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Kingdom of Priests

Who is a priest?

A priest is generally across cultures and religions, known as a representative or mediator, who is designated to connect the people he represents to the divine (intercession) and represent the divine to the people as well (blessing).

Something also unique about priests is that they perform their duties in very regulated designated environments (temples).

Humanity as King-Priests

Humanity as king

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1: 26-28
Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. Genesis 2:15

In the above passages, we see Bible giving the (king-priest) descriptions of man’s purpose and vocation.

The implication of being made in God’s image is that mankind rules as king. This is the first indication we have of a kingdom (of God). God, the King, installs His deputy on earth to steward creation.

There are a couple of details in the creation accounts that show us that humanity in the garden had a priestly role.

A sacred space

In Genesis, we see that Eden was a space in which God could dwell with man. The same is said of the Tabernacle & Temple

They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8
“Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. Exodus 25:8
It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. 1 Kings 8:10-11
Let us go into His dwelling place; Let us worship at His footstool. Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. Psalm 132: 7-8

Eden was also an elevated portion of the land (mountain, because rivers flowed downward from it). In the Biblical narrative, the temple is built on a mountain, and is also referred to as a mountain.

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion in the far north, The city of the great King. Psalm 48: 1-2

Images at the center

Note: image (Heb. tselem), likeness (Heb. demut)

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1: 26-28

The words “image” and “likeness” are most commonly used to refer to physical statues of stone or wood, and these words are usually translated “idol” or “statue” in such contexts.

When we examine the sacred spaces of other ancient Near Eastern cultures, one thing we always find there is an idol statue that embodies, and is worshipped as a representation their deities.

And all the people went to the house of Baal and tore it down, and they broke in pieces his altars and his images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. 2 Chronicles 23:17

Work & Keep

Adam’s vocation and the vocation of Israel’s priests are described in the same words.

Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate (work - abad) it and keep (shamar) it. Genesis 2:15

These verbs (work and keep) are used together as a phrase only elsewhere in descriptions of the priests and Levites working in and around the temple.

Too long, please open your Bible Numbers 3: 5-9
“‘To serve, ‘abad, is a very common verb and is often used of cultivating the soil (2:5; 3:23; 4:2, 12, etc.). The word is commonly used in a religious sense of serving God (e.g., Deut 4:19), and in priestly texts, especially of the tabernacle duties of the Levites (Num 3:7–8; 4:23–24, 26, etc.). Similarly, שׁרמ” to guard, to keep” has the simple profane sense of “guard” (4:9; 30:31), but it is even more commonly used in legal texts of observing religious commands and duties (17:9; Lev 18:5) and particularly of the Levitical responsibility for guarding the tabernacle from intruders (Num 1:53; 3:7–8). It is striking that here and in the priestly law these two terms are juxtaposed (Num 3:7–8; 8:26; 18:5–6), another pointer to the interplay of tabernacle and Eden symbolism already noted.” Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 1–15, 67
“[T]he tasks given to Adam are of a priestly nature: caring for sacred space. In ancient thinking, caring for sacred space was a way of upholding creation. By preserving order, non-order was held at bay… If the priestly vocabulary in Genesis 2:15 indicates the same kind of thinking, the point of caring for sacred space should be seen as much more than landscaping or even priestly duties. Maintaining order made one a participant with God in the ongoing task of sustaining the equilibrium God had established in the cosmos.Egyptian thinking attached this not only to the role of priests as they maintained the sacred space in the temples but also to the king, whose task was “to complete what was unfinished, and to preserve the existent, not as a status quo but in a continuing, dynamic, even revolutionary process of remodeling and improvement.” This combines the subduing and ruling of Genesis 1 with the ʿbd and šmr of this chapter. John H. Walton, The Lost World of Adam and Eve, 106-107

Guarding Cherubim

After the fall of man, we are told that man was driven out of the Garden, and Cherubim were placed there to protect the entrance sacred space

So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24

Cherubim flank the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, and in the temple there are designs on the walls of the holy place and on the front doors going into the temple.

Too long, please open your Bible Exodus 25: 17-22
Too long, please open your Bible 1 Kings 6: 29-32

Temple Design

The Eden narratives provide us with a design of the land that echoes through the rest of scripture

This is the progression from outside-in of:

Eden Land (outside the garden) → Eden → Garden → Tree of Life

Tabernacle & Temple

Land (rest of the land of Israel) → Courtyard → Holy Place → Holy of Holies

King-Priests in scripture

Melchizedek

The first priest (a king-priest) in scripture is Melchizedek

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all. Genesis 14: 18-20

Israel

‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.” Exodus 19: 5-6

Israel’s role as a kingdom of priests was to be reflected in the following regard:

  • Mediators of God's Presence: As a kingdom of priests, Israel was called to be a mediating presence between God and the rest of the world. Priests in ancient Israel had the role of representing the people before God and God before the people. As a nation, Israel was to fulfill this role on a global scale.
  • Holy and Set Apart: The term "holy nation" underscores the idea of being set apart for a special purpose. Israel was to live in a way that reflected God's holiness and distinctiveness, serving as a model of God's standards and intentions for humanity.
  • Witness to the Nations: Israel's unique relationship with God and its adherence to His laws were intended to draw the attention of surrounding nations. They were to demonstrate the wisdom and righteousness of God's ways, inviting others to recognize and worship Him.
Too long, please open your Bible Deuteronomy 4: 5-8

David

When David becomes king, his arrival in Jerusalem is filled with priestly imagery. He is being crowned as the royal highest priest of Israel.

Too long, please open your Bible 2 Samuel 6: 12-20

Right after this narrative, we are told that God makes a covenant with David. (2 Samuel 7)

When David has the ark brought into Jerusalem, he carries out several functions exclusively associated with priests: he performs sacrifices (1 Sam. 6:13, 17), an activity ordinarily relegated to priests (Num. 3:6-8, 14-38); he wears an ephod, a privilege normally restricted to the priest (cf. Exod. 28:4); he erects the tabernacle (2 Sam. 6:18), a duty of the Levites (Num. 1:51; 4:1-33), and he blesses the people (2 Sam. 6:18), again, a priestly task (Num. 6:22-27; Deut. 10:8) … David is being portrayed as taking on the attributes of the head priest of the temple … he becomes a prototypical high priest. Nicholas Perrin, Jesus the Priest, p. 153-54

David’s future king-priest

Too long, please open your Bible Psalm 110

Isaiah’s future king-priest

Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand. Isaiah 52:15
Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand. Isaiah 53: 10-12
Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand. Isaiah 61: 1-7

Jesus

Jesus spoke of Himself as King

Too long, please open your Bible John 18: 36-37

One of the primary ways in which Jesus carries out his priestly and divine authority is by forgiving sins. But unlike the royal priests Jerusalem has known before, Jesus forgives sins by his own authority, the divine authority given to him as the Messiah and Son of God.

Too long, please open your Bible Mark 2: 1-12

Jesus also quoted Psalm 110, stating that He was the priest-king that David prophesied about

Too long, please open your Bible Mark 12: 35-37

The rest of the epistles also echo the fact that Jesus is still actively performing His priest-king role

Too long, please open your Bible Hebrews 1: 1-3
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;’ Hebrews 3:1
Too long, please open your Bible Hebrews 7: 23-27
Too long, please open your Bible Hebrews 8: 1-5

The body of Christ

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Romans 12:1
Too long, please open your Bible 1 Peter 2: 4-10

What are the sacrifices that we are to offer as the Body of Christ?

  • Ourselves
    • Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Romans 12:1
  • Thanksgiving & giving
    • Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 7: 15-16
    But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. Philippians 4:18
    But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. Philippians 4:18

New Creation Hope

In the Revelation, John describes the people of Jesus three times in the language of Exodus 19:4-6, the royal priesthood.

Too long, please open your Bible Revelation 1: 4-6
Too long, please open your Bible Revelation 5: 9-10
Too long, please open your Bible Revelation 20:6
Too long, please open your Bible Revelation 22: 1-5

(Read Psalm 104 & 148)