Holy Priests
Musings from the Garden
By Peggy Wyar
Something amazing happens as we trust Jesus and turn ourselves over to His care. We are changed. Our lives take on new meaning as God builds His spiritual house with us.
1 Peter 2: 4-6 (NIV, I added emphasis) “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”
When we come to Jesus, we become part of His holy priesthood. As priests we have new roles in the church of Jesus that we never even thought about when we were separated from Him by sin and ignorance. Calling us His holy priesthood is a privilege that we may not often consider. So I have taken some time to look at what God says about our priestly service in His Church.
First, I discovered that serving as a priest is from God. In Numbers 18 we see that God calls it a gift, and then He declares that He, Himself, is the priests’ inheritance. This meant that the priests of Israel did not have land or possessions to pass on to their children. Their legacy was the gift of God being their provider and sustainer in a unique way.
Numbers 18:7(NIV) “But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.”
Numbers 18:20 The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.”
In 2 Chronicles 29:11, King Hezekiah is speaking to the Levitical priests. He says, “My sons, do not be negligent and careless now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence, to attend to His service and to be His ministers, and burn incense.”
As I meditated on this scripture in 2 Chronicles, I was curious and began to look more closely at what Hezekiah said was the duties of the priests.
1. They were to stand in God’s presence.
2 Chronicles 20:17 reminds us that we can stand and witness the salvation of the Lord who is with us. We need not fight in the flesh, but we can take our position and trust Him to fight on our behalf.
Ephesians 6 tells us to stand firm, fully outfitted with the Lord’s armor. We’re to pray in the Holy Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers.
2. The priests were to attend to His service and be His ministers.This service includes worship in song, praising and thanking Him, and acknowledging Him as God.
Psalm 100:2-5 (NIV)
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations
3. The priests were to burn incense.
Revelation 5:8 gives a picture of the worship that is happening at the throne of the Lord. The elders are bowing before the Lamb with golden bowls of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. As we offer prayers to the only One who has all power and wisdom and authority to answer what our hearts cry out for, these prayers become our worship. We are declaring His worth with every need we humbly submit to Him.
I am also aware that in the Old Testament the priests were representatives of the people, offering sacrifices for their sin, so that they could approach God. The New Testament changed that need, since Jesus became a permanent High Priest serving in the Heavenly Tabernacle. (Hebrews 4)
Yet He still calls us His priests, desiring us to minister to the world in His Name. Our Prayers, our worship, and our faith all matter to Him. Let’s be intentional in our service as priests for God’s glory until He returns.
Revelation 1:4-7
….”To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
“Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen