#DailyDevotion You Have A New Priesthood
Easter Week 3 Friday
Read Ex 39:32—40:16
Exo 40:12-15 Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water (13) and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. (14) You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, (15) and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”
The Lord want so to separate Aaron and his sons as priest to show the separateness and distinctness of God and His Christ. The problem with the Aaronic and Levitical priesthoods is that it is composed of sinful men. So they have to be washed and cleansed with water. They have to offer blood sacrifices for themselves before going in to serve the Lord because of their impurity.
But we now have another priest not of the Levitical or Aaronic priesthood. The author of Hebrews says a lot about this.
Heb 7:18-28 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (19) (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. (20) And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, (21) but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.'” (22) This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. (23) The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, (24) but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. (25) Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (26) For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. (27) He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. (28) For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
Jesus is the guarantor of a better covenant or testament. In this testament, Jesus shed his blood and offers it once for all. Not for himself but for us. In Christ Jesus, as we are baptized by his blood in the waters of baptism and as we partake of the new covenant in his supper, his body and blood, our sins are forgiven us, our iniquity is forgotten, and we are made kings and priest with him in his kingdom. He gives us his Holy Spirit so the law may be written on our hearts and we may obey it from cheerful and obedient hearts and not from fear and compulsion.
O Lord Jesus Christ, by your suffering and death, by your resurrection and ascension to the right hand of God, you are our high priest forever, who intercedes for us that we may persevere in faith unto life everlasting. Ever give us your Holy Spirit that we may be a royal priesthood interceding for the world and serving you with praise and thanksgiving. Amen.