CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
October 25, 2009
25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, TX. 77373
www.blakehart.com/cypresswoodbulletin.htm
PRAYERS AND BLESSINGS:
God’s
will for our congregation Our
nation, military and leaders
Various
friends, relatives and co-workers Joy
in believing
TURN CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR NEXT SUNDAY!
A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s
special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out
of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).
Peter
was writing to the Diaspora, Jewish people and primarily Jewish Christians in
exile in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey).
A number were probably familiar with the apostle Paul because of his
work in this area. Peter is writing to a
persecuted church who might be struggling, in part due to the unrest in Israel
at this time, around the middle sixties A.D.
The Romans were suspicious of all Jews in the politically charged
climate. In a series of quotes from the
Old Testament, the Bible of the early church, Peter quotes of Israel’s
unfaithfulness and refers back to the Exodus and a scene at Mt. Sinai, pointing
to God’s intent for the nation of Israel.
He now applies it to the church.
Let’s take a look at the context of the quote in Exodus and then see how
we can understand and apply it to today.
Moses
had led Israel out of Egypt and across the desert to Mt. Sinai. It was there that God announced His purpose
for Israel. “Now if you obey me fully
and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured
possession. Although the whole earth is
mind, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus
19:5-6). If you remember our study on
the covenants, you will see that this is a reminder of God’s purpose in the
covenant with Abraham. His descendants
through Isaac would become a nation that would bless all nations. This was when the Jewish people become a
nation. There mission was to be a light
to the world.
There
are two phrases at the end of this statement by God that concern us. The first is that they will be “a kingdom
of priests.” The priests played an
important role in the history and worship of Israel. The priests stood between God and the people
operating in both directions (1). The priest was to teach God’s law to the
people thus allowing God to come to His people through them. When the nation was faithful to God, the
priests were doing their job but when they lost sight of God’s word, the nation
was in trouble. Secondly, the priests
offered up sacrifices to God on behalf of the people so that their sins would
be atoned for and they would remain in fellowship with God. “The priests, then, brought God and people
together by bringing God’s law to the people and bringing the people’s
sacrifices to God” (2). This being done,
they would then pronounce God’s blessings on them (see Numbers 6:22-27).
Secondly,
they would be “a holy nation.” If
they obeyed God and kept is covenant, then they, as a nation, would be priests
to all nations. By being set apart or
holy, they would be a light to the Gentiles.
This was a fuller explanation of the covenant made to Abraham in Genesis
12:1-3. Rather than becoming like the
nations around them, something they were warned about, they would bring the
truth of the God of Israel to those nations by being God’s people. Isaiah would remind them of this task in
62:1-3. This would be an ongoing
challenge to Israel but in the end Israel failed to be what God had
intended.
To
be holy means to be fundamentally “different or distinctive. God wanted Israel to be a model of how human
life ought to be.” They were to be
different visibly, socially, economically, politically and religiously. This might help understand God’s frustration
with His people in the days of Samuel when they wanted a king like the nations
around them rather than one like God.
The nation was to be holy and therefore a light to the world. The constant warning was not to be like Egypt
where they came from nor like Canaan where they were going (Leviticus 18:3-4). But it did not work out well. “In fact, Israel simply replicates the story
of the fall of humanity. The story of
Israel is a recapitulation of the story of Genesis 1-11. Blessing, promise and command, followed by
sin and rebellion.”
I
think we can see Peter drawing on this in the context of chapter two. Life wasn’t going to be easy for the Jewish
people and for Jewish Christians, at least not for a while. He is drawing on his history to remind them
that there were difficult times in the past.
Israel did not always do well, but now in Christ, we have One who shares
in that difficulty.
How
are we to see this idea of a royal priesthood today? Some have carried on the idea of a separate
priesthood like that of Aaron found in the Torah. Specific people have been chosen as priests
to intercede between God and the people.
But that led to abuses, much like we see in first century B.C. and A.D.
Judaism. The reaction to this in Christianity
has been to declare that we are all priests.
We have our High Priest, Jesus, who has opened the way into the Holy of
Holies (Hebrews 4:14-16). We sill have
those who intercede for us; Jesus our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) and the Holy
Spirit (Romans 8:26-27). As priest, we
can intercede through prayer, and other ways, for those we have concerns for
who have made requests of us.
What
I think Peter is pointing out is that as priests, we are to be a light to the
world. We announce God’s teachings and
ways to the world as we live holy and separated lives. We are not to be like the “nations” around
us, that is, we should be different from those around us. Now I know we do not always do a very good
job at being different; it is something we all need to work on. This becomes our challenge.
How
do we act to events? How do we respond
to those who question us? How do we
speak? What do we watch, read or listen
to? What is our attitude toward others? How do we use our material things to bring
glory to God? What are we seeking in our
life?
We
are “a royal priesthood,” a holy nation of believers making our way
through this sin filled world, waiting for the redemption of both our bodies
and the creation. In the early
centuries, Christians lived as such and did the unexpected. When others were cast out, they took them in,
when others were left for dead, they risked their lives to care for and
heal. They prayed. They honored Caesar. They faced death praising God. They lived as a royal priesthood, a holy
nation. This should challenge us to do
the same.
George
B. Mearns
(1)
Thoughts for this come from Christopher J.H. Wright, Knowing The Holy Spirit
Through The Old Testament, IVP, 2006.
(2) All quotes from Wright.