Courtney Gilmore “Moses poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him.” “I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel. They are a gift to you, given by the Lord, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting… I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service.”
God set up the Levitical priesthood. But it wouldn’t continue forever. “For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness. For the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” Hebrews 7:18-19
Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets spoke of a Messiah that was coming. The word Messiah means “Anointed One”. Daniel called Him “Messiah the Prince” meaning The Anointed Son of God. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus & told Andrew that He was the “Lamb of God.” Then Andrew told his brother Peter that he had found the Messiah. Jesus Himself told the Samaritan woman that He was the Messiah. So, God anointed Jesus, His Son, to be The High Priest for all people.
Men anointed in the Old Testament were kings & high priests. Jesus came as both. He was also the Sacrifice, the “Lamb of God”. He was not born from the priestly line of Levi, but from the kingly tribe of Judah. Micah prophesied that The King would come from the line of Judah which is how the Wise Men knew to look for Jesus in Bethlehem. Jesus Himself took on the title of King when He was asked by Pilate if He was the King of the Jews. He is said to come from the order of Melchizedek, who was both the king & the priest of Salem in Abraham’s time.
Jesus is called the High Priest because He intercedes on our behalf & offered Himself up for us. “It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” Romans 8:34
No one took His life. He freely gave it. He even told Pilate that he only had the power to kill Him because it had been given to him from God. The high priests, had to offer sacrifices for themselves before they could offer them for the people. They also had to offer sacrifices continuously before the Lord for the continuous sins that were committed. But unlike the high priest, Jesus did not have to offer any sacrifices for Himself. He had no sins that needed atonement, so His sacrifice was for us alone.
“Such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens, who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.” Hebrews 7:26-27
Because He was the perfect sacrifice, there was no need for any more sacrifices. Because He lives forever, there was no need for another high priest to replace Him. So, He is the forever King & High Priest. He also was the Perfect Sacrifice, that put an end to all insufficient animal sacrifices. That is why He could say on the cross, “It is finished.” He finished what the priests started & accomplished completely what they could only accomplish temporarily.
God shows us that He accepts Jesus’s sacrifice on our behalf by sending His Holy Spirit to consume & fill us with His glory. Like the priests of old, it is our job to keep the fire burning that He set inside us the moment that we confessed our need for His Son’s sacrifice. “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:13-16
Now we are all priests offering up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.1 Peter 2:4-5
So, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1
Excerpt from Episode 75 “God’s Anointed” on Podcast and YouTube
