Priests

I was reading through the book of 1Kings not long ago and a passage in chapter 13 stood out to me.  Starting in verse 33, it says, "Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people.  Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places.  This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth."  Those are strong words.  I don't know about you, but destruction from the face of the earth isn't something I want said about my family.


What really captured my interest was this idea that anyone who wanted to be a priest he appointed, from all sorts of people.  That got me to thinking, who should be a priest?  Who shouldn't be a priest? And what is a priest anyway?



I'm certainly no expert in this area, but I want to share my thoughts anyway.  First of all, the Jewish people had priests that all came from the same family.  It was the family business, and they were all descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses.  You couldn't earn or buy your way in, it was reserved for that one family.  There were plenty of other people who served God in all sorts of other ways, but the priesthood belonged to Aaron's descendants.  So what jobs did the priests have that no one else could do?  They were in charge of sacrifices and they were the only ones allowed to come into God's house, into God's presence.  They were the ones that stepped in on everyone else's behalf to make things right with God.


There were, however, priests outside of the Jewish people, some of whom served other gods, and some who served the Lord.  Melchizedek is the best example of a priest of God who was not a part of the Jewish people.  This guy was important enough that a whole chapter of the book of Hebrews is written about him (read Hebrews 7) and Jesus is compared to him.  Speaking about Jesus the writer of Hebrews says, "For it is declared: 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'  The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God."


Jesus became a high priest of a new order, still based on ancestry, but not from Aaron.  Jesus initiates a priesthood directly from God, where those born into His family by faith also become priests.  Jesus initiates a priesthood where every person from all sorts of backgrounds can come into the presence of God and can offer themselves as living sacrifices to serve and worship Him.  


Peter wrote about that, "As you come to him, the living Stone - rejected by men, 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."  Peter goes on to say that even though we are coming from all sorts of backgrounds and we were not a special people chosen by God, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."


The difference between what Jesus did and what Jeroboam did is massive.  Jeroboam allowed anyone who wanted to become a priest, without any cause, calling, direction, or specialness.  Jesus gives us all cause, calling, direction, and specialness and calls everyone who follows Him to be priests to the Father.  Also notice that this has virtually nothing at all to do with worship services and church buildings.  Yes, there are leaders within the church, and some have been called to special positions, but each of us that love and trust Jesus are priests because we have personal access to the presence and holiness of God and deal with him personally and not on behalf of others.


We should be very careful in what we allow others to do for us when it comes to our faith.  Don't cast your position aside and don't elevate others to a place not given or even necessary.  Praise God for teachers, and prophets,  and counselors, and other leaders within the Church, but don't ever think that you need one of them to be forgiven, or to come to Him.  "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16 There's my two cents.  What about yours?
Shiloh