Israel, however, was a nation of priests. When we think about priests, we imagine bearded men. 19:6) the Aaronic priests served in the tabernacle. This same language is used for the priests who worked in the later wilderness tabernacle. Adam and Eve were commissioned to work and keep the garden, and they enjoyed God’s presence. Eden was the first tabernacle, the garden its first Holy of Holies.
Adam and Eve were priests.Īny important human identity should appear early in Scripture, and the priestly identity appears in the beginning. This meditative and devotional book traces iterations of the priestly job description throughout the Bible, helping believers discover their identity as royal priests who were created to draw near to God. But he created us to draw near, and he will make a way for us to do that. Our sin and shame suggest that we should be far from him. Who among us feels worthy of such an invitation? No one. Then they could wander around, confident in his earnest invitation and blessing. The Lord always cleansed and dressed his priests when they had fellowship with him.
Could there be anything better? Of course, priests didn’t just casually wander into the Lord’s inner room-the Holy of Holies, the throne room itself.
Who were the priests in the bible full#
Priests had a full job description, but the essence of their work was that they were invited to come into God’s house and enjoy his hospitality. Priests are invited to draw near to the Lord. Here are ten things you should know about the priesthood. Watch for tabernacles, temples, sacrifices, cleansing, and any time that God comes close. Our role as priests-a role that includes both male and female-is a premier theme throughout Scripture. And because they were not priests, their service could not be set apart unto the Lord in a special way like the priests’ service.This article is part of the 10 Things You Should Know series. Individual Israelites could not enter the holiest places of the sanctuary and enjoy the fullness of God’s holy presence.
However, the old covenant priesthood was not the ideal. Having the priests as old covenant mediators was a great benefit to the people, for the priests enabled the people to worship the Lord without being put to death. Only he could enter the holiest portion of the tabernacle and temple-the Holy of Holies-and then only once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Lev. The high priest in particular served this mediatorial role. The old covenant priests stood between the presence of God in His sanctuary and the ordinary Israelites, bearing the blood of the sacrifices and atoning for the people’s sin so that they would not be destroyed. This setting apart was necessary, for only the priests could enter the inner parts of the tabernacle in order to offer the sacrifices that would cover the sin of the people (Num. In today’s passage, for example, we see that the priests were set apart for service through the anointing of oil, through the sacrifice of animals, and even by receiving special clothing (Lev. Many Old Testament passages describe the work of the old covenant priesthood. The chief type or foreshadowing figure of the final mediator was the old covenant priest, particularly the high priest of Israel. Under the old covenant, however, the people of God knew the identity of the Mediator only in types and shadows. In this new covenant era, we have the benefit of knowing who the Mediator is with clarity. Thus, we find salvation in and through the mediatorial work of Christ. The Holy Spirit who regenerates us is also the “Spirit of Christ” (Rom. The one mediator between God and men is the “man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. It is through the mediation of Christ that our sins are forgiven and we receive His righteousness (2 Cor. Perhaps more fundamental than any of these answers is that we must have a mediator in order to be rightly related to God. We need the Holy Spirit to regenerate us (John 3:1–8). We need to believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). We need the forgiveness of sins and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness (Rom. What is our fundamental need if we are to enjoy a right relationship to our Creator? That question can be answered in multiple ways.