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What the Bible says about Priests, Function of
(From Forerunner Commentary)

The primary function of a priest is to assist people in accessing God so there can be union with Him. The priest does this through being a mediator between God and men and through being a teacher of a way of life that improves upon the reconciliation established at the beginning of the relationship.

A mediator reconciles or brings together. In this case, a priest brings together God and men, and his secondary activity is teaching. We see a two-step function: 1) to accomplish unity with God, or oneness, and 2) to improve the relationship by teaching. A priest not only reconciled, but he also counseled Israel so that she could get through the trials of life.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Preparing to Be a Priest

Exodus 7:1-2

Aaron was Moses' prophet, and Moses was God's prophet. The prophet is a message carrier from one of greater authority. In this case, Moses was in the position of God to Aaron, as well as to Pharaoh. By combining Exodus 4:10-16 with Exodus 7:1-2, the biblical usage of a prophet has a good foundation. A prophet is one who expresses the will of God in words and sometimes with signs given to confirm what is said.

Through Moses, the function of a prophet begins to be established: to cry aloud and show men their sins (Isaiah 58:1). It does not stop there, though, because they were also pastors and ministerial monitors of the peoples' conduct and attitudes. Their function differed from that of priests in that the priest approached God by means of sacrifice on behalf of the people. The prophets, by contrast, approached men as ambassadors of God, beseeching them to turn from their evil ways and live (Ezekiel 33:11).

The difference between a prophet and a priest is a matter of direction, in that one goes from God to man (the prophet), and the other goes from men to God (the priest). It is also a matter of directness. The priest is indirect, while the prophet is direct. We have things going in opposite directions here, yet both working to accomplish essentially the same thing, which is to bring man and God into a relationship with one another. This has direct application to us under the New Covenant (II Corinthians 5:20-21).

John W. Ritenbaugh
Prophets and Prophecy (Part One)

Nehemiah 9:27

As Nehemiah recounts in his prayer to God, these saviors were people like Gideon, Samson, Ehud, Joshua, and Moses. God gave them leaders that He inspired to deliver Israel from the terrible circumstance they were in.

Now put this verse—and the thought found in Obadiah 21 into a Millennial setting and our responsibilities as kings and priests—into the concepts of saving, judging, and teaching, all of which are involved in what God will be doing then. Remember also that God prophesies that Israel will go into captivity at the beginning of the Tribulation. They will be scattered all over the world in slavery, but God will regather them and bring them back to Israel, weeping, in a repentant state. Then what happens? Who will be their saviors, their deliverers? Who will judge them? Who will teach them?

Of course, all praise, honor, and glory for these things goes to God. But why—for what reason—is He preparing us? He is not going to do it all Himself. He will follow the patterns He established in the past, only this time He will accomplish His purposes with servants who are greater than Joshua, Gideon, Samson, Ehud—greater even than John the Baptist! He will work through saviors, judges, teachers—king-priests who are just like Him. Indeed, they will be His sons!

John W. Ritenbaugh
Preparing to Be a Priest

Malachi 1:6

When this was written, it was directed at the priesthood of Aaron. The priests were coming under God's castigation here justifiably. God is creating a kingdom of priests, so we can extract things from this that are applicable to us. If we will take the warning that is contained here, it will very greatly affect the way that we use and keep His Sabbath.

What we are talking about here is disrespectful service that the priests—those closest to the sacred things—were performing before God. This is applicable to us because there is no one on earth that is closer to God in serving Him than His own people, His own sons and daughters. This is a warning to be careful that we are not defiling the Sabbath—treating it as common and giving Him disrespectful service.

John W. Ritenbaugh
The Fourth Commandment (Part 4)

1 Peter 2:5

We have been called to become a royal priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices. This means that even now we have priestly responsibilities; they are not off in the future. Indeed, it is just as important now that we be a priest as it is that we rule properly in God's Kingdom. If we are not practicing being a priest right now, we are not going to be prepared for that responsibility then. We know we have to practice ruling according to God's way right now, particularly ourselves. Similarly, we have to practice being a priest right now.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Preparing to Be a Priest

Revelation 20:6

Those in the first resurrection will reign and work with Christ through the Millennium as kings and priests. We can have a part in the first resurrection if we have been obedient and faithful to the Eternal with the help of the Holy Spirit imparted from God through Jesus Christ. In our duties as kings, we will have the power to correct many of the problems of society and lead the people in God's way of life. As priests of God, among other things like teaching and counseling, we will be responsible for offering sacrifices.

Martin G. Collins
The Sacrifice of Praise


 




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