Saturday, February 8, 2014 [Where are the priests?]
Exodus 28:1-43
Aaron had a VERY serious job. Reading the description of the priestly garments and their meanings in Exodus 28 affirms this.
(1) Their priestly clothes were only to be worn when they were ministering as priests.
(2) On Aaron's clothes he carried the names of the tribes of Israel on his shoulders (v.12) and over his heart (v.29).
(3) On Aaron's forehead was a gold medallion that read "Holy to the Lord." (v.36)
Aaron was to carry the burdens of the nation's sin on his shoulders and over his heart when he went before the Lord to pray in the Tabernacle. He was to take the guilt of the people upon himself and bring it before the Lord. His job was to be the mediator between God and the people. Such a serious job and he didn't even apply for it – he was chosen by God.
In the Body of Christ today, are there any priests left? Whatever happened to the priests?
"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. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1 Peter 2:9-10)
We are the priests. Yes, we have a High Priest (Jesus Christ), Who has taken our guilt and sin upon Himself and paid our debt so that we can enjoy peace and friendship with God for eternity (Hebrews 7:26-28). Yet, Peter says that we are the priests, chosen people of God, declaring God's praises and telling our story of how Jesus grabbed us out of the darkness and brought us into His light.
We never take off these priestly clothes. We constantly bear the burdens of our neighbors, friends and nation on our shoulders and on our hearts when we pray for them, bringing them and their requests before the Lord. We share the story of our sin and tell of the Most Marvelous Sacrifice ever made for our freedom. We have a very serious job, and even as I write this I am convicted of its gravity. It is a labor of love that began with Him first loving us (1 John 4:19). We've lived in the darkness – we know the confusion and are well acquainted with the pain of that life. Each one of us has a story to tell of how Jesus took the incredible mess of our lives, washed us, turned us around, and marked us with His Blood – "Holy to the Lord."
Thank You, Lord, that we don't have to earn your love – we simply accept the Gift.
Help us to be faithful to the job with which you've charged us.
Help us to share Your love through our mouths, our hands and our hearts.
Have you ever seen yourself as a "priest" of God?
How does that change the way you view your agenda tomorrow?
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26 Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. 27 Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever. (Hebrews 7:26-28)
19 We love because he first loved us. (1 Jn. 4:19)
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