If I wash myself with soap and cleanse my hands with lye, yet you will plunge me into filth, and my own clothes will abhor me. For he is not a mortal, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. There is no umpire between us, who might lay his hand on us both. If he would take his rod away from me, and not let dread of him terrify me, then I would speak without fear of him, for I know I am not what I am thought to be (Job 9:30-35) NRSV.

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time (1 Tim. 2:5,6).¹ Throughout the Bible man has always needed someone to stand between himself and God. Thus we see this beautiful picture unfold in the theological principle of a priesthood. In both the Old and New Testament we see that the priesthood was a system of interceding for humans and representing them bore God, under the law of Moses by high priests of the Aaronic line and in the new covenant under Jesus Christ, our high priest. This paper will look at the priesthood in the Old Testament, then look at the priesthood in the New Testament and then we will make application for the reader today.

PRIESTHOOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

One of the basic principles of Israel was that they were in a covenant relationship with their God. Since God was viewed as being holy, the nation of Israel was also to be holy,

For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. ( Lev. 11:44,45)

The responsibility of maintaining the nations proper relationship with God was vested in prophet, priest, and king. Our focus, however will be on the priest and the priesthood system.

The usual Hebrew term for priest is kohen. The Hebrew Bible uses the same term to refer to Melchizedek (Gen. 12:18). The word "priest’ appears over 700 times in the Old Testament and over 80 times in the New Testament.

The sacramental duties of Israel’s religion by three groups: the high priest, ordinary priests, and Levites. All three descended from the tribe of Levi. All priests were Levites, but not all Levites were priests. The lowest order of service was performed by the Levites who cared for the service of the sanctuary. They took the place of the first-born who belonged by right to God (Ex. 13:2,12,13). The sons of Aaron, who were sanctified for the special office of the priest, were above the Levites. They alone could minister at the sacrifices of the altar. The highest level of the priesthood was the high priest. He represented the purity of the priesthood. He bore the names of all the tribes of Israel on his breastplate into the sanctuary representing all the people before God (Ex. 28:29). Only the high priest could enter the most holy place and he entered one day a year to make atonement for the sins of the entire nation. The main function of the high priest was to administer and direct the sacrificial system. The high priest alone was allowed to go behind the veil of the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:2). He dealt with the sin offerings whose blood was brought into the sanctuary of the temple (Lev. 4:3-21). The high priest responsibilities included the sacrificial activities that took place inside the temple, either with his direct involvement or under his supervision. The restrictions on the high were more pronounced than those applying to the ordinary priest.

The ceremonies connected with the consecration of the priests are described in chapter 29 of Exodus and chapter 8 of Leviticus. They included bathing, anointing, clothing and sacrifices. The washing was to symbolize the cleansing of the heart for the duties that were so intimately related to the purity of the nation before God. The anointing (Lev. 8:10,11) involved poring oil on the head of the high priest and the sprinkling of oil on the garments of the other priest. The consecration sacrifices included a sin offering, burnt offering and a special consecration offering ( Lev. 8:14-32). Ram’s blood was applied to the right ear, thumb, and toe of Aaron and his sons to symbolize complete holy consecration to God.

In Israel, the priesthood represented the nation’s relationship with God. The intention of the Mosaic covenant was for the entire nation to be a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6; Num.15:40). The phrase " kingdom of priests" may therefore speak of Israel’s mission as that of bringing other nations to the Lord. The phrase may also mean that each Israelite was to enjoy access to God ( Ex. 19:6; Num. 15:40). The covenant of God was mediated through the priesthood. In biblical theology the concepts of priesthood and covenant are closely related. Because of the covenant of Sinai, Israel was meant to be a kingdom of priests and holy nation (Ex. 19:1-6).

In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

 

Priestly Duties and Responsibilities

The function of the priest was primarily concerned with offering sacrifices on the altar in the temples. This included the sprinkling of blood and burning portions of sacrifices. The priests also blessed the people in the name of God (Dt. 10:8; 21:5). Such responsibilities were an important part of the convental relationship between God and Israel. The priests were involved in the treatment and assessment of impurity. The priests dealt with impurities and diseases as a regular part of their profession. The continued presence of impurity would eventually undermine their sacrificial system and the status of their holiness as representatives of the people.

An important function of the priest was to discover the will of God by means of the ephod (I Sam. 23:6-12). The priestly activities also included oracles given for a variety of purposes, from military advice to judging and instructing the people on matters of tribal customs and behavior (Judges 18:5).

For The most part the priests in the New Testament are extensions of what one finds in the Old Testament. References to priests occur most frequently in the Gospels, where priest are involved in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Also they are found in Acts, where they interact with the apostles and finally in the book of Hebrews where the priesthood of Jesus stands in contrast to the Jewish priesthood.

The Priesthood of Christ

The letter to the Hebrews develops the point of Jesus’ priesthood more fully. He starts with the basic notions of priesthood. A priest is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God (Heb. 5:1). His ultimate purpose is to bring men to God (Heb 7:25) and thereby bring them to completion (Heb. 10:14). The way he brings men to God is by offering sacrifices for sins (Heb 5:1). Yet, the earthly priests suffered from the same weaknesses as those they assisted (Heb. 4:15; 5:1; 7:11). This turns out to be the limitation of the Old Testament system. An imperfect priest can only offer imperfect sacrifices (Heb. 9:11-14; 10:1-4).

Jesus perfectly fulfills the role of the priest (Heb. 4:14-5:10; 7:11-8:6; 9:1-10:18). Jesus was sinless; therefore, He is a perfect and eternal high priest. Because He was tempted like all men (Heb. 4:15), He can be sympathetic. Jesus learned obedience through suffering so that being perfected he might be a priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:6-10). God had promised that the Messianic king would be " a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4). Such a promise indicates the imperfection of the Aaronic order (Heb. 7:11-14). It is Jesus who perfectly fulfills this promise.

The end result of Jesus’ priestly ministry is death to the old system, because Christ now indeed brings men to God and eternal redemption is secured whereby one has continual and confident access to God (Heb. 4:16; 6:19,20; 7:25; 10:19-22).

In the Old Testament the priesthood was not universal. All Israelites were not priests, but the Old Testament exclusivism is not part of the New Testament. All those wearing the name Christian are honored by God as a holy and royal priesthood offering through Jesus Christ, not literal but spiritual sacrifices well pleasing to God (I Peter. 2:5,9). One can not read the New Testament and fail to see that Christians today are priests.

The words of God to Israel in Exodus 19:6, "And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." Are applied to the church in the New Testament (I Peter 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6). In I Peter 2:5, believers as priests are to worship God, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." In Revelation 1:5-6, " And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." Also John recorded a doxology to the slain but risen Lamb because He had bought with His blood people of all nations and had made them priests to God (Rev. 5:9-10). These priests devote their life to Him alone. Thus the New Testament, instead of exalting a priestly class, looks upon all Christians as priests.

Jesus Christ has made every worshiper of Him a priest and He intends to make men feel a personal relationship to God. " To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (I Peter 2:4,5).

Every man who receives something from the divine hand is then made a steward who is responsible for passing it on to others. This means that the love, wisdom, strength, and purity of God are to be seen in the lives of His priests.

As Christians we are in a unique relationship with Christ. We are His people and we live through His mercy. Surely these facts ought to be enough to convince us of the Christian life we are called to show the world.

May the rich concept of the priest of all believers be deepened in our hearts. May we allow priestly activities to abound in our lives. And with deep resolve may we as God ‘s priests, declare the greatness of Him to a world lying in darkness and without hope.

ENDNOTES

1. All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Mike Gurganus
PO Box 916
Henderson, NC 27536