Appointed by God
Peter calls us “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9 NIV). But what does that mean? Well it helps to look in the Old Testament and see what kind of work the priests did. The first high priest was Aaron, Moses’ older brother. Keep in mind, that God personally chose this man and his sons to stand before the Lord at the altar. When the Israelites grumbled against Aaron’s authority, the Almighty found a quietly powerful way to emphasize who His chosen High Priest was.
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The Lord had Moses collect 12 staffs, one from the leader of each tribe. Each staff was inscribed with the name of that man. On the staff of Levi, Moses wrote Aaron’s name. Then he placed all 12 staffs inside the tabernacle, directly in front of the ark, at God’s direction. The staff which budded would designate the man God had chosen for His High Priest.
8 The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lord’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.
10The Lord said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.” (Numbers 17:8-10 NIV)
Spiritual Point: Like Aaron, we too are personally chosen by God to serve as priests on this earth.
We have God’s Ear
One day, the Israelites’ rebellion in the wilderness angered the Lord so much He told Moses and Aaron to stand back, so He could destroy the entire nation. A plague immediately broke out and the people started dying. Following Moses’ urgent instructions, Aaron acted fast to rescue the people from God’s wrath.
47 So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. 48 He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. (Numbers 16:47-48 NIV)
Verse 49 gives us additional information. 14,700 people died in the few minutes it took Aaron to light the incense and rush into the crowd. The plague seemed to move through the Israelites in one giant wave, killing people instantly. But when Aaron placed himself between the living and the dead and started atoning for their sin, the plague stopped. No one else died. That’s a key function of the God’s priests; to turn away the wrath of God. (Numbers 16:41-50 NIV).
Spiritual Point: Do we actively stand between the living and the dead? Because there are many spiritually dead people in our world. Are we pleading for that unsaved neighbor who annoys us so much? Do we cry out to God to have mercy and bring salvation to the people and groups who actively despise us as Christ’s followers?
Both images came from Pixabay.com, but the incense pot is actually a Buddhist, incense pot.
Resources:
Want to become a radical priest in God’s kingdom? Check out the prayers on the website Pray for Isis. It is spiritual warfare at its finest.
Here’s the complete verse, in the NOG version.
However, you are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people who belong to God. You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.(1 Peter 2:9 NOG – Names of God)
