Introduction
In our previous post we wanted to make believers in Christ aware that they are part of the priesthood of Christ. Scriptures were quoted to state that there is a continuation of the priesthood under Christ our High Priest foreshadowed in the Old Testament and renewed in the New Testament. The Scriptures also foretold that in our time, (The New Testament dispensation) there will be a multiplication of the Priesthood under Christ like the sand of the sea. Every believer in Christ has this privilege to stand in the presence of the Lord and be equipped with gifts to be functional in the congregation and the world.
In this post we will focus on the will of God, since antiquity, to be close to His people and for all of them to be part of His priesthood to such an extent that it became clear in the New Testament that he wants to dwell amongst us and even in his people which are called the House of God. God, as the Master Teacher, uses a picturesque example namely the tabernacle in the wilderness or temple to explain numerous spiritual truths to us. It also explains numerous functions, powers and privileges of the priesthood. His aim is to reconcile His estranged and alienated creation to Him and each other.
The origin of priests
Before the desert journey where the Lord set up an organized order of priests, the scripture mentions sanctuaries where priests like Melchizedek worked and also of Jethro the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law. This was before the law of the priestly order of Aaron which will be discussed later. Jesus’ Priesthood is according to the order of Melchizedek, which operated before the law which is according to Hebrews an eternal Priesthood.
Since antiquity, God wanted that all his people should be a nation of priests
During the desert journey the Lord spoke to Moses and instructed him to say the following to his people: Exodus 19:6 “And you will be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you must tell the children of Israel.”
This Scripture confirms that from antiquity, the will and command of God was that all His people should be priests for Him. The people rejected the command and the privilege that God offered them to be a nation of priests. Instead of standing in His presence and being in a close relationship with God, having access to God’s presence as well as direct contact and communion with God, they disappointingly chose distance between them and the Lord.
Exodus 20:18. “And when all the people noticed the thunder and the lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the smoking mountain, the people saw it and trembled and stood at a distance.”
Exodus 20:19 “And they said to Moses: Speak to us, that we may listen; but let not God speak to us, or we die.”
Exodus 20:21 “So the people then stood at a distance. But Moses went closer to the cloud of darkness where God was.”
The Israelites preferred distance, to be spectators and for someone to speak to God on their behalf. They prefer mediation. It seems that humans weren’t ready for this closeness that God “wished” for or expected. The people therefore “remained at a distance” as referred to in Exodus 20:21. This distance, estrangement or alienation is unique to humanity because of the fall. It brought about estrangement between God and humans.
The temporary priestly order of Aaron foreshadowing Christ, our High Priest, and His priesthood including us
The Lord then set up a temporary priesthood under the leadership of Aaron who was the High Priest. The descendants of Aaron and the tribe of Levi were the chosen ones from which the priests and Levites would hold the offices by birth. The people therefore preferred that others approach the Lord and therefore chose to be mediated by others in the affairs of God. This priestly order was a foreshadowing of the true High Priest Jesus and his priestly order in the new Testament. In a sense, the believing humanity in Christ receives from Christ, in the New Testament, a second chance to become a holy priesthood as was commanded and expected by God in Exodus as mentioned above. Now we are invited to be in direct contact with God, not to be mediated by humans but to be mediated through the heavenly Christ, the Son of God, one with the Father and God himself. Our communion is with the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Bridging the distance. Within the context of the Tabernacle or house of God
To better understand the priesthood, we must see it within the context of the tabernacle, temple or house of God. This is the place where their activities were largely manifested. A brief explanation follows of some of the holy objects in the tabernacle that are related to the focus of this post. The sacred objects in the tabernacle also have a spiritual meaning that clarifies the functions of the priests. The Lord educates us in a picturesque way. The construction of this grand and colourful construction with beautiful linen, precious metals and stones, and all the sacred objects is to be expected in a place that is supposed to be the dwelling place of the Lord. He is surrounded by these sacred objects, each radiating a message of spiritual truths that are important to Him when humans approach Him. Spiritual truths that tell us more of His character and person and what is expected of us, all in a very artistic, symbolic, picturesque and creative way. When things are done in this way, it won’t be easily forgotten.
1) Central to the whole idea of the tabernacle as the house of God is the theme of God who wants to live, walk and dwell among his people. Living and moving together is the deepest form of togetherness and intimacy. He wants to be with His people and amongst us, He wants to be close. From time immemorial, this has been His wish, command and desire.
Exodus 25:8 “Let them build me a sanctuary so that I can live among you.” Paul in the New Testament reminds us about God’s will to be amongst us: 2 Corinthians 6:16 “For you are the temple of the living God, as God has said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.””
See also 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?“
God is not just a silent observer but wants to be actively present and make Himself known. God is a God of closeness to His people. The whole idea of the tabernacle or house of God was to bring about God’s presence and overcome distance and estrangement. In New Testament terms we understand that we as individuals and collectively as the congregation are the house of God. The Bible states that he wants to abide with us and indwell as. This is then the ultimate form of closeness and intimacy. Human rebellion, disobedience, sin, human pride and people imagining they know better than God brought about alienation between God and humanity.
2) The priests serving in the tabernacle or house of God are instrumental in God’s purpose to establish, maintain and carry through reconciliation and togetherness with the Lord. They made atonement for sin by sacrifices, which prophetically foreshadows the coming of Christ as the lamb of God to be sacrificed on the cross for our sins. All believers in Christ in New Testament time are priests in the sense that we point to and proclaim the atoning sacrifice of Christ. We just make known the person and work of Christ, our mediating High Priest. We are ministers of reconciliation and atonement.
3) Because of people’s sin, an innocent lamb must be sacrificed in place of the sinner and the blood that speaks of the death of the lamb then works for forgiveness and reconciliation for humanity to have communion with God. The altar that stands in the courtyard at the entrance is then used by the priest to sacrifice the lamb on behalf of the people, which then brings about reconciliation. This is typical of the Lamb of God, which is our Lord Jesus Christ, who shed His blood for the remission of sins so that we can be in a reconciled relationship with God. See our explanation of the reasons why the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is the only God ordained way to bring about atonement and reconciliation between God and humans. (The priesthood of all believers in Christ Post 3 and 4, will soon be posted. Do not miss these posts, it will clarify many things about Christ, His sacrifice and His heavenly ministry.)
4) The wash basin also stands in the courtyard in which the people see themselves and then washes their hands and feet before entering the tabernacle.
5) The sacred or holy part contains the table of shewbread, candlestick and the altar of incense which represents the continuous prayers and intercession of the priests for the people. The continuous aroma of the incense or smoke of the sacrifices ascending towards heaven symbolise the pleasant acceptance of the prayers by God.
Leviticus 2:2 “… sweet savour unto the LORD.” See also Psalm 141.
6) The Holy of Holies is representative of the Lord’s presence on his throne and is blocked by the curtain. In the Holy of Holies is the ark of testimony. Inside the ark of the covenant was the law on stones (God’s throne rests on Righteousness and Justice, manna (testimony of God’s provision in the wilderness) and Aaron’s rod ( the importance of the priesthood). The mercy seat that is sprinkled with blood (the importance of the blood sacrifice for remission of sin and expiation of God’s righteous wrath and verdict on sin) and the Cherubim (the celestial beings giving praise to Him. This portion was limited to the High Priest’s visit once a year to bring atonement for the sins of the people. This sanctuary is sacred and Holy. One entering in His presence becomes conscious of their sin and imperfection and realizes the need for forgiveness and experiences the holiness, love, affection as well as the glory and awesomeness of the Almighty God and the privilege to be in His radiant and transforming presence. In the New Testament it is called the mercy seat.
Priests and the presence of the Lord
1) The tabernacle is therefore considered the house of the Lord where He lives and where He is served and where His people’s spiritual needs are met. There they are educated spiritually. The presence of the Lord is the main theme of the tabernacle as well as the Lord’s wish and will to have fellowship with his people. God’s house – collectively the congregation, individually the believer.
2) This brings us to one of the primary privileges and duties of the priests which will be explained in the following posts from a New Testament perspective. This primary privilege is that we are chosen to come closer to the Lord to come into his presence before his face to present our requests to him. Entering the Holy of Holies and appearing before the Lord can have miraculous consequences. Although it was very limited in the Old Testament (Numbers 16:5) Jesus paved the way for us which will then be further explained in subsequent readings.
3) This brings us to a definite choice. Are we going to “stand at a distance” like the people and just be on the sidelines or are we going to approach and enter the Holy of Holies to meet and serve God.
Exodus 25:22 “And there I will come together with you, and from the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the Testimony, I will tell you everything that I will command you for the children of Israel.”
The writer of Hebrews reminds us constantly that we have access to the throne of grace through the blood of Christ. We may come with boldness. (Hebrews 4:16)
The garments of the priests in Exodus 28 – What is the spiritual meaning?
The garments of the priests and especially those of the High Priest were very extravagant and striking. This grips our imagination and must be full of meaning. These garments are close to heart and constantly remind the priest of God’s feelings towards His people and what is supposed to be the inner passions and attitude of the priest. These garments give us an idea of the longing and inner feelings of Christ our High Priest. We as his priesthood learn two things from this; how God feels about us and how we must feel for Him and our fellow humans and believers, the congregation.
Exodus 28:12 “And you must fasten the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the shoulder cloth as memorial stones for the children of Israel—Aaron must carry their names on his two shoulders before the LORD to commemorate them.”
Exodus 28:29 “So Aaron must then carry the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of decision on his heart when he enters the sanctuary, to bring them into remembrance before the LORD continually.”
Exodus 28:30 “You must also put the Urim and the Thummim in the chest of judgement, so that they can be on Aaron’s heart when he goes in. So Aaron must always carry the decision of the children of Israel on his heart before the LORD.”
The precious stones speak of durability, preciousness and things that are very valuable. Names engraved on them indicate how specifically and carefully God knows us. We are considered by the Lord to be very precious, durable and valuable like precious stones. That the Lord considers us as valuable as precious stones lies not in our inherent goodness or qualities but in the expensive price with which we were bought. We have been bought by the blood of the Lamb, his Son. When you pay dearly for something, sacrifice a lot and work hard for something, you take good care of it. Furthermore, the Lord emphasizes his concern for us through the chest that is carried on the heart by the priest so that we are constantly brought before his face in remembrance. Our High Priest Jesus sits in the sanctuary next to God and carries us in his heart, so He intercedes for us on a continuous basis and brings us into remembrance before the face of God. In this way we must also carry people on our hearts in our caring ministry and consider them as precious stones, precious before God through Jesus, our Mediator.
How do we become priests?
As Aaron’s descendants partake of it by birth, so we partake of it through regeneration or the rebirth. Those who believe in the atoning blood of Jesus and are united with him and born of him. They who became his children by believing in his Name, the High Priest of their confession. This explicitly implies that from the moment we believed in Christ for our salvation, the moment you become a believer in Christ, you are part of the priesthood of Christ. If you are a child of God you are also a part of the priesthood of Christ. It happens simultaneously.
Conclusion
We have seen that to be part of the priesthood is a prestigious privilege since we have access to the throne of God and to spend time in His presence in contact and communion with Him. We are also drawn into His activities as co-workers of reconciliation. In the next posts ( post 3 and 4 The priesthood of all believers in Christ ) we will focus on Christ our High Priest and Mediator and the wonderful consequences for us. We will focus on His Sacrifice and heavenly ministry.)
