"The Role of the Priest"

BIBLE READING: 1 Chronicles 23-25
                The reading for the day is somewhat interesting.  David, as King before he hands things over to Solomon, makes sure things are in order with the organization of the Levities, the priests and the musicians for the tent of meeting.  He seems to sum up the tasks of the Levities and priests in this statement: “Thus they were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the LORD.” (1 Chronicles 23:32).  It may come as a shock to you today, but as Christians we are all commanded to be priests. Peter, in 1 Peter 2.9, calls us a “royal priesthood”. Strangely enough, our roles are still very similar to the roles that David left for them in I Chronicles.  Let me explain; the first role was to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary.  These were places where the Ark of Covenant would reside and, as we know from our previous studies, the Ark represented the very presence of God.  Today we understand that God does not dwell in a sanctuary made of brick and mortar.  There is no building that contains the presence of God; so where is the sanctuary we are to keep charge of?  I Corinthians 6.19 tell us that the Temple of God and His Spirit reside with us as Christians.  As we live within our physical bodies, it is our responsibility to tend this body and keep it as free from sin as possible.  We are stewards of the House of God and He resides within us.  The next role that they played was to attend to the other priests that were in the service of the Lord.  Again, our role today as the members of this “royal priesthood” is to help meet the needs of my fellow priests.  Paul encourages us to “do good to all men, especially those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6.10).  He later says to the church at Rome “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12.10). Our responsibility, as the “royal priesthood”, is to care for the temple of our bodies that we have been given and to meet the needs of my brothers and sisters in Christ.  There is no better representation of this, than on the day of Pentecost when the church was established.  It was said of the early Christians that “all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” (Acts 2:44-45). So, in reality the role that David commissioned for the Levities and the priests, in many ways is still the commission God has given to us as part of the church today.  Let’s make sure we go out and fulfill our role as the “royal priesthood”.
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