Schrock / Ortlund The Royal Priesthood and the Glory of God

1. Auflage 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4335-6434-5
Verlag: Crossway
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, 208 Seiten

Reihe: Short Studies in Biblical Theology

A Biblical Theology of the Royal Priesthood from Genesis to Revelation '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.' -1 Peter 2:9 From Genesis to Revelation, the theme of the royal priesthood is a silver thread running through the biblical story from the garden of Eden through the priesthood of Israel to Jesus Christ-the true and better priest. It culminates with the creation of God's covenant people, called out of the nations to be his priests to the nations. In this concise treatment, David Schrock traces this theme of priesthood throughout the Bible and displays to readers how Jesus, the great high priest, informs the worship, discipleship, and evangelism of the church. - Short and Accessible: Traces the theme of priesthood from Genesis to Revelation and gives practical application for the church today - Written for Laypeople and Church Leaders: Excellent for students, Bible studies, small groups, and leaders of all levels - Part of the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series

David S. Schrock (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is pastor for preaching and theology at Occoquan Bible Church in Woodbridge, Virginia. He is a founding faculty member at Indianapolis Theological Seminary, where he teaches theology. Schrock has contributed to multiple theological journals and specializes in both systematic and biblical theology.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Schrock, David

Ortlund, Dane

Leseproben

Introduction

Recovering the Glory of the Royal Priesthood

In 1956 the film The Ten Commandments showed a generation of Americans a picture of the Passover, the Red Sea, and God’s relationship with Israel. With cinematic flare Charlton Heston, portraying Moses, battled Pharaoh, led the people to Sinai, and smashed the stone tablets in response to the golden calf. On the silver screen, The Ten Commandments portrayed a vision of God’s glory as told through the story of the exodus. Yet, every Easter when it plays on television, The Ten Commandments can never fully capture the glory of God. Why? Because it takes more than good camera work to see God’s glory. It requires the Spirit to open sin-blinded eyes to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).

From the New Testament, we can see more clearly why The Ten Commandments misses the mark. The ancient glory of exodus cannot display God’s glory without the final revelation of God in Christ. As the New Testament explains, God designed the exodus to foreshadow the later glory of Christ. As Paul puts it, Moses’s face shone with glory when he descended from Sinai (2 Cor. 3:7), but this glory paled in comparison to Christ’s. With Moses, God’s glory was found in a ministry of condemnation, but with Christ, glory is seen in his ministry of righteousness (2 Cor. 3:9–11). Righteousness is what Christ grants his people by means of his covenantal obedience, sacrificial death, victorious resurrection, and heavenly intercession. In other words, through the various phases of Christ’s priesthood, the glory of God is fully revealed. And not just revealed but given. Whereas Moses’s priestly ministry displayed God’s glory from a distance, the greater ministry of Christ clothes his people with righteousness, as the greater high priest brings many sons to glory (Heb. 2:9–10; cf. Rom. 8:29–31).

Consider how vital this priestly vision of God’s glory is for ministry today. From the athletic arena to the concert stage to the IMAX theater, countless worshipers flock to experience the glory of sport, song, and cinema. As Jamie Smith has observed, venues like these provide a series of secular temples complete with their own idolatrous liturgies.1 Set in these temples are a priestly class of people who distribute “grace” to a world hungry for glory. And just as Charlton Heston once entertained a generation of glory-seekers, so today’s athletes and entertainers regale modern inquirers. These cultural icons are the priests of our secular age, and they bestow glory on all who draw near to them, wear their signature brands, and enter their temples. Nevertheless, their “priestly” services only mislead their followers from true glory, even as they confirm a basic truth—fallen humanity requires priestly intervention to restore the glory we were made to receive and reflect.

Priestly glory is also found when we enter the Bible. From the first use of the word in Genesis 14:18 (“Melchizedek . . . was priest of God Most High”) to the last in Revelation 20:6 (“Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! . . . they will be priests of God and of Christ”), priesthood is central to redemptive history. And though it takes some time to learn the language, the concepts, and the purpose of priesthood, a pleasant reward awaits all who study what Scripture says about priesthood. As Psalm 111:2 says,

Great are the works of the Lord,

studied by all who delight in them.

The aim of this book is to study the priesthood so that we might delight more fully in the glory of God’s Son, our great high priest. Moreover, by learning the history and purpose of priesthood in the Bible, we will better understand God’s work in redemption. Because God’s gospel of the kingdom centers on the priestly offering and exaltation of Christ, a right understanding of royal priesthood is necessary for seeing God’s glorious plan of salvation. Because the church of Jesus Christ is called to share in his vocation of priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 5:9–10), learning what priests do is essential for discipleship.

In a world of competing glories, therefore, studying the priesthood is basic for Christian discipleship. When secular priests entice Christians to worship in their temples, we need the true priest-king interceding for us and applying his blood to atone for our sins. We need a biblical vision of Christ’s priestly glory to empower us to reject all substitutes and worship him alone. In short, we need a biblical theology of royal priesthood that leads us to Christ. For to be made in God’s image and created for God’s glory means Christ’s disciples are called to be a family of royal priests—sons and daughters who serve in the presence of the Lord by means of the finished work of Christ, our great high priest.

That’s the big picture; now let me define a few priestly terms.

A Glorious Family of Royal Priests

If we survey all the places where priests show up in the Bible, we find quite a spectrum. There are pagan priests like Potiphera, the father-in-law of Joseph (Gen. 41:45, 50; 46:20), and true priests like Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18). Aaron and his sons are identified as Israel’s chosen line of priests, and these priests are joined by their brothers, the Levites, to serve in God’s tabernacle (cf. Deut. 33:8–11). Yet, before Yahweh chose Aaron as priest (Ex. 28–29), Yahweh identified Israel as a “royal priesthood” (Ex. 19:6). Likewise, when Moses led the nation to make a covenant with Yahweh (Ex. 19–24), unnamed “priests” served at the altar with Moses (19:22, 24; cf. 24:5). Moses too is identified as a priest, as is Samuel (Ps. 99:6). Yet neither is a descendant of Aaron or called a priest in his own day. Moreover, David wears the priestly ephod when the ark of the covenant is brought to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:14), and in one instance his sons are even called “priests” (2 Sam. 8:18).

Despite the “separation of powers” between the priestly tribe of Levi and the royal tribe of Judah, we discover royal sons who bring sacrifices to the altar. This combination of priest and king goes back to Adam and Melchizedek. And looking in the other direction, the prophets tell of a son of David who will be priest (Ps. 110) and a priest who will sit on the throne (Zech. 6:9–15). Admittedly, all these twists and turns can seem daunting at first. But if we read the Bible patiently, we can learn how the priesthood rises and falls and rises again.

Already, this series has books devoted to the themes of sonship and kingdom.2 So this book will not repeat their work. Still, it is necessary to see how priesthood relates to both. To say it differently, priesthood is restricted to the sons of Aaron only under the law of Moses, explicated in the covenant with Levi (Num. 25:9–13; Mal. 2:1–9; cf. Deut. 33:8–11). Prior to the Sinai, Scripture identifies royal priests in Adam and his sons, the patriarchs. Israel, as God’s firstborn son (Ex. 4:22–23) is also called a “kingdom of priests” (Ex. 19:6). And many of the patriarchs, who were promised a kingdom (Gen. 17:6, 16), built altars—a task later associated with Aaron and his sons. In the beginning then, there is a strong unity between priest and king.

This unity will fracture in Israel’s history, but when Jesus fulfills the requirements of the law, he will become a priest like the king of Salem, Melchizedek. David himself saw this coming (Pss. 110; 132), as did the Old Testament prophets (e.g., Jer. 30:21; Zech. 3:1–10; 6:9–15). Thus, the church is not simply a priestly people. In Christ, it is a royal priesthood. To put it graphically, we might say Aaron’s priesthood, which would come to be known as the Levitical priesthood, always stood as a halfway house between Adam’s royal priesthood and Christ’s (see fig. 1).

Figure 1. Israel’s temporary division of priesthood from kingship

As with the rest of the law, the priesthood of Aaron was not an end in itself; it was given as a pattern and placeholder for something greater—namely, Jesus Christ and the royal priesthood he would inaugurate through his death and resurrection. To be certain, it takes the whole Bible to see this develop, but as we begin, we need to see where we are going. In particular, it is vital to see the historical development of priesthood in relationship to kingship. To help explain how these concepts relate, let me define them.

Priest. Hebrews provides the most detailed explanation of priesthood in the Bible. And in Hebrews 5:1–4 we find a concise definition of the high priest, his appointment, his people, and his service:

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with...