Priesthood: A Gift for Service #2441

Therefore you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death (Numbers 18:7, NKJV).

Aaron and his sons were appointed to the priesthood by God to serve Israel under the Law of Moses. God said to Aaron, “And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, that there may be no more wrath on the children of Israel” (Num. 18:5). Under the covenant of Christ, the priesthood has changed. Jesus Christ is High Priest, not Aaron. (Consequently, the law has changed, Heb. 7:11-12.) Now, every Christian is a priest who offers up spiritual sacrifices to God in the house of God, the church (1 Pet. 2:4-5, 9). Just as the priesthood of Aaron was a “gift of service,” even so Christ, our High Priest, serves our spiritual needs (Heb. 2:17; 7:24-28). Furthermore, Christians are privileged to approach God in prayer and praise through Christ, not through another man (Heb. 4:14-16). Christians do not go to human priests to confess sin and receive pardon from sin. Instead, we boldly go to “the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,” where Christ intercedes for us (Heb. 7:25; 8:1-2; 1 John 1:9-2:1). Our priestly duty is to “continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:15). As priests, our “gift for service” includes offering our bodies as living sacrifices to Him (Rom. 12:1). Priesthood is about service, not power.

God’s Mercy Reaches to the Heavens #2076

7 Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? 8 Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? 9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah (Psalm 77:7–9, NKJV)

In the moment of trial it may seem that God does not hear our cries, but He does (Psa. 22:1-2, 19-21). It may appear in a time of judgment that God is not merciful, but He is. In wrath, He remembers mercy (Hab. 3:2). God offers the “sure mercies of David” to all who will believe and obey God’s Son (Acts 13:34; Isa. 55:3-5). Isaiah’s call to Israel is now Christ’s gospel call to the nations: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isa. 55:6-7). God offers us mercy when we seek Him through the gospel of His Son. The gospel teaches us to forsake our ways and call on God for His gracious pardon from sin. For example, see God’s mercy to those who killed the Son of God (Acts 2:21, 36-41). Or see how the persecutor Saul obtained God’s mercy (Acts 22:10-16; 1 Tim. 1:13). He will be merciful to us, in the same way. Truly, His mercy “reaches unto the heavens” (Psa. 57:10).

Seek And You Will Find #2058

6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; And to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6–7, NKJV)

God is “not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27). Our sins separate us from God, not His lack of love, concern, power, or unwillingness to come to our aid (Isa. 59:1-2). Nothing within ourselves or in this present age can fill the void left in a life without God. The answer to life’s problems, pain, sin, and death is Jesus Christ (Jno. 14:6). God has arranged life on earth and revealed His word in the Bible so that we will seek Him and find Him (Acts 17:27). We must forsake the way of evil and the thoughts of unrighteousness. We must “return to the Lord,” and we do He will be merciful. Full pardon from God for our sins before Him and against others is His promise, fulfilled in Christ (Rom. 5:6-11). A life without God is a life forever groping for meaning and purpose, yet always falling short. But, life with God is full of mercy, forgiveness, and hope. Seek the Lord in Christ and His gospel, and you will find His mercy as well as meaning for your life (Matt. 7:7).

Find a Righteous Person #1206

“Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem; See now and know; And seek in her open places if you can find a man, if there is anyone who executes judgment, who seeks the truth, and I will pardon her.” (Jeremiah 5:1, NKJV)

The Lord God sent Jeremiah into the streets of Jerusalem to look for a righteous man; a man of justice (“judgment”), and one who seeks the truth. Such a discovery would prevent God’s punishment upon the rebellious, obstinate, sinful city (Jeremiah 5:3, 7-9). But, what Jeremiah found were lies instead of the truth (Jeremiah 5:2). None were found among the poor; they did not know the way of the Lord (Jeremiah 5:4). None were found among her “great men;” they had burst the bonds of divine rule in favor of destructive, sinful pleasures (Jeremiah 5:5-9). Does God find you to be a person who is just toward others? Do you seek truth, and pursue it? Or, have sin’s allurements enticed you away from Him, hardening your heart toward His will? Jerusalem reached a point of no return, and she was destroyed for her sins (Jeremiah 52:3-30). But, it is not too late for you to return to the Lord. His longsuffering continues to this moment, longing for sinners to repent (2 Peter 3:9). If you will heed His call and repent, He will pardon your sins, and you will escape His wrath (Romans 2:1-11).

Peace, or no Peace? #717

13  Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; And from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. 14  They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:13–14, NKJV)

God’s people were thoroughly corrupted by covetousness during the days of Jeremiah. Greed and lust for personal gain had so warped the hearts of Judah that they would not listen to God’s prophet calling them back to the old paths of truth. The trumpet sound warning of divine punishment had on effect; they would not listen (Jer. 6:16-17). They rejected God’s law, preferring the message of corrupt prophets and priests who assured them of peace when there was no peace with God because of their sins (Jer. 6:19). Sin blinds us. Sin deceives us. Sin hardens our heart and corrupts our soul. What will drive you today: Personal gain, or personal peace with God? Do not be deceived by the passing peace sin seemingly provides; “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked” (Isa. 57:21). Return to the Lord, and receive His mercy. He will abundantly pardon and give true peace (Isa. 55:7; 57:19).