THE PRIEST
1 Peter 2:1-10
The last metaphor we are going to consider is that of the priest. And from Jesus Christ. . .Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us KINGS AND PRIESTS unto God and his Father. . . Revelation 1: 5-6.
The quoted scripture expressly states that Jesus Christ, our Lord has made us “priests unto God and his father”. Our calling is not just unto repentance and forgiveness alone. We are commissioned to a ministry. Every born-again child of God has a ministerial assignment. You are a Priest. Who is a priest? What is his ministry? When God called Moses, God told him that Israel “shall be unto me a kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6). The original plan was that the whole nation be priests. But circumstances later narrowed it down to the Levites and the household of Aaron.
The Levites were set apart from the tribes of Israel to be priests unto the Lord. The first thing to note about a Priest is that he is separated from others. His whole life is dedicated to the Lord. He is fully dependent on the Lord for his upkeep. When the land was to be shared among the tribes, no part was given to the tribe of Levi as they were to be priests. You are the priest of the Most High. Your priority should be the kingdom before and above everything else. While it is not wrong to pursue wealth and other material things, the kingdom must come first for you as a Priest of the Almighty God. When you do your priestly duties, God will see to it that you are taken care of for “they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple and they which wait at the altar partakers with the altar” (1 Corinthians 9:13).
The Priest’s role is twofold. He mediates between God and man. He offers Sacrifices on behalf of, and for the atonement of the sins of Israel. As a New Testament Priest, you are called to the ministry of reconciliation. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world with himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them: and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19.
Reconciling the world to Christ is our priestly duty. We represent God in the world and we also intercede (in prayers) making scarifies for the world. Dear priest your ministry is a call to honour. Don’t let a day pass without you performing your role. Intercede for your world. And bring the word of reconciliation to your immediate environment. Finally, the priest’s garments differed from the others. It is “holiness unto the Lord” (Exodus 28:36, 39:30). You are a priest. Your composure, comportment and character must reflect your dedication to your God. Start living that life of dedication and total commitment today.
MEDITATION: I AM A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD. I must show forth the praises of him who called me out of darkness into his marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9.
