Your Invitation into Priesthood

Nadab and Abihu, however, died before the Lord when they made an offering with unauthorized fire before him in the Desert of Sinai. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron

Numbers 3:4)

Aren’t you just grateful to Jesus for the freedom that we have in the new testament? For instance, under the old covenant, only male descendants of Aaron from the tribe of Levi could serve as priests. Nadab and Abihu, as the eldest sons, would have naturally succeeded their father in the priesthood. However, as we saw yesterday, their sudden and untimely deaths left a void in the priesthood, as they had no children to inherit their position. 

Unfortunately, since the priest must be a male from Aaron’s family, the third and fourth sons were invariably inducted into priesthood. Now, the priests served as mediators between the Israelites and God. They were the ones who performed animal sacrifices on behalf of the people. It was only the priests who were permitted to enter the Holy Place in the tabernacle and, later, the temple. To put it more bluntly, only the priests had access to God, no matter how much you love God you cannot talk to him because you can never be a priest simply by the circumstances of your birth. 

In contrast to the rigid priesthood system of the Old Testament, the New Testament reveals a radical shift in the way we approach God. Through the finished work of Jesus Christ, we are all now priests unto God. Peter says “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). We no longer need an earthly mediator to intercede on our behalf; Jesus Christ Himself serves as our High Priest, granting us direct access to God the Father.

As priests unto God, we have the incredible privilege and responsibility of representing Him on earth. We are called to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5), living holy and righteous lives that honor Him in all that we do.

However, what difference does it make if we have been invited into this priesthood but we have refused to exercise our access. It is the same way that a person who can read but does not read has no advantage over the person who cannot read. As a priest, you have access to God through prayer, why aren’t you praying? As a priest, you are God’s representative on earth, how well are you doing that? As a priest, you are expected to live a holy and blameless life, are you doing it?

It’s time to embrace our identity as priests unto God and grateful for the access we have through Jesus Christ. Let us approach God with confidence, knowing that we are no longer separated from him by earthly barriers or human intermediaries. And let our lives be a living sacrifice, pleasing and acceptable to God, as we serve him faithfully as his chosen priesthood.

PRAYER