the Lord Jesus. Second, to show what the

priesthood in the Old Testament reveals about our need of new priest in the

person of the Lord Jesus.

As you read you will see how the Old Testament priesthood developed over

time, moving from being the responsibility of the family head to an

established role in the tabernacle. As the nation matured, the priesthood

grew with it. The changes that took place were not always accepted by the

people. In fact, lives would be lost as people rejected the purpose of God

for the priesthood. The northern kingdom of Israel would completely

abandon the Levitical and Aaronic priesthood and establish their own order

of contrary to the purpose of God.

The priests struggled in their role. There were times when the worship of

God and the role of priest was abandoned for years. While many priests

sought to honour the Lord God, there were others who fell into deep sin and

immorality. Some were struck dead for their blasphemous ways. Ultimately,

the priesthood would turn their back on the Lord God and crucify His Son

on a cross.

Hebrews reminds us that these priests were themselves sinners who fell

short of God’s standard. They could not remove the guilt of sin from the

nation. For the guilt of sin to be removed, a new priesthood would be

required. This priesthood was not from the Old Testament tribe of Levi or

the family of Aaron but a totally new priesthood from the order of

Melchizedek. The Lord Jesus would ultimately do what no priest before

Him could do – provide complete forgiveness and remove the penalty of

sin. He did so by offering His own life on the cross. He now stands as our

perfect High Priest having broken the barrier between us and the Father.

My prayer for this study is that it would point people to the Lord Jesus and

help the reader to understand the need of the Priesthood of Jesus. I trust that

it will give the reader a new appreciation of the work of Christ on our

behalf. May the Spirit of God be pleased to use this study to elevate the

name of Christ and exalt His work as High Priest for us.

God bless,

F. Wayne Mac Leod

1- FAMILY PRIESTS

e begin our study of the Old Testament priesthood with an

examination of its function in the book of Genesis. Before

doing so, however, we need to understand the basic role of the

priest and why he was necessary. This brings us back to the fall of

humankind into sin and its entrance into the Garden of Eden. Sin became a

barrier between God and His creation. The result was physical death and a

loss of fellowship with God. From the moment sin entered the world, there

was a need for someone to intercede on behalf of humankind before its

Creator.

A quick look at the Old Testament shows that God setup a system of

sacrifices and offerings. These sacrifices provided for the forgiveness of sin

and restoration of God’s people to fellowship with Him. The role of the

priest was to bring these offerings and sacrifices to God on behalf of the

people. The priest stood between God and the people seeking forgiveness

and favour from God. With this basic starting point, let’s look at the book of

Genesis to see what it tells us about this role of priest. We begin in Genesis

4, just after the fall of creation into sin.

Cain and Abel

In Genesis 4 we have the first record of an offering being made to the Lord.

3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the

fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his

flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and

his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So

Cain was very angry, and his face fell. (Genesis 4)

Notice that there are two types of offerings brought to the Lord in this

passage. The first is an offering from the ground—this was the offering of

Cain as a tiller of the soil. The second offering was the sacrifice of the

firstborn of the flock of Abel. Both types of offerings were commanded by

the Lord in the Old Testament (see Numbers 18:13-17).

It is not our purpose to enter a discussion on why one offering was accepted

and the other was not. For the purpose of this study, it is important that we

notice several details. Notice, how Abel brought the firstborn of his flock as

an offering. Notice also that he offered the fat portions to the Lord. It would

not be until later, under the leadership of Moses, that the offering of the

firstborn of the flock would become an established regulation (see Exodus

13:1). It was in commemoration of the fact that God spared the firstborn of

the families of Israel when they left Egypt. This was not something Abel

understood but practiced, nonetheless. Also, the fact that he offered the fat

portions to the Lord is significant. God would put this in writing later in the

time of Moses but somehow Abel understood this to be the requirement of

God even before it was regulated by Moses (Exodus 29:13).

What we see here are the sons of Adam bringing their own offerings to the

Lord. In the case of Abel, we see him sacrificing the offering and bringing

the fat portions to the Lord. While Cain’s offering was rejected, there is

good evidence that this had nothing to do with his offering but the attitude

and way he brought it. In this time, before the Law of Moses, it appears that

individuals would offer their own burnt offerings or thanksgiving offerings

to the Lord.

Noah

In Genesis 8 we read of the judgement of God on the earth in the form of a

flood. Noah and his family alone were saved from this worldwide

devastation because God told them to build an ark and to seek shelter there.

When the waters subsided and the family was finally able to leave the ark

and walk on dry ground, Noah gathered his family before him and on their

behalf offered a great sacrifice to the Lord.

18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives

with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird,

everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the

ark. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every

clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt

offerings on the altar. (Genesis 8)

Noah acted as a priest on behalf of his family. He had a sense of what

animals were clean and acceptable to God and offered them on an alter as a

burnt offering for forgiveness and the blessing of God on his family. God

was pleased with Noah’s offering and promised His blessing by committing

to never again destroy the earth with a flood.

After Noah, we have no record of individuals like Cain and Abel offering

sacrifices. We see, however, numerous occurrences of the head of the

family taking on this responsibility for his family.

Abraham

Genesis 12 tells the story of how God called Abram out of the region of Ur

and promised to make him a great nation. In obedience to the command of

the Lord, Abram took his family and left his home in Ur to follow the

leading of the Lord. As he travelled, he arrived in the region of Shechem.

There in Shechem the Lord spoke to Abram:

7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I

will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had

appeared to him. (Genesis 12)

Abram’s response to the Lord was to build Him an altar.

From Shechem, Abram moved toward the region of Bethel and appeared to

settle for a time. Notice what he does when he arrived in Bethel.

8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and

pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And

there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the

Lord. (Genesis 12)

In both Shechem and in Bethel, Abram built an altar to the Lord. The altar

was used for sacrifices and offerings. As the head of the family, he saw it as

his responsibility to build these altars and to bring the necessary sacrifices

to God on behalf of His family. Abram appears to act as a priest for his

family.

It seems that wherever Abram moved, he would build an altar. We read in

Genesis 13:

18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of

Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the

LORD. (Genesis 13)

As time when by, the promise of God to make of his descendants a great

nation seemed more and more impossible in the eyes of Abram. On one

occasion, he asked God about this promise. God showed Abram the stars of

the sky and told him that his descendants would be numerous like those

stars. Abram believed the words of God but wanted some sort of sign from

God as a guarantee of His promise. In response, God asked Abram to bring

Him an offering:

8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess

it?” 9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female

goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a

young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half,

and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the

birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the

carcasses, Abram drove them away. (Genesis 15)

Abram was told to sacrifice a heifer, a goat, a ram, a turtledove, and a

young pigeon, cut them in half and lay them side by side. God would walk

through these corpses saying something like this: “If I do not fulfil my

promise to you, may I be like these animals that lay dead on the ground.”

Through this great sacrifice, Abram is confirmed in the promise of God for

His family.

Abram, whose name was changed to Abraham by God was well

accustomed to bringing sacrifices to God on behalf of his family. This

becomes very evident when God called him in Genesis 22 to offer his son

on an altar. In obedience to God, Abram took Isaac, his son, and left early in

the morning for a mountain in the region of Moriah (Genesis 22:1-2).

We are not told how old Abraham’s son Isaac was at that time, but he was

old enough to walk, carry wood and understand what was happening. As

they were walking up the mountain to make the sacrifice, Isaac questioned

his father:

7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said,

“here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but

where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (Genesis 22)

This question of Isaac to his father gives us insight into the life of the

family. Isaac was aware of the procedure even as a young child. He speaks

here about a burnt offering and the need of a lamb. It is obvious from this

those regular sacrifices took place at his home. He had seen his father

perform these sacrifices and knew what to expect. From this is it quite clear

that Abraham acted as a priest for the entire family.

Evidence of Abraham acting as priest is further seen in Genesis 17 when

God commanded that all males of his family be circumcised.

23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his

house or bought with his money, every male among the men of

Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins

that very day, as God had said to him. (Genesis 17)

Notice that this verse is quite specific. Abraham circumcised Ishmael, every

son born in his house and all his male servants. When his son Isaac was

born Genesis 21:4 tells us that Abraham circumcised him also. Abraham

took this spiritual responsibility on himself as God’s priestly representative

for his family.

As priest, Abraham would also cry out to God on behalf of his family. We

have an example of this in Genesis 18 where God reveals to him that he was

going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Knowing that his nephew Lot and

his family was in this city, Abraham petitions God to save the city for Lot’s

sake. While the city was ultimately destroyed, Lot and his two daughters

were rescued due to Abraham’s petition. Abraham felt a God-given burden

to intercede for his family and cry out for God’s favour on their lives.

Isaac

When Abraham’s son Isaac grew up and had his own family, he would

carry on the priestly tradition. When God met him in the region of

Beersheba, he too would build and altar there to sacrifice and worship:

23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared

to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your

father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply

your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an

altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his

tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well. (Genesis 26)

Not only did Isaac offer sacrifices to the Lord but we have a record in

Genesis 27 of him blessing his children. This act of blessing was one

carried out by a priest, who would call on the favour of God for his people.

Jacob

Isaac’s son Jacob wrestled with God on behalf of his family. Genesis 32

records the story of how he fought with and angel and refused to let him go

until he had blessed him and his family. His wrestling was long and hard,

but he longed to see the blessing and protection of God on his family, and

he was willing to risk all to obtain this blessing for them.

Genesis 33:18-20 records how Jacob arrived in the city of Shechem and

there he erected and altar to the Lord. Again, we see that as the head of his

household it was his priestly duty to assure that sacrifices were made on

their behalf.

When Jacob moved to Bethel in Genesis 35, he would build an altar at the

command of the Lord.

1 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make

an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from

your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who

were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and

purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and

go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who

answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever

I have gone.” (Genesis 35)

Notice that the command to build an altar came from God to Jacob. He was

the priest for his family and so God spoke to Him. As priest and spiritual

head of the family, Jacob called on his household to put away all foreign

gods and purify themselves. There is Bethel he would perform the sacrifices

necessary for his family.

In Genesis 48 and 49 Jacob would also offer his blessings and prophetic

words to each of his children before he died. He spoke to them the words of

God and brought them the blessings and warning of God. This too was his

priestly role as head of the family.

Let me give one more example before we conclude. While there are some

questions regarding the date of the book of Job, there are some interesting

similarities here with the book of Genesis. Job is described as a righteous

man who loved the Lord. His children, however, did not share his heart.

This concerned Job very much and in response he would personally offer

sacrifices to God on their behalf:

4 His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on

his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and

drink with them. 5 And when the days of the feast had run their

course, Job would send and consecrate them, and he would rise

early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the

number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my children have

sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

(Job 1)

Notice again what is happening here. Job acts as priest for his family. He

was concerned about the possibility that in their festivities they would sin or

curse God in their hearts. He felt obligated as a result to rise early in the

morning and offer burnt offerings for each of them, imploring the

forgiveness of God on their behalf. Clearly Job saw himself as a priest for

his family and like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sought the favour and

forgiveness of God for each of his children.

What we see from the book of Genesis and Job is that initially the family

head would act as priest for his family. He would set up an altar and bring

the necessary offerings and sacrifices to God on their behalf. He would

implore the favour of God and pronounce His blessing on the family.

For Consideration:

Why was a priest necessary?

Did those who acted in the role of priest in Genesis have any special

qualifications for their role?

What do we learn in this chapter about the important spiritual role of the

head of the family? What were his obligations?

How do you function as priest over your family?

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord that He did not leave us in our sin but provided a means

whereby we could be restored to fellowship with Him.

Ask the Lord to give you a deeper sense of your obligation as a priest for

your family.

Thank the Lord that He was willing to use even simple people to represent

him before their families. Ask Him to help you to be a faithful

representative.

2- THE PRIESTHOOD OF

MOSES IN THE WILDERNESS

t appears from the books of Genesis and Job that the role of priest was

exercised by the head of the family. This practice would change as the

nation of Israel continued to grow. By the time they left their bondage

in Egypt there were over 600,000 men and an unnumbered women and

children:

37 And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth,

about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and

children. (Exodus 12)

Remember that Pharaoh had tried to kill all the male children of Israel. We

could assume therefore, that there was an even greater number of women

leaving Egypt. If, however, there were the same number of women to men

and only two children for every family, we could safely assume that about

2.5 million people left Egypt under the leadership of Moses.

Israel was no longer a small family but a growing nation. God called Moses

not only to deliver His people from bondage but to lead them to a land of

their own and establish them as a nation under God. The establishment of

Israel as a nation required clear guidelines and regulations.

Those guidelines were established under the leadership of Moses. Through

Moses, God would lay out His requirements for Israel as a nation. Those

requirements involved special days and celebrations to remember the

goodness of God and His deliverance. The Passover, for example, was to be

celebrated every year in remembrance of how the angel passed over every

home in Israel whose doorposts were marked with the blood. The law

regarding God’s ownership of the firstborn offspring of every child or

animal, was also in remembrance of how God spared Israelite children

while killing the firstborn of every family in Egypt.

In those early days in the wilderness, Moses seems to act as a priest for the

nation. He would hear from God and communicate His words to the people.

He would seek the Lord on behalf of the people and their needs:

We have a record in Exodus 17 of a great battle with the Amalekites.

Joshua, Israel’s military commander, engaged these enemies in battle, but

Moses went up to the top of a hill and held his staff high in the air. Listen to

what happened that day:

11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and

whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’

hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he

sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side,

and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the

going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his

people with the sword. (Exodus 17)

Moses is the person who stood between God and the people. As he held up

his rod, the people were victorious but when it fell down the enemy began

to win. The outcome of the battle was from the Lord, but it required the

effort of Moses holding up His hands to the heavens. Moses’ role as priest

was vital for the people of God to win the battle.

It was not long before the task of being priest over a whole nation became

too much for Moses to handle. His father-in-law perceived this when he

saw Moses spending the entire day counselling the people in the ways of

the Lord. Jethro suggested that Moses find able men who could help him to

minister to the people, leaving the more difficult cases to him.

21 Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear

God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men

over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of

tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Every great

matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall

decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the

burden with you. 23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be

able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in

peace.” (Exodus 18)

Moses would follow the advice of his father-in-law and appoint men to help

him judge and counsel the people in the will of the Lord. This set Moses

free to hear from the Lord about His greater purpose for the nation of Israel.

Through Moses, God would unfold His plans for the nation. He instructed

Moses in the religious ceremonies that were to be practiced in Israel as well

as in the behaviour He expected of His people. The regulations God gave

Moses in those days covered all aspects of life – what they could eat, their

social responsibilities and the punishments to be handed out to those who

disregarded God’s ways. As a priest, Moses instructed his people in the

ways of the Lord and made sure that God’s instructions were being

followed in the nation of Israel.

Moses’ role as priest also required interceding for Israel before God. The

people did not always follow the ways of God. There were times when they

would anger Him to a point where He threatened to destroy them as a

nation. We have such a case in Exodus 32 when the people asked Aaron to

make a god for them. In response, Aaron fashioned a golden calf in the fire

and set it up for the people to worship. Listen to the response of God to this

in Exodus 32:

7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom

you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.

8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded

them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have

worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O

Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” 9 And the

Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a

stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath

may burn hot against them, and I may consume them, in order that I

may make a great nation of you.” (Exodus 32)

Notice how God’s anger was such that He considered destroying the nation

and raising up another through Moses. The response of Moses is

significant:

11 But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why

does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have

brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty

hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he

bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them

from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and

relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember

Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by

your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as

the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give

to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 And the Lord

relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his

people. (Exodus 32)

Moses pleaded with God on behalf of the people, begging Him to forgive

and not exercise the judgement His people deserved. He implored Him for

mercy and compassion. God heard the prayer of Moses relented.

In Exodus 33 God told Moses that He would send His people to the land He

had promised their fathers but His personal presence would not go with

them lest He consume them on the way because of their evil. Both Moses

and the people grieved over the fact that the presence of the Lord would not

be with them and so Moses again pleaded with the Lord on behalf of the

people.

12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this

people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me.

Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found

favour in my sight.’ 13 Now therefore, if I have found favour in your

sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order

to find favour in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your

people.” 14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will

give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go

with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known

that I have found favour in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in

your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from

every other people on the face of the earth?” 17 And the Lord said

to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you

have found favour in my sight, and I know you by name.”

Because of the prayer of Moses for the people, God again relented and

promised that His presence would go with the people on their way to the

Promised Land.

What is clear from the book of Exodus is that at the beginning of their

wilderness wandering, Moses had a very special role a national priest. He

exercised this role by counselling and judging cases between individuals. In

each case, he would seek the will of the Lord and counsel people

accordingly.

As priest, Moses would hear from God and communicate that message to

the people. Moses would oversee the religious celebrations God had

instituted. He made sure that the sacrifices and offerings made to God were

performed according to the regulations God had given Him.

Moses also saw it as his priestly obligation to intercede for the people in

their sin and rebellion. He did what He could to counsel and teach the

people of God but when they sinned, Moses would cry out to God for

mercy on their behalf. He stood between God and the people as an

intercessor pleading their case.

The time in the wilderness was a period of transition for the people of God.

During the initial period of this wandering, it appears that Moses takes the

lead as spiritual advisor and priest for the people. He stands between God

and the people, communicating the will of God, interceding for them in

their sin and guiding them into the will of God for their lives.

After a period of four hundred years in Egypt, it is uncertain as to how

much the people of Israel understood of God’s purpose for their lives. It is

unclear if the heads of the families had exercised their role as spiritual priest

over their family units during this time in Egypt. Moses led the people into

the truth of God and His purpose for their lives, transitioning them into a

new phase of their life as a nation and in their experience with God.

For Consideration

Moses spent entire days counselling and seeking the will of the Lord for

individuals. His counselling, however, had to do with seeking God’s

purpose and not sharing his own ideas. How easy is it to share our own

ideas with people and not really seek the will of God for them?

There were times when the life of the nation hung in the balance and the

only thing that would save them was the prayers and intercession of Moses.

How important was praying and interceding for Moses as priest? How

important is it for us today?

After 400 years in the bondage of Egypt, it is unclear how much the people

of God understood the will of God and His purpose for their lives. How

important was the teaching side of Moses’ priestly ministry?

We have seen that the priestly ministry of Moses involved counselling,

intercession, and teaching. Look at your church today. Are any of these

aspects missing?

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to give you a heart to intercede for those around you who are

not walking with the Lord.

Ask the Lord to give us men and women in our churches today whose

desire it is to teach God’s ways and communicate God’s heart and not their

own ideas.

Take a moment to thank the Lord for those who have had a spiritual impact

on your life and who have held you up before God in times of deep distress

and pain.

Pray for those who are in spiritual leadership over you. Ask that Lord to

give them a heart for the people to whom God has called them. Ask Him to

reveal to them the significance of the ministry He has called them to.

3 - THE LEVITES

he exodus from Egypt was a significant event for the people of

God. It is interesting to note that as they prepared to leave, the

Lord God commanded that each family sacrifice a lamb and paint

its blood on the doorposts of their homes in Egypt. When the angel of God

passed over their homes and saw the blood of the lamb, he would spare

their firstborn son. The angel of the Lord would, however, kill the firstborn

child in any house that did not have this blood painted on its doorposts. God

gave specific instructions for the sacrificing of this lamb to the heads of the

households:

3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this

month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’

houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small

for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbour shall take according

to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall

make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish,

a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,

6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when

the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their

lambs at twilight. (Exodus 12)

Prior to leaving the nation of Egypt, the head of the household was to act as

priest for his family by making this sacrifice.

The death of the firstborn sons in the families of Egypt was the final plague

that God uses to set the Israelites free from slavery. Pharaoh chose to let the

people go after this event. The incident was significant also for another

reason. Because God spared the firstborn of Israel, when the family heads

painted the blood of the lamb on their doorposts, He required that every

firstborn of Israel be consecrated to Him from that point forward in

remembrance of this event.

1 The LORD said to Moses, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn.

Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel,

both of man and of beast is mine.” (Exodus 13)

The Lord would go on to explain this consecration of the firstborn to His

people:

11 “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he

swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall

set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn

of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s. 13 Every

firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will

not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among

your sons you shall redeem. 14 And when in time to come your son

asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong

hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.

(Exodus 13)

Notice what Exodus 13 tells us. All firstborn male animals belonged to the

Lord. If the animal was an unclean animal, the people were to buy it back

from the Lord. If the firstborn was a donkey for example (an unclean

animal) and they were unwilling to buy it back from the Lord, then they

were to kill the donkey. If the firstborn was a clean animal such as a sheep,

it would be sacrificed to the Lord. It was not theirs to keep.

Regarding the firstborn male children, listen to the requirement of the Lord:

15 Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or

beast, which they offer to the Lord, shall be yours. Nevertheless, the

firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean

animals you shall redeem. 16 And their redemption price (at a

month old you shall redeem them) you shall fix at five shekels in

silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty

girahs. (Numbers 18)

The cost to buy back a firstborn son was five shekels of silver. When they

arrived in the land of Canaan, this would be paid to the priests and the

money used in the work of the tabernacle.

As the nation grew, the practices of their faith became more structured, God

commanded that a tabernacle be built as a central place of worship. He then

chose one of the families of Israel to be His servants in the work of the

tabernacle in the place of the firstborn of Israel:

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Behold, I have taken

the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every

firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The

Levites shall be mine, 13 for all the firstborn are mine. On the day

that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I

consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both of man and

of beast. They shall be mine: I am the Lord.” (Numbers 3)

While the obligation to redeem every firstborn child remained, the tribe of

Levi was chosen to represent the firstborn of every family in Israel by

serving the Lord full time. We read in Numbers 3 what the general

responsibilities of these Levites would be:

6 “Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest,

that they may minister to him. 7 They shall keep guard over him and

over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they

minister at the tabernacle. 8 They shall guard all the furnishings of

the tent of meeting, and keep guard over the people of Israel as they

minister at the tabernacle. 9 And you shall give the Levites to Aaron

and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of

Israel. (Numbers 3)

The Levites were involved the care of the tabernacle and its furnishings and

assisting the priests in their various duties. We will examine the priesthood

in the next chapter. For now, our focus in on this tribe of Levi whose role

was to assist in the work of the newly constructed tabernacle. Levi had

three sons: Gershon, Kohath and Merari (Numbers 3:17). Each of these

sons and their descendants would be given a task in the ongoing work of the

tabernacle.

The sons of Gershon, (the Gershonites) were given the responsibility of

caring for the covering of the tabernacle, the doors, and the hangings in the

courtyard (Numbers 3:25-26). The sons of Kohath (the Kohathites) were to

care for the ark of the covenant, the table, lampstand, and other temple

furnishings. Finally, the sons of Merari were to care for the frames, bars,

and pillars of the tabernacle. As the people of God moved from place to

place in the wilderness, after their escape from Egypt, these Levites would

carry the tabernacle and its furnishings. When the people camped, these

Levites would setup the tabernacle according to the instructions of God so

that the people had a place of worship.

The Levites were much more than caretakers, however. They also had a

variety of other tasks to perform in the service of God. 1 Chronicles 23

gives us a better idea of the various responsibilities of the Levites:

27 For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered

from twenty years old and upward. 28 For their duty was to assist

the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, having the

care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy,

and any work for the service of the house of God. 29 Their duty was

also to assist with the showbread, the flour for the grain offering,

the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering

mixed with oil, and all measures of quantity or size. 30 And they

were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and

likewise at evening, 31 and whenever burnt offerings were offered to

the Lord on Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days, according to the

number required of them, regularly before the Lord. 32 Thus they

were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to

attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house

of the Lord. (1 Chronicles 23)

According to this passage the Levites would cleanse the holy articles and

prepare them for use by the priests. They would assist the priest with the

offerings. They led in worship of the Lord in the various celebrations that

took place in the life of Israel. 1 Chronicles 9:26 tells us that they were also

in charge of the offerings and treasury of the tabernacle and would manage

this on behalf of the people. We also have records of the Levites being

involved in the teaching of the Law of God (see 2 Chronicles 17:8-9 and

Nehemiah 8:7-13). In many ways, the role of Levite could be comparable to

the role of deacon or elder in the church of our day.

As Israel grew, so did her spiritual needs. The need to teach and counsel the

people of God grew. There were more sacrifices to be offered and more

offerings to manage. God provided the Levites to help in this important

role. Under the leadership of Moses in the wilderness, the faith of Israel

became more structured. A place of worship was constructed. This

tabernacle would move with them wherever they went. The descendants of

Levi (the Levites) cared for the tabernacle and its various articles. While the

obligation of the head of the home to be a spiritual leader for his family

continued, there was also developing in Israel a national faith with spiritual

leaders and a central place of worship. The Levites played a vital role in the

maintenance and ministry of this central place of worship.

For Consideration:

Who were the Levites?

What was the role of the Levite in the spiritual life of Israel?

Why was it necessary for an entire family line to be set apart for the service

and worship of God?

How does the establishment of a Levitical role change the religious life of

the people of God in those days?

Compare the role of the Levite to the role of a deacon or elder in the church

today? What are the similarities?

The Levites were servants who often assisted in ordinary and common

tasks. Their role, however, was very important. How willing are we to

recognize those in our church who exercise these ordinary and unnoticed

duties?

For Prayer:

Take a moment to thank the Lord for men and women who act as servants

to facilitate the worship of God in your church.

The role of Levite was often a “behind the scenes” role. Ask God to make

you to be a servant who willing serves if you are noticed or not.

Ask the Lord to show you if there is a role, He would have you play in the

worship and service of the body of Christ.

The change from a family centred faith to one of a more centralised faith

would not be an easy adjustment for everyone. Have there been changes in

your church or life that have been difficult to understand or adjust to? Ask

the Lord to give you grace to be willing to move as He moves. Ask Him to

give you a heart that is willing to change when He calls for change.

4 - THE AARONIC

PRIESTHOOD ESTABLISHED

e saw in the previous chapter how the Lord chose a family

from among the people of Israel to represent Him on behalf of

the nation of Israel. The male descendants of Levi were to be

set apart for the service of God.

It should be noted that up to this point there was no central place of

worship. The people of God worshipped in family units with the head of the

family acting as priest on their behalf. As the people of Israel left the land

of Egypt, the Lord instructed Moses to build a tent or tabernacle where the

worship of God would take place (see Exodus 26). As we saw in the last

chapter, the Levites played an important role in caring for this tabernacle.

God also chose another family to act as priests for the nation. Speaking to

Moses in Exodus 28, God said:

1 Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him,

from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and

Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. (Exodus 28)

Aaron and his sons were set apart by God to act as priests for the nation.

Their descendants alone would carry this honour as priests of Israel.

This position of priest was elevated by God. The people of Israel were to

respect the descendants of Aaron as their spiritual leaders. To distinguish

this family from everyone else, God commanded Moses to make special

clothing for them to wear:

2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for

glory and for beauty. (Exodus 28)

These clothes identified them as priests of God, called to serve and minister

to the spiritual needs of the nation. When people saw them in these clothes,

they would remember to honour them as God’s chosen instruments.

In the breast piece that Aaron wore were two stones called the Urim and

Thummim. It is unclear as to how these stones were used, but they were

used in the judgement of the people of God. God chose to use these stones

to communicate His will for the people through the priest.

30 And in the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and

the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart, when he goes in

before the LORD. Thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the people

of Israel on his heart before the LORD regularly. (Exodus 28)

God chose to communicate His specific will for the people through these

two stones worn by the priest. As such, the priest would be equipped to

speak on God’s behalf in the various situations that occurred in Israel.

Aaron and his sons were set apart in an elaborate ceremony of ordination

involving many sacrifices and offerings (see Exodus 29). By this means

Aaron and his sons were separated from all the other people in Israel to be

spiritual leaders. From generation to generation, they would minister in

God’s name to the people of Israel (see Exodus 40:15). No other family was

permitted to serve as priests.

This special calling on the descendants of Aaron was not accepted by

everyone. In Numbers 16 we have the record of a rebellion against God’s

choice. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram gathered 250 chiefs from the people of

God and approached Moses to speak with him about this matter. Listen to

what they had to say to Moses and Aaron in Numbers 16:3:

3 They assembled themselves together against Moses and against

Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the

congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among

them. Why do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the

LORD? (Numbers 16)

Prior to this time, the heads of the family units were appointed to act as

priests for their families. Korah and his followers didn’t see why they had to

have Aaron as their priest nor why he should be elevated above them. They

rebelled against the idea of a centralised priesthood.

It should be remembered here that Korah was a Levite. As such, his own

family had been chosen out of the nation of Israel to serve at the tabernacle.

He still resented, however, the fact that Aaron’s descendants were given the

role of priests. Moses spoke to this issue in Numbers 16 when he replied to

Korah:

8 And Moses said to Korah, “Hear now, you sons of Levi: 9 is it too

small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from

the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do

service in the tabernacle of the LORD and to stand before the

congregation to minister to them, 10 and that he has brought you

near him, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And

would you seek the priesthood also? (Numbers 16)

Moses saw the jealousy of these Levites as they watched Aaron and his

sons be elevated above them. They loved the fact that they had been chosen

from all others to be servants in the tabernacle but resented the fact that

God had called someone else to an even higher position.

To confirm His call on the family of Aaron, God gave a word to Moses for

Korah and his followers:

28 And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the LORD has sent

me to do all these works and that it has not been of my own accord.

29 If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of

all mankind, then the LORD has not sent me. 30 But if the LORD

creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and

swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down

alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised

the LORD. (Numbers 16)

Numbers 16:31 tells us that as soon as Moses had finished speaking, the

ground spilt apart and swallowed the families of Korah with all their

belongings, confirming that God had chosen Aaron’s descendants to be

priests over them.

Despite this clear sign from God, the people still resisted the Lord and

grumbled against Moses and Aaron, God’s chosen priest. The Lord sent a

plague against them. Only when Aaron took his censor and walked with it

through the congregation of offenders was this plague stopped. Before it

was stopped, however, 14,700 people were killed (see Numbers 16:47-50).

This transition to a centralised priesthood did not come easy. There were

many lives lost as people grumbled and complained, but it was clearly the

will of the Lord to establish a priesthood who would act on behalf of the

people as a nation.

The descendants of Aaron were given a special role in the religious life of

the people of God. They were given responsibilities before God that even

the Levites could not perform. This is evident in Numbers 18:

2 And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe

of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you

and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3 They

shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not

come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they

and you, die. (Numbers 18)

It is clear from this that while the Levites cared for the tabernacle and the

transportation of its furnishings from place to place, they were not

permitted to minister on behalf of the people in ceremonies involving the

use of the vessels. To do so would mean death for the Levites and possibly

even the priests who permitted it.

What we see here is that as the faith of Israel developed, it became more

and more centralised. With the establishment of the Aaronic priesthood, the

sacrifices and ceremonies are being handed over to a specific group of men

who would minister in the tabernacle. It was a sin punishable by death for

anyone else to approach the altar to make a sacrifice or use the oil or

incense set apart for God and His worship (see Exodus 30:37-38).

The intention of the centralisation of Israel’s faith and religious practice was

that as the nation grew and spread out, its integrity and purity would be

maintained. With over 2.5 million people in the nation, it would be very

easy for them to lose focus and wander off into false practices. Remember

that many of these former Israelite slaves very likely could not read, nor

was there any Scriptures to guide them in the practice of their faith. God

was only now beginning to reveal to Moses His purposes for Israel’s faith.

While Moses would write down what the Lord was showing him, these

writings would not have been available to the average person. The families

of Israel did not have copies of the law in their homes. They were

dependant on the instructions they received from Moses, the priests, and the

Levites. It was the obligation of these priests and Levites to assure that faith

was practiced as God intended.

For Consideration:

What was the difference between a priest and a Levite? How was it

determined who would be a Levite and who would be a priest?

How were the priests set apart from everyone else in Israel? Have we lost

some of the respect due to our religious leaders today?

Was the transition to a more centralised worship easy for Israel? Give an

example.

What were the benefits of having the faith of Israel centred around the

tabernacle with priests who alone could minister to the spiritual needs of the

nation?

Consider the jealousy of Korah and his followers. Do you ever experience

this jealousy when God chooses to use someone else besides yourself to

accomplish His purpose?

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord for those He has chosen to be your spiritual leaders. Take a

moment to commit them to Him.

Ask God to give you grace to not grumble but to respect those He has put in

authority over you. Ask forgiveness for times when you have spoken evil of

them.

Ask the Lord to help you to accept the changes that come your way,

especially as it relates to your church. Pray that these changes would be for

His glory alone.

5 - THE RESPONSIBILITY OF

THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD

n the last chapter, we saw that the Lord called for a priesthood to be

established from the family of Aaron. Before proceeding further in

this study, I would like to take a moment to consider the

responsibilities of the priests as defined by God to Moses.

We have seen the responsibilities of the Levites as assistants to the priests.

While the Levites were priests of a sort, the descendants of Aaron had some

very particular responsibilities.

Sacrifices

One of the first obvious responsibilities of the priests was to offer sacrifices

to God on behalf of the people. It is not our purpose in this study to at the

various types of sacrifices offered. Suffice it to say that the priests offered

sacrifices of thanksgiving as well as sacrifices for the forgiveness of sin. It

was the duty of the priest to bring these sacrifices to the Lord:

12 The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go

out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall

arrange the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the

peace offerings, 13 Fire shall be kept burning on the altar

continually; it shall not go out. (Leviticus 6)

God gave very specific instructions to the priests about the procedure

involved in the sacrifice of these animals (see Leviticus 1). They were to be

careful to follow these instructions.

Offerings

Another important aspect of the priest’s duties involved receiving the

offerings of God’s people. We see this clearly from Leviticus 2:1-3:

1 “When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord,

his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put

frankincense on it 2 and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. And he

shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its

frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion

on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 3 But

the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a

most holy part of the Lord’s food offerings.

Offerings were brought to the tabernacle and given to the priest who would

bring them to God on behalf of the individual concerned. Notice also that a

portion of the offering brought to the Lord was given to the priest (Exodus

29:26; Leviticus 7:31-32). It was by this means the priests were paid for

their service on behalf of the people.

Purification

We learn also from Leviticus 13 and 14 that the priests were also involved

in the purification of the people from uncleanness and impurities that

defiled them before God. We have in Leviticus 13 a set of rules established

by God for the diagnosing and treatment of leprous conditions of the skin.

The priest was to examine the sores on the skin of those affected. If they

exhibited certain signs they were to be separated for a time from the rest of

the people. If the condition improved, the priest was to declare them pure

through a ceremony of purification (see Leviticus 14:1-32).

The priest not only examined skin conditions and declared individuals

either pure or impure he was also to do the same for houses or clothes when

a form of mould was growing on them (Leviticus 14:33-57). This role

guaranteed the health of the nation. It also made sure that no physical

defilements separated God’s people from their Creator.

Overseeing and Handling the Holy Things

Another responsibility of the priests was to oversee the holy things of God.

This involved the oil, incense, offerings, and vessels used in the service of

the Lord.

16 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of the

oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering and

the anointing oil, with the oversight of the whole tabernacle and all

that is in it, of the sanctuary and its vessels. (Numbers 4)

While in some cases, the priests were assisted by the Levites, it was the

priests who gave oversight and handled the sacred articles used for the

worship of God.

Social Justice

The priests also were involved in judging cases between believers. In

Numbers 5:11-31, for example, we have the case of a man suspecting his

wife of adultery. The priest was to settle this matter. The priests were also to

be involved in judging cases of murder or theft. Deuteronomy 17:8-10 gives

us an example of a man charged with murder coming before the priests for

judgement:

8 “If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of

homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one

kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too

difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the

Lord your God will choose. 9 And you shall come to the Levitical

priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall

consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision. 10 Then

you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place

that the Lord will choose. And you shall be careful to do according

to all that they direct you. (Deuteronomy 17)

Teaching

A very important role of the priest was to teach the people the ways of God.

Listen to the command of Moses to Aaron in Leviticus 10:

8 And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 “Drink no wine or strong

drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of

meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your

generations. 10 You are to distinguish between the holy and the

common, and between the unclean and the clean, 11 and you are to

teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to

them by Moses.”

Notice here that Moses commands Aaron to teach the people the difference

between what was holy and common; clean and unclean. The priest was to

teach the people of Israel “all the statutes the Lord has spoken to them by

Moses” (Leviticus 10:11). The priests were to be teachers of the Law of

God.

Counselling and Encouraging the People

Deuteronomy 20:2-4 gives us further insight into the duty of the priest:

2 And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come

forward and speak to the people 3 and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O

Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies:

let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them,

4 for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you

against your enemies, to give you the victory.’ (Deuteronomy 20)

In times of crisis such as a battle, the priest was to be present to encourage

the people and to remind them of the presence of the Lord going before

them. The priest was to stand before the people and give them courage to

face these challenges in the strength of the Lord.

The role of the priest was to represent God to the people. This was done

through offering sacrifices, receiving offerings, judging, teaching,

encouraging, and purifying the people so that they could be right with God

and enjoy the fullness of His blessing. This was a very important role in

Israel, as the health of the nation depended on the work of the priests on

their behalf.

The role of priest was to be exercised by Aaron and his descendants only.

Anyone outside this family line who chose to exercise the priest’s functions

was to be put to death:

10 And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard

their priesthood. But if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to

death. (Numbers 3).

Those who were legitimate priests in the line of Aaron were to take their

role seriously. They were to be careful to exercise their functions exactly as

God required and as revealed to them by Moses. Any disrespect shown to

God in this matter was punishable by death. We have an example of this in

Leviticus 10:

1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer

and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire

before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire

came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died

before the Lord. (Leviticus 10)

We see here that Aaron’s sons offered incense that was not commanded by

God through Moses. The anger of the Lord fell upon them, and they died

because they had chosen to do things their own way and not according to

the standards God had laid out. This was a clear revelation to the remaining

priests of the seriousness of walking in absolute obedience to the Lord in

their service.

The High Priest

We have seen so far that there were two groups of priests. The Levites were

from the tribe of Levi and assisted the priests who were from the family of

Aaron. Among the priests, however, God chose one man to be known as the

High Priest. He was dressed differently from the other priests, wearing a

special breastplate with the names of the children of Israel carved on twelve

stones. He also carried in his robe two stones known as the Urim and

Thummim by which he could discern the will of the Lord. The High Priest

alone could enter the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle once a year to offer

sacrifices for the nation. The writer to the Hebrews speaks of this when he

says:

6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go

regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7 but

into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year,

and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the

unintentional sins of the people. (Hebrews 9)

The High Priest oversaw the work of the priests and had special obligations

before God on behalf of the nation. He alone was given this privilege to

enter the Most Holy Place.

As the people of God sat at the foot of Mount Sinai on their way to the

Promised Land, God revealed His purpose to them for the priesthood. He

had chosen a family of priests who would act on behalf of the families of

Israel for their spiritual wellbeing. It was to these individuals alone that God

had given the task of administering the affairs of the tabernacle. There were

strict punishments for those who dared to exercise these functions without

God’s authority.

It is quite clear from this that the function of priest now rested in the hands

of a select few, chosen by God for this task. These priests alone would

handle and oversee the sacred things of God.

For Consideration:

What aspects of the role of priest are similar to the role of pastor today?

What aspects of the priest’s role are different from the pastor’s role today?

Why was it important for the Lord to centre religious duties and obligations

around the priest? How would this guard the integrity and purity of the

faith?

How serious a matter was it to disregard the procedures laid out by God

through Moses? How important is it to maintain the purpose of God in our

worship today? Are there examples of churches wandering from the

purpose of God?

For Prayer:

Ask God to give you a respect for the spiritual leadership He has placed

over you?

Take a moment to pray that your spiritual leaders would be faithful to do

things God’s way and to teach only the truth He has revealed clearly in His

Word.

Ask God to show you the role He has for you in His kingdom.

6 - THE PRIESTHOOD IN THE

WILDERNESS

rom the time of the establishment of the priesthood until Israel’s

entrance into the land of Canaan, there were two high priests. Let’s

take a moment to consider these two men and their contribution to

the spiritual life of Israel in the wilderness.

Aaron

Aaron was the first high priest. He was the brother of Moses. His role was

contested by Korah in Numbers 16. God punished Korah and his followers

for refusing to accept Aaron as His choice for priest by allowing the earth to

open and swallow them alive (Numbers 16:29-30).

As if the death of Korah and his followers was not enough, Numbers 17

recounts the story of how God confirmed Aaron as priest calling for the

chiefs of all the tribes of Israel to bring a staff to Moses. These staffs were

marked with the names of each chief and placed in the tabernacle. When the

people went to the tabernacle the next day, Aaron’s rod had produced

blossoms and bore ripe almonds. This miraculous event proved once again

that God had chosen Aaron and his family to represent them as priests.

As High Priest, Aaron had the privilege of going up the mountain with

Moses into the presence of God. Speaking to Moses God said:

24 And the LORD said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing

Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break

through to come up to the LORD, lest he break out against them.”

(Exodus 19)

Notice that while the other priests were not permitted on the mountain lest

they die, only Aaron, as the High Priest was given this wonderful privilege.

On another occasion, the Lord gave Aaron and his sons the privilege of

seeing His presence from a distance on the mountain of Sinai:

9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the

elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There

was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the

very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the

chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and

drank (Exodus 24)

As high priest, Aaron had these privileges of meeting with the Lord in a

special way.

In the absence of Moses, Aaron would take on the role of leader and judge

of the people. Speaking to the people of Israel before he went up into the

mountain to be with the Lord God, Moses said:

14 … “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron

and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.

(Exodus 24)

Of course, the judgement of Aaron was not always wise. We read in Exodus

32 how the people grumbled because Moses was so long on the mountain.

They petitioned Aaron as their spiritual leader to make them a god they

could see. Aaron submitted to their plea and made a golden calf for them to

worship.

Aaron also had difficulty with his own sons. Leviticus 10 recounts the story

of how his two sons Nadab and Abihu were exercising their priestly duties

when they decided to offer “unauthorized fire” before the Lord. Their

disregard for the command of the Lord and their disrespect for His ways

brought the fire of God’s judgement upon them and they died. As you can

imagine this would have been a very difficult blow for Aaron as high priest

and father of these two boys.

Aaron is portrayed as a man who interceded for his people. When his sister

Miriam was struck with leprosy for her opposition to Moses, Aaron pleaded

with God for her restoration. God listened to their prayer and their sister

was restored to health (Numbers 12).

When the congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in

Numbers 16 the Lord sent a plague to consume them. Moses told Aaron to

take his censor and move out among the people to appease the wrath of

God. Aaron did so and as Aaron pleaded with God for the forgiveness of

the people, the Lord heard his prayer and stopped the plague. That day

14,700 people died. We can only imagine how many more would have

perished had it not been for the intercession of Aaron on their behalf as high

priest.

According to Exodus 16:34 it was Aaron who placed a jar of manna in the

ark of the covenant for safekeeping and remembrance of the provision of

God in the wilderness. Only Aaron as high priest would have been given

access to the ark and its contents.

God gave a special blessing to Aaron to speak over the people:

22 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Speak to Aaron and his

sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say

to them, 24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his

face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up

his countenance upon you and give you peace. 27 “So shall they put

my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Notice that as Aaron pronounced this blessing over the people, God

promised to bless them. This is an indication of the authority the Lord gave

to Aaron as His representative.

Aaron would die in the wilderness. Numbers 20:22-28 describes how the

role of High Priest would be passed on to his son Eleazar. God called Moses

to take Aaron and his son Eleazar up to Mount Hor where Aaron would die.

Aaron’s robe was to be taken from him and put on his son who would from

that point on take his father’s role as High Priest:

25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son and bring them up to Mount Hor.

26 And strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son.

And Aaron shall be gathered to his people and shall die there.” 27

Moses did as the Lord commanded. And they went up Mount Hor in

the sight of all the congregation. 28 And Moses stripped Aaron of

his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron died there

on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down

from the mountain. (Numbers 20)

As High priest in those early days Aaron had to deal with people who

rejected his authority over them. He was not a perfect priest. He led his

people in the worship of the golden calf and his sons Nadab and Abihu

were judged by God because of their disrespect of His holy things. Aaron

was used by God, however, as a judge and spiritual adviser to the people.

He was also used of God to intercede on behalf of his people.

Eleazar

Eleazar is described in Numbers 3:32 as “chief over the chiefs of the

Levites.” He was to have “oversight of those who kept guard over the

sanctuary” (Numbers 3:32b). There was an administrative side to his role as

high priest.

Even prior to his father’s death, Eleazar had the responsibility of caring for

the holy things of God:

16 “And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall have charge of the

oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the regular grain offering, and

the anointing oil, with the oversight of the whole tabernacle and all

that is in it, of the sanctuary and its vessels.” (Numbers 4)

As high priest, Eleazar assisted Moses in taking a census of the people of

Israel (Numbers 26:1-4). He appears to organize the priests as they

performed this task at the request of the Lord through Moses.

Eleazar is often seen with Moses and was involved in judging the people

and resolving their conflicts. We have a case in Numbers 27 where the

daughters of Zelophehad came to Moses and Eleazar to inform them that

their father had died and there were no brothers to inherit his possessions.

Normally, the possessions would go to the son. Moses and Eleazar listened

to their problem and after bringing this matter to the Lord, informed them

of His decision. Eleazar was involved in this decision with Moses.

As Moses grew older, the Lord informed him that he was to commission

Joshua to take his place as leader of the people. God commanded Moses to

set Joshua apart in a service of ordination. Listen to the description of what

took place that day:

18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man

in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. 19 Make him stand

before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall

commission him in their sight. 20 You shall invest him with some of

your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may

obey. 21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall

inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his

word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he

and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.” 22

And Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and

made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole

congregation, 23 and he laid his hands on him and commissioned

him as the Lord directed through Moses. (Numbers 27)

Moses was to lay hands on Joshua and they were to stand before Eleazar the

priest. Eleazar was to consult the Urim and the Thummim contained in his

breast piece to see if Joshua was indeed the man God had chosen. By

standing before Eleazar, Joshua was submitting to the purpose of God and

surrendering to the decision of God for his life as discerned by the Urim

and Thummim. Eleazar, as high priest consulted God on behalf of the

people about this matter of Joshua as leader of the nation.

Numbers 25 speaks of a time when the people of Israel began to fall into sin

and rebellion against God. They were living in the region of Shittim, and

the people began to offer sacrifices to the gods of the Moabites. Moses was

very angry about this and called for the death of those who had been

worshipping these foreign gods. God unleashed a great plague on the nation

because of their sin. From Numbers 25:8 we understand that this plague

would destroy twenty-four thousand people.

While this was taking place, an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman

into his tent in the sight of all the people to sleep with her. What is striking

about this is that the people of God were weeping and mourning because of

this judgement of God against them. Eleazar’s son Phinehas saw what this

man had done and how he openly defied the law of God. Taking a spear,

Phinehas, as priest, went into the tent and ran it through both the man and

the Midianite woman killing them both. It was this action on the part of

Phinehas that stopped the plague.

What is particularly interesting in this time, however, is that while the role

of priest and high priest is now firmly established in the nation, Moses is a

spiritual leader. It was Moses who went up into the presence of God to seek

direction for the people. Aaron, though he does have the privilege of going

up onto the mountain with Moses is not given the privilege to enter His

presence as Moses did. Eleazar is an assistant to Moses even though he is

chief over the priests of Israel. He has a role to play in the commissioning

of Joshua, but Moses seems to take the lead. Eleazar has the Urim and the

Thummim to determine the will of the Lord, but Moses seems to have

direct access to God. Until his death, Moses would maintain his role as a

chief spiritual leader to the people of Israel, the priests would serve under

him and according to his instructions.

For Consideration:

How does God confirm the role of Aaron and his sons as priests?

Did the priests always correctly represent God during this time in the

wilderness? What happened to Aaron’s sons?

Give an example of how Aaron interceded for the people and their salvation

from the judgement of God.

What administrative duties were the responsibility of Eleazar, Aaron’s son?

How does Phinehas, the son of Eleazar distinguish himself as a priest in the

wilderness?

What evidence do we have that Moses is still the chief spiritual leader of

the people of God as they wander through the wilderness? In what sense

were the High Priest’s his assistants?

For Prayer:

Aaron did not always make good decisions as high priest. Take a moment to

pray for your spiritual leaders asking God to give them wisdom to follow

his leading in all things.

Aaron’s sons, though the sons of a high priest, did not walk in the ways of

the Lord. Take a moment to pray for the families of spiritual leaders. Ask

that God would bring their children to Himself.

As priests, Aaron and Phinehas interceded for their people. Sometimes this

required quick and decisive action on their part. Ask the Lord for wisdom to

know when you need to take such action to stop people from falling further

under the wrath of God.

The Levites needed to learn to be servants to the priests. The priests needed

to submit to the leadership of the high priest. The high priests needed to

listen to Moses. Moses was accountable to God for what He told him. How

good are we at submitting to authority? Ask the Lord to give you grace to

submit to His order.

7 - THE PRIESTHOOD AND

THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN

uring the time that God’s people were wandering in the

wilderness, the Levites transported the tabernacle from place to

place as the Lord led them. The priests were involved in the

sacrifices and offerings that came to the tabernacle. We read of several

occasions where the intercession of the priests averted the wrath of God and

saved the nation from destruction.

Moses clearly was the spiritual leader of the nation during this time. He

spoke with God and instructed the priests in the ways of the Lord. Moses

was an old man, however, and his life was coming to an end. It was time to

find a replacement for him as leader of the nation. This replacement would

be Joshua.

Joshua would be a different kind of leader. He was a military commander

and not a spiritual leader. This meant that the priests would need to take on

this role as spiritual leaders in the place of Moses. It should be noted that

when Joshua was commissioned as successor of Moses, God commanded

that he stand before Eleazar, the high priest, who would consult the Urim

and Thummim on his behalf. Joshua was commissioned to his work by

Eleazar and by Moses (see Numbers 27:18-23).

Under the capable leadership of Joshua, Israel would soon conquer the land

of Canaan. The priests of God, however, would have a role to play in this

conquest. The very first obstacle Joshua encountered in his conquest of the

land of Canaan was the Jordan River. We are not sure how many million

people there were in Israel, but one of his first tasks as military leader was

to get them across the river into the land of Canaan.

As Joshua prepared to have the nation cross over the Jordan River, he called

on the Levitical priests. He told them to take the Ark of the Covenant and

go ahead of the people into the river. They were to keep 3,000 feet or 0.9

kilometres between the Ark of the Covenant and the people. Joshua 3 tells

us what happened when the priests bearing the Ark reached the Jordan:

14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the

Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the

people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as

the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in

the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks

throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from

above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city

that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of

the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people

passed over opposite Jericho. 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of

the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of

the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all

the nation finished passing over the Jordan. (Joshua 3)

The water of the Jordan River was held back so the people could cross over

on dry ground, just as they had crossed the Red Sea under Moses. Although

Moses was no longer alive, the power of the Lord was still present in His

servants the priests. We can only imagine the incredible sense of awe that

struck those priests as they saw nature itself respond to their obedience to

the leading of God.

Joshua knew that passing over into the land of Canaan was only the

beginning of his task as commander. Now the task of conquering the

inhabitants had begun. The crossing of the Jordan took place near the city

of Jericho. Joshua’s first battle would be against the inhabitants of this

important walled city. It is important to note the role of the priests in the

conquest of Jericho.

Joshua 6 recounts the victory that God gave Israel over Jericho and the

unique way in which the priests contributed to this:

12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up

the ark of the Lord. 13 And the seven priests bearing the seven

trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and

they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were

walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark

of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And the second

day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp.

So they did for six days. (Joshua 6)

For six days, the priests took the Ark of the Covenant and walked with the

army around the city of Jericho in the presence of their enemies. On the

seventh day, they marched around the city with the Ark of the Covenant

seven times. On that occasion, the priest blew seven trumpets, and the Lord

caused the walls of the city to crumble before them. This gave Joshua and

his army the opportunity to invade and conquer the city. The loot from this

conquest would be given to the priests for the treasury of the house of the

Lord (see Joshua 6:24). In this case, the priests were directly involved with

the army in the battle for Jericho.

Over time, Joshua conquered much of the land God had given to Israel.

With the conquest of the land, it now fell on the leaders of Israel to divide

the land between the various tribes and families. Joshua 14 tells us that

Eleazar the high priest was involved with Joshua in the division of land:

1 These are the inheritances that the people of Israel received in the

land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun

and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of

Israel gave them to inherit. (Joshua 14)

Zelophehad’s daughters approached Eleazar and Joshua in Joshua 17:4

requesting land that Moses had promised them. Joshua and Eleazar saw to it

that these women were given the property that was due them. Eleazar, as

high priest, was very heavily involved in the division of land and resolving

disputes related to the settlement of the people in Canaan. He worked

closely with Joshua in this matter.

The land of Canaan was quite vast. In Canaan, the people would no longer

be together in one place. They spread out on both sides of the Jordan River.

This separation of the tribes to their own parcels of land brought with it a

new problem. How were the priests to serve the people when they were

spread out over such a large territory? The solution to this is found in

Joshua 21 when the tribe of Levi received its allotment of land.

Joshua 21 tells us that the Levitical priests were given allotments of land in

the territories of the other tribes. Levi had three sons—Kohath, Gershon and

Merari. These sons were the father of three clans –the Kohathites, the

Gershonites and the Merarites.

The Kohathites received thirteen cities among the tribes of Judah, Simeon,

and Benjamin and another ten cities among the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and

Manasseh (See Joshua 21:4-5). The Gershonites were given thirteen cities

among the tribes of Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh (see Joshua 21:6).

Finally, the Merarites were given twelve cities among the tribes of Reuben,

Gad and Zebulon (see Joshua 21:7). In total 48 cities were set apart for the

tribe of Levi.

As for the descendants of Aaron (the priests), they were given a total of

thirteen other cities for their inheritance in Canaan (see Joshua 21:13-19).

This meant that a total of 61 cities were set apart for the Levites and the

Aaronic priests.

This separation of the Levites into sixty-one cities meant that each tribe

would have access to the services of the priests. It also meant a significant

change for the priests who had ministered together in one location for many

years.

Eleazar, the high priest would die during these early years in Canaan and

his son Phinehas would take his place (see Joshua 24:33). Phinehas had

distinguished himself in Numbers 25 by going into the tent of a man who

was having a sexual relationship with a Midianite woman and killing them

both. This action stopped a great plague that God had unleashed upon the

nation.

The allotment of Reuben and Manasseh was on the east side of the Jordan

River. When the conquest of the western side of the Jordan was completed,

they decided to return to their families on the other side of the Jordan.

Before doing so, they built a large altar on the east side as a reminder for

their children that they were also part of the nation to the west. The

meaning of this altar was misunderstood and the tribes to the west of the

Jordan, who upon hearing about it, believed that the tribes of Reuben and

Manasseh were building a foreign altar to worship another god. It was

Phinehas and ten chief leaders who went to their brothers to find out the

meaning of this altar. By speaking to their brothers about this, they

discovered the true reason for the altar and averted a battle that could have

destroyed Reuben and Manasseh. Phinehas the high priest, was involved in

resolving this misunderstanding.

As we examine what is taking place in Israel among the priests and Levites

at this time in Israel’s history, we see that there are some significant

changes occurring. As they battled for possession of the land, the priests

were used of God to remind the people that the battle belonged to the Lord.

With the dividing up of the nation and allotment of land to each tribe, the

priests and Levites would also be separated and spread throughout the tribes

of Israel. This would bring a new challenge for the people of God and their

relationship with Him.

For Consideration:

How did the priests of Joshua’s day take leadership in the conquest of

Canaan?

To what extent does the church of our day have a role to play in the

organization of our society? To what extend does the church have a

leadership role in the battles our society faces? What are those battles?

How would the priesthood be reorganized to meet the needs of the nation of

Israel when it settled in the land of Canaan?

To what extend does the church of our day need to change its methods to

meet the spiritual needs of the people of our culture?

What is the difference between changing our method and changing our

message?

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to show you as a believer the role He would have you play in

your society.

Ask the Lord to enable your church to have a positive impact on the social

and spiritual needs of your community.

How has your society and culture changed in the past years? Has the church

been faithful in ministering to those changes? Ask the Lord to show you

how you can reach out with the message of the gospel in a way that touches

the people and culture of your day.

Ask the Lord to help you to be willing to accept changes that are necessary

without losing the purity of the message you preach.

8 - THE DECLINE OF THE

PRIESTHOOD UNDER THE

JUDGES

nder the capable leadership of Joshua, the commander and

Eleazar the high priest, Israel conquered the land of Canaan and

each tribe in Israel was allotted a parcel of land. The priests were

given a series of cities scattered throughout the nation from where they

could minister.

Despite the fact priests were scattered throughout the nation, after the death

of Joshua the spiritual climate of Israel began to change. Listen to the

description of the generation the followed Joshua:

8 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the

age of 110 years. 9 And they buried him within the boundaries of his

inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north

of the mountain of Gaash. 10 And all that generation also were

gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after

them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for

Israel. 11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of

the Lord and served the Baals. 12 And they abandoned the Lord, the

God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt.

They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who

were around them and bowed down to them. And they provoked the

Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals

and the Ashtaroth.

When the generation of Joshua died, the new generation did not carry on

their faith. In fact, the new generation of Israelites began to bow down to

the gods of the nations around them and abandoned the God who gave them

the land of Canaan.

The book of Judges tells the sad story of how Israel, because of their

unfaithfulness, was delivered over to their enemies. Time and time again in

their oppression, they would cry out to God. God would send a deliverer to

set them free. Once they were free from their oppression, however, Israel

would turn back to foreign gods and again fall under the judgement of God.

This cycle of judgement, repentance, deliverance and falling back into sin is

repeated many times in the book of Judges.

We are left to wonder where the priests were in this endless cycle of

judgement and deliverance. What was happening with the priesthood during

this time of the judges? We have a story in Judges 17-18 that gives us a

clue. It is the story of a young Levitical priest who lived in the region of

Bethlehem. For some reason, this young priest left Bethlehem and travelled

to the hill country of Ephraim where he met a man by the name of Micah.

Discovering that the young man was a priest, Micah invited him to stay

with him and be a priest for his family. He offered him ten pieces of silver a

year for this service. The young Levite accepted this position and became

priest to Micah and his family (see Judges 17:7-13).

There was unrest in the tribe of Dan in those days. The rulers of Dan sent

spies out to explore the land to find another place where they could settle.

As these spies searched out the land, they arrived in the hill country of

Ephraim and stayed with Micah. There in his home they found this young

priest. Realizing that he was a priest, they asked him to inquire of the Lord

about the success of their journey and whether they would succeed in

finding a place for their tribe to settle. The young Levite told them: “Go in

peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the LORD” (Judges

18:6).

When the spies left the home of Micah, they travelled to the region of Laish

and discovered that the people there were living carefree lives and

becoming wealthy in this fertile land. Most important, however, was the

fact that they were “unsuspecting”. They were not suspecting any enemy

attack. The spies returned to their tribe and advised them to attack these

people and take over their land (see Judges 18:7-10).

The tribe of Dan listened to the spies and sent 600 soldiers armed for battle.

As they travelled to Laish they passed through the region where Micah and

the young Levitical priest lived. The spies had informed the soldiers that the

Levitical priest lived in the region. Learning this, the soldiers surrounded

Micah’s home and took his priest for themselves (see Judges 18:11-20).

Notice the response of the young priest to being taken by the tribe of Dan:

20 And the priest’s heart was glad. He took the ephod and the

household gods and carved image and went along with the people.

(Judges 18)

The young priest as quite happy to go with them. In his mind, he saw this as

a promotion to a higher position. This seems evident in the statement of

Dan to him in Judges 18:19:

19 And they said to him, “Keep quiet; put your hand on you mouth

and come with us and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for

you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe

and clan in Israel?” (Judges 18)

While we can understand the joy of promotion here, it does reveal to us

something of the attitude of the young man. He is not concerned about his

master, who had taken him in and paid him for his services. The passage

tells us that “his heart was glad” when he was taken by force from his

master and promoted. His promotion was more important to him than

loyalty to his master.

The second and more important detail we need to see here is the fact that

when the young Levite was taken from his master, he took the ephod, the

household gods, and a carved image along with him (verse 19). The reason

this is significant is because of what it tells us about the spiritual climate in

Israel. This young Levite should not have had these articles. Here was a

priest of God leading in the worship of household gods and carved images.

This was not the purpose of God for His people. This young priest was

leading people away from the Law of Moses and the standard God had laid

out for His people.

What was true of this young priest was also confirmed in the lives of other

priests at that time. As we move into the book of 1 Samuel we meet Eli,

Hophni and Phinehas who were priests in the region of Shiloh (1 Samuel

1:3). Hophni and Phinehas were the sons of Eli the priest. Eli’s sons helped

him with the sacrifices that were being made at the tabernacle of God. 1

Samuel 2:12-16 describes how Hophni, and Phinehas were disregarding the

law of Moses, offering sacrifices in an unauthorized way, and taking meat

by force. The passage ends with a description of their priesthood:

17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the

Lord, for the men treated the offering of the LORD with contempt. (1

Samuel 2)

This, however, was not the only sin of the sons of Eli. 1 Samuel 2:22

describes yet another sin:

22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were

doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were

serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to

them, “Why do you do such thing? For I hear of your evil dealings

with the people. (1 Samuel 2)

The sons of Eli were seducing women who were serving at the entrance of

the tabernacle. This shows us the moral condition of the priests of that day.

These things were not hidden from the general population. Eli, their father,

“kept hearing all that his sons were doing” (1 Samuel 2:22).

Eli himself, was not without blame in this matter of his son’s actions. In

fact, the Lord sent a man to Him in 1 Samuel 2:27 to rebuke him for his

unwillingness to do anything about the evil of his sons. Listen to the words

of this man of God to Eli the priest:

27 And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says

the Lord, ‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father

when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28 Did I

choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to

my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the

house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of

Israel. 29 Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings

that I commanded for my dwelling, and homer your sons above me

by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my

people Israel?’ (1 Samuel 2)

Eli was responsible for the holy things of God. It was his responsibility to

assure that the sacrifices were offered in a way that honoured the Lord God.

He should have dealt with his sons and their evil. Admittedly, he had

spoken to them, but he refused to discipline or judge them for their

disrespect of God and His ways. God accused Eli of scorning the sacrifices

and offerings and honouring his sons above his God. God went as far as to

say that Eli fattened himself on the choicest parts of the offerings of His

people. 1 Samuel 4:18 describes Eli as an old and heavy man.

What was the result of this decline in the spiritual life of the priesthood? 1

Samuel 3:1 tells us that “the word of the LORD was rare in those days;

there was no frequent vision.” God rarely spoke to His servants, the priests.

By their disrespect for the holy things and the Law of Moses, these priests

drove the presence of God from them. In fact, in 1 Samuel 4 we read how

the Ark of the Covenant was captured by Philistines and taken away from

Israel. Both Hophni and Phinehas were killed in the battle that took place

with the Philistines at that time. When Eli heard that the Ark of the

Covenant had been taken from Israel, he fell backwards from his chair,

broke his neck, and died (1 Samuel 3:18).

When Phinehas’ pregnant wife learned that her husband had died, she went

into labour and gave birth to a child she called Ichabod. Ichabod means “the

glory has departed.” The decline of the priesthood and the disregard for the

ways of God had serious implications for Israel – the glory of God departed

from their midst.

For Consideration:

It seems that the faith of Israel in the days of Joshua was not handed down

to the next generation. Has your faith been handed down to your children?

What responsibility do we have to hand down our faith to the next

generation?

Israel does not seem to learn from her past mistakes and continues to fall

into sin and judgment. How well does our society learn from its past? How

well do you learn from your past?

The young Levitical priest of Micah’s household seems to be more

concerned about his promotion than for the glory of God. Is it possible for

us to have this same attitude in our lives today?

Eli put his family ahead of God and was held accountable to God for this.

What kind of things can we put ahead of God?

How did Eli demonstrate carelessness in his ministry and responsibilities?

Are we careless today?

The glory of God departed from Israel in the days of Eli. What role did the

priests play in this? How important it is that we know the glory of God in

our midst?

For Prayer:

Take a moment to pray for the next generation. Ask God to give this

generation the ability to pass on their faith to the upcoming generation.

Ask God to forgive you for the times you have failed to learn from your

mistakes and sins.

Ask God to raise up a generation of spiritual leaders who take the glory of

God and the honour of His name seriously.

Ask God to restore His glory to your land and your church.

9 - THE PRIESTHOOD UNDER

SAUL, THE FIRST KING OF

ISRAEL

nder the period of the judges in Israel, the priesthood reached a

low point in its history. Many of the priests had ignored their

responsibilities and wandered from the truth of God’s Word. In

fact, they were caught up in ungodly and immoral practices.

The priesthood had lost the respect of the community. We read in 1 Samuel

8 that the elders of Israel came to Samuel with a request:

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to

Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your

sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge

us like the nations. (1 Samuel 8)

Notice what has happened here. The religious leaders of Israel were not

giving spiritual leadership to the nation. The people felt this void and

determined that they would be better off being ruled by an earthly king, like

the nations around them. God had been Israel’s king, but the religious

leaders were not representing Him faithfully, so the people turned from God

and sought an earthly king like the nations around them. This decision

would bring Israel into a whole new period of their history.

The priests continued to play a role under the leadership of the kings. The

first king of Israel was a man by the name of Saul. In 1 Samuel 14 we have

the record of a battle between Israel and the Philistines. Saul’s son Jonathan

had attacked a Philistine post, unknown to his father. As his father and his

army were settled in their camp, Jonathan stole away to attack this post. The

Lord gave Jonathan victory by causing great confusion in the Philistine

camp. When Saul heard this confusion, he was not sure what to do. He

called for the priest to bring the ark of the covenant and consult the Lord for

direction (see 1 Samuel 14:16-19). As Saul waited for the word of the Lord,

the noise of confusion in the enemy camp grew louder, so he decided to act

before he heard what God had to say.

Saul brought the priests with him into battle. The role of the priest was to

seek the blessing of the Lord on the battle and to discern the will of the

Lord on behalf of the king. The problem was that Saul didn’t seem to have

the time to wait on them, choosing rather to take matters into his own hand

instead.

We have another example of the role of the priest in 1 Samuel 14:36-38:

36 Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night

and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of

them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” But the

priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” 37 And Saul inquired

of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them

into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day. 38

And Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and know

and see how this sin has arisen today. (1 Samuel 14)

In this case Saul was ready to go into battle but the priest counselled him to

first seek the Lord. When they did seek the Lord, it was discovered that

there was sin in their midst. This sin would have hindered the outcome of

the battle and needed to be confessed and cleansed before that battle could

take place. It was the role of the priests to make sure that the soldiers who

fought in the battle were clean and right with God. How many battles have

we lost because we have harboured sin in our hearts? The role of the priest

was vital for the victory of God’s people.

The priest also cared for the articles used in the worship of God and made

sure that the Law of Moses was followed regarding worship and the use of

the holy things. We catch a glimpse of this role when David was running

from Saul in 1 Samuel 21. He and his men had to escape from Saul and did

not have time to prepare for their journey. They were hungry and in need of

provision. In their need, they went to Ahimelech the priest in the region of

Nob for help. They asked the priest for provisions for their journey. Listen

to the response of the priest to this request of David:

4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on

hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept

themselves from women.” 5 And David answered the priest, “Truly

women have been kept from us as always when I go on an

expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an

ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?”

6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there

but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the

Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. (1

Samuel 21)

While the bread that the priest had was not to be eaten by common people,

he had compassion on David and his man and made an exception. Notice,

however, that he wanted to be sure that David and his men were

ceremonially clean before allowing them this bread. This reveals to us that

the priest understood his role as the caretaker of the holy things of God.

There was an individual present that day, when the priest gave David and

his men this bread, who was loyal to King Saul. He reported this incident to

the king. He told him how Ahimelech the priest has supported David by

providing him with provisions for his escape. Saul was very angry with the

priests as a result. In response, Saul summoned Ahimelech and the priests

who worked with him at Nob. He questioned them about the assistance they

had offered David, his enemy.

Saul ordered that these priests be killed, but his guards refused to kill these

servants of God, showing respect for their position and call. Saul does not

share their respect of the priesthood and so called upon Doeg the Edomite

to kill them. That day 85 priests were killed by Saul (see 22:17-18).

As David fled from Saul, he arrived in the region of Keilah. He was joined

there by a priest by the name of Abiathar. This would have been a real

blessing for David. On one occasion, he discovered that Saul had come to

the city of Keilah to kill him. David needed the direction of the Lord in

what to do so he called for the priest Abiathar. He asked Abiathar to seek

the Lord on his behalf to find out if the people of Keilah would hand him

and his men over to Saul or whether they would protect them. Through

Abiathar, the Lord revealed to David that the people of Keilah would indeed

hand him over to Saul if he stayed in that city. Hearing this, David and his

men escaped the city and fled to safety (see 1 Samuel 23:6-14). Again, we

see how important the role of the priests was in those days. They sought the

Lord and His purpose for the people. They guided the people in the ways of

the Lord and warned them of danger.

On another occasion, the enemy came into David’s camp, burned it, and

took his family captive. When David returned to find out what had

happened, he again called Abiathar the priest:

7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech,

“Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8

And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this band?

Shall I overtake them? He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall

surely overtake and share surely rescue.” (1 Samuel 30)

Under the reign of Saul, we see how the priests advised the king. Saul did

not always like what the priests had to say and there were times when he

simply ignored them. His respect for the priests seemed to depend on how

much they agreed with him. He did not hesitate to slaughter them if they

went against his wishes. Had Saul continued as king, this tendency to see

the priests as simply affirming the wishes of the king may have continued.

David, who lived under the reign of Saul, however, had a deeper respect for

the priesthood and their role in communicating the will of God. He often

depended on them for advice in his time of flight from King Saul. God

would use him to restore the image of the priest and their role in the nation

of Israel.

For Consideration:

What was the role of the priest in the battles of King Saul?

Does Saul always listen to the words of the priests?

What do we learn here about the attitude of King Saul toward the priests of

his day?

As David fled from King Saul, how important was the role of the priest to

him? How does the priest protect him?

What role do God’s servants have today in guiding the people under them in

the truth of God and His Word?

Do you have spiritual leaders you can trust to guide you in the ways of the

Lord?

For Prayer:

Saul shows his lack of respect for the calling of priest by killing 85 of them

because they had helped David. Ask God to give you a respect for those He

calls.

Take a moment to pray for your spiritual leaders. Ask that they would be

faithful to guide the people God has put in their care.

Ask God to help you to be more willing to seek the counsel and advice of

godly men and women of faith in the circumstances you find yourself in

today.

10 - THE REORGANIZATION

OF THE PRIESTHOOD UNDER

KING DAVID

fter the death of King Saul, David became king in his place. We

have already seen how David, when he was fleeing from Saul,

would consult the priest for a word from the Lord. King David

would prove to be a man whose heart longed for the Lord, and while he did

fall into sin, he continued to seek the Lord and His purpose during his reign

as king.

It was David who conquered the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites (see 2

Samuel 5:6-9). He would make this city the centre of his government and

faith. One of the first tasks David undertook as king was to bring the Ark of

the Covenant into Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 6 describes what took place that

day. 2 Samuel 6:3 tells us that they placed the ark of God on a brand-new

cart to bring it up to Jerusalem. The cart was pulled by oxen and driven by

Uzzah and Ahio the sons of Abinadab the priest.

As they travelled to Jerusalem, David and his followers were celebrating

with music. On one occasion, the oxen stumbled. The safety of the ark was

threatened as it risked falling to the ground. Uzzah reached out his hand to

steady it. For touching the ark, God struck him dead. There are a couple of

details we need to understand here.

First, Uzzah, although he was seeking to protect the ark from falling, had

failed to realize that he was forbidden by the Law of God to touch the holy

things of God. His intentions may have been honourable, but he broke the

Law of God as revealed by Moses. This is quite clear from Numbers 18:2-

2 And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe

of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you

and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3 They

shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not

come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they

and you die. (Numbers 18)

The act of reaching out the hand to steady the Ark of the Covenant was in

clear violation of the Law of Moses.

The second detail we need to understand here is that God had a prescribed

method for carrying the Ark of the Covenant. It was to be carried by the

Levites on poles. By placing this ark on a cart and having it transported by

oxen, the priests were violating the law of God as revealed to Moses. After

this terrible incident, corrections would be made, and the Ark would

eventually be brought the rest of the way into the city of Jerusalem by

Levites who carried it as prescribed by Moses (see 2 Chronicles 15:25-29).

This incident shows us that the priests were not clearly following the Law

of Moses. It may be that they were ignorant of these laws or that they had

simply forgotten them. For whatever reason, the priests of David’s day were

not walking in full obedience to the principles of God’s Word. They were

not caring for the holy things of God as prescribed by the Law of Moses.

By bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, David made that city

the centre of faith. Great numbers of priests and Levites would be required

in the city to lead the people in worship of God.

Organisation of the Levites

1 Chronicles 23:2 tells us that David called the leader of Israel, the priests,

and the Levites to assemble before him in Jerusalem. When they were

numbered, it was discovered that there was a total of 38,000 Levites thirty

years of age and up. It should be remembered that during the time Israel

wandered in the wilderness these Levites had been responsible for taking

down, setting up and carrying the tabernacle from place to place. This was

no longer necessary as the tabernacle had now found a home (see 1

Chronicles 23:26). The question on their minds now was what these 38,000

Levites were to do now that their task of transporting the tabernacle was

completed.

David would reorganize the Levites into divisions and give them

responsibilities in the ministry that took place in Jerusalem. In 1 Chronicles

23 we read how this was done. Let me summarise this in the following

chart:

LEVITES REPONSIBILITY REVERENCE

24,000 Work on the House of the Lord 1 Chronicles 23:4

6,000 Officers and Judges 1 Chronicles 23:4

4,000 Gatekeepers 1 Chronicles 23:5

4,000 Offer praise to the Lord with instruments 1 Chronicles 23:5

The Levites would continue as assistants to the priests but now that their

task of transporting the tabernacle had come to an end, they were given new

responsibilities. Their responsibilities are described for us in 1 Chronicles

23:26-32:

26 And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any

of the things for its service. 27 For by the last words of David, the

sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and upward. 28

For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the

house of the Lord, having the care of the courts and the chambers,

the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the

house of God. 29 Their duty was also to assist with the showbread,

the flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the

baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of

quantity or size. 30 And they were to stand every morning, thanking

and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening, 31 and whenever

burnt offerings were offered to the Lord on Sabbaths, new moons,

and feast days, according to the number required of them, regularly

before the Lord. 32 Thus they were to keep charge of the tent of

meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their

brothers, for the service of the house of the Lord. (1 Chronicles 23)

Organisation of the Aaronic Priests

David would also reorganise the Aaronic priesthood. He was assisted in this

task by Zadok and Ahimelech:

3 With the help of Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of

the son of Ithamar, David organised them according to the

appointed duties in their service. (1 Chronicles 24)

David divided the priestly responsibilities among the priests available from

the two descendants of Aaron. He divided the descendants of Eleazar into

sixteen divisions. The descendants of Ithamar were divided into eight more

divisions. This process took place by the casting of lots (see 1 Chronicles

24:4,5). The responsibilities of the priests and the schedule of their

activities would be assigned according to these divisions.

Organisation of the Musicians

1 Chronicles 25 shows us that David also organised musicians to lead in the

worship of the Lord. Three individuals were set apart to lead the musicians

in the praise of the Lord. Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun along with their sons,

were to devote themselves to leading in worship. They played the lyre,

harp, and cymbals (see 1 Chronicles 25:1). They also led in singing (1

Chronicles 25:7) Altogether there were 288 musicians leading in the

worship of the Lord at that tabernacle in the days of David. These men were

also divided into twenty-four groups and given their responsibilities in the

worship of God.

Organisation of the Gatekeepers

The tabernacle required gatekeepers who made sure that nothing unclean

would enter the tabernacle court. 1 Chronicles 26 describes the organisation

of these gatekeepers into divisions. Lots were cast to determine which gate

these individuals would watch.

FAMILY GATE REFERENCE

Shelemiah East 1 Chronicles 26:14

Zechariah North 1 Chronicles 26:14

Obed-edom South 1 Chronicles 26:15

Shuppim and Hosah West 1 Chronicles 26:16

From 1 Chronicles 26:20-28 we read how David commissioned certain

priests to care for and keep account of the gifts received for the work of the

tabernacle as well as the spoils of war that were dedicated to the Lord.

Finally, David also set apart 1,700 judges to oversee the work of the Lord

west of the Jordan (see 1 Chronicles 26:29-30). Another 2,700 men were

appointed to oversee the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half tribe of

Manasseh “for everything pertaining to God and the affairs of the king” (1

Chronicles 26:32).

Now that the tabernacle was in a central location, this restructuring of the

priesthood was essential. the task of the Levites needed to change. The

various divisions of Levites, priests, musicians, gatekeepers, and overseers

was clearly laid out by David, and each person knew what their

responsibility and schedule for service was. This went a long way in

removing any confusion and guaranteed that the needs of the people would

be met.

Under David, the priesthood was reorganised. We also see that David set

apart a group of priests to lead the people of God in worship through music.

It is interesting to note that while the role of the priest and their message

remained the same, the external structures and organisation continued to

change to meet the spiritual needs of the day.

For Consideration:

David had the Ark of the Covenant transported to Jerusalem. How does

what happened during the moving of this ark reveal a lack of understanding

of God’s Laws on the part of the priests at that time?

What circumstances brought about a need for the restructuring of the priests

and their roles during the time of David?

What is the difference between changing the structure and organisation of

the priesthood and changing the role and message of the priests? Can we

change how we do the work of ministry without changing our message and

responsibilities before God?

David seems to bring a new vitality to the importance of music in worship

by setting aside about 4,000 Levites and organising them into divisions for

worship. Under his administration we now have officially chosen worship

leaders. How easy is it for us to accept anything new in our worship of

God?

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to give you leaders who are well versed in the teachings of

Scripture so that the church of our day will not be led into error.

Ask the Lord to give you wisdom to know how you need to organise and

restructure your ministry to communicate the message of God to the society

of our day. Ask God to keep you faithful to the message and responsibilities

He has given you in any changes that take place.

Ask the Lord to give you wisdom to know when you need to make changes

to your own spiritual devotions or ministry so that you are growing and

accomplishing what He wants you to accomplish.

11 - KINGDOM DIVIDED AND

THE PRIESTHOOD OF GOD

ABANDONED

nder King David we saw how the priesthood was organized into

new divisions with each division given responsibilities for the

overall functioning of the tabernacle and its worship of God in

Jerusalem. Of course, there continued to be priests in the various regions of

the nation serving in their local communities. Jerusalem, however, seems to

be the main centre for the worship of God.

One of the great burdens of King David was to build a more permanent

structure for the Lord and the worship of His name in Jerusalem. His vision

was a great temple to replace the tent in which the Lord was being

worshipped.

The Lord did not permit David to build this temple. However, He did

authorise its construction under David’s son Solomon. When Solomon

became king in his father’s place, one of his first tasks was to build the

temple his father had envisioned. Upon completion, this temple would

provide a more permanent structure in which to carry out the work of the

Lord. We are not told what happened to the tabernacle upon completion of

the temple of Solomon, but it would be abandoned in favour of this new

temple.

During the latter part of King Solomon’s reign, he turned away from the

Lord, marrying many foreign women. He even built altars to foreign gods

to please his many wives (see 1 Kings 11:1-8). As a result, God raised up

enemies against him. Upon his death, Solomon’s son Rehoboam would

become king. One of Solomon’s enemies was a man by the name of

Jeroboam. Hearing of the death of Solomon, Jeroboam came to King

Rehoboam on behalf of the people and asked him to lighten the burden his

father had imposed on them during his reign. When Rehoboam refused to

do this, Jeroboam led a rebellion against him. This resulted in a division of

the entire nation. 1 Kings 12:20 tells us:

20 And when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent

and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel.

There was none that followed the house of David but the tribe of

Judah only. (1 Kings 12)

The result of this division was the formation of two separate nations. Israel,

in the north was now under the leadership of Jeroboam. Judah remained

faithful to the house of David and to Rehoboam their king.

It is important to see what happened to the priesthood in the nation of Israel

under the leadership of Jeroboam. King Jeroboam of Israel knew that the

people would want to return to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord in

Jerusalem, which was in the nation of Judah. He saw this as a threat to him

as king. He didn’t want his people returning to Judah. He feared that by

them returning to Jerusalem for worship they would be influenced to rebel

against him:

26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn

back to the house of David. 27 If this people go up to offer sacrifices

in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people

will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they

will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” (1 Kings 12)

To assure that this did not happen, Jeroboam decided to make two golden

calves. He put one in the town of Bethel in the south and another in Dan in

the northern part of the nation.

28 So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he

said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough.

Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of

Egypt.” (1 Kings 12)

He told the people of Israel that these golden calves were the gods who

brought them out of Egypt. To further establish this new religion, Jeroboam

constructed temples for worship throughout the land. He also established a

priesthood to oversee this new religion. 1 Kings 12:31 makes it clear to us

that these priests were not from the tribe of Levi:

31 He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from

among all the people, who were not of the Levites. (1 Kings 12)

Special days were also set apart like the feasts the people had practiced in

Jerusalem. On those feast days, sacrifices were made on the altar to the calf

god:

32 And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth

month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on

the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made.

And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had

made. (1 Kings 12)

The Lord was not pleased with the decision of Jeroboam and Israel to

abandon the faith for this new religion, so He sent a prophet to speak to

them. Listen to the words of the prophet concerning the altar used to

sacrifice to the golden calves:

1 And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the

Lord to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make

offerings. 2 And the man cried against the altar by the word of the

Lord and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a son

shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall

sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on

you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’” 3 And he gave a

sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign that the Lord has

spoken: ‘Behold, the altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are

on it shall be poured out.’” (1 Kings 13)

The judgement of God would fall on this pagan altar and on the priests who

had abandoned the Lord. It would be defiled and torn down in the years to

come by a man whose name was Josiah of the house of David.

The Lord also had a word for Jeroboam, who had led the people of Israel

into this false religion with its false priests:

7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel:

“Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader

over my people Israel 8 and tore the kingdom away from the house

of David and gave it to you, and yet you have not been like my

servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with

all his heart, doing only that which was right in my eyes, 9 but you

have done evil above all who were before you and have gone and

made for yourself other gods and metal images, provoking me to

anger, and have cast me behind your back, 10 therefore behold, I

will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from

Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up

the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone.

11 Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs shall

eat, and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the

heavens shall eat, for the Lord has spoken it.”’ (1 Kings 14)

The Lord would judge Jeroboam for establishing a new priesthood and

religion in Israel. He would cut off every male from his family so that his

family line would cease to exist in Israel. Anyone who belonged to the

family of Jeroboam who died in the city would be eaten by dogs. Those

who died outside the city would be eaten by birds. No one in this family

would be given a proper burial.

From the period of Jeroboam until her exile, the northern kingdom of Israel

abandoned the Lord God of her fathers, setting up a priesthood in

opposition to the Levitical priesthood established by God. Though God

continued to plead with the Israel to return to Him, throughout her history

as a separate nation she stubbornly refused to worship God and respect the

priesthood He had established. Consider the descriptions of the kings of

Israel as recorded in the books of 1 and 2 Kings in the following chart:

KING DESCRIPTION REFERENCE

Jeroboam “Made two calves of gold” 1 Kings 12:28

Nadab “Walked in way of his father”

(Jeroboam)

1 Kings 15:25-26

Baasha “Walked in the way of Jeroboam” 1 Kings 15:33-34

Elah “Made Israel to sin” 1 Kings 16:13

Zimri “Walking in the ways of Jeroboam” 1 King 16:19

Omri “Walked in all the ways of Jeroboam” 1 Kings 16:25-26

Ahab “Walk in the sins of Jeroboam” 1 Kings 16:30-31

Ahaziah “Walked in the way of Jeroboam” 1 Kings 22:52

Jehu “Did not turn aside from sins of

Jeroboam”

2 Kings 10:29

Jehoahaz “Followed the sins of Jeroboam” 2 Kings 13:23

Jehoash “Did not depart from all the sins of

Jeroboam”

2 Kings 13:11

Jeroboam II “Did not depart from all the sins of

Jeroboam”

2 Kings 14:23-24

Zechariah “Did not depart from the sins of

Jeroboam”

2 Kings 15:8-9

Shallum “Reigned one month” 2 Kings 15:13

Menahem “Did not depart all his days from sins

of Jeroboam”

2 Kings 15:17-18

Pekahiah “Did not turn away from the sins of

Jeroboam”

2 Kings 15:23-24

Pekah “Did not depart from the sins of

Jeroboam”

2 Kings 15:27-28

Hoshea “Did what was evil in the sight of the

Lord”

2 Kings 17:1-2

The impact of the sin of Jeroboam in establishing a new priesthood in Israel

was to be felt for years to come. In fact, the entire nation abandoned God

for generations because of his influence. The Levitical and Aaronic

priesthood was abandoned, and God’s people turned to another religion.

Not one of her kings sought the Lord with all his heart but chose rather to

follow the religion established by Jeroboam. The priests of the northern

kingdom of Israel in those days were priests of the golden calves and the

priests of Baal.

For Consideration:

What was Jeroboam’s motivation behind the abandoning of the Levitical

and Aaronic priesthood and the Laws of Moses?

Consider the fact that when the people of God asked Aaron, the first priest

to give them a god they could see, he made a golden calf for them (see

Exodus 32). How did this sin of Aaron make it easier for Jeroboam to

convince the people that this was the god that had led them out of Egypt?

How did Jeroboam’s rebellion against God impact the nation for

generations to come? What does this teach us about the importance of the

decisions we make in life?

Will your faith be passed on to the generations to come?

For Prayer:

Ask God to forgive you for the sins of your past and the negative impact

those sins have had on others.

Ask God to heal the effect of your sins on the lives of those who have been

hurt by them.

Ask God to help you to have a positive impact on the people He brings

along your path.

Take a moment to pray that the true faith will be passed on to the next

generation and that God would continue to be honoured in their lives for

years to come.

12 - THE PRIESTHOOD IN

THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM

OF JUDAH

e have seen that the northern kingdom of Israel abandoned the

Levitical priesthood and under King Jeroboam, established

their own religion, worshipping two golden calves. This

decision immediately placed the Levites living in Israel in danger. 2

Chronicles 11 tells us that this resulted in these men leaving Israel and

settling in the southern kingdom of Judah where they could continue to

minister.

14 For the Levites left their common lands and their holdings and

came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons cast

them out from serving as priests of the Lord, 15 and he appointed

his own priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for the

calves that he had made. 16 And those who had set their hearts to

seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of

Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their fathers.

17 They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they

made Rehoboam the son of Solomon secure, for they walked for

three years in the way of David and Solomon. (2 Chronicles 11)

Notice that these priests from Israel strengthened the kingdom of Judah

because they were devoted to the ways of the Lord God. This set the nation

of Judah off on the right track, but it also created a great tension between

Israel and Judah.

When Rehoboam, king of Judah died, his son Abijah became king in his

place. 2 Chronicles 13:2 tells us that there was war between Jeroboam of

Israel and Abijah of Judah. On one occasion Abijah of Judah went out to

fight Jeroboam. Standing on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of

Ephraim, he spoke to the people of Israel:

8 “And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the

hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and

have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. 9

Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron,

and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of

other lands? Whoever comes for ordination with a young bull or

seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods. 10 But as for us,

the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests

ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their

service.” (2 Chronicles 13)

King Abijah reminded the people of Israel that they had driven out the true

priests of the Lord from their land. Judah, however, had remained faithful to

the Lord God by not forsaking the Levitical priests and the sons of Aaron.

As Abijah prepared for battle against Jeroboam, the Levitical priests were

present. When Jeroboam attacked Judah, it was the Levitical priests who

sounded the trumpets to call the men of Judah to battle. Abijah was

victorious over Jeroboam and killed 500,000 Israelites in that terrible battle

(see 2 Chronicles 13:17).

The nation of Judah continued to generally serve the Lord under the reign

of Ahijah and his son Asa, although there were also those who worshipped

other gods. When Jehoshaphat came to the throne, he would remove these

foreign gods from Judah (see 2 Chronicles 17:6). By the third year of his

reign, Jehoshaphat had sent the Levitical priests throughout the land with

the Book of the Law. These priests acted as traveling teachers of the law of

God. The result of these reforms and the faithful teaching of the Word of

God on the part of the priests is seen in 2 Chronicles 17:10:

10 And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the land

that were around Judah, and they made no war against

Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 17)

Jehoshaphat would also appoint the Levites and priests as judges. They

would counsel the people of Judah in the ways of the Lord in cases of civil

disputes. Listen to the king’s command to these Levites and priests as they

exercised this role as judges in Judah:

9 And he charged them: “Thus you shall do in the fear of the LORD,

in faithfulness, and with your whole heart.” (2 Chronicles 19)

The king expected that the priests to judge the people wholeheartedly in

faithfulness and in the fear of the Lord. The king expected his priests to be

true men of God.

In the years following the death of Jehoshaphat, Judah would wander from

the faith of their fathers. This rebellion was led by the kings who came after

him. Under Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, pagan shrines cropped up

throughout the land and Judah began to turn from the truth of God.

It was a priest by the name of Jehoiada who would break this rebellion

against God by standing up against the evil Queen Athaliah who was ruling

in Judah at the time. With the help of the army, he was successful in

removing her from the throne and having her killed (see 2 Kings 11:1-16).

In her place, a seven-year-old by the name of Jehoash became king.

The priest Jehoiada took a special interest in king Jehoash and acted as an

adviser to him. 2 Kings 12:2 describes King Jehoash in this way:

2 And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all his

days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. (2 Kings 12)

We see here the teaching and counselling role that Jehoiada the priest had in

those days and how this impacted the king and the decisions he made. The

nation of Judah had been moving away from God and toward foreign gods

since the death of Jehoshaphat. Jehoiada the priests had a powerful impact

on the spiritual climate of the nation, ministering through king Jehoash.

2 Kings 12 describes the reforms that took place during the reign of Jehoash

under the counsel of Jehoiada the priest. Under the reign of Jehoshaphat,

worship at the temple was being ignored. King Jehoash commissioned the

priests to take the offerings that had been donated to the Lord and use them

to repair the temple (2 Kings 12:4-5). For a period, the priests had neglected

their duties in the work of the temple. Through the influence of Jehoash and

Jehoiada the temple was repaired, and worship re-established in Judah.

After the death of Jehoiada, Joash, influenced by his political friends,

abandoned the temple. Jehoiada’s son Zechariah the priest rebuked the king

for turning from God (see 2 Chronicles 24:20). The king became so angry

at this confrontation that he ordered that Zechariah the priest be stoned to

death. Zechariah, the priest, was killed because he dared to confront the

king with his sin. This shows us that there were in Judah priests who would

stand up for the truth of God even if it meant losing their lives.

This same boldness is seen again when King Uzziah began his reign in

Judah. In his pride, Uzziah decided that he would go into the temple to burn

incense to the Lord. Azariah, the priest, however, along with eighty fellow

priests, boldly stood up to the king and told him that he had no right to burn

this incense in the house of the Lord:

17 But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the

Lord who were men of valour, 18 and they withstood King Uzziah

and said to him, “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the

Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to

burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong,

and it will bring you no honour from the Lord God.” (2 Chronicles

26)

This was a bold action on the part of the priests, especially considering the

death of Zechariah but it again shows us that these priests of Judah were

faithful to their responsibilities before God and were willing to risk their

lives for His cause.

There appears to be constant spiritual battle going on in the history of the

southern kingdom of Judah. We have seen the death of Zechariah and the

boldness of Azariah and his fellow priests to stand up against the evil of the

day. We have also seen how the kings of the nation were tempted to pride

and rebellion against God.

Under the leadership of King Ahaz, the influence of evil in Judah was felt

in a very powerful way. 2 Chronicles 28 describes this king of Judah:

2 but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made

metal images for the Baals, 3 and he made offerings in the Valley of

the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to

the abominations of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the

people of Israel. 4 And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high

places and on the hills and under every green tree. (2 Chronicles

28)

In fact, 2 Chronicles 28:24-25 goes on to tell us that Ahaz broke the utensils

used in the house of the Lord and shut the doors of the temple. He also

made pagan altars in the land and offered sacrifices to foreign gods. During

his reign, it appears that the temple was ignored, and the worship of God

ceased. We are not told what the priests did in those days. Obviously, they

were forbidden to lead the people in the worship of the true God. We can

only imagine how this must have grieve the heart of God.

Under the leadership of King Hezekiah, worship of God would once again

be restored. For this to take place, Hezekiah opened the doors of the temple

that his father had closed (2 Chronicles 29:3). Listen to the words of King

Hezekiah to the priests of his day as recorded for us in 2 Chronicles 29:

4 He summoned the priests and Levites to meet him at the courtyard

east of the Temple. 5 He said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites!

Purify yourselves, and purify the Temple of the Lord, the God of

your ancestors. Remove all the defiled things from the sanctuary. 6

Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what was evil in the sight of

the Lord our God. They abandoned the Lord and his dwelling place;

they turned their backs on him. 7 They also shut the doors to the

Temple’s entry room, and they snuffed out the lamps. They stopped

burning incense and presenting burnt offerings at the sanctuary of

the God of Israel. 8 “That is why the Lord’s anger has fallen upon

Judah and Jerusalem. He has made them an object of dread, horror,

and ridicule, as you can see with your own eyes. 9 Because of this,

our fathers have been killed in battle, and our sons and daughters

and wives have been captured. 10 But now I will make a covenant

with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn

away from us. 11 My sons, do not neglect your duties any longer!

The Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to

him, and to lead the people in worship and present offerings to

him.” (2 Chronicles 29)

Hezekiah not only wanted to cleanse the temple, but he also wanted the

priests and Levites to consecrate themselves and return to their God-given

duties.

Under the direction of King Hezekiah, the priests and the Levites began the

process of cleansing the temple. For sixteen days, these men worked

tirelessly to cleanse it and prepare it for the worship of God once again. We

can only imagine the condition of neglect the temple must have been in that

it took these men sixteen days to clean it. Again, this shows us that the

priests had seriously neglected their duties during the reign of Ahaz.

With the temple restored and purified, Hezekiah commanded the priests to

return to their responsibilities. 2 Chronicles 29:20-36 describes the first day

that these priests returned to work. It was a day of great celebration,

sacrifices and music as the worship of God was restored in the southern

Kingdom of Judah. The offerings made that day were so numerous that

there were not enough priests to sacrifice them. 2 Chronicles 29:34 tells us

the reason for this:

34 But there were too few priests to prepare all the burnt offerings.

So their relatives the Levites helped them until the work was

finished and more priests had been purified, for the Levites had

been more conscientious about purifying themselves than the priests

had been. (2 Chronicles 29)

“The Levites had been more conscientious about purifying themselves than

the priests had been.” The priests, who should have been leading the way,

were slow in making themselves right with God. This shows us that they

had been influenced by the evil of the day and had compromised in their

commitment to God.

The slowness of the priests to consecrate themselves is also seen in 2

Chronicles 30 when the Passover was celebrated. Normally the Passover

would be celebrated on the fourteenth day of the first month. King

Hezekiah, however, decided to celebrate it on the second month of the year

to have adequate time to prepare:

2 The king, his officials, and all the community of Jerusalem

decided to celebrate Passover a month later than usual. 3 They were

unable to celebrate it at the prescribed time because not enough

priests could be purified by then, and the people had not yet

assembled at Jerusalem.

Not enough priests had been purified to celebrate such an important event.

The people had to wait until the priests were right with God again. What a

sad picture this presents of the spiritual leadership of the nation of Judah.

They could not lead the people in worship because they were not right with

God themselves. The spiritual decline of the priesthood in these days is

quite evident. Under the capable leadership of King Hezekiah these priests

were restored to their place and continued the worship of God in the land.

The decline of the spiritual life was not only evident in the lives of the

priests and Levites but also among the people. 2 Chronicles 31 describe two

details that needed to be corrected in those days.

First, in the absence of faithful priests in the temple of God, the people had

turned to other gods. 2 Chronicles 31:1 tells us that the people needed to get

right with God. As the worship of God was restored, the people went out

into the land and broke to pieces the pagan altars they had built when the

temple was closed.

The second detail that needed to be addressed in those days was the care of

the priests. It appears that the people in those days were no longer

contributing to the work of the temple. This meant that the priests were no

longer being paid for their duties. Hezekiah addresses this matter in 2

Chronicles 31:4:

4 And he commanded the people who lived in Jerusalem to give the

portion due to the priests and the Levites, that they might give

themselves to the Law of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 31)

2 Chronicles 31:11-19 describes how the king appointed certain priests to

take charge over the tithes and offerings of the people. Other Levites were

charged with the responsibility of taking these offerings to the various cities

where their brothers were serving the Lord so that they could be paid for

their work in order that their responsibilities would not suffer. King

Hezekiah did much to restore the priesthood and their functions in Judah

during his reign.

The renewal that took place under King Hezekiah did not last. In the

fourteen years that followed his reign under the reigns of King Manasseh

and King Amon, the nation of Judah would again return to their foreign

gods. Once again, the temple was abandoned, and the priests turned from

their responsibilities. We catch a glimpse of this neglect by the time King

Josiah came to the throne. Josiah was a righteous king who wanted to

worship the Lord. Like King Hezekiah before him, however, he had much

work to do if the worship of God was to be restored. 2 Chronicles 34 tells

us that one of the first duties of the king was to get rid of the foreign idols

that had cropped up in the land (see 2 Chronicles 34:1-7).

The second responsibility of King Josiah was to cleanse the temple. Not

only did the temple need to be cleansed of its impurities, but there were

significant repairs that needed to take place. Listen to the description of the

repairs to the temple in the days of King Josiah:

10 He entrusted the money to the men assigned to supervise the

restoration of the Lord’s Temple. Then they paid the workers who

did the repairs and renovation of the Temple. 11 They hired

carpenters and builders, who purchased finished stone for the walls

and timber for the rafters and beams. They restored what earlier

kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin. 12 The workers served

faithfully under the leadership of Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the

Merarite clan, and Zechariah and Meshullam, Levites of the

Kohathite clan. Other Levites, all of whom were skilled musicians,

13 were put in charge of the laborers of the various trades. Still

others assisted as secretaries, officials, and gatekeepers. (2

Chronicles 34)

Notice that they had to hire carpenters and builders to make the repairs

necessary on the temple. These workers had to purchase finished stone for

the walls and timber for the rafters. These repairs were significant and

indicate that the temple was in serious disrepair. The temple structure had

been neglected. Remember that it was the duty of the Levites to care for the

temple. This responsibility had been ignored in those days.

As the repairs were taking place on the temple, Hilkiah the priest found the

Book of the Law of Moses (see 2 Chronicles 34:14). It appears that this

book had been lost for years. When the book was taken to King Josiah and

read in his presence, the king saw how far the nation of Judah had wandered

from God. Josiah ripped his clothes in a sign of deep grief over this matter

because he understood that the nation was under the judgement of God.

The priests had ignored their obligations before God in those years. They

were responsible to teach the Word of God and walk in obedience to the

Law of God as given through Moses. They did not even know where the

Book of the Law was during that time. The people of God were not being

instructed in the truth of God’s Word. These priests had clearly neglected

their duties.

Convicted by the words of the Book of the Law, Josiah encouraged His

people to return to the worship of the one true God. For a period, there

appeared to be a revival of worship and commitment to God.

This revival would not last. In the years following the death of Josiah, a

series of kings would reign in Judah who ignored the Book of the Law of

Moses. God sent Babylon against Judah and a number of these kings would

be taken captive and brought into exile to Babylon. Under the reign of King

Zedekiah, we catch a glimpse of the state of the priesthood in those final

days of Judah as a nation:

14 All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were

exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nation.

And they polluted the house of the LORD that he had made holy in

Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 36)

The priests were unfaithful to God, following the ways of the nations

around them. Those who had been given the responsibility to care for the

temple “polluted the house of the LORD”. In His anger, the Lord poured

out His judgement upon them.

17 Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans,

who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their

sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man

or aged. He gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the vessels of

the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of

the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these

he brought to Babylon. 19 And they burned the house of God and

broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with

fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. 20 He took into exile in

Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became

servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the

kingdom of Persia (2 Chronicles 36)

The young men of Judah were killed in the temple of God. The holy vessels

of the house of God the Levites had been given responsibility to care for

were taken away into Babylon. The temple of God was burned and those

who had not been killed were forced to leave Judah and taken into exile in

Babylon. The house of God and the nation He had given them was

abandoned. They lost everything because they neglected the Lord their

God. The priests of God had failed in their responsibility of leading the

people to walk in God’s ways and teach their people the truth of their

responsibilities before their God.

For Consideration:

Under King Ahijah, Judah boasted to Israel that she had not abandoned the

Levitical priesthood and the ways of the Lord God. As years would pass,

however, we see that she too fell into sin and turned from her God. What

does this teach us about how we can fall despite how strong we feel? How

important is it that we be always watchful in our spiritual lives?

Under the leadership of King Jehoshaphat, King Hezekiah and King Josiah,

the worship of God was restored. Soon after their reigns, however, the

nation fell back into sin and rebellion against God. What does this teach us

about the natural tendency of the heart in spiritual matters?

The priests Jehoiada and Azariah dared to confront the evil of their day and

stood up for the truth of God and the Law of Moses. Are there spiritual

leaders of our day who have this boldness?

In the days of Hezekiah, when renewal was taking place in Judah, the

priests were not ready to lead the people in this renewal because they

themselves were unclean and needed to get right with God. Are there things

you need to get right with God today? Are you a spiritual leader? Are you

ready to lead your people into renewal?

Judah was guilty of ignoring her responsibility before God by not providing

for the priests. Are there servants of God who are being ignored today and

struggling to do their ministry because God’s people are not providing them

the resources?

Under the reforms of Josiah, we discover that the Book of the Law of

Moses was lost, and the people of God were not being instructed in the

Word of God and His ways. Is it possible that this sin is being repeated in

churches of our nations today? Explain.

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to help you to realize how easily you could fall in your

spiritual life. Ask Him to give you strength to face the temptations that

come your way.

Ask the Lord to give you the boldness and courage to stand up for what it

true even when those around you have abandoned the truth of God and His

purpose.

Ask the Lord to show you any area of your life where you are not

surrendered to Him. Ask Him to give you grace to walk in greater

obedience.

Ask God to show you how you can better use your resources to further the

cause of His kingdom on this earth.

Take a moment to pray for the spiritual leaders in your church and

community. Ask God to help them to be diligent and faithful students of His

Word. Ask God to give them grace to teach that truth to those under their

charge.

13 - THE PRIESTHOOD

DURING THE EXILE

e have seen that the nations of Israel and Judah both turned

against the Lord. God punished them by taking them away

from their land. Israel was the first to be exiled and stripped of

her land when the Assyrians invaded. 2 Kings 17 tells us that the king of

Assyria resettled the region of Israel with people from many lands:

24 And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah,

Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of

Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of

Samaria and lived in its cities. (2 Kings 17)

2 Kings 17:25 records for us what took place that day when these

foreigners, who did not follow the Lord, settled in the land of Israel:

25 And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the

Lord. Therefore, the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some

of them. (2 Kings 17)

The curse of the Lord was on those who inhabited the region of Israel

because they did not serve Him. The Assyrians had enough discernment to

understand this and sent priests back to the region to teach the people how

to worship the God of Israel.

27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the

priests whom you carried away from there, and let him go and dwell

there and teach them the law of the god of the land.” 28 So one of

the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and

lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the Lord. (2

Kings 17)

The priests who returned to the northern kingdom to instruct the foreigners

in the ways of the Lord, however, were not faithful to God. 2 Kings 17:29

tells us that each of the nations who had settled in the region continued to

make their own gods and serve them. The result was a mixture of pagan and

Jewish practices.

29 But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the

shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every

nation in the cities in which they lived. 30 The men of Babylon made

Succoth-benoth, the men of Cath made Nergal, the men of Hamath

made Ashima, 31 and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the

Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and

Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 They also feared the Lord

and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests

of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high

places. 33 So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods,

after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been

carried away.

While the priests of Israel were present in the land, the practice of child

sacrifice, and the building of shrines to foreign gods in the high places

continued. These priests had not learned their lesson but continued to

compromise and walk in rebellion against the Lord and His purpose for

them.

The nation of Judah to the south would also be stripped of her land because

of rebellion. By the time of Judah’s rebellion, Assyria had been conquered

by the Babylonians who were on the move acquiring territory for their

empire. Nebuchadnezzar and his army came to Jerusalem and captured it

during the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah (2 Kings 25:1-2). The

Babylonians entered the city of Jerusalem and burnt down the king’s house

along with many other homes in the city. They also burnt down the temple

of God (2 Kings 25:9). The inhabitants of Jerusalem were taken to Babylon.

Only the poorest in the land were permitted to remain in the city. Articles of

any value in the temple of the Lord were pulled down and taken to Babylon

for the king’s treasury. The high priest of the temple at that time was a man

by the name of Seraiah. He was taken to Babylon where he was put to death

(see 2 Kings 25:18-20).

The land God had promised to His people was left barren for a period of

seventy years. An entire generation would pass before this land would be

restored to God’s people. These were difficult days for the people of God

from both Israel and Judah. We read very little about the priests and their

role in these days. God, however, had not abandoned his people. He raised

up people of tremendous significance during this time. God chose Esther

from among the Jewish refugees to become queen of Persia. She would be

responsible for saving her people from extermination under the evil plot of

Haman, second in command in the Persian empire. He placed Daniel in a

significant position where he would speak prophetic words from God and

demonstrate His power to the kings of the Medes and Persians. While these

individuals were not priests, God was using them, nonetheless.

We catch a glimpse of this period of exile in Hosea 3. In this passage, the

prophet’s wife was unfaithful and left him. God asked Hosea, her husband,

to bring her back to his home and love her as God loved His people who

were unfaithful to Him. This is a picture of what would happen to the

people of God who had been unfaithful and separated themselves from

God. Listen to what the Lord says through Hosea in this context:

4 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or

prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods.

5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord

their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the

Lord and to his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3)

Notice what Hosea tells us here. The people of God would have to do

without the ministry of the priests for a period. Eventually, the people of

Israel would return to their God and serve Him. This seems to indicate that

during this time of exile, the priests and sacrifices were no longer available

to the people.

While the people of God in exile were separated from His full blessing on

their lives, they were not abandoned. God would raise up a prophet/priest

by the name of Jeremiah to minister to His people in those days.

Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of Anathoth (Jeremiah

1:1). As a prophet and priest, Jeremiah warned the people of Judah about

the coming exile, but they refused to listen (see Jeremiah 25:1-5). In fact,

Jeremiah’s life was often threatened because he continued to warn the

people of the coming devastation under Nebuchadnezzar. Even his fellow

priests rejected him and sought to kill him because of his warnings:

11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all

the people, “This man deserves the sentence of death, because he

has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.

(Jeremiah 26)

When the exile did come as Jeremiah had predicted, he would write to the

exiles in Babylon with the word of the Lord:

4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles

whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build

houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take

wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and

give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and

daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. (Jeremiah 29)

Jeremiah challenged the people to settle in the land and make the best of

their situation. He told them that their exile would last for seventy years

(see Jeremiah 29:10). There were prophets among them who were speaking

falsehood in the name of the Lord. Jeremiah warned the people about

listening to these false prophets (see Jeremiah 29:8-9). He reminded the

people that when the seventy years were over, God would return to them,

restore their fortunes, and bring them back to the land He had promised

their fathers (see Jeremiah 29:10-14). As a priest, Jeremiah spoke to his

people in the name of the Lord and directed them in His way during this

time of exile.

Jeremiah would remain in Jerusalem after it was captured (see Jeremiah

39:11-14). While the temple was burned and the articles of the temple taken

into exile, Jeremiah would continue to bring the word of the Lord to those

who were still in the land.

When the governor appointed by Babylon was murdered in Judah, the

people who remained in the land feared that Babylon would retaliate.

Fearing for their lives, they approached Jeremiah seeking the will of the

Lord (see Jeremiah 42:1-6). Jeremiah consulted the Lord for these people

and told them that it was the will of the Lord that they remain in the land.

God would deliver them from the hand of their enemy (see Jeremiah 42:7-

11). The people did not like this idea of staying in the land of Judah. They

continued to fear for their lives and decided to ignore the word of God

through the priest and flee to Egypt for protection (Jeremiah 43:1-7).

Jeremiah was taken with them into Egypt where he continued to speak the

word of the Lord to them even in their rebellion.

The role of priest was very limited during the time of the in exile. The

priests, who were sent by the king of Assyria to teach the people who had

settled in Israel, did not seem to have the spiritual strength to stand up

against the pagan worship of the day.

With the destruction of the temple in the southern kingdom and the removal

of the articles used in worship, the role of the priests in exile would change.

No longer were they able to perform their regular duties. For an entire

generation, the worship of God would be restricted.

God continued to speak to and use key individuals at this time. Men and

women like Esther, Daniel, and Jeremiah were powerful figures used by

God during the exile, but with the destruction of the temple, the formal

function of the priest seems to have been abandoned.

For Consideration:

The king of Assyria sent priests to the northern kingdom, to teach the

foreigners who had settled in the land the ways of God. How did these

priests fail in their responsibility? Have we as the people of God ever

missed opportunities because we were not prepared for the task God had set

before us?

God allowed for the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the removal

of the holy articles. Foreigners took these sacred articles and were not

punished by God for touching them. It appears that the glory of God had

left the temple and the articles used for worship. Is it possible that the glory

of God has left our churches today?

How did God use Jeremiah as a priest and prophet during the time of the

exile?

God seems to strip away formal worship and sacrifice during this time in

exile. While the formal worship of God was taken away, He did not stop

speaking to individuals and using them to accomplish His purpose. What

encouragement do you find in this fact?

For Prayer

Ask the Lord to give you grace to always be ready for the opportunities He

brings your way? Ask for boldness to stand firm in the truth.

Do you know something of the glory of the Lord present in your life and in

your church? Ask God to reveal His glory in a deeper way.

Thank the Lord for men and women of faith who risk their lives, like

Jeremiah, to speak the truth of God. Ask God to give you courage to stand

alone, if need be, for the glory of His name.

Thank the Lord that while the enemy may strip away our freedom to

worship formally, he cannot limit our experience of God and His grace.

14 - THE PRIESTHOOD AND

THE RETURN FROM EXILE

s predicted by Jeremiah the priest and prophet, the people of God

remained in exile for a period of seventy years. At the end of

those seventy years, the Lord moved in a miraculous way in the

life of Cyrus, king of Persia. In the first year of the reign of King Cyrus, he

proclaimed the release of the Jewish population held in captivity. Listen to

his proclamation in Ezra 1:

2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven,

has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me

to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever is

among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him

go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the

Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And

let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the

men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts,

besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

(Ezra 1)

The Lord God spoke to this pagan king and called him to release the Jewish

nation and send them back to their land to rebuild the temple.

God also stirred up the hearts of the people of Israel and they contributed

generously toward this great project (see Ezra 1:5-6). Ezra 2:64 tells us that

42,360 Jews would return to Jerusalem, along with their servants and cattle.

Among them were 973 priests and many Levites (see Ezra 2:36-42).

The book of Ezra gives an account of individuals by the name of Habaiah,

Kakkoz and Barzillai who could not prove that their family line was traced

back to the line of priests. As a result, they were excluded from the

priesthood until these matters could be proven (see Ezra 2:61-63). If they

were truly belonging to the priestly line, one would have thought that this

would have been understood. Obviously, it has been some time since their

family had been involved in any priestly activity.

Upon arrival in Israel, the priests built an altar and offered sacrifices to the

Lord God, who had brought them back to their land (see Ezra 3:1-3). As the

people settled in the land again after seventy years of exile, they began the

process of reconstruction. The people focused primarily on building their

own homes while the temple of the Lord remained in ruins.

The Lord would send a prophet by the name of Haggai to Governor

Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest confronting them about ignoring the

work of the temple:

1 In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the

first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of

Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of

Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: 2 “Thus

says the Lord of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come

to rebuild the house of the Lord.” 3 Then the word of the Lord came

by the hand of Haggai the prophet, 4“Is it a time for you yourselves

to dwell in your panelled houses, while this house lies in ruins?

(Haggai 1)

Joshua the high priest had neglected his duty to oversee the construction of

the temple and had to be reprimanded for this. His priorities were not God’s

priorities.

With the words of Haggai fresh in their minds, the people of God confessed

their sin and set to work on the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. They

persevered despite opposition from their neighbours and completed the

work God had given them to do. Ezra 6:16-18 tells us that the priests and

Levites dedicated the restored temple to the Lord “with joy”. A great

number of sacrifices were made the day of the dedication of this temple.

Ezra 6:18 remind us that all this was done “as it is written in the Book of

Moses.”

The priests of that day were involved in rebuilding the wall around

Jerusalem that would protect her from her enemies. Nehemiah 3:1 tells us

that Eliashib the high priest built the Sheep Gate. Other priests were

involved in the repair of other sections of the wall (see Nehemiah 3:22).

Problems arose among those who returned from exile. We read in

Nehemiah 5 that some of those who returned had very little. Eventually

they were forced to borrow from their neighbours just to survive. The richer

Jews of the day demanded high interest on the money loaned, and this

increased the burden on the poor. When Nehemiah found out about this, he

rebuked the lenders and told these individuals to return what they had taken

from their poorer brothers and sisters. The priests were called on to oversee

this process (see Ezra 5:12).

Ezra and Nehemiah encountered several problems in those days. Ezra 9, for

example, speaks of how the Levites had not separated themselves from the

people of the land and their sinful practices. They had been guilty of

marrying foreign women (see Ezra 9:1-2). As a priest, concerned for the

glory of God, Ezra was deeply ashamed of this sin among the Levites, and

he cried out to God:

6 “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my

God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our

guilt has mounted up to the heavens.” (Ezra 9)

Ezra would lead these Levites in a prayer of confession for their

unfaithfulness.

Another problem occurred when a priest by the name of Eliashib cleared

out a storeroom in the temple and offered it as living quarters for a relative

(Nehemiah 13:4-5). These storerooms were dedicated to the Lord and the

storage of tithes and offerings. Eliashib defiled the space by offering it to

his relative. Listen to the response of Nehemiah when he discovered this

sin:

7 … I then discovered the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobiah,

preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. 8

And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of

Tobiah out of the chamber. 9 Then I gave orders, and they cleansed

the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of

God, with the grain offering and the frankincense. (Nehemiah 13)

Nehemiah threw Tobiah out of the room and had it cleansed and restored to

its proper use. Eliashib was guilty of disrespecting the temple. He ignored

the law of God and used his influence to provide accommodations for his

relative.

Nehemiah discovered that in those days the Levites were not being properly

paid for their services. He confronted the people about this and appointed

treasurers to make sure that the priests and Levites were receiving their pay

(see Nehemiah 13:10-14).

Ezra was a priest from the family of Aaron. He returned from exile to the

city of Jerusalem. Ezra 7:6 describes him as a man who was “skilled in the

Law of Moses.” As a priest, skilled in the law of Moses, Ezra had three

main goals in life:

10 For Ezra set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it,

and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. (Ezra 7)

Ezra studied the law of God, and he lived out that Law in his personal life.

He also taught the Law of God so that others would walk in obedience as

well. Ezra is an example of a priest who was devoted to his calling in the

days of Israel’s return from exile. We have an example of Ezra’s teaching in

Nehemiah 8. On this occasion Ezra read the Law of Moses to the people.

As he read the Law, certain Levites circulated throughout the group helping

the people to understand what was being read (see Nehemiah 8:7-8). The

result of this teaching was that the people were deeply touched. Nehemiah

8:9 tells us that “the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.”

When the people left that day, they rejoiced, “because they had understood

the words that were declared to them.”

Nehemiah continues:

13 On the second day the heads of fathers’ houses of all the people,

with the priest and the Levites, came together to Ezra the scribe in

order to study the words of the Law.

Under Ezra the priest, there appears to be a renewal of interest in the

teaching of the Word of God. In fact, on one occasion the people gathered

to confess their sins. For a quarter of the day, they stood listening to the

reading of the Book of the Law of the Lord (see Nehemiah 9:3). After

hearing the Word, they spend another quarter of the day confessing their sin

and worshipping the Lord (Nehemiah 9:3). These were days of renewal for

the people of Israel as God opened their heart to the teaching of Ezra and

the other priests.

In those days Levites were commissioned to oversee the contributions and

offerings given by the people for the work of the Lord. The tithes and

offerings were gathered and taken to storerooms of the temple (see

Nehemiah 12:44).

The people of Israel appeared to be motivated to give to the work of the

Lord:

47 And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of

Nehemiah gave the daily portions for the singers and the

gatekeepers; and they set apart that which was for the Levites; and

the Levites set apart that which was for the sons of Aaron.

(Nehemiah 12)

The renewal of the priesthood under Ezra and Nehemiah did not last. The

prophet Malachi, who prophesied after Ezra and Nehemiah, addressed the

priests of his day in Malachi 1:6:

6 “A son honours his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a

father, where is my honour? And if I am a master, where is my fear?

Says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But

you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’” (Malachi 1)

Malachi confronted the priests of his day and told them that they had

despised the name of the Lord. The response of the priests to his accusation

is equally as surprising as the accusation itself: “How have we despised

your name?” These priests did not seem to understand how they were

misrepresenting the name of the Lord. They did not have enough

knowledge of the requirements of the Law of Moses to understand their

failures.

God would go on to remind the priests that they were offering polluted food

on His altar. The animals they offered were blind, lame, and sick. (see

Malachi 1:7-8). They were not offering the best they had, but what they did

not want themselves.

The Lord continued his accusation against the priests in Malachi 1:

11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great

among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my

name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the

nations, says the Lord of hosts. 12 But you profane it when you say

that the Lord’s table is polluted, and its fruit, that is, its food may be

despised. 13 But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort

at it, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by

violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering!

Shall I accept that from your hand? says the Lord. 14 Cursed be the

cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to

the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of

hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations. (Malachi 1)

Notice what God told the priests here. He reminded them that while His

name was great among the nations, these priests had profaned it (Malachi

1:11). They considered the work He had called them to do to be a

“weariness” (Malachi 1:13). They offered to the Lord sacrifices that were

taken by violence or were lame and sick (Malachi 1:13). In doing so they

were profaning the name of the God of Israel.

The Lord told the priests of Malachi’s day that if they did not repent, His

curse would fall upon them:

1 “And now, O priests, this command is for you. 2 If you will not

listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honour to my name, says

the Lord of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will

curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because

you do not lay it to heart. 3 Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and

spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall

be taken away with it. 4 So shall you know that I have sent this

command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the

Lord of hosts. (Malachi 2)

Just as they had profaned the name of the Lord, so He would profane their

name. God would curse them for their profanity and blasphemy. They

would be stripped of their duties.

It did not take long for the priests and Levites to turn away from God. Even

though they had returned from exile and were again settled in their land,

there was within the hearts of these priests a tendency to wander from God

and misrepresent Him before the people. Those who were appointed to lead

the people into a relationship with God were themselves sinners in need of a

priest to lead them.

As we conclude our reflection on the priesthood after the return from exile,

it is important that we consider one more prophet who lived at this time.

Zechariah the prophet shared a vision he had about Joshua who was high

priest during the reconstruction of the temple (see Haggai 1:1-2). In

Zechariah’s vision, the prophet saw Joshua standing before the angel of the

LORD with Satan standing at his right side to bring accusations against him

(see Zechariah 3:1). The Lord rebuked Satan and commanded the angel to

take off Joshua’s filthy clothes and clothe him with “pure vestments”

(Zechariah 3:4). This action was symbolic of the Lord forgiving Joshua.

The fact that Joshua the priest was clothed in filthy garments is an

indication that he had not kept himself pure but needed to get right with the

Lord. God was about to do a wonderful work, but the high priest stood

before Him in filthy clothes, unprepared to follow the Lord in the work He

wanted to do. This is a picture of the frailty and sinfulness of the earthly

priests.

As Joshua stood before the Lord, in Zechariah’s vision, the Lord spoke to

him and gave him a promise:

8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit

before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my

servant the Branch. 9 For behold, on the stone that I have set before

Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its

inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity

of this land in a single day. (Zechariah 3)

Notice the promise that God made here. He told Joshua that the day was

coming when he would bring to earth a servant called the Branch. Through

the Branch, the iniquity of the land would be removed in a single day. This

would have been very difficult for Joshua to understand. What is important

for us to note here, however, is that the name “Jesus” is the Greek form of

the Hebrew name “Joshua.” The Branch that would come to remove the

iniquity of the land in a single day would bear the name of Joshua. He

would become a true high priest who would deal with this matter of sin

once and for all.

In Zechariah 6 the Lord told Zechariah the prophet to take an offering from

the exiles who had returned from Babylon. He was to take the silver and

gold he received and make a crown. That crown was then to be placed on

the head of Joshua the high priest. When the crown was placed on his head,

Zechariah was to say to Joshua:

12 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, the man whose name is

the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall

build the temple of the Lord. 13 It is he who shall build the temple of

the Lord and shall bear royal honour and shall sit and rule on his

throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of

peace shall be between them both.’” (Zechariah 6)

The words of this prophecy speak again about the Branch who would

remove the iniquity of the land in a single day. This Branch (the Messiah—

the Lord Jesus), would build a temple. He would sit and rule on His throne

as priest. Priests do not normally sit on thrones and rule but there was a day

coming when a new priest would not only bring the forgiveness of sin in a

day, but also rule as priest and king over those who had been forgiven of

their sin. This prophecy of Zechariah, looked forward to the priesthood of

Christ, who would be the perfect High Priest.

While there was a brief renewal of the priesthood after the exile in the days

of Ezra, that renewal did not last. By the time we reach the end of the Old

Testament, the priests of God saw their work to be a weariness. They were

guilty of despising the name of the Lord and like Joshua, dressed in filthy

clothes. These priests were unable to deal with even their own sins.

For Consideration

How does God use the foreign king, Cyrus, to bless His people? Can God

use unbelievers to advance His purpose?

When the people returned from exile, they began to rebuild the city but

ignored the construction of the temple. Haggai challenged them in this

matter. What do the priorities of the priests in those days tell us about where

they were in their walk with God? Take a moment to examine your

priorities in life.

Eliashib the priests used his influence to find a room in the temple for his

relative Tobiah. Why was this wrong? Is it possible for religious leaders to

misuse their influence today?

What was the impact of the teaching of the Word of God under Ezra? Can

the teaching of the Word bring this kind of change today?

Did the renewal that took place under Ezra and Nehemiah continue? What

was the challenge of Malachi to the priests of his day? What does this tell

us about the frailty of the priests and their sinful nature?

How does Zechariah prophecy about the Lord Jesus? What would Jesus the

priest do for His people that the priests of the Old Testament could not do?

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord that He is not limited to using believers to accomplish His

purpose on this earth. Thank Him for the way He used Cyrus to release His

people from bondage.

Ask the Lord to give you His priorities for your life. Ask Him to forgive

you for times when you have failed to live with His priorities.

Are you a leader with influence in your church or community? Ask the

Lord to help you to be wise in how you exercise that authority.

Take a moment to thank God that He sent His Son, Jesus, to be the perfect

High Priest for us.

15 – THE PRIESTHOOD IN

THE TIME OF JESUS

n the last chapter, we saw how there appeared to a renewal among the

priests in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. This renewal, however, did

not last. In the last book of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi

rebuked the priests who had become negligent in their duties and saw the

work of God as a burden rather than a delight.

We come now to the priests of the New Testament, and particularly those

who lived in the time Jesus walked on the earth. Remember that Zechariah

the prophet had prophesied that a Branch would come who would cleanse

the iniquity of the land in a single day, and rule as a priestly king on His

throne (Zechariah 3). This prophesy of Zechariah pointed directly to the

Lord Jesus as the promised Messiah and hope of the nation. What was the

response of the religious leaders and particularly the priests to the arrival of

this righteous Branch?

As we begin, we discover that at the birth of Jesus, wise men came from

eastern lands to worship him. When they asked King Herod about where

this child was born, he assembled the chief priests and scribes to inquire

about this matter (Matthew 2:4).

Notice the reference to the scribes here in Matthew 2:4. While they were

not priests, the scribes were students of the Law of Moses. It was these

scribes who interpreted the law and gave instructions about its application

in the lives of the people. Because the Scribes were students of the Law,

Herod called them along with the priests to answer his question about the

king who was to be born. The priests and scribes pointed Herod to the

prophecy of Micah 5:2:

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,

who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to be ruler in Israel,

whose coming forth is from of old,

from ancient days. (Micah 5)

It is significant that the priests were aware of the prophecy that a king

would come from the small and seemingly insignificant region of

Bethlehem. That word of prophecy pointed the wise men to the very town

where Jesus was born.

The New Testament gives us a glimpse into the role of the priests at this

time. We read in Matthew 8:1-4, for example, how, after Jesus healed a

leper, He gave him a very particular command:

4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but

go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses

commanded for a proof to them. (Matthew 8)

Jesus encouraged this leper to go to the priest to be declared pure according

to the Law of Moses.

While these priests performed their duties, according to the Law of Moses,

Jesus saw beyond the external actions to the heart of these men. He told a

parable about a man who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. On

his way, he was robbed, beaten, and left on the road half dead. Notice the

response of the priest who saw this man:

31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he

saw him he passed by on the other side. (Luke 10)

It is significant that Jesus would use a priest in his parable. The priest in

Jesus’ illustration was so concerned for his purity that he refused to minister

to those in need.

On another occasion Jesus told a parable about a man who planted a

vineyard and rented it out to tenants. In the season of the harvest, he called

his servants to harvest the grapes from the vines. When the tenants saw

these servants coming to harvest the grapes, they killed them. Eventually,

the master sent his son to speak to them, but the tenants killed his son also.

Clearly this parable spoke of Jesus and how He, as the Son of God, was

rejected by the people of His day. Notice the response of the priests upon

hearing Jesus’ story:

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they

perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And although they

were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they

held him to be a prophet. (Matthew 21)

From this we understand that the priests did not like Jesus. Jesus saw

through the outward religion to the attitude of their hearts. Their hearts were

not right with God, whom they claimed to serve.

As the Lord Jesus ministered and preached to the crowds, many people

began to wonder if he was the Messiah who had been prophesied. They

were touched by his words. Many were healed from their sicknesses and

delivered of their oppressive spirits. While the people wondered about these

things, notice the response of the priests, according to John 10:

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him,

and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. (John

10)

The chief priests refused to accept that Jesus could be the Messiah. They

rejected His message and even sought to stop Him from ministering to the

people.

This rejection of Jesus and His message is quite clear after Jesus raised of

Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha from the dead (see John 11:38-

44). Seeing the impact of this event on the crowds and how they were

turning to Jesus as a result, the chief priests determined that they were

going to kill Lazarus:

9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there,

they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus,

whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made

plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him

many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. (John 12)

It is quite amazing to see the chief religious leaders plotting the murder of

an innocent man. This, however, was the heart of the priests who served in

those days.

Mark 11:15-19 describes how Jesus went to the temple on one occasion.

When he entered the outer court, he found moneychangers and those who

were selling animals for sacrifices. When He saw what was taking place

that day, anger burnt within Him. What He was seeing was a defiling of the

temple. This place that was meant for worship and prayer had become a

place for commerce and profit. That day Jesus took it upon Himself to drive

these sellers and money changers out of the temple.

The fact that these individuals were allowed in the temple courtyard for this

purpose shows us the condition of the faith of the day. God had set apart the

courtyard for the worship of His name. The priests and Levites were

accountable to God to keep that courtyard and the temple free from

defilement. They had not been doing their job. Notice, however, the

response of the priests to the cleansing of the temple by Jesus:

18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a

way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was

astonished at his teaching. (Mark 11)

Again, we see here the state of the priesthood. They sought to kill Jesus

because He kept the Law of Moses in cleansing the temple. These priests

had compromised in their faith to such an extent that they no longer

followed God’s requirements.

This desire to get rid of Jesus would eventually become an obsession for the

priests. Their concern, however, was to do so secretly, for they feared the

people (see Luke 20:19; 22:2). Their desire was to look good to the people

of the day. They had a reputation to maintain as religious leaders and

appearance was very important to them. Mark described this attitude when

he said:

1 It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of

Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were

seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, 2 for they said,

“Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.”

(Mark 14)

For these priests, the outward appearance was very important. In their heart,

however, they harboured murderous thoughts about Jesus and those who

followed Him.

The opportunity to arrest Jesus came when one of His disciples betrayed

Him. Knowing that the priests were wanting to arrest and kill Jesus, Judas

went to them with a proposal:

14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to

the chief priests 15 and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him

over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from

that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him. (Matthew 26)

The priests of that day were more than willing to pay Judas to deliver Jesus

over to them. They paid him well for doing so. The day came when Judas

found his opportunity. Gathering a mob around him, Judas arrived at the

Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus was praying. It was there that they

would arrest Jesus.

43 And immediately, while he was speaking, Judas came, one of the

twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief

priests and the scribes and elders. (Mark 14)

Notice that the mob arrived “from the chief priests and the scribes and

elders.” The priests of Jesus’ day were behind His arrest.

Jesus was brought to the high priest and questioned about His teaching (see

John 18:19). When Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, Caiaphas, the high

priest, accused Him of blasphemy. Matthew’s account of this event is

striking:

63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I

adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of

God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from

now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of

Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high

priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What

further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.

66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”

67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him,

68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”

(Matthew 26)

Upon declaring that Jesus had blasphemed, the high priest and those present

declared that He deserved to die. This decision had been made, however,

even before Jesus was arrested. These priests already wanted to kill Jesus

before his trial. Notice what they did that day – they spat in Jesus’ face.

They also struck Him and demanded that He prophesy and tell them who

had struck Him. The high priest condemned the Messiah to death. He

allowed those present that day to spit in Jesus’ face and mock Him. They, of

course, were the ones guilty of blasphemy. This was an all-time low for the

priesthood —they rejected the very Son of God and openly mocked and

persecuted Him.

As the trial of Jesus progressed, He was handed over to the Roman leaders,

who had the authority to pronounce the death sentence. Notice that the chief

priests were the ones who had Jesus bound and handed over to Pilate:

1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the

people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they

bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the

governor. (Matthew 27)

Not only did the priests of that day hand Jesus over to Pilate but they were

so intent on the death of Jesus that they also went along with Him to Pilate

to bring their accusations:

1 And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a

consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. And

they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to

Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

And he answered him, “You have said so.” 3 And the chief priests

accused him of many things. 4 And Pilate again asked him, “Have

you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against

you.” (Mark 15)

Reading this account of the trial of Jesus, we cannot help but be struck by

the fact that those who represented God before the people had so much

hatred for Jesus that they would stand before the Roman governor and

accuse Him. They were not only responsible for Jesus’ arrest, but they also

took the lead in accusing Him before the authorities.

After Pilate beat Jesus, despite finding no guilt in Him, he presented Him to

the people. We can only imagine what Jesus looked like after being beaten

by the Roman soldiers. They had placed a crown of thorns on His head and

spat in His face. They had beaten Him with a whip. Jesus stood before the

crown with spit and blood dripping off His body. Pilate had no reason to kill

Jesus and likely hoped that this beating would have been sufficient to calm

the crowd. Notice, however, the response of the priests to seeing Jesus that

day:

4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him

out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus

came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate

said to them, “Behold the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the

officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate

said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no

guilt in him.” 7 (John 19)

Seeing Jesus in His humbled state, the chief priests led out in the cry,

“Crucify Him, crucify Him!” They had no compassion or love in their heart

for Jesus. Pilate, uncertain as to what to do, decided to bring out a man who

was accused of murder and rioting in the city and place him beside Jesus.

He then asked the people to choose between Jesus and Barabbas. Notice the

role of the priests in Matthew’s account of this event:

20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask

for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. (Matthew 27)

Again, we see the chief priests leading the people in crying out for the death

of Jesus the Messiah. There can be no doubt here that the priests of the day

had a significant role to play in the death of Jesus.

When the Lord Jesus was finally crucified on the cross, the chief priests

were present. Mark recounts what took place at the foot of the cross. Listen

to the words of the priests to Jesus as He was hanging on the cross:

27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and

one on his left. 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging

their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple

and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from

the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him

to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.

32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross

that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him

also reviled him. (Mark 15)

There at the foot of the cross of this dying man, the chief priests stood

mocking Him saying, “He saved others; He cannot save himself.” Their

hatred of Jesus was so intense that even as He suffered on the cross, they

had nothing compassionate to say. They mocked Him to His very death.

When Pilate put a sign on the cross saying: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the

Jews,” it was the chief priests who approached Pilate and asked him to

change it to say, “This man says, I am King of the Jews.” Pilate refused to

change this sign for them (see John 19:19-22). This was a reference to a

spiritual kingdom. The chief priests could not bear to see this sign because

they rejected Jesus as their heavenly King. They went on record protesting

this sign and its meaning.

Matthew goes on to tell us what happened after the death of Jesus when he

was put in the tomb. Knowing that Jesus had predicted that He would rise

from the death after three days, the chief priests approached Pilate with a

request:

63 … “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still

alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to

be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him

away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last

fraud will be worse than the first.” (Matthew 27)

Notice that the priests called Jesus an impostor. Notice also that they spoke

of the message of the Lord Jesus as a “fraud”. These priests were so intent

on stamping out the message of Christ that they requested a guard at his

tomb for three days lest the disciples steal the body and continue the

teaching of Christ.

When the resurrection did take place, despite the guard posted at the tomb,

the priests found themselves in a difficult position. The guards present that

day reported what they had seen to the chief priests. We can only imagine

the impact that the resurrection of Jesus had on the guards. It was not the

disciples who reported to the chief priests, but the unbelieving Roman

authorities. The chief priests had no cause to reject the report of these

Roman soldiers who cared nothing for Jesus.

Notice the response of the chief priests to the news of the miraculous

resurrection of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 28:

11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the

city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when

they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a

sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people,

‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were

asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy

him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and

did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the

Jews to this day. (Matthew 28)

The priests held a meeting and decided to take advantage of the situation

the guards found themselves in. These guards had seemingly failed in their

responsibility as the body of Jesus was missing from the tomb. This would

have meant serious discipline or possibly even death for these soldiers for

failing in their responsibility. The priests told the soldiers, therefore, to say

that the disciples had come and stolen the body of Jesus while they were

asleep. They paid these soldiers a great sum of money to tell this lie and

promised to speak to the governor in their favour. We see the priest, here

bribing the guards and spreading a lie to the population of that day. Not

only were they guilty of murder but also of bribery and fraud as well.

As we examine the priesthood of the time of Jesus what do we discover?

We see a spiritual leadership busy with all the externals of religion. They

were doing the right things from a religious point of view, but their hearts

were far from God. They were more concerned about what people thought

about them than they were about what the Lord God thought about them.

These priest, were dressed in their priestly garments but inside their hearts

they were capable of the worst of crimes. They were filled with pride. Jesus

described them as a people who would pass by a stranger beaten and robbed

on the street without bending down to help. The record of the gospels

shows us that they were very jealous people who hated the attention Jesus

received. They saw the miracles of Jesus but hardened their heart to Him.

They were willing to murder the Son of God. They paid Judas money to

betray Him. They falsely accused Jesus before the Roman authorities. They

persuaded the people of their day to reject Jesus the Messiah. The openly

mocked Jesus as He hung dying on the cross. They paid off the Roman

authorities to promote a lie and deceive the people about what really took

place at the tomb. Ultimately, they were the instruments Satan used to kill

the Son of God.

For Consideration:

When Herod learned from the wise men that a king of the Jews had been

born, he called for the scribes and priests and inquired as to where He

would be born. The priests and scribes pointed out to him the very city.

What does this tell us about the understanding of the priests of prophecy

about the Messiah?

While the priests of Jesus’ day were faithful to the requirements of Moses

and practiced their faith, what does Jesus tell us about them in the parable

of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10?

What was the reaction of the priests to the message of Jesus?

In Mark 11 we read the story of how Jesus cleansed the temple. What was

going on in the temple when Jesus cleansed it? What does this tell us about

the priorities of the priests of that day?

What was the role of the priests in the crucifixion of Jesus? What does this

tell us about them?

What do we learn here about the need of a new priesthood? How does the

failure of the priests point us to the need of a new High Priest?

Is it possible for us to appear religious on the outside and not be right with

God?

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to help you to apply what you know to be true from Scripture

to your life. Ask that your faith would not be a faith of external actions only

but one that touches your heart.

Are there religious leaders in your community who do not know the Lord

Jesus or accept Him as the Son of God? Take a moment to pray that they

would turn to Him.

The priests appeared to look good on the outside but inside they were very

different. Ask the Lord to examine your heart to see if there is anything

offensive to Him. Pray that He would remove anything that offends and

cleanse you from within.

Thank the Lord that while people and religious leaders may fail us, He will

never fail.

16 - THE NEED OF A NEW

PRIESTHOOD

s we have traced the priestly line through the Scriptures it has

become quite clear that there were problems in the priesthood.

We have seen, among the priests, times of intense rebellion

against God and His purpose. These men often fell and turned away from

God. Hebrews 7:27-28 reminds us that when the priests offered sacrifices

for the sins of the people, they first had to offer sacrifices for their own sin.

They were as sinful as the people to whom they ministered. Their priestly

duties were stained with their own sin. They demonstrated that they

themselves had never been able to overcome the sin that separated them

from God. They ministered on God’s behalf but were themselves held in the

bondage of sin and in need of a Saviour.

Listen to the words Hebrews 10:

1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come

instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same

sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those

who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be

offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no

longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices

there is a reminder of sins every year. (Hebrews 10)

There are several things we need to understand from these verses. The law

with its priests and regulations was a shadow of things to come – “the law

has but of shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of

these realities” (Hebrews 10:1).

It is important that we understand what the writer of Hebrews is telling us

here. He is saying that the law, with its priests, sacrifices and regulations,

was merely a shadow. A shadow is very different from the reality. The

implication here is that the priesthood of the Old Testament was not the

final reality. There was something greater. A shadow represents the

presence of a reality but is nothing in comparison to the reality. In other

words, the Law and the priesthood merely represented what was yet to

come. There was something much greater than the Levitical priesthood that

was going to be revealed in its right time. Like a shadow, the Levitical and

Aaronic priesthood would pass.

Notice also from Hebrews 10:1-2 that the sacrifices the Old Testament

priests offered every year could never make those who brought them perfect

– “it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every

year, make perfect those who draw near” (Hebrews 10:1).

Every year special sacrifices were made for the sins of the people. In fact,

every day of the year sacrifices were offered on behalf of the people

because of their sin. Imagine that you were sick, and the doctor prescribed a

medication for you. You take that medication every day, but the symptoms

continue. You still have the same problem. What would you think of the

medication? If the medication does not make you better, then you would

likely go back to your doctor and tell him that it wasn’t working for you.

Consider what is happening in the ministry of the Old Testament priests.

Every year they offered sacrifices for the sins of the people, but the people

continued to sin. Countless animals were slaughtered for the sins of the

people, but the people did not stop sinning. The very fact that the sacrifices

had to be offered year after year shows us that the problem of sin was not

resolved. The writer of Hebrews would go as far as to say:

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away

sins. (Hebrews 10)

The priests of the Old Testament were facing an impossible task. Sin

separated creation from its Creator. The only solution they had for this

problem was to sacrifice animals on behalf of the humans who sinned. We

read, however, in Hebrews 10:4 that it was impossible for the blood of bulls

and goats to take away sin. These priests could not offer a solution to a

sinful world lost in sin.

There is another point the writer of Hebrews makes about the Old

Testament priests in Hebrews 7.

23 The former priests were many in number, because they were

prevented by death from continuing in office. (Hebrews 7)

There were many priests in the Old Testament. These priests ministered for

a time and then they died. There were things in life over which they had no

control. They did not have power over sin, nor did they have power over

death. Despite their greatest efforts, they could not defeat these two great

enemies. What hope could they offer the people if these enemies could not

be defeated? Would you place your confidence in a commander who was

too weak to give you victory over your enemy?

Another issue with the priests of the Old Testament is reflected in Hebrews

6 These preparations having thus been made, the priests go

regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7 but

into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year,

and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the

unintentional sins of the people. 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates

that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the

first section is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present

age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered

that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only

with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body

imposed until the time of reformation. (Hebrews 9)

Notice what this passage tells us. It reminds us that the temple of God was

divided into three main parts. The courtyard was where the average Jews

could come for worship. The Holy Place was reserved for priests only.

Finally, the High Priest could only enter the Most Holy Place once a year.

This high priest could only enter the Most Holy Place by first offering

sacrifices for his own sin lest he die by entering in an unworthy manner.

The way to God was not open to the average person. Even the ordinary

priest could not enter the presence of God. The High priest alone could

enter only after cleansing himself, but he could only do so once a year and

for a very particular purpose.

The priesthood of the Old Testament could not deal with this matter of

uniting God and His people. They, themselves could not enter the presence

of God without fear of death. The way to God was not opened through the

priesthood of the Old Testament. The priests were powerless to bring their

people into the presence of God. Despite all their sacrifices and offerings,

the way to God remained closed.

Let me summarize what we have seen here in the book of Hebrews. We are

told that the priests of the Old Testament were sinners, unable to overcome

sin in their own lives. They offered sacrifices of bulls and goats that could

never take away sin. They were unable to overcome the power of death.

They could not enter the presence of God without fear of dying. They

ministered in a system which was merely a shadow of a reality that was to

come.

Hebrews 7:11 speaks of this:

11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical

priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further

need would there have been for another priest to arise after the

order of Melchizedek, rather than on names after the order of

Aaron? (Hebrews 7)

The priesthood of Aaron would come to an end. It had served its purpose. It

showed us the need for a more perfect priesthood—one that would give us

victory over sin and death. One that would break down the wall of

separation between God and His creation.

For Consideration:

Could we ever have victory over sin by means of the sacrifices of bulls and

goats? What do the endless sacrifices of the Old Testament priests show us?

Were the Old Testament priests ever able to reconcile God and His

creation? What evidence is there of a continued separation between them in

the Old Testament?

Was the Old Testament priesthood designed to be permanent? What did this

Old Testament priesthood show us about our need?

Take a moment to consider your need of a solution to the problem of sin

and death. What is needed for victory over these great enemies?

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord for the promise of a greater priesthood than that of Aaron.

Thank the Lord that He has offered a solution to the problem of sin and

death.

Thank the Lord that because of His work on the cross the barrier of sin has

been removed and we can approach boldly into the presence of God.

17 - THE ORDER OF

MELCHIZEDEK

e saw in the last chapter how the Old Testament points us to

the need of a new priesthood. That priesthood would come in

the person of Jesus Christ. Consider the words of the writer of

Hebrews:

1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling,

consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.

(Hebrews 3)

This same thought is again repeated in Hebrews 4:

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through

the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize

with out weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted

as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4)

The writer to the Hebrews goes into detail to explain why Jesus Christ is a

better high priest than any of the descendants of Aaron (Hebrews 5-10).

This is a subject for another study. What is important for us in the context

of this study is to see how the priestly line moved from the Levitical

priesthood to Jesus.

According to the Law of Moses, only the descendants of Levi were to

perform the priestly duties. It is significant then, considering the declaration

of the writer of Hebrews about Jesus as a high priest, that Jesus was not a

descendant of Levi.

14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in

connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

(Hebrews 7)

This means that Jesus came to institute a new priesthood – one that was

different from the priesthood of the Old Testament. Again, the writer of

Hebrews speaks of this in Hebrews 7:

11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical

priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further

need would there have been for another priest to arise after the

order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of

Aaron? 12 For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is

necessarily a change in the law as well. (Hebrews 7)

Notice what the writer of Hebrews is telling us here. It was necessary for

another priesthood to arise because the Levitical priesthood could not deal

with the matter of sin. He also tells us that this new priesthood would be of

another order. It would not be a Levitical priesthood but a priesthood of the

order of Melchizedek. Finally, he tells us that when there is a change of

priesthood there is of necessity also a change in the law. In other words,

under this new priesthood, the old way of the Law of Moses would pass and

give birth to something new. What is the order of Melchizedek and who

was Melchizedek? Let’s take a moment now to consider this.

There are only three books of the Bible that speak about Melchizedek. The

first reference to him occurs in Genesis 14. Abram’s nephew Lot had

separated from him and settled in the region of Sodom where he grazed his

flocks and raised his family. On one occasion, a coalition of kings invaded

and captured the city where Lot and his family were living. These kings

took Lot captive (Genesis 14:11-12).

The news of Lot’s capture reached Abram. When he heard what had

happened, he gathered 318 men and pursued the enemy to rescue his

nephew from them. The Lord gave him wonderful success and he returned

home with Lot, his family, and his possessions (Genesis 14:13-16).

One his way home from this battle, Abram and his men met Melchizedek,

the king of Salem. Melchizedek brought bread and wine to Abram and his

men to eat. Obviously, they would have been exhausted after this battle. Not

only did Melchizedek supply Abram with these much-needed supplies but

he also blessed him:

19 And he blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Possessor of heaven and earth;

and blessed be God Most High,

who has delivered your enemy into your hand! (Genesis 14)

There are two important details we need to see here. First, according to

Genesis 14:18 it appears that Melchizedek of his own free will, and as an

act of generosity, is led by God to reach out to Abram in his time of need.

Notice second, that Melchizedek has an awareness of the God of Israel and

worships Him in the presence of Abram. The God of Abram was, according

to Melchizedek, the God Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth. He

recognized that it was not Abram’s strength that had given him victory but

the Lord God Most High.

Genesis 14:18 goes on to say that Melchizedek was “priest of God Most

High.” We also learn from this verse that he was also king of Salem. Most

commentators agree that Salem refers here to the city of Jerusalem.

Melchizedek, therefore, is a priestly king who reigned in Jerusalem as a

worshipper of the true God – the God of Abram. We have no record as to

how Melchizedek came to know the God of Abram, but what is clear is that

the work of God was not limited to the descendants of Abram only. God

was touching other people as well.

We can only imagine what the encounter between Abram and Melchizedek

must have been like. As far as Abram knew, he and his family alone knew

and worshipped the God who created the heavens and the earth. Here on his

return from battle, the Lord shows him a fellow worshipper. This king

reached out to Abram in his time of need and blessed him. Together they

celebrated the victory of the Most High God. Notice that Abram was so

touched by this encounter that he gave to Melchizedek one-tenth of

everything he brought back from his battle (Genesis 14:20).

We learn from this that Melchizedek was a priest in service of the God of

Abram in the city of Jerusalem. He was a priest, even before the institution

of the Levitical priesthood under Moses. Though he was not a descendant

of Abram or Jewish in nationality, Melchizedek was a true Gentile

worshipper of the Lord God.

The next reference to Melchizedek comes in Psalm 110. Here David speaks

prophetically of the Lord Jesus who was to come as the Messiah. David

points out that though he was king of Israel there was a Lord who was over

him who gave him victory over his enemies:

1 The LORD says to my Lord:

Sit at my right hand,

until I make your enemies your footstool” (Psalm 110)

As David continues in this psalm, he speaks about how the Lord gave him

victory from Zion (Jerusalem). As he speaks about the victory of the Lord,

David reminds his readers that the God who gave him victory was also a

priest from the order of Melchizedek:

4 The LORD has sworn

and will not change his mind,

“You are a priest forever

after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110)

The Lord who gave David victory, was a priest, not of the order of Aaron

but of Melchizedek. Running parallel to the order of Aaron and the Law of

Moses was a second priestly line. This priestly line of Melchizedek is older

than the line of Aaron. It begins in the book of Genesis. David refers to it

here in the book of Psalms, but it only comes into full view in the New

Testament book of Hebrews.

The writer of Hebrews makes it quite clear that Jesus was appointed to be

priest in this order – the order of Melchizedek:

5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but

was appointed by him who said to him,

“You are my Son,

today I have begotten you”;

6 as he says also in another place,

“You are a priest forever,

after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5)

The connection between the Lord Jesus and the priesthood of Melchizedek

is quite clear. Notice who appointed the Lord Jesus to this position.

Hebrews 5:5 tells us that it was the one who said to Him: “You are my Son,

today I have begotten you.”

This phrase “You are my Son; today I have begotten you,” comes from

Psalm 2:6-7:

6 “As for me, I have set my King

on Zion, my holy hill.”

7 I will tell of the decreed:

The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;

today I have begotten you. (Psalm 2)

The writer of Hebrews tells us that it was the Lord God who spoke this

about His Son:

5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son,

today I have begotten you”?

Or again,

I will be to him a father,

and he shall be to me a son? (Hebrews 1)

We understand from this, therefore, that Jesus was appointed priest after the

order of Melchizedek by God Himself. There are several details in the book

of Hebrews we need to examine about this Melchizedekian priesthood.

The Melchizedekian Priesthood is Greater than the

Levitical Priesthood

Hebrews 7:4-10 tells us that the order of Melchizedek was greater than the

order of Levi.

9 One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes paid

tithes through Abram, 10 for he was still in the loins of his ancestor

when Melchizedek met him. (Hebrews 7)

In this passage, the writer of Hebrews refers to the incident where Abram

gave a tenth of all he had to Melchizedek. By giving a tithe Abram submits

to Melchizedek. Levi, a descendant of Abram not yet born, symbolically

bows to Melchizedek and offers him a tithe through his forefather. Even

Levi whose descendants would be priests recognized the superiority of the

Melchizedekian priesthood.

The Melchizedekian Priesthood is Forever

The priests of the Levitical order would die and be replaced by other

priests. The priesthood of Melchizedek, however, was a priesthood that

would last forever.

23 The former priests were many in number, because they were

prevented by death from continuing office, 24 but he holds his

priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw

near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession

for them. (Hebrews 7)

Unlike the Levitical priesthood, the order of Melchizedek would never

come to an end. The Lord Jesus will live forever and be our priest through

all eternity.

The Melchizedekian Priesthood Would Bring a Change

of Law

Hebrews 7:12 reminds us that when there is a change of priesthood there

must also be a change of law. The very fact that someone who was not from

the tribe of Levi was functioning as priest, indicates the necessity of a

change of law. According to the Old Testament law of Moses such a person

deserved to die because of his blasphemy. Under this new priesthood this

law no longer applied. The Lord Jesus is not a descendant of Levi, but He

functions as priest. This Law of Moses has been put aside:

18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside

because of its weakness and uselessness. 19 (for the law made

nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced

through which we draw near to God. (Hebrews 7)

The Melchizedekian Priesthood Offers Us Hope

Under the priesthood of Levi, continuous sacrifices were offered, and yet

the problem of sin was never resolved. The priesthood of Melchizedek

offers us hope we could never have had under the priesthood of Levi with

all its sacrifices.

15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those

who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since

a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions

committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9)

The Lord Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant as priest of Melchizedek.

This covenant is not the same as the old one. From this verse, we

understand that the new covenant accomplishes what the old covenant

could not accomplish under the Levitical priests.

Notice the phrase: “a death has occurred that redeems them from the

transgressions committed under the first covenant” (Hebrews 9:15b) The

blood of bulls and goats could not save the Old Testament souls under the

priesthood of Levi. Only by the death of Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God,

could the sins of the Old Testament saints be fully covered. As a priest of

the order of Melchizedek, Jesus offers complete forgiveness.

Also notice that as the mediator of a new priesthood and covenant “those

who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance” (Hebrews

9:15a). There is a guarantee of inheritance in the presence of the Father

through the forgiveness that the Lord Jesus offers as priest of the order of

Melchizedek.

We see from this that the Lord Jesus would become our High Priest. He did

not come as a Levitical priest but as a priest from a different order. As a

priest of a different order, He came to mediate a new covenant. With this

new priesthood and covenant we have a guarantee of eternal life. What the

Levitical priesthood could not accomplish, the Melchizedekian priesthood

would.

For Consideration:

Why is it significant that the Lord Jesus was not from the tribe of Levi?

Why was there a need for a new priesthood?

Who was Melchizedek? What kind of relationship did he have with the God

of Abram?

What does the fact that the priesthood of Melchizedek was older than that

of Levi show us about the purpose of God? What does it show us about the

plan of God for the Gentile world?

How is the Melchizedekian priesthood greater than the Levitical

priesthood?

Are we under the Law of Moses as administered by the Levitical priesthood

today?

What encouragement do you find in the fact that the Lord Jesus came to

establish a new priesthood and new covenant relationship with you?

For Prayer:

Take a moment to thank the Lord that He came to offer us hope as a new

priest of a new covenant.

Thank the Lord for the fact that even before the Levitical priesthood, there

were Gentiles like Melchizedek who loved and served Him.

Do you know of individuals who still look to the Old Testament law to

bring them salvation? Ask the Lord to point these individuals to Jesus

Christ a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

18 - JESUS THE HIGH PRIEST

e have discussed the order of Melchizedek which replaced the

Levitical priesthood with the coming of Jesus. Hebrews 6:19-

20 make it clear that Jesus is a high priest of this order of

Melchizedek:

19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope

that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus

has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high

priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6)

We have in Jesus the High Priest, “a sure and steadfast anchor for our soul”

(Hebrews 6:19). Let us consider what Hebrews has to say about Jesus, the

High Priest.

The Holiness and Power of Jesus the High Priest

The book of Hebrews begins with a very important statement about the

Lord Jesus. Listen to the author’s description of the Lord Jesus in Hebrews

1:3:

3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his

nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After

making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the

Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1)

Jesus is described as the “radiance of the glory of God.” The passage does

not say that he reflects the glory and radiance of God, but rather that He “is

the radiance of the glory of God.” There is a big difference between

reflecting the glory of God and being the glory of God. Jesus is the glory of

the Father.

Jesus is also “the exact imprint” of the nature of the Father. In every way,

He demonstrates to us who the Father is. He is in every point like the

Father, perfect in all His ways.

Finally, notice that Jesus the high priest “upholds the universe by the word

of His power.” The whole universe is under His control. His power is such

that all He needs to do is speak and His will is done.

What Levitical priest could make such a claim? Jesus, as High Priest of the

order of Melchizedek, is the radiance of God. His is the exact imprint of

God. He sustains the universe by His mighty power. Nothing is out of His

control. Everything is dependent on Him. This is unimaginable power. Our

destiny in in His hands.

The Victory of Jesus the High Priest over Satan and

Death

The greatest enemies we face on this earth are Satan, sin, and death. The

Levitical priests were unable to conquer these great enemies. We have seen

that they repeatedly fell into sin. They had no control over how long they

could serve as priests before death would take them. This is not the case

with Jesus the High Priest.

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself

likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might

destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15

and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to

lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2)

Jesus became human, although He was God. As a human being, He died

and rise victorious over sin and death. Through His death and resurrection,

He destroyed the power of death and the devil, delivering us from their grip.

Death can no longer hold those who trust in Him. Satan has no ultimate

authority over those who have trusted in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice. As our

high priest, Jesus, accomplished what no Levitical priest could. He gives us

victory over the claim of Satan on our lives and victory over death.

Merit, Not Family Line

The Levitical priests obtained their position by means of their family line.

Family line did not a guarantee a good priest. This was evident in the

history of the priesthood. There were many descendants of Aaron who

rebelled against God and dishonoured Him in their service as priest. Jesus

did not become a priest through his ancestry but by His merit.

15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in

the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become a priest, not on the

basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the

power of an indestructible life. (Hebrews 7)

Jesus became High Priest because of His qualifications. He had the power

of an indestructible life. It is true that when Jesus died, He laid down His

life, but death could not hold Him. He overcame death and rose to be with

His Father. Death could not hold Him because it had no claim on Him.

Death is a result of sin. It was because of sin that death entered the world in

the Garden of Eden. Romans 6:23 tells us that the “wages of sin is death.”

Since He was the perfect Son of God, death had no legal right to keep Him.

Jesus rose from the dead and now lives forever.

Jesus obtained His priesthood based on His merit. He is the perfect High

Priest. Sin and death have no claim on Him. He lives an indestructible life.

The Levitical priests were all subject to human weakness and frailty. Only

Jesus, the High Priest of the order of Melchizedek, can offer us hope, for He

alone has achieved this role by His perfect life.

26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest,

holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above

the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer

sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the

people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28

For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the

word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who

has been made perfect forever. (Hebrews 7)

No Longer a Shadow of Heavenly Things

The Levitical priests served in an earthly tent or temple sacrificing animals

to the Lord. These sacrifices were symbols of the reality to come. Jesus, the

High Priest, no longer serves in symbols and shadows but in reality:

1 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high

priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the

Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent

that the Lord set up, not man. (Hebrews 8)

Jesus, our high priest is seated at the place of highest honour in heaven. He

is seated before the Father pleading for us and ministering on our behalf. He

does not minister in an earthly tent that represents the reality of heaven, but

in the very presence of God Himself.

The Levitical priests could not stand in the presence of God. Only the high

priest could enter once a year into the Most Holy Place, and that could only

take place after cleansing Himself. Jesus, our high priest, dwells in the Most

Holy Place. He sits at the right hand of the Father ministering on our behalf.

A Purified Conscience

While many sacrifices were offered by the Levitical priests, these sacrifices

never fully removed the guilt of the person for whom the sacrifice was

made. Listen to the words of Hebrews 9: 8-9:

8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places

is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing 9

(which is symbolic for the present age). According to this

arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the

conscience of the worshiper. (Hebrews 9)

The sacrifices offered were not able to cleanse the consciences of the people

who brought them. Hebrews 9:13 tells us that: “the blood of goats and bulls,

and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for

the purification of the flesh.” The problem was, however, that they could

not “perfect the conscience.” What does it mean to have a perfect

conscience? If you have a clean conscience, you are innocent of any

wrongdoing. To perfect the conscience is to remove any trace of guilt.

While the sacrifices of the animals on the altar purified the flesh, they did

not remove the guilt of the conscience. The people for whom the sacrifices

were offered were ceremonially and physically clean, but they still carried

the guilt of sin in their heart – they were clean on the outside but still

needed to be cleansed in their heart and conscience.

Listen to the words of Hebrews 9:14 about Jesus our High Priest:

14 How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal

Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience

from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9)

The sacrifice of Christ does what no bull or goat could ever do. It purifies

our conscience and removes the very root of guilt. We can stand before Him

now completely innocent, not because we are perfect but because His

sacrifice covers every one of our sins and removes our guilt. Our

conscience is pure before Him –no sin is held to our account. Jesus

completely removes our guilt and gives us access to the Father. This is

something the Levitical priest could not do.

Once for All

For hundreds of years, the Levitical priests continued to offer sacrifices.

They needed to purify themselves and the people to whom they ministered.

After millions of sacrifices, the guilt of God’s people remained. Hebrews

10:11-14 tells us, however, that the one sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, our high

priest accomplished what no other sacrifice could:

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly

the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when

Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat

down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his

enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single

offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

(Hebrews 10)

Christ offered a single sacrifice for sins. When He completed that sacrifice,

He sat down at the right hand of God and waited for that one-time sacrifice

to accomplish its purpose. That single sacrifice, perfected, forever, those for

whom He died. The effects of that one sacrifice of Jesus our High Priest are

still being felt in our day. His sacrifice is still cleansing the conscience of

those who are guilty before God the Father. It is still transforming and

cleansing the hearts of men, women, and young children across the entire

world. The church of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God continues to

expand, breaking down the strongholds of Satan and sin.

Notice that this one sacrifice of Jesus has taken care of the guilt of sin

forever. There will never need to be another sacrifice for sin. The sacrifice

of Jesus covers all my sin –past, present, and future. It guarantees me a pure

conscience and freedom from guilt for all time.

The Levitical priest, with all his sacrifices, could not even cleanse his own

conscience. Millions of sacrifices were offered but none of these sacrifices

could remove the guilt of sin from the heart of the worshiper. Jesus, our

great High Priest, offered a one-time sacrifice that was so powerfully

effective that it continues to cleanse the conscience of any who will come to

Him. He is the perfect High Priest.

For Consideration:

How does the Lord Jesus as High Priest reflect the glory of God and His

power? How does He compare to the Levitical priests?

What does Hebrews 2:14-15 tell us about the victory of Jesus our high

priest over Satan and death?

What is the difference between meriting and inheriting a title? Why is it

important that Christ merited His title as High Priest?

What did the sacrifices of the Old Testament accomplish?

What do we learn about the power of the one-time sacrifice of Christ? Have

you personally experienced the power of that sacrifice?

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord that He is the perfect high priest who is the glory of the

Father.

Thank the Lord for the power of His one-time sacrifice. Thank Him for the

way His sacrifice has changed your life.

Ask the Lord to open the hearts of your family and friends to the powerful

work of Jesus the High Priest.

19 - JESUS' QUALIFICATION

AS HIGH PRIEST

ohn 17 is known as the High Priestly prayer of Jesus. This is because

it is a prayer He offered to the Father just before he was to make the

greatest sacrifice ever made – His life for the sins of the world. This

prayer has much to teach us about the qualifications of Jesus as High priest

and His ministry on our behalf. In this chapter, I want to examine what John

17 teaches us about the qualifications of Jesus as our great High Priest.

Jesus has authority to give eternal life (verse 2)

As Jesus prays to the Father in John 17, He reveals many important details

about Himself and His calling. Asking the father to glorify Him now that

He was ready to offer His life as a sacrifice, Jesus prayed:

1… Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may

glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to

give eternal life to all whom you have given him. (John 17)

Notice what the Lord Jesus says here. The Father gave Him authority to

give eternal life. This is something that no Levitical priest could do. Jesus

alone has been given the authority to grant eternal life to those the Father

has given to Him. His sacrifice alone is sufficient to cover the penalty of sin

and to set us free from judgement.

Jesus was sent by the Father (verse 3)

Jesus goes on in John 17:3 to say:

3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God and

Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17)

There were those who questioned the authority of Jesus during His ministry

(see Mark 11:28; Luke 20:2). Jesus makes is quite clear that the source of

His authority was God Himself. There can be no higher authority than this.

The Father called Jesus and sent Him to minister on His behalf as High

Priest.

Jesus perfectly accomplished the work of the Father

(verse 4)

Jesus was sent by the Father with the authority to give eternal life. Notice

also in John 17:4 that He was faithful in fulfilling that ministry:

4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you

gave me to do. (John 17)

The Lord Jesus did all that the Father had given Him to do. He

accomplished perfectly that work of God for the salvation of sinful souls.

He overcame tremendous obstacles, but the result was the completion of the

work given to Him for the salvation of all who belonged to the Father.

When Jesus cried out from the cross: “it is finished” (John 19:30) He was

telling the world that everything had been done for the salvation of the

sinful human race. Full pardon was now available for all who would come

to Him.

Jesus perfectly manifested the name of the Father (verse

As He walked on this earth during His ministry, Jesus was confident that He

had shown the character of God to all the Father had given Him.

6 I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out

of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they

have kept your word. (John 17)

The task the Father had given the Son was to reveal Him and His heart to

the world. Jesus did this. He shared the heart of the Father and revealed His

purpose to those the Father had given Him. We would not know God were

it not for the ministry of His Son in revealing Him to us by His life, His

actions, and His words. This revelation of the Father was so complete that

on one occasion He told His disciples: “If you had known me, you would

have known my Father also.” (John 14:7). To know the Son was to know

the Father because the Son perfectly reflected the character of the Father in

all He did and said.

Jesus Faithfully Proclaimed the Words of the Father

(verse 8)

Jesus also was faithful in what He said. In John 17:8 Jesus prayed:

8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have

received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you;

and they have believed that you sent me. (John 17)

There are many preachers and teachers in our day who do not represent the

Word of God accurately. This was not the case for Jesus. He had confidence

that everything He said was from the Father. In fact, He told His disciples in

John 14:

10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in

me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority,

but the Father who dwells in me does his work (John 14)

Jesus made it clear that He only said what the Father gave Him to say. We

can have absolute confidence in Jesus’ words. He perfectly revealed the

heart and purpose of the Father in what He taught.

Jesus Prays for His people (verse 9)

In John 17:9 we see Jesus praying for His people. He was faithful in the

words He spoke, and he was also a man of prayer. His confidence was in

the Father, and He called down the blessings of the Father on His people.

This is a ministry He continues to exercise on our behalf:

25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw

near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession

for them. (Hebrews 7)

Jesus continues to plead our case before the Father. He faithfully prays for

us and procures for us the Father’s protection, blessing and guidance.

Jesus Guards those who belong to the Father (verse 12)

As our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus guards and keeps us. This is an

obligation He takes on Himself.

12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have

given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost

except the son of destruction, what the Scripture might be fulfilled.

(John 17)

Jesus acts as a Shepherd for His sheep. When one of them begins to wander,

He goes after them. He is aware of every struggle they feel and will

minister to those struggles. It is not His will that any be lost. He will keep

them and protect them from the many spiritual enemies that seek to destroy

them. All who belong to the Father are kept by Jesus for the Father. He will

complete the work He began in the lives of His people. He will keep us

until we are presented to the Father in Heaven. Our salvation is in His

hands. We may wander but He is faithful to pursue us. He guards all who

belong to the Father.

Jesus consecrates Himself for His people (verse 19)

The faithfulness of Jesus to us is seen in John 17:19 where He told His

Father:

19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be

sanctified in truth (John 17)

Notice what the Lord Jesus says here: “for their sake I consecrate myself.”

To consecrate oneself to something is to devote oneself or to set oneself

apart for a purpose. This is what Jesus is saying here. He has devoted

Himself to those who belong to the Father. His great desire is that they be

sanctified or made perfect in the will of God. Jesus is devoted, as High

Priest to your care. He has given Himself to perfect the work He began in

your life and will see it to completion.

Jesus fills His people with the glory of the Father (verse

22)

Jesus tells His Father in John 17:22 that He has given to His people the

glory the Father gave Him.

22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, that they

may be one even as we are one (John 17)

Sin was a shameful chain around our neck. The Lord Jesus came and

removed that shame. He forgave us and made us children of God through

His work on the cross. The shame is now gone. We are children of God. We

are ambassadors of God and His lights in this world. Through the

forgiveness of Jesus, the Spirit of God has now come to dwell in our heart.

The presence of God is in those who have received this forgiveness. They

are empowered and indwelt by the Holy Spirit who leads and guides. What

glory this is! What honour He bestows on those who have come to Him. He

has taken us out shame into glory.

Jesus makes know the Love of God to His people (verse

26)

Not only does Jesus our High Priest fill us with glory and honour as

children of God but John 17:26 also tells us that he also reveals to us the

wonderful love of the Father.

26 I made known to them you name, and will continue to make it

known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them,

and I in them. (John 17)

Jesus wants each of His children to understand what it was that caused God

to sacrifice His Son on their behalf. Notice the phrase: “that the love with

which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” There is a

connection between the love of God and the presence of Jesus. In fact, that

love of God is made known through Jesus. Jesus demonstrates this love in

the lives of those who belong to the Father by living in them and caring for

them as High Priest. He is always with us, keeping us, protecting us,

guiding us, and maturing us. His presence is the demonstration of the love

of God for us. Never was such love more clearly demonstrated than in the

work of Jesus as our High Priest.

There has never been a High Priest like Jesus. He is the perfect High Priest

who ministers perfectly to every need. He has consecrated Himself to the

care of all the Father has given Him and is a perfect reflection of the Father

and His heart to us. By His work alone are we able to enter the presence of

the Father. In Him alone can we find true security.

For Consideration:

By whose authority does Jesus minister as High Priest?

How does Jesus reflect the character of God? How does He reveal to us the

heart of God?

What ministry does the Lord Jesus have as High Priest to you personally?

Jesus tells His Father that He consecrates Himself to us and our spiritual

walk and maturity. What encouragement does this bring you today? How

does this reality give you confidence?

How does Jesus demonstrate the love of God for you personally? Give

some specific examples.

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord God that He sent the perfect High Priest to us in the person

of His Son.

Take a moment to thank the Lord Jesus for His wonderful ministry as High

Priest.

Thank the Lord for specific times when He has reached out to You as High

Priest to draw you back to the Father.

Open your heart to the work of the Lord Jesus on your behalf. Ask Him to

forgive you for times when you have resisted His work in your life.

20 - THE DESIRE OF OUR

HIGH PRIEST FOR US

s we conclude this study on the priestly line from Genesis to

Jesus, I want to take a moment to consider the desire of our Great

High Priest for us as recorded in His prayer in John 17. In this

prayer Jesus reflects His pastoral heart for all who have come to Him.

That we would be kept in God’s name (verse 11)

In John 17:11 Jesus knew that His time to leave this world was coming to

an end. As He reflects on this, He prays to the Father saying:

11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I

am coming to you, Holy Father keep them in your name… (John 17)

What does it mean to be kept in the name of God? First, the name of God is

an all-powerful name. At the sound of His name even the demons of hell

flee. Jesus knew that He would be no longer physically present on the earth

and so He has committed us into the hands of the Father. In His name, we

will be safe.

Beyond this, however, the name of God represents His character. As Jesus

prays for His disciples, He is praying that they would be kept faithful to

God and His purpose for their lives. It is the desire of the Lord Jesus that we

be faithful ambassadors of the Father and represent His name well on this

earth, just as He had done. Admittedly, this will mean facing persecution

and suffering. For those times, Jesus prays that the Father would keep us

and protect us by His powerful and authoritative name.

That we would be one (verse 11)

Notice also in verse 11 that the Lord Jesus goes on to pray: “that they may

be one, even as we are one.” The oneness of believers is demonstrated in

several ways. This oneness comes from the fact that we have been adopted

into the family of God and belong to Him as children. As children of God,

we have a common purpose—that is to love and honour our heavenly

Father. We love and honour Him by walking faithfully in His purpose for

our lives. We honour Him by believing His Word and committing ourselves

to obedience. We love Him by turning from other loves to devote ourselves

to Him alone.

If the love of God is in us, then we will respect and honour not only our

heavenly Father but also our brothers and sisters. Listen to the words of

Jesus in John 13:

35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have

love for one another. (John 13)

There is a strong connection between our love for God and our love for His

children. The prophet Zechariah would capture this when he spoke to the

nation that had plundered the people of God:

8 For thus said the LORD of hosts, after his glory sent me to the

nations who plundered you, for he who touches you touches the

apple of his eye.” (Zechariah 2)

If we understand the love of God for each of His children, we will be

careful in how we treat them. To dishonour one of God’s children is to

dishonour the Lord who loves them. It will also affect the efforts of the

body to serve and glorify the Lord God. When one part of the body is hurt,

the whole body suffers as a result. By our divisiveness we hinder the work

of Christ on this earth and the ability of the whole body to bring glory to the

Father as He deserves. It is the desire of the Lord Jesus that we be one – one

in truth and in purpose. His desire is to see the body of Christ lift the name

of the Father and honour Him as one. This will mean dealing with anything

that would keep us from working in harmony with each other for the glory

of His name.

That we would have His joy in us (verse 13)

It is true that living for the Lord God will not always be easy in this life.

There will be times of rejection and persecution. It is the desire of the Lord

Jesus, however, that despite these struggles, we would have His joy fulfilled

in us:

13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the

world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. (John 17)

What is the object of this joy? John 17:13 tells us that it is in the words

Jesus spoke to His people when He was in the world. What was the

message of Jesus? It was a message of hope and forgiveness. It was a

message of victory over sin and death. It was a message of eternal life

through His death. It was a message of eternal joy in the presence of the

Father forever. Consider the many promises of Jesus. These words fill us

with hope and confidence to face whatever the enemy throws at us. It is the

desire of the Lord Jesus that we experience the fullness of joy in our life in

believing what He has promised.

That we would be kept from the evil one (verse 15)

Notice also in verse 15 that it is the desire of the Lord Jesus that we be

delivered from the evil one:

15 I do not ask that you would take them out of the world, but that

you would keep them from the evil one. (John 17)

Satan has set believers as his target. His great desire is to cause them to fall.

We are here on this earth for a purpose. Jesus does not pray that we would

be taken from this world but that we would be kept from the power of Satan

and the forces of evil. His desire is that we will not be overcome by sin and

Satan. There are many believers who seem to live in defeat. This is not the

will of Jesus for them. He wants each of His children to be victorious over

the attacks of the enemy. He wants to see them living in the wonderful

victory of the Lord in their lives and hearts. We will not be free from the

battle until we are in the presence of the Lord Jesus in heaven, but as long

as we are living on this earth it is His desire that we live as conquerors. In

His strength, we can do this.

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him

who loved us. (Romans 8)

That we would be sanctified in the truth (verse 17)

In John 17:17 Jesus prays:

17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

To be sanctified is to be set apart for God. This implies the putting off the

things of this world and becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus.

Notice that it is the will of Jesus that we be set apart by means of the truth

of God’s Word. It is the Word of God that is our guide into faith and godly

practice. There are many ideas and philosophies in this world that seek our

attention. The Lord Jesus, however, prays that we would be guided by the

truth of His word.

As believers, we have not only accepted the work of the Lord Jesus on the

cross for our salvation but also His word as our standard of belief and

practice. We are not like the world. We are not governed by worldly

thinking. Our standard is found in the teaching of Scripture. This is our

guide. We have chosen to walk in obedience to this standard and willingly

suffer the insults of others as we do. We have chosen God’s way above the

ways of the world. We are distinguished as a people who follow the Word

of God. We keep ourselves in the Word and seek more and more to be

faithful to every principle taught in it. It is the desire of the Lord Jesus that

we be a people of the Word.

That we would be in God (verse 21)

The desire of the Lord Jesus our high priest is also seen in what He says in

John 17:21:

21 … that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that

you have sent me. (John 17)

It is the cry of the Lord Jesus that the believer be “in” Him and His Father.

What does it mean to be in God? To be in God is to share His heart and

purpose. More than this, however, it is also to share in His authority,

strength, and wisdom. Jesus does not want us to be defenceless. His heart is

for us to walk in the power of God. He gives us authority in His name to

overcome the forces that stand between us and the purpose of God for our

lives. He equips us with the armour of God, the gifts of God and the fruit of

the Spirit. In Him we are strong. In His wisdom, we move past the

deception of the enemy. This reflects the heart of Jesus our high priest for

victory in this world.

That we would demonstrate God’s love (verse 23)

All these blessings from God are for a purpose. Listen to what the Lord

Jesus says in John 17:23:

23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so

that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as

you loved me. (John 17)

The Lord God reveals His presence in us so that the world may know that

He sent His son and loves us. Consider this for a moment. Have you ever

seen the life of someone who the world had given up on be transformed by

the power of God? Have you ever seen God reach out miraculously and

restore health through the prayers of His people? What does this show us? It

shows us that the power of God is present in the lives of His people. It

shows us that God has come down to humankind. It shows us the power of

the name of Jesus which is alive in us. Ultimately it shows us that God, in

His wonderful grace has chosen to take up residence in our lives. This

reflects His great love for us and His willingness to work in us and through

us.

What happens when the love of Christ touches us? Does it not transform

us? We forgive those who have hurt us. We bless those who curse us. We

are set free from bitterness and jealousy. We minister in His name. What

does this show the world? Does it not show them that the love of God is in

us?

It is the desire of our great High Priest that we demonstrate the wonderful

and powerful presence of God in this world. In doing so we demonstrate the

favour of God on our lives and His presence in us. The light of God’s love

shines through us to a world trapped in sin, pointing them to the victory

possible through His Son.

That we would be with Him forever (verses 24)

Listen to the request of the Lord Jesus in John 17:24:

24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me may be

with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because

you loved me before the foundation of the world. (John 17)

Consider this request for a moment. The Lord Jesus, our great High Priest

has taken a very personal interest in us. We have seen how He wants us to

be safe in this world. He wants us to know the fullness of joy and the power

of God to live in complete victory over the attacks of the evil one. His

desire is that we be with Him forever. There in His presence we will be safe

and secure. No sin will ever separate us from fellowship with Him. No

sickness or disease will harm us. We will enjoy perfect and unhindered joy

and fellowship with Christ and experience the purpose for which we were

created. There is deep love and tenderness in this request of Jesus. His great

passion is for us. We are the focus of His work. We are His joy.

That He would be in us (verse 26)

Notice the final words of Jesus in John 17:

26 I have made known to them your name, and I will continue to

make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be

in them, and I in them. (John 17)

Not only is it the desire of the Lord Jesus that we would be with Him

forever, but it is His desire to be in us Himself. There could be no closer

communion or intimacy – Jesus in us. By His Spirit He takes up residence

in our lives to guide us every step of our way. His Spirit will comfort us

when we are struggling and strengthen us to face the trials that come our

way.

The Lord Jesus offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sin, but His

work did not stop there. He continues to minister on our behalf, not from a

distance but from within our hearts. His indwelling is a guarantee of our

victory. This is something the Levitical priests of the Old Testament could

never do. We can have a very intimate connection with Jesus our High

Priest. He knows us and all our struggles – nothing is hidden from Him. His

work is a very powerful work, reaching to the very thoughts and attitudes of

our heart. He cleanses us, not just on the outside but from within.

In Jesus, we have the perfect High Priest. His sacrifice has paid the legal

penalty for all our sin. His indwelling cleanses us and gives us victory over

the obstacles that keep us from the Father. His strength enables us. His

wisdom guides us. His Spirit comforts us. His presence convicts us and fills

us with fullness of joy. He is not only our High Priest – He is also our God.

To this perfect High Priest may our knees bow.

For Consideration:

What does it mean to be kept in the name of God? To what extent has your

life demonstrated that you are a child of God?

How important is our relationship with brothers and sisters in Christ? What

impact will a positive relationship with our brothers and sister have for the

sake of Christ in this world?

To what extent are you experiencing the joy of the Lord? Is joy an

important aspect of the Christian life? Why do you suppose it is the great

desire of the Lord that we experience joy? What kind of testimony is a

joyless faith?

What role does the Word of God have in your Christian life? Have you ever

had to make a choice between the Word of God and the ways of the world?

What evidence is there in your life of the power and presence of Jesus in

you? How has the presence of the Spirit of God transformed your life?

Compare the ministry of the Levitical priests to the priesthood of the Lord

Jesus. What differences do you find?

For Prayer:

Take a moment to thank the Lord Jesus for His role as the perfect High

Priest. Thank Him that He has met all your needs.

Ask the Lord to heal any personal relationship issues you have with a

brother or sister in Christ so that together you can bring glory to God.

Ask the Lord to fill you with a deeper joy in what He has done for you and

is doing in you still.

Take a moment to thank the Lord that He wants you to be with Him forever

and that He fills you even now with His presence to guide and strengthen.

Thank Him that He takes such a personal interest in you.

Ask the Lord God to give you grace to submit more and more to the

ongoing work of the Lord Jesus in your life.

If you have never opened your heart to the Lord Jesus, take a moment now

to consider His desire for you. Cry out to Him and accept His work on your

behalf. Ask Him to forgive you and to cleanse and keep you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Light To My Path Book Distribution

Light To My Path Book Distribution (LTMP) is a

book writing and distribution ministry reaching

out to needy Christian workers in Asia, Latin

America, and Africa. Many Christian workers in

developing countries do not have the resources

necessary to obtain Bible training or purchase

Bible study materials for their ministries and

personal encouragement.

F. Wayne Mac Leod is a member of Action

International Ministries and has been writing

these books with a goal to distribute them freely or at cost price to needy

pastors and Christian workers around the world. These books are being

used in preaching, teaching, evangelism, and encouragement of local

believers in over sixty countries. Books have now been translated into

several languages. The goal is to make them available to as many believers

as possible.

The ministry of LTMP is a faith-based ministry and we trust the Lord for

the resources necessary to distribute the books for the encouragement and

strengthening of believers around the world. Would you pray that the Lord

would open doors for the translation and further distribution of these books?

For further information visit our website at www.lighttomypath.ca