.
by: Rev.
Terry Mason, Director of International Development
“You are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood.” - I Peter 2:9
Having grown up in a
Protestant Christian background, Wesleyan to be precise, I had no practical
experience with priests and the concept of a “priesthood.”
I had a vague sense
of priests being men who eschewed marital relations in order to more fully
pursue service to God.
But recently, when I
studied the weekly Torah (Genesis–Deuteronomy) portion named Tetzaveh (You
shall command), it really made me think.
The portion covers
Exodus 27:20 – 30:10 and is known as Parshat Cohanim, the portion of the
priests.
There is a lot
involved in being priests.
God
called on all the Israelites to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” unto
Him (Exodus
19:6).
He also set apart the
tribe of Levi for special service.
As Christians who
follow the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we also
understand that our calling is to serve Him, to join with the Jewish people in
being a light to the nations by teaching God’s compassionate righteousness and
moral justice.
We do not replace
them, but rather we join them in advancing God’s kingdom on earth.
Studying this
particular passage reminded me of how the apostle Peter calls us a chosen
generation and a royal priesthood.
In 1
Peter 2:9 we read, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him
who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
Do you
embrace that calling to be “a royal priesthood?”
It is a high calling
indeed.
As Christians we
understand that Peter was writing to both Jewish and Gentile believers when he
used the word “you” in the above designation.
This is evident from
his reminder in the next verse (verse 10) that once the Gentiles “were not a
people” but now they are joining with the people of God.
He also says that
their past lives were lived in the sinful lusts of the Gentiles (1 Peter 4:3–4 NASB).
Being part of this
royal priesthood and holy nation is therefore the calling of all true
believers, both Jewish and Christian.
In our modern
Christian constructs, we have the notion of a “priesthood of all believers.”
It was a central
tenet of the Protestant Reformation.
In his
overview of the Protestant faith, J. Leslie Dunstan defines the concept,
“The Reformers spoke about ‘the priesthood of all believers,’ meaning that each
individual was both a priest for himself and for his fellow man. That is, every
individual was able to deal directly with God, or God would deal directly with
him without the mediation of any earthly organization.”
He goes on to bemoan
the fact that while the phrase is often repeated as a core principle of
Protestant theology, the Church has done little to clarify what the phrase
actually means.
Consequently, I
believe that the vast majority of Christians today do not understand their
biblical mandate to serve the God of the universe as royal and holy priests.
What practicality
does the role of priest entail for the general Christian believer?
How did this
critically important tenet of faith become so obscured?
A replica of the
Tabernacle at Timna Park in Israel
In the centuries
since the Reformation, the Church developed a structural hierarchy in which a
professional clergy developed.
While this was
necessary to some degree to preserve order and ensure “pure” preaching of
truth, it served to undermine the ministry role of laypeople.
“Contrary
to the theory of fundamental non-distinction, it encouraged the practical
recognition of a secondary status of the ‘laity’ in comparison with the
ministry, the breeding of an attitude of passivity in the laity as a whole, the
accentuation of the significance of ‘office’ and its leadership.”
Yet
Timothy George explains that for the Reformers, “the priesthood of all
believers was not only a spiritual privilege but a moral obligation and a
personal vocation… In other words, the priesthood of believers is not a prerogative
on which we can rest; it is a commission which sends us forth into the world to
exercise a priestly ministry not for ourselves, but for others.”
George
points out that it “did not mean, ‘I am my own priest.’ It meant rather: In
the community of saints, God has so tempered the body that we are all priests
to each other. We stand before God and intercede for one another, we proclaim
God’s Word to one another and we celebrate His presence among us in worship,
praise, and fellowship. Moreover, our priestly ministry does not terminate upon
ourselves. It propels us into the world in service and witness.”
The Levitical
Priesthood
Let’s look more
closely at the portion of scripture mentioned above, namely Tetzaveh or Exodus
27:20–30:10.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin
points out that this is the first portion since the beginning of Exodus in
which Moses’s name does not appear, while Aaron’s name is used over 30 times.
While we read Moses’s
name in the first sentence of the next portion, in this one he is completely absent.
Seven weekly Torah
(Genesis–Deuteronomy) portions covering 27 chapters have dealt with the mighty
prophet Moses: Moses who spoke for God, initiated great plagues and spoke
directly with God on the fiery mountain.
We read
again and again, “God spoke to Moses saying…”
In fact, Moses’s name
is used about 153 times in Exodus 2–27, an average of almost six mentions per
chapter.
So, we could expect
to see his name in this weekly section around 16 times.
But for three
chapters his name is not used, only the personal pronoun “you.”
When we see something
unusual like this in the text, it is important to ask why.
Perhaps God was
trying to make a point.
In fact, God
explicitly tells Moses repeatedly that his brother Aaron and his sons would be
the priesthood for the nation of Israel, not Moses and his sons after him.
In
Exodus 28:1 we read, “Now take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him,
from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as priest…”
“From among” has the connotation
of being separated out from the people of Israel to consecrate or make holy.
Then in
Exodus 29:9 we read, “And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his
sons, and put the hats on them. The priesthood shall be theirs for a perpetual
statute.”
Thousands gather at
the Western Wall for the Aaronic blessing.
Obviously, the role
of priest is very special and God only calls certain people into that position
of service. Right?
In the Writings of
the Apostles (NT), Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12 that within the Church
some have been appointed prophets, teachers, apostles and so forth.
Only some were called
to be prophets, but apparently, according to several passages of Scripture, all
true believers are called to be priests.
Even in biblical
times this was true.
In
Exodus 19:6 God speaks about the entire nation of Israel and says, “‘And you
shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words
which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
While the tribe of
Levi was singled out for particular service before God in the Tabernacle, all
Israelites were meant to be priests as a light to the nations.
This is where Peter
picked up his language concerning those in the first century who, by faith,
were believing in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Again, the priesthood
is a high calling indeed, and all who follow God are called into it. So, let’s
find out what that means and how to do it.
The Priestly Role
When trying to define
something it can be helpful to know what it is not.
A priest is not
necessarily a prophet, though some of the biblical prophets did come from the
priestly line.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
lists ten key differences between the biblical roles of prophet and priest.
The role of the
priest was dynastic (acquired by birth), while that of the prophet was
charismatic.
The priest wore robes
of office. There was no official uniform for a prophet.
The priesthood was
exclusively male; not so with prophets.
The role of the
priest did not change over time. There was a precise annual timetable to
follow.
The prophet, in
contrast, did not know what his mission would be until God revealed it to him.
Prophecy was never a
matter of routine.
As a result, prophet
and priest had different senses of time.
The priest heard the
word of God for all time. The prophet heard the word of God for this time.
The priest was “holy”
and therefore set apart from the people.
The prophet, in
contrast, often lived among the people and spoke a language they understood.
Prophets could come from any social class.
The keywords for the
priest were “pure,” “impure,” “sacred” and “secular.”
Keywords for the
prophets were “righteousness,” “justice,” “love” and “compassion.”
The task of the
priest was boundary maintenance. Priests gave rulings, while prophets gave
warnings.
There was nothing
personal about the role of the priest. Prophecy was essentially personal.
Priests constituted a
religious establishment. The prophets were not an establishment but an
anti-establishment, often critical of the powers that be.
In biblical times,
the priesthood was seen as the intermediary between God and the people of
Israel, particularly in relation to the Tabernacle and later the Temple.
But the priests also
served other roles that varied over time:
Judging
role:
Deuteronomy 17:9 says, “And you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and
to the judge there in those days, and inquire of them; they shall pronounce
upon you the sentence of judgment.”
Teaching
role:
Deuteronomy 33:10 says, “They [the Levites] shall teach Jacob Your
judgments, and Israel Your law. They shall put incense before You, and a whole
burnt sacrifice on Your altar.”
The
prophet Malachi wrote, “For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, and
people should seek the law from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD
of hosts” (Malachi
2:7).
A mosaic showing the
traditional Aaronic blessing
Blessing
role: Numbers 6:23 says, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the
way you shall bless the children of Israel.’”
This is
where we get the famous Aaronic blessing: “The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up
His countenance upon you, and give you peace” (verses 24–26).
Clearly, according to
Paul and the roles we just listed, we are not all called to be prophets. But we
are all called to be priests.
Honestly, when
reading through the above roles, I more naturally identify with many of the characteristics
of prophets than those of the priesthood.
Perhaps the same is
true for you.
So, what to do if we
identify more with the role of prophet but understand that we are called to be
priests of the Most High God?
The Believer’s Role
as a Priest
Bless others
Though it is a core
doctrine of Protestant Christianity — well documented in the Writings of the
Apostles (NT) — if I was to go into most churches and ask people to define what
the “priesthood of all believers” means, I believe that few would be
able to give a solid answer.
Not all priests
served the same functions, but we must attempt to serve in the role that God
puts before us.
So how do we
realistically serve God as part of the “priesthood of believers?”
There
are several things that we all must do. One is to “proclaim the praises of
Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
Hebrews
13:15 admonishes us to “continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God,
that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”
Paul’s
well-known admonition in Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren,
by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice,
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (NASB).
We also need to
intercede for others. Just as the high priest bore the names of the Twelve
Tribes on his shoulders and breastplate, we can draw near to God on behalf of
others.
Then there are roles
that we may be asked to fulfill as priests specific to us as individuals or for
a certain time.
We may
be called to judge between right and wrong, help maintain the boundary of our
faith, teach others who are younger in the faith, bless others in the name of
our Father and King or give and share as we read in Hebrews 13:16, “But do
not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well
pleased.”
Exemplify Holiness
and Bring Order
Loaves of bread in the
Tabernacle replica at Timna Park
While the portion
Tetzaveh (Exodus
27:20–30:10),
which we discussed above, is known as the portion of the priests, Leviticus
gives us an entire book focused in great detail on priestly service in the
Tabernacle.
Many people struggle
to connect with this book.
They say it seems
outdated and deals with minutia that is no longer relevant to a believer’s life
today.
But we can actually
learn a great deal about our role as priests in God’s kingdom by looking at
Leviticus.
Rabbi
Shai Held explains in his commentary on Leviticus, “The tabernacle (mishkan)
is nothing if not a tightly structured, highly ordered space. Who may enter
where, at what time, and in what garb—all is tightly regulated. The profane
must never spill over into and thus violate the sacred. The sacrifices are
carefully choreographed and presented ‘just right.’ In a chaotic, terrifying
world, one place, at least, is governed by order and structure.”
Arguably the consequence of this value is a lack of
order, which causes many to live with a sense of anxiety.
I believe that one major key to our role as priests is to
create a place of order in the world, both for ourselves and others.
We are to create a counter reality, if you
will, in an otherwise chaotic world, a counter-world which “holds out the
gift of a well-ordered, joy-filled, and peace generating creation” as God
intended.
Rabbi Held points out the connection between
God’s creation of the world and the priestly service in the Tabernacle. “How
does God bring about a habitable world? By dividing, separating, and
ordering—and then bringing forth life.”
God separates the light from the darkness, the waters
above from the waters below, the sea from the dry land.
He places lights in the firmament to distinguish day from
night. Then God sets apart the Sabbath from other days and calls it holy.
Likewise, Leviticus teaches about dividing animals between
those that are clean and those that are unclean.
It goes into great detail about physical relationships
that are allowed and those that are forbidden.
When Israel as a people separates permitted and forbidden
things, they are following God’s example and walking after Him.
Leviticus 20:26 tells them why they are to
separate and make distinctions, “And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD
am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.”
For Christians, this should remind us of the
challenging command Jesus (Yeshua) gave in Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you
shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
We are all called to lead holy lives. “… but as He who
called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct…” (1 Peter 1:15).
It is clear from the Writings of the Apostles (NT) that
we are called to separate ourselves from worldly ways.
For example, Paul admonishes in Romans 12:2, “And
do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of
God.”
In Ephesians 4:22–24 Paul says, “…put off,
concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on
the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and
holiness.”
As priests serving the holy God, we are expected to be
holy people reflecting His righteousness, peace and joy to the world.
One important way that we can do this is by following
God’s example to divide, separate and bring order.
We can walk in the light as He is in the light and
tactfully call darkness what it is. We can let our light shine before men in
such a way that they will glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).
From the beginning of Genesis onwards, all who believe in
the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are intended to be His agents in the world,
bringing order and creating a society that follows His good plans for living.
By taking up our roles as priests in His kingdom, we can do just that.
Bridges for Peace: Christians supporting Israel and building relationships
between Christians and Jews in Israel and around the world.
It is our desire to see Christians and Jews
working side by side for better understanding and a more secure Israel.
Founded in 1976, Bridges for Peace seeks to
be a ministry of hope and reconciliation. Through programs both in Israel and
worldwide, we are giving Christians the opportunity to actively express their
biblical responsibility before God to be faithful to Israel and the Jewish
community.
For too long, Christians have been silent.
For too long, the Jewish community has had to fight its battles alone. It is
time Christian individuals and congregations speak up for the people who gave
us the Bible.
https://www.bridgesforpeace.com/letter/priesthood-of-all-believers/
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