YAHUSHUA Our High Priest
1. The Levitical Priesthood
Israel (Jacob) had 12 sons and each became the progenitor of one of the 12 tribes of Israel. The descendants of Levi, Jacob's third son, were selected by the Almighty for duties relating to the Tabernacle when the rest of Israel went astray (Exodus 32); and from this tribe of Levi, YaHuWaH chose the sons of Aaron to be His priests. This meant that in the Aaronic Priesthood one became a priest not by personal preference or human ordination, but by YaHuWaH 's appointment; for He alone can decide into which family a person is born. In view of this fact it behoves all Christians to study the Aaronic Priesthood.
A Priest's Ordination / Consecration
When they came of age, priests in the Aaronic Priesthood were ordained by the Holy Spirit of the Most High, symbolized by the anointing oil poured on their heads.
| Exodus 30:30 |
And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's office.
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2. A Prest's Duties
YaHuWaH designed Israel to be a theocracy, a nation governed by Himself through His priests, prophets and divinely appointed governors. The Aaronic Priesthood was responsible for carrying out the following duties: education, blessing, sacrifice and judgment.
Spiritual Education
| Malachi 2:4 |
And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that My covenant might be with Levi, saith YaHuWaH Tz'va'ot
5: My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared Me, and was afraid before My Name…For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the Torah at his mouth: for he is the messenger of YaHuWaH Tz'va'ot. |
| Ezra:7:10 |
For Ezra (the priest) had prepared his heart to seek the Torah of YaHuWaH, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
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Prayer & Blessing
| Numbers 6:22 |
And YaHuWaH spake unto Moshe, saying,
23: Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel,
saying unto them,
24: YaHuWaH bless thee, and keep thee:
25: YaHuWaH make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26: YaHuWaH lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
27: And they shall put My Name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them. |
| 2Chron.30:27 |
Then the priests the Levites arose and blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, even unto Heaven.
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Sacrifice
The Israelites were NOT allowed to offer sacrifices in places of their own choice. They were commanded by YaHuWaH to bring their sacrifices to the door of the Tabernacle (and later the Temple) where ordained priests officiated and explained the spiritual lessons concerning sin, sacrifice and forgiveness.
| Leviticus 17:1 |
And YaHuWaH spake unto Moshe, saying,
2: Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them; This is the thing which YaHuWaH hath commanded, saying,
3: What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth it out of the camp,
4: And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto YaHuWaH before the tabernacle of YaHuWaH ; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people:
5: To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto YaHuWaH, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest, and offer them for peace offerings unto YaHuWaH.
6: And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savor unto YaHuWaH.
7: And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations. |
Judgment
In view of the fact that the Aaronic priests knew YaHuWaH 's Torah, they were best able to officiate as judges and to specify the divinely ordained penalties for various sins and breaches of the Torah.
| Deut.17:9 |
And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and inquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment…
10: And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which YaHuWaH shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee:
11:According to the sentence of the Torah which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do…
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3. A Priest's Character
Needless to say, in view of these, and other, sacred duties all priests were to be men of good character with holiness being their first priority. The word 'holy' means set apart for sacred use, something dedicated to YaHuWaH and His work. Holiness is often confused with meekness, kindness or a sacred bearing. Holiness doubtless encompass these things, but is much more. Holiness is spiritual purity, dedication, total commitment and a setting apart for YaHuWaH, His Son and His cause. Persons, days, buildings or articles become holy when set apart for sacred use and when the Spirit of the Most High is overwhelmingly present in them.
4. YAHUSHUA Our High Priest
To begin with let us consider YAHUSHUA the Messiah, High Priest. The Savior was ordained by His Father: He became a priest not by His own choice, but by YaHuWaH 's choice, by birth, for He is the only begotten Son of YaHuWaH.
YAHUSHUA is the Sinless One
Peter wrote: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (1Peter:2:22)
Pilate said: 'I find no fault in him.'
Standing at the foot of the cross on Mount Calvary was a Roman soldier. Note his testimony.
Mark 15:39 And when the centurion, which stood over against Him, saw that He so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of Elohim.'
The Savior's high standard of holiness was symbolized in the High Priest's apparel and crown. See Exodus chapter 28 which gives details of the High Priest's garments, picturing holiness and beauty.
| Exodus 28:36 |
And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO YaHuWaH. |
YAHUSHUA the Teacher
The Savior was the best teacher this old world has ever seen. His subject matter, method of instruction and the authority with which he taught are faultless and are spoken of to this day.
| Mark 6:2 |
And when the sabbath day was come, He began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing Him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto Him, that even such mighty works are wrought by His hands? |
| Matthew 7:29 |
For He taught them as one having authority… |
| John 7:45 |
Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought Him?
46: The officers answered, Never man spake like This Man. |
YAHUSHUA the Intercessor
The Savior spent much time in secret prayer. Many a night or early morning would see him in a solitary place conversing with his heavenly Father.
| Mark 1:35 |
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. |
| Luke 5:16 |
And He withdrew Himself into the wilderness, and prayed. |
| John 17:9 |
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine. |
YAHUSHUA's Sacrifice
It is vitally important to bear in mind that though the Savior died for all mankind, as far as you are concerned he died for your sins: and as far as I am concerned he died for mine. It is not enough to acknowledge that he died for the sins of the world (which of course he did). To be certain of salvation one must believe and accept that YAHUSHUA died for MY sin. He is firstly MY Savior and now I am his. Without a personal commitment, salvation is not possible.
| John 1:29 |
The next day John seeth YAHUSHUA coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of YaHuWaH , which taketh away the sin of the world. |
| John 3:15 |
That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16: For YaHuWaH so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17: For YaHuWaH sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.
18: He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of YaHuWaH.
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The Judge
Believe it or not, the Almighty has ordained His Son as the judge on the final Judgment Day. Today the Savior is willing to be your advocate; but on the great Day of Judgment he will be your judge.
5. Are all Believers Priests?
The answer is No! We have already learned that in ancient days not every Israelite was a king or a priest. The nation would have among its people kings and priests, but not every Israelite was a priest or a king.
| Exodus 19:6 |
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a set apart nation… |
| Revelation 1:6 |
And hath made us kings and priests unto YaHuWaH… |
| Revelation 5:10 |
And hast made us unto our YaHuWaH kings and priests: and we shall reign on the Earth. |
A believer can only do what he/she is divinely authorized and empowered to do. Note this verse:
| John3:27 |
A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. |
The answer, I believe, is found in an 'Old' Testament experience recorded in Numbers chapters 16 and 17. The story is as follows:
Aaron's Rod
Some 250 leading men in Israel contended with Moshe and Aaron over the priesthood, claiming that they had the ability and every right to officiate as priests. The case was set before YaHuWaH who worked a signal miracle to show all Israel how wrong they were: and that only the sons of Aaron were His priests. We read of how the Almighty miraculously blessed the rod of Aaron, which overnight budded, blossomed and bore almonds whilst the rods belonging to the other tribes remained unproductive. Here is the story.
| Numbers 17:6 |
And Moshe spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.
7: And Moshe laid up the rods before YaHuWaH in the tabernacle of witness.
8: And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
9: And Moshe brought out all the rods from before YaHuWaH unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.
10: And YaHuWaH said unto Moshe, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not. |
A believer is only able - with YaHuWaH 's help - to successfully do the job/s He has been qualified and authorized to do. Millions of believers seek positions for which they are unqualified, and their frantic attempts to produce fruit end in frustrating failure. They bear no buds, blossoms or fruit. Better that we all pray to YaHuWaH to open our eyes to His plans for us: and when we find and understand them, let us faithfully carry them out whatever they may be. Only then will we meet with the Almighty's approval.
6. Believe and be Saved
Millions of people have read portions of the Bible and many know it very well. But the most important thing is not to know the Bible, but to know YaHuWaH the Elohim of the Bible and to know His Son YAHUSHUA the Messiah. If you cannot honestly say that you know YaHuWaH as your personal Redeemer and heavenly Father, then you have missed the central message of the Bible. Always remember that you were put on earth to see if you would come to know YaHuWaH and be born into His family.
| John 1:12 |
as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of YaHuWaH, even to them that believe on His Name: |
| John 3:16 |
For YaHuWaH so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. |
Summary
- One became a priest in the Aaronic Priesthood by reason of birth. It was not a matter of personal preference or ability: it was a matter of divine will.
- After ordination priests were directed to perform certain duties. They were to:
- Teach Israel YaHuWaH 's Torah.
- Officiate at the Temple sacrifices.
- Bless Israel in YaHuWaH 's Name.
- Judge the nation.
- In view of these responsibilities, priests were expected to have very high moral standards.
- YAHUSHUA the Messiah is our High Priest. He was chosen of YaHuWaH for this post.
- He is absolutely sinless.
- The finest Teacher this world has ever seen.
- He makes intercession for his people in the courts above.
- He sacrificed his life for the sins of the world. But this will avail you (and me) nothing if we do not personally accept Him as Savior.
- On the great Day of Judgment YAHUSHUA will officiate as the Judge of all who have ever lived.
- The church is a body of kings and priests: but, as in ancient Israel, not all believers are kings or priests. All believers are given one or more spiritual gifts depending on YaHuWaH 's will. To determine which position in the church one has been appointed to, a believer should watch for the buds, blossoms and fruit of his/her work. In other words, for success in that particular spiritual activity.
