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The Christian Citizen

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A Royal Priesthood: Israel A Kingdom of Priests

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E.J. Young

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IT was In the wilderness of Sinai, the third month after the Children of Israel had left the land of Egypt. They had pitched their tents in the desert, before the mount. It is of course difficult to tell precisely where this was. However, it seems most likely that the place of the nation’s encampment was in the valley which is now known as Er-Rahah, before the mountain Jebel es-Safsaf, This is a large plain with divergent valleys, and might very well have served as the center of the nation's camp.

    Moses, we are told in the Scriptures, had gone up to God. He had already known that the people were to serve God upon this mountain, for, in the revelation of the burning bush, the Lord had said to him, "When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain" (Exodus 3:12a). Hence, he ascended the mount to meet God. Probably, the cloud which had gone before the people now rested upon the mount.

    The Lord reminds Moses of the remarkable deliverance which had recently occurred, "how I bear you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself" (Exodus 19:4b). He then discloses the remarkable blessings which He has in store for His people. They are to be a peculiar treasure unto the Lord, and also a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

‍

A Kingdom of Priests

    When we read this gracious promise of the Lord we first ask what it means. "A kingdom of priests." That is indeed a strange statement. Of course, we may turn to certain New Testament passages and find there expressed also the same thought. Thus, in Revelation 20:6 we read, “…they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." And in 1 Peter 2:5 we read, "an holy priesthood," 'and this is followed in verse 9, "But we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." But what does the expression mean?

    At first sight it might seem that this word served to designate a kingdom which had a king and subjects, all of which were priests. The word kingdom, upon this interpretation, would include the entire nation of subjects together with its king. In other words, we should understand that there was to be a kingdom, and that all the subjects of this kingdom would be priests. The King Himself would be the Lord. Now, it must be admitted that this is rather an enticing explanation of the phrase. And yet, it involves some difficulty. For one thing, a kingdom which consisted entirely of priests would not express the close fellowship which existed between the king and the subjects, as the phrase evidently intends to express this. Furthermore, the word kingdom has as its primary meaning the thought of kingship. It seems best therefore to reject this interpretation of the word.

    If, however, we do now reject this interpretation, what is the correct view to take of the passage? The correct view, it would seem, is to take the phrase in the sense of kingship; thus, a kingship of priests. But, again, we must ask, what precisely does this mean? The meaning might be paraphrased in the following manner, “Ye shall be a royal priesthood." Or, as Luther put it, "kings and priests.” Thus, we see that the Lord had destined His chosen people to become, not merely priests, but rather, a regal priesthood unto Himself. It is in this sense, evidently, that John understood the passage, when he wrote those remarkable words in the first chapter of the Revelation, "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 1:6).

    It will immediately be apparent that the correct meaning is far richer and more precious than the incorrect. Upon the correct interpretation, we are to understand that the people of Israel were to possess both a regal and a priestly character. They were to be kings and they were also to be priests. It is very important that we should mark this well, for failure to understand this promise, will lead to a failure to appreciate the true position of Israel in the world.

‍

The Royal and Priestly Nation

    This remarkable promise to Israel is an example of unparalleled grace. Consider the state of Israel at the time when these words of hope were uttered. There, in the wilderness of Sinai, encamped among the rugged peaks of the wild desert, was a people which had just been delivered from bondage in Egypt. Mark that well. From bondage in Egypt. This people was a slave people; it nation of servants. She had as yet no fixed dwelling place upon the earth. There was no enduring culture to which she might point with pride. The mighty Egyptian nation could point to its temples and pyramids. There were enduring monuments which would tell of the nation’s greatness. And there were beautiful inscriptions, in a highly complex language, which would reveal a highly advanced civilization. Egypt had much in which to boast. And Canaan also. The inhabitants of the promised land had high, walled cities. The everlasting doors of Jerusalem had never yet been taken by the outsiders. There were giants in the land. And even the Kenites of the Sinai desert and Midian possessed a land. They were herdsmen, and they knew the watercourses and oases of the desert. They occupied a territory.

    Israel, however, had nothing. Her march through the desert was marked with weariness, complaining, infidelity and battles. She had no land, no culture, no civilization. And yet to her God had said, "Ye shall be kings and priests unto me." These words become the more remarkable when we examine their meaning.

    A priest is a mediator between God and man. As the representative of sinful mankind, he approaches to the holy God. The object of Israel's priesthood and also of its kingship is to be found in the nations of the earth, the Gentiles. Through Israel blessing was to be given to the entire earth. This glorious fact had early been promised to Abraham, when the Lord had said, "In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Israel, therefore, was to be the mediator of God's blessings to the world. The, nation was later to be called the Servant of the Lord, in that she had been chosen of Him to bear the glorious news of His salvation to the ends of the earth. Israel, in other words, was to have served as a light to lighten the Gentiles and to witness to them that the Lord dwelt in her midst. "Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:3). In these words the true destiny of Israel was to be found. Thus, the idea of priesthood included a spiritual and intellectual character which laid the foundation also for her kingship. As Keil so aptly remarks, “--the kingship being founded upon the priesthood, and the priesthood completed by the kingship.”

    In what sense, however, was Israel to be a kingdom of priests? Even in the Old Testament times Israel was the kingdom of God. Of course, the full realization of the promise could not be until the true king, even Jesus Christ, had come. The kingdom is, of course, of a spiritual nature, but it is also more than that. Jesus Christ is now reigning, and He has founded upon this earth a kingdom which is His Church. We who are members of His kingdom are lords over the entire earth. For all the earth is ours, and we are Christ's, and Christ is God’s. Yet, even more than this is intended. One day God's people shall reign in triumph. Sin shall be completely put down, and the enemies of the elect will be no more.

    Hence it is that Israel is also to be a holy nation. By this is meant not merely that Israel was to be separated from the other nations. That was included but also far more. Israel was to become a holy nation, a nation which should be characterized by the fact that she stood in a covenant relation with the Lord. She was to be sanctified, her sins were to be forgiven, and the righteousness of the holy Lord was to be hers.

    It must be obvious to a careful reader of the Bible that these remarkable promises include far more than a mere physical supremacy over other nations. Those interpreters of the Bible who see for God's people only a limited reign of physical blessing have really missed the meaning of the words spoken here. It was far more than this that the Lord intended for His own. He was the God of the covenant, the God Who had chosen Israel. And He had chosen her in order to accomplish His purposes, namely, the ultimate salvation, sanctification and glorification of all His people. In order to prepare the way for the coming of the One Whom He would send into the world, God chose one nation, even Israel. This was to be a holy nation, a kingdom of kings and priests.

    When we consider how high was the calling which God gave to this nation, we are the more appalled at Israel’s stubbornness and rebellious character. For Israel forgot the Lord that chose her. She despised the covenant, and went after other Gods whom she had not known before. God, however, remained faithful to His promises. At a time when Israel had sunk most deeply into degradation; at a time when a foreign power held sway over Palestine; at a time when the Law of God was being made vain by the traditions of men; at a time when the kingdom seemed completely to have departed; then at such a time there was born of the Virgin Mary the true King and the true Priest, even the Anointed One.

‍

Notes

E.J. Young

Professor of Old Testament from 1936 until his death in 1968. He served as the moderator of the OPC general assembly in 1956 and was also a member of the American Oriental Society, the Evangelical Theological Society, and the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis.

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