A Royal Priesthood
A prayer I’ve been asking the Lord recently is “Lord, allow me to see myself through your eyes”. After doing so he brought me to 1 Peter 2. I’ve often heard the saying “You are a royal priesthood” but never really knew what it meant.
To understand this, God drew my eyes to a mysterious figure who only appears once in the Bible but is mentioned two other times.
Melchizedek
Before we get to Melchizedek we need to first understand the Levitical priesthood.
To become a priest in the OT, application for this position wasn’t as simple as sending in your resume. Priests had to be from the tribe of Levi and were purposed with tending to the temple, acting as ministers and offering daily offerings to God. (Num 3:10)
The High Priest was a political and spiritual figurehead and leader of the Levitical priesthood. This wasn’t a position earned but received when the individual was “called by God, just as Aaron was”. (Heb 5:4) The high priest would have the unique role of entering the Holy of Holies once a year to burn incense and sprinkle sacrificial animal blood for the atonement of the sins of the people.
Just like how the High Priest would mediate on behalf of all Israel, Jesus took on the role of High Priest by offering his own blood for the sins of humanity.
What’s interesting is the fact that Jesus wasn’t part of the Levitical bloodline.
Instead, Jesus perfectly mirrors the priesthood of Melchizedek. In Genesis 14:18 Melchizedek is introduced as the “King of Salem and a Priest of God Most High”. This mirrors Psalm 110, poetic literary, where the first three verses describe a King whose rule extends out of Jeru-“Salem”, and the final verses 4-7 describe this person as a priest.
The author of Hebrews ties this all together by highlighting through Melchizedek that there was already a priesthood greater than the Levitical one.
“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek” (Ps 110:4)
Melchizedek was described in Hebrews as a person “without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.” (Heb 7:3)
Like Melchizedek, Jesus is both King and Priest. Though he died a servant, he rose a King and became our High Priest, not by bloodline “but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed” (Heb 7:16)
As our High Priest, Jesus is now in the Heavenly Tabernacle, seated at the right hand of the Father where “he forever lives to make intercession for us.” (Heb 7:25)
He’s never stopped praying for us.
Just like how being a priest was strictly reserved for the children of Levi, as children of God, we have inherited the honorary position of royal priests. With Jesus as our high priest, we have been chosen by God to be both ministers and intercessors. (1 Pet 2:5,9)
God literally sees us as his priests! One’s “who offer spiritual sacrifices that are pleasing to him through the mediation of Christ.” (1 Pet 2:5)
If the King of Kings values us this highly, then we ought to discard any belittling thought we may have of ourselves and instead put on our royal garments. In a world where people frequently question if God is alive, he has made us to be one of his reference points. A holy nation. His very own possession. Set apart not by apparel, but by Christ.
