Welcome to the Priesthood

"You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ … But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" 

(1 Peter 2:5-9)

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Martin Luther, a leader in the Protestant Reformation, is often linked with the concept of the priesthood of believers. Luther challenged the Roman Catholic Church’s emphasis on the special role played by the Roman Catholic priests. He insisted that every believer was a priest, with direct access to God. He did not call for the elimination of the role of pastors but indicated that all persons, not just pastors, had a priestly function. Luther derived this notion from the text above. 

So...what does this mean? 

Old Testament priests were chosen by God for a purpose: to serve God with their lives by offering up sacrifices for the sins of the Israelites...individually. Once a year, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and offer sacrifice for the entire nation. Since the deaths, and resurrection, of Jesus Christ a New Covenant was established between God and man.  Christ has now become the High Priest who's personal sacrifice has been offered for the entire nation of believers...making us pure and holy. However, His intercession on our behalf is not an annual affair. It is continual and eternal.

Hebrews 9:11-12 tells us "But Christ has already come to be the high priest. He is the high priest of the good things we now have. But Christ does not serve in a place like the tent that those other priests served in. He serves in a better place. Unlike that tent, this one is perfect. It was not made by anyone here on earth. It does not belong to this world. Christ entered the Most Holy Place only one time—enough for all time. He entered the Most Holy Place by using his own blood, not the blood of goats or young bulls. He entered there and made us free from sin forever. Meaning, "There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus". 1 Timothy 2:5

So, this means that we are chosen for a purpose: to offer up spiritual sacrifices. These sacrifices are the prayers we offer as intercession for others. They are the works we offer in service to God and others. They are the proclamations we make of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Thus, our purpose is to serve God. God has called us to serve Him from our hearts by first of all offering our lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2). As the Old Testament priesthood was to be free of defilement, God calls on us to live holy lives that we might also be a "holy priesthood" (1 Peter 2:5).

This is really quite amazing! We are continually being cleansed by the eternal offering of Christ our High Priest, giving us direct access to God. We don’t need any earthly intercessor to help us. We have the opportunity to influence others toward faith in God. We have the opportunity to point them to our High Priest. All for the purpose of their eternal salvation. I can't think of a more blessed calling. 

We are spotless. All God wants us to do is act like it. This isn't a chore. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. 

Live boldly out there today...

Custodians

"You shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. ² The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall have the same measurements. ³ Five curtains shall be joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be joined to one another. ⁴ You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set, and likewise you shall make them on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. ⁵ You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite each other. ⁶ You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the tabernacle will be a unit". Exodus 26:1-6
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And...that's just the beginning!

I've never heard anybody say "Exodus 26 is my favorite chapter in the Bible!" I understand. When I read it, I get distracted as I attempt to visualize how this whole structure would look. And, it would help to know how big a cubit is, right? Well, who knows...exactly? It is the distance from our elbow to the tip of our middle finger (17-21 inches).So then, I can't help but wonder what happens when Moses had several builders...of several different sizes...doing the measuring.

Chaos!

So, we're tempted to view this as an historical event that has very little direct influence on our daily lives. That's a bad idea. God is more judicious with His time and energy. Everything He does means something.

Why didn't God simply tell Moses..."put up something nice so I can come and live with you"? After all, that was the point. I believe this text reminds us that God is a God of design and discipline, who is keenly interested in being with us. He is not an "Absentee Landlord" who dropped us here and left us to figure out the meaning of life.

Allow me to suggest this; God invested a great deal of thought and energy into designing the Tabernacle...which was to be His earthly dwelling. You and I...as believers...are His earthly dwelling places today. Why would He be any less disciplined or precise in designing us?

It's easy to spiritualize this notion and say this applies to how we live our spiritual lives...we must be pure and holy. I agree but, then, why"28 cubits"?  Why "50 loops"? Why "Purple"? I have to believe the physical structure was intentional. So, I can't honestly focus only on a spiritual application.

God chose to dwell in me...long before He created me as His personal residence, He designed me as a place where He would feel comfortable living. Why He built this tabernacle only 4.5 cubits tall is a question I cannot answer. I would have preferred something a bit more impressive...at least 5 cubits. And, why He designed the covering to turn prematurely white? I have no idea.

We like to say "God doesn't make mistakes" while we're busy changing what He built. We get tattoos, we get cosmetic surgery, we dye our hair, we change our gender...we do so many things to remodel what God designed and built. My intent isn't to suggest any of the things I mentioned are sinful. I hope to encourage us to ask why we have taken such privilege with a building that isn't even ours. Do we bother to ask God how He feels about it?

I have friends who leased their home while they took an assignment in Europe. When they returned they were furious. The renters had acted like they owned the place and completely abused it. It took several thousands of dollars to get it back into livable condition.

And that's really the point. If we lived our lives as stewards of God's house we would be far less inclined toward dissatisfaction with the structure. We would be far more motivated to get on a regular maintenance program that sustains what God has designed. We might even hear God say "Lee, that middle section is beginning to bulge a little. See if you can get it back to it's original specs".

We live in a fallen world and everything deteriorates. Knees go bad, hearts begin to malfunction and brains begin to slow down. I don't know what Moses did with the Tabernacle to maintain it over the many years in the wilderness. I'm pretty certain he didn't change the design. And eventually, God told them to build a new house...a Temple.

Let's reorient our outlook a bit. Let's be custodians of the amazing residences God designed for Himself and view our lives as being faithful stewards...both spiritually and physically. Let's not be moving walls and raising ceilings. I believe, with this approach, we can be confident that God will always feel comfortable with what He built. And, eventually, He is going to design us in more glorious fashion that we can even imagine.

Live boldly out there today...