The worship and service of God’s priests revealed at Mt. Sinai set the stage for a marvelous revelation of the place of priests who serve Him in the New Testament. There are many lessons to be learned as to how He used priests then and now.
For one to be a priest in the Old Testament, he had to be of the tribe of Levi. When the Levites stood with Moses against those who worshiped the golden calf, God selected those men to be the ones chosen to come before Him (Num. 3). Those men (not women) who served at the temple had to be physically perfect (Lev. 21:18). They had to be of certain age, beginning at age thirty and ending at age fifty (Num. 4:3).
However, Christianity changed all of that! Every Christian is part of the priesthood. Peter described the church as being “a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5). The church is described as “a kingdom of priests” (Rev. 1:6).
We can all be priests—male and female; young and old; from every tribe and even those crippled and infirmed. No longer is worship and service limited to a select few. It includes you and me!
What an honor to be a priest, yet what a responsibility. Imagine, under Judaism, a priest who saw his service as secondary to other things in his life. The primary thing in his life had to be the work he offered as a priest. When it was his appointed time to come before God, nothing else mattered! He prepared himself and then came before God.
What an honor it is for each of us to be a priest, yet how often do so many treat it as a secondary matter. Trips to Disney, Super Bowl Sundays, recreational activities, favorite TV shows and social events can so easily take us away from honoring Him who has honored us to be His priests. Being a priest is an honor, but it inherently makes us responsible to serve at all times.
Our priestly duties? Paul talks about presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1). The contribution sent from Philippi to support Paul was described as “a sweet smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice” (Phil. 4:18). Singing and prayers are described as “the offering of praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:15).
So, my fellow priest, let’s accept the honor and fulfill the responsibility every chance we have. Not just on Sunday mornings, but Sunday and Wednesday nights as well! Nothing can be more important to our priestly duties!