Introduction: God’s Original Intention
Read part 4 here.
When God delivered the Israelites from Egypt, leading them to Mount Sinai (Exodus 19), He immediately revealed His extraordinary purpose for them. After approximately one and a half months since leaving Egypt, and before giving them the Law, God spoke to the people of Israel through Moses, declaring His vision:
- Exodus 19:6 (ESV): "and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. ...".
We need to focus on the phrase "kingdom of priests". This phrase should be understood as "kings and priests," which is supported by the original words used. God’s initial intention was that all of them would be kings and priests. He did not originally choose Judah to be the king’s tribe nor the Levites to be the tribe of priests.
This original intention is fulfilled in the New Testament church. The phrase "kingdom of priests" is mirrored in the New Testament as "a royal priesthood, a holy nation" (1 Peter 2:9). The Greek words used in 1 Peter 2:9 are exactly the same as those used in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) for Exodus 19:6. What the Apostle Peter, by the Holy Spirit, is saying is that while God chose the complete nation of Israelites to be His kings and priests, they failed. Now, we, as believers in the New Testament, are kings and priests.
The First Failure and the Second Chance
God's intention was for the whole nation of Israel to be mediators—middle people between God and the rest of the nations. Unfortunately, they failed in this calling.
Soon after God chose the whole nation to be priests and gave them the Law (calling Moses to the mount to receive the written commandments), the whole nation fell into idolatry. This was a great problem because this nation, which was supposed to be a priest to the Lord, was now worshipping something other than the Lord God, becoming priests to something else.
However, God is a God of second chance. In His mercy, God offered them another opportunity, though this second chance was not without cost.
In response to the idolatry, Moses stood at the gate of the camp and gave this call:
- Exodus 32:26 (ESV): "Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, 'Who is on the Lord's side? Come to me.' And all the sons of Levi gathered around him".
The whole nation failed, but only one tribe, the sons of Levi, gathered to Moses.
The Cost of Priesthood
The commandment given to the Levites was severe:
- Exodus 32:27 (ESV): "And he said to them, 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel, "Put your sword on your side, each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor" '".
The Levites did according to the word of Moses, resulting in about 3,000 men falling that day (Exodus 32:28). They had to kill whoever they found in idolatry, be it son, brother, neighbor, or a very close friend.
- Exodus 32:29 (ESV): "And Moses said, 'Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day'".
By paying that cost—eliminating anyone, even close relatives, involved in idolatry—they ordained themselves to serve God as priests.
The Principle of Discipleship and Worthiness
This costly ordination established a crucial principle, not just for the Levites, but for discipleship under Christ: unreserved love for God.
- Matthew 10:37 (ESV): "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me".
The phrase "worthy of me" means to become eligible to get God in our lives. This teaching is a principle for discipleship, not about getting saved or forgiven. To become a priest unto God, we should not love anybody in our lives more than we love the Lord Jesus. If anybody (father, mother, son, daughter, friend, neighbor) is more important than the Lord in our lives, we are disqualified to be His priests.
This requirement emphasizes holding loosely to earthly ties. The saying of the Jewish woman, Corrie Ten Boom, who suffered under Hitler and later performed a great ministry, summarizes this principle: "It is better to hold loosely to the things of this earth so that you can easily leave them when God requires you of them". This is the qualification to be a priest unto God, just as God required Abraham to offer his only son Isaac in his heart, even though God knew Abraham loved him.
The Failed Priestly and Kingly Offices
The priests chosen from the Levite tribe had two main responsibilities:
- Representing the People before God: They had to offer sacrifices unto the Lord, as the people could not bring their own sacrifices directly to the altar; only priests could.
- Representing God before the People: They had to teach the law to the people. They were required to distinguish between the holy and the common, and the unclean and the clean, and teach all the statutes God had spoken through Moses (Leviticus 10:10-11).
However, by the end of the Old Testament, these priests also failed in both responsibilities.
Similarly, the office of kingship, initially intended for the entire nation, failed. God wanted the whole nation to be royal, with no distinction between the royal and the common. The other nations often saw their kings claiming themselves to be gods. So, probably what God wanted to say is this - "There will not be any king among you. You all will be kings".
The kingship failed for two reasons: 1) The people could not trust God completely to be their king. 2) Samuel made a mistake by choosing his own ungodly sons to be judges which he did without consulting God.
When the people came to Samuel asking for a king, God confirmed their rejection of Him:
- 1 Samuel 8:7 (ESV): "And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them'".
Though God granted their desire, the first king, Saul, failed. David, the man after God’s own heart, was then appointed. David had immense love and zeal for God, evident in his dancing before the Lord when bringing the ark (Psalm reference implied). God made a covenant with David that a descendant would reign forever. Yet, Solomon failed, and most descendants failed, leading to the complete disappearance of ruling kings by the end of the Old Testament.
The Fulfillment in Christ and Our Privilege
In both the kingly and priestly offices, the Israelites utterly failed.
But the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, came in the fullness of time, fulfilling both roles successfully and forever. He came as the descendant of David (from Mary's side, as recorded in Luke 3), fulfilling the kingly promise. He is also our High Priest, as seen in the Book of Hebrews.
God was faithful, even though the people failed. To prepare the way for this King and Priest, God raised John the Baptist, a Levite from the priestly family.
Now, as born-again believers, God gives this privilege to us (1 Peter 2:9). We are called to be priests and kings. In the Old Testament, kings claimed to be "sons of gods," but through faith, we are now called the sons of God. Because we are sons, we are heirs of our Father King (Romans 8:17).
We prove ourselves to be sons of God when we are led by the Spirit of God:
- Romans 8:14 (ESV): "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God".
We are also called to be priests unto God to offer prayers and supplications—to represent God before others and to represent people before God.
(To be continued...)
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