1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. In his exhortation to the saints in Asia Minor Peter had first encouraged them (and us) that theirs was a chosen generation. Picked by God because it would be their perseverance in persecution that would leave behind a legacy of faith for subsequent generations to take up and press on in the battle for mens souls. Peter then continued to encourage them with the very next statement within 1 Peter 2:9, where he declared to them that they (and all other generations after) were a royal priesthood. For both Jew and Gentile to be called a royal priesthood was not only a compliment of the highest order but it also laid upon them a calling that carried with it a great responsibility. The Gentile believers knew that to be a priest in the pagan temples you were either placed there by your parents (to learn the order) or you were sold to the temple or you were a slave placed there to perform any duties demanded of you by those in authority. Yet there was also a priest among the pagans who was separated out from among all others whose duty was to perform religious ceremonies for the king and the king only. So for Peter to tell them they are of a royal priesthood it was telling them that not only were they a chosen generation, they were separated to serve in performing acts of sacrifice for a king and not only any king but the King of kings. For those of Hebrew descent they knew that this was a completely new priestly order. They had been raised under the Mosaic Law where there were but 2 types of priests. The first was the Levitical Priesthood and then the Aaronic Priesthood both of which you had to be born into. The Levitical Priesthood was all those whose bloodline was directly through the tribe of Levi. These were the ones who served in the temple and also who carried the Tabernacle and its furnishings throughout the wilderness travels. Yet a Levitical priest could not serve as High Priest unless he was directly descended from the line of Aaron, Moses brother. Every high priest of Israel could trace his lineage all the way back to Aaron the very first High Priest. Peter was describing a new priesthood that could only be entered into through the blood of Jesus. This priesthood was not determined by your heritage nor could you be educated not could you buy into it. It was a royal priesthood,a priesthood that was free of having to spill the blood of animals and was no longer required to burn incense. But it would be the offerings of thanksgiving and the pouring out of praise from the heart that would be offered unto the One who broke the chains of sin and brought them out of darkness that would rise into the presence of The Lord brining joy to Him upon his throne and not only those early believers but all other believers since hold this same office within the body of Christ.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 00:52:59 +0000
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