priest

The Priest As Worship Leader in the Old Testament

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In the directives of Moses, priests were specially commissioned for the role of representing the people before the Lord and thus occupied a central position in the worship life of the covenant people.

The Role of the Priest

The proper role of the priest in worship was to officiate in sacrifice and offering in order to to propitiate the Deity on behalf of the worshiper. Whereas the prophet was the spokesman of the Lord, the priest represented the people before God. The prophet was privy to the counsels of God in virtue of the word that came to him by the Spirit (Amos 3:7–8; Isa. 61:1; Ezek. 6:1; 2 Pet. 1:21). The Word of the Lord burned like a fire within him (Jer. 20:9). With the priest, access to the Deity was by a careful process of consecration (Lev. 8–9), wherein enough of the overpowering holiness of the Lord was communicated to him so that he could safely approach the divine and awesome presence; otherwise, he would risk being struck down in wrath as a trespasser in forbidden territory.

The priest’s consecration rendered him “holy to his God” (Lev. 21:7 NASB), that is, set apart from the ordinary or the profane. For this reason, special conditions were placed on his life-style. He was not to defile himself by contact with a corpse, except that of a close family member (Lev. 21:1–4), nor cut his beard nor shave his head (Lev. 21:5), nor marry a woman who had been a prostitute or was divorced (Lev. 21:7). The priest who served at the altar needed to be free of physical defects and deformities (Lev. 21:16–21). He was not to drink wine during his time of ministering before the Lord (Lev. 10:9–10).

As one thus set apart, the priest could “draw near” (hiqriv) to the Lord officiate in sacrifice, and place the offerings on the altar. His vocation was to minister (sheret) before Yahweh, performing the service (‘‡vodah) of the house of the Lord, whether it was the service of the altar or the service of song and prayer. But the priest’s activity could extend beyond the performance of sanctuary rites. Indeed, because the number of members of the priestly families of the tribe of Levi was far greater than that required for the service of the house of God, many had to reside in outlying areas far from the sanctuary, making a living from agriculture and from the tithes of local residents (Deut. 14:28–29; Neh. 10:37).

As we have seen, a number of the prophets were of priestly descent. The Levitical priests functioned also as teachers, instructing the people in the traditions of the Lord’s covenant (Deut. 17:9–11; 24:8). They were the recognized custodians (Jer. 18:18; Ezek. 7:26) of the Law of God, or Torah, a word that actually means “teaching” or “instruction.” When the people were without a “teaching priest,” the worship of the Lord lapsed into a state of decay (2 Chron. 15:3). Ezra the priest was “a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses” (Ezra 7:6), whose desire was to teach the Law to Israel. In fact, the Persian ruler Artaxerxes commissioned him for this very task (Ezra 7:25). The priesthood preserved the covenant traditions in both oral and written form and probably was responsible specifically for transmitting the historical and instructional material found in the Pentateuch. Ezra also produced the history of the Chronicler (i.e., Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah), which could have been based on archival records deposited at the sanctuary, as well as on the books of Samuel and Kings.

The High Priest

A special aura surrounded the high priest. He might marry only a virgin from a priestly family (Lev. 21:10–14). A person accused of manslaughter was safe from the avenger in a designated city of refuge, provided he did not leave the city until the death of the high priest in office at the time (Num. 35:25–28). It was the role of the high priest to enter the Most Holy Place, or inner sanctuary, on the Day of Atonement with fire from the altar, incense, and blood from the sacrifices (Lev. 16). The high priest also had the sacred lot, by means of which he executed a decision in difficult cases of judgment (Exod. 28:30; Neh. 7:65).

The high priests periodically worked with Judean kings in programs for the reform and restoration of worship. For example, during the interregnum of Athaliah, the priests concealed the young Joash, heir to the Davidic throne, in the temple; Jehoiada the high priest played a key role in the coup d’état that restored the Davidic monarchy and in the religious restoration that followed (2 Kings 11). When the temple was being repaired early in the reign of Josiah, Hilkiah the high priest found the neglected Book of the Law in the temple and brought it to the attention of the king. The discovery led to a renewal of the covenant and the restoration of temple worship (2 Kings 22:1–23:25). In the postexilic period, the prophet Zechariah saw a vision of Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the governor, who was in the Davidic line, as “the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth” (Zech. 4:14). Encouraged also by the prophet Haggai (Hag. 2:4), Joshua and Zerubbabel worked together to rebuild the house of God (Hag. 1:14). Ezra, priest, and scribe of the Law, led the people in an extended act of confession, the renewal of the covenant, and a pledge to support the service of the house of God (Neh. 8–10).

The Work of the Priest in the Tabernacle

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The legislation in the Pentateuch assigned numerous duties to the Hebrew priests and Levites. Chief among them were maintaining and transporting the tabernacle (Num. 3–4) and performing the rituals and liturgies associated with Israelite worship in the sanctuary (Exod. 28–29). It is likely that some of these duties were determined by lot and discharged on a rotating basis (cf. 1 Chron. 23–24).

Bronze Basin or Laver. The priests were to wash their hands and feet at the laver upon entering the tent of meeting (tabernacle proper) and before ministering at that altar of burnt offering (Exod. 30:17–21).

Altar of Burnt Offering. The national festival, daily, and individual sacrifices took place at the altar of burnt offering. Mosaic law instructed the priests to prepare and sacrifice a year-old lamb in the morning and evening each day. This burnt offering was to be accompanied by grain and drink offerings (Exod. 29:38–46; Num. 28:1–8).

The Mosaic legislation prescribing the five basic sacrifices offered to God by the people of Israel is found in Leviticus 1–7. Three types of sacrifices were required: offerings of expiation, offerings of consecration, and offerings of fellowship.

The offerings of expiation included a six-part ritual, three acts performed by the worshiper and three acts performed by the priest. The worshiper brought his offering to the gateway of the tabernacle (perhaps in the forecourt on the north side of the altar of burnt offering). He then laid his hands on the sacrificial victim and confessed his sin and guilt. Then the worshiper slaughtered the sacrificial animal. The priest cut the victim into pieces, arranged the sacrifice on the altar, and ignited the burnt offering. During this process the priest collected the blood of the victim in a basin and dashed it against the four sides of the altar. Then the priest and his family, or the priest and the worshiper, ate the remaining portions of the offering as a sacrificial meal.

Non-animal sacrifices were prepared by the worshiper; this preparation included anointing the offering with oil and frankincense, and in some cases baking without leaven. The worshiper brought the sacrifice to the entrance of the tabernacle. There the priest received the sacrifice and burned a portion of it on the altar of burnt offering. The priest was permitted to retain the remaining portion of the offering as a sacrificial meal for his family (Lev. 2:1–10).

Specific ritual sacrifice was also prescribed for the national and festival worship gatherings. Especially prominent were the Passover, the Feast of Firstfruits, Pentecost, and the Day of Atonement. Sacrificial instructions for these and other national and festival holy days are outlined in Exodus 12:3; 29; Leviticus 16; 23; and Numbers 28–29. The instructions to the priests for keeping the fire burning on the altar of burnt offering are in Leviticus 6:8–13.

Table of Shewbread and Lampstand. The priests were charged to keep the lampstand (Hebrew mƒnorah) burning during the hours of darkness (evening until morning) each day (Lev. 24:1–4). The priests also prepared twelve loaves of bread to be arranged on the table of shewbread in two rows of six loaves each. The loaves were to be garnished with frankincense and were replaced every Sabbath by the priests (Lev. 24:5–8).

Altar of Incense. The priests were commanded to burn incense twice daily on the altar of incense, which stood before the curtain of the tabernacle separating the Most Holy Place from the sanctuary. The incense offerings coincided with the snuffing out of the lampstand in the morning and the lighting of the lampstand in the evening (Exod. 30:1–10).

Once a year sacrificial blood was sprinkled on the altar of incense to purify it as part of the Day of Atonement ceremony (Lev. 16:18–29).

Curtain or Veil of the Tabernacle. The curtain was made of wool, dyed blue, purple, and scarlet, and was embroidered with cherubim. The curtain divided the tent of meeting into two sections: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest was permitted to go beyond the curtain into the Most Holy Place (Exod. 26:31–35).

Ark of the Covenant. The ark of the covenant was the visible symbol of God’s holy presence and covenant relationship with Israel. The ark contained the tokens of Israel’s redemption from slavery in Egypt: the stone tablets of God’s law, a bowl of manna, and Aaron’s rod. The ark of the covenant resided in the Most Holy Place. Annually, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest appeared before the ark to burn incense and sprinkle blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat resting on the top of the ark. The ritual made atonement for the tabernacle, cleansing the sanctuary of Israel’s uncleanness and transgressions (Lev. 16:11–19).