REV. LYNN’S BLOG

Today we are looking at the second thing which a priesthood has in common, and that is their place of service.

When the Old Testament priesthood was first formed under Moses, the place of service was the Tabernacle, the tent which accompanied the Israelites in their travels. At the centre of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed, and where God “dwelt” in the midst of His people. The entire service of the priesthood was carried out within the confines of the Tabernacle, in the place of God’s presence.

When the Temple was built under Solomon, it had the same basic layout as the Tabernacle: the outer court, which was open to the people, the Holy Place, where only the priests could go, and the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, and which could be entered only by the High Priest, and then only once a year and with special restrictions. God chose to manifest His presence, the Shekinah, in the Temple. Again, the whole of the priestly service was carried out within the Temple. God made it very clear that He would not accept sacrifices which were offered anywhere other than at the Temple in Jerusalem.

After the death of Solomon, God divided the nation, giving the northern half to Jeroboam. (1 Kings

11:31) He accompanied this with an awesome promise: “as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.” (1 Kings 11:38) Jeroboam’s kingship was guaranteed by God, as long as Jeroboam obeyed God. That obedience included the priesthood serving God in the Temple at Jerusalem.

However, Jeroboam obviously did not believe God’s promise. He decided that if the people continued to go to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship, they would return to serving Rehoboam, the King of Judah, and that his own life could be in danger as a result. To counteract this possibility he established new worship centres at Dan and Bethel, made golden calves as the “gods” who reigned from them, and set up a priesthood of his own choosing for their worship. (1 Kings 12:25-33)

Notice that Jeroboam’s idolatry began with his refusal to accept the Temple at Jerusalem as the only legitimate place of service to God.

So how does all this relate to us as the New Testament priesthood? Firstly, we know that for us the place of service is not physical. We have a bad habit of referring to buildings as “churches”, but the building is not the church, it is merely the place where the church meets. The word refers to us both corporately and individually as God’s Temple. However, the principle which carries through from the Old Testament is that the Temple was the place of God’s presence. Just as the whole of the Old Testament priests’ service was carried out in the place of God’s presence, so our service as New Testament priests can only be carried out in the place of His presence.

The minute we try to move out from God’s presence to carry out our service to Him, we fall into the error of Jeroboam. If we will not serve God in the place of His choosing, then it is not God we are serving but a god of our own creation. Moving out of God’s presence inevitably and invariably leads to idolatry.

In the Temple the Holy of Holies contained the Ark of the Covenant. The covenant is the absolutely binding relationship between the Lord and us. When we move away from His presence, we move away from that relationship, and all the strength and benefits that that relationship brings.

The Ark of the Covenant contained the tablets of the Law, which spoke of God’s righteousness. As New Covenant priests we don’t have an external law written on tablets of stone. Rather, God has given us His righteousness and written His law on our hearts by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. If we move away from the place of His presence, we move away from His righteousness. Without His righteousness, we are left to stand in our own righteousness, which is no righteousness at all.

The Ark also contained the pot of Manna, speaking of God’s provision. God’s provision, both spiritual and material, cannot be separated from His person. Much as some would try, it is not possible to take the gift without the giver. Thus, when we separate ourselves from the place of God’s presence, we are also separating ourselves from the place of His provision.

Finally the Ark held Aaron’s rod that budded, speaking of God’s power. The only way to move in God’s power is to be connected to the power supply. When we remove ourselves from the place of His presence, we remove ourselves from that supply.

When we look at the two distinctives of priesthood, it is obvious that they can only be exercised in the presence of God. Firstly, priesthood is about access to God. It should be obvious that we only have access to God by coming to Him, yet so many try to access Him by reading about Him or listening to sermons about Him, or through the prayers of others. Don’t get me wrong. Books are great (I’m a writer, I have to say that!). Sermons are great (I’m a preacher, I have to say that too!). Intercession is great (and yes, I’m an intercessor so I have to say that too!). But all those things can only give you a second hand relationship with God. A priest has access. To have access, you have to personally enter into His presence.

Secondly, priesthood is about representation – representing God to the world, and the world to God. Again, it should be obvious that this can only be done from the presence of God. It is not enough for us to take the God whom we know only on a second hand basis and try to present Him to a desperately needy world on a third hand basis. Nor can we hope to bring the needs of that world before God unless we actually personally come before Him.

In the Old Testament there was no legitimate place of priestly service other than the Tabernacle and later the Temple. In the New Covenant there is no possible place of priestly service other than the place of God’s presence. Are you serving in and from His presence, or are you trying to serve somewhere else?

This blog is © copyright Lynn Fowler.

There is one God, and one mediator between God and people, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5)in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9)and Whom God the Father has exalted to the highest place, giving Him the Name which is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)