Bible references

Key NT Scriptures

• Ephesians 2:11-22
  Click to retrieve Ephesians 2:11-22
• Galatians 3:8-9
• Hebrews 7:17-8:5
  Click to retrieve Hebrews 7:17-8:5
• Hebrews 8:6-13
  Click to retrieve Hebrews 8:6-13
• Matthew 28:16-20
• 1 Peter 2:4-5
• 1 Peter 2:9-10
• Revelation 1:4-6
• Romans 1:16
• Romans 2:9-11
• Romans 3:1-2
• Romans 9:4-5
• Romans 11:16-24
  Click to retrieve Romans 11:16-24

Key OT Scriptures

• Exodus 19:3-6
  Jewish Commentary
• Genesis 12:1-3
  Jewish Commentary
• Genesis 17:3-7
  Jewish Commentary
• Genesis 17:15-16
  Jewish Commentary
• Genesis 17:19
  Jewish Commentary
• Genesis 22:16-18
  Jewish Commentary
• Genesis 28:10-14
  Jewish Commentary
• Genesis 35:10-12
  Jewish Commentary
• Jeremiah 31:30-33
  Jewish Commentary
• Zechariah 8:20-23
  Jewish Commentary

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Commentary

Rabbi Michael Rudolph

This Mitzvah is formulated from Scriptures distributed throughout the Bible that describe, in detail, how God made Israel (i.e. the Jewish People) into a "Kingdom of Priests", and later created a New Covenant priesthood with followers of Yeshua joined to Israel in a "Commonwealth" that conists of both Jews and Gentiles. Israel's calling to be a Kingdom of Priests was imparted to it by God (through Abraham and later through Moses), so all Jews (regardless of their belief in Messiah) are members of a priestly people. That notwithstanding, in the New Covenant, only those Jews who believe in Yeshua, i.e. who are "born of the Spirit" and consequently reside as branches on the Romans 11:16ff olive tree (a tree that belongs to the Jews), can function in their full power as New Covenant priests; Jews who do not believe in Yeshua have priestly potential and a continued degree of priestly effectiveness, but they cannot serve as true New Covenant priests until they come to faith in Yeshua. When Gentiles come to faith, they become grafted into the aforesaid olive tree and join their Jewish brethren there as co-priests. Although they (the Gentiles) do not become Jews by virtue of their having been grafted in, the priesthood they become joined to (sometimes referred to as the "Priesthood of Believers") is fundamentally a Jewish priesthood. Yet, the Bible makes it clear that the Jews in this Priesthood retain their Jewish identities and Jewish covenantal responsibilities. The origin of all of this goes back to Genesis 12:1-3 , where God gave Avram a covenant whereby through him " all the families of the earth would be blessed. " Avram's name was later changed to Avraham (Abraham) and, over several Genesis chapters, we read that God promised that he would become " the father of many nations ", that his wife Sarai (whose name was changed to Sarah) would bear him a son, and that, through Abraham's descendants, " all the nations of the earth would be blessed. " ( Genesis 17:3-7, 15-21, 22:10-18, 26:1-5, & 28:10-14 ). The Priestly Covenant given to Abraham was transmitted through Isaac and later Jacob ( Genesis 17:3-7, 26:3-4, 27:29, 28:12-14, & 35:10-12 ), and was declared by God (at Mt. Sinai) to the entire Nation of Israel by His words: ... you will be a kingdom of cohanim [priests] for me, a nation set apart (Exodus 19:3-6) The Tribe of Levi was set apart from the rest of Israel to serve God in the Tabernacle (later the Temple), and Aaron and his sons were further set apart to serve as priests. This became known as the Levitical Priesthood in the "Order of Aaron" because Aaron was its first High Priest. It was the functioning priesthood for its time, and the shadow of a heavenly priesthood (later to be revealed) in which Yeshua the Messiah would be High Priest in the Order of Malki-Tzedek ( Hebrews 3:1-2, 4:14-15, 5:4-6, 6:19-20, 7:17-8:13, 9:6-12, 24-26, & 10:19-23 ). Levites and Levitical cohanim (known descendants of Levi and Aaron) continue to have functions and responsibilities in the synagogues and Jewish Communities of today. These include performing special duties in the Torah service, pronouncing blessings over the synagogue assembly, officiating at Pidyon HaBenim , and several others. From the time of Abraham to the present time, all the covenants that God made were with the Jewish people, and the priesthoods related to them were Jewish-based priesthoods. The Law given at Mt. Sinai that created and defined the Levitical Priesthood did not allow Gentiles and non-Levitical Jews to perform priestly services in the Temple, but the New Covenant opened the way for both to become priests by joining themselves to the Romans 11 "Jewish" olive tree through faith in the "Jewish" Messiah Yeshua. Just as the Levitical priests had duties related to the Temple's animal sacrifices, New Covenant priests have duties related to the sacrificed "lamb of God" Yeshua. In Matthew 28:16-20 and parallel Scriptures, we read that Yeshua directed His disciples (all Jews) to go and make people from all nations into talmidim (disciples), immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh, and teaching them to obey everything [they had been commanded]. This commandment to preach the "Good News" of Yeshua to the utmost ends of the earth (commonly referred to as the "Great Commission") is the main priestly duty of the "Yeshua Priesthood of Believers". It is the New Covenant counterpart of Temple service but, unlike Temple service, it is open to (in fact it is required of) all disciples of Yeshua, whether they be Jews or Gentiles. Finally, according to Romans 1:16, 2:9-11 , "Great Commission" ministry must be: ... to the Jew first and then to the Gentile. This is not because God prefers Jews over Gentiles, but because Jews were made by God to be His foundational kingdom of priests ( Exodus 19:3-6 ) who must become spiritually capable to where they are able to support the "Priesthood of Believers" and bring God's blessings to the Gentile nations of the world ( Genesis 22:16-18 ). This is the same principle of priestly preparation that we read about in Leviticus 16:3-6 , where Aaron the High Priest was required to perform a sacrifice for himself and his family before he could act as a priest for others on Yom Kippur .

Classical commentators

None of the classical commentators (Maimonides, Meir, nor HaChinuch) include, among their mitzvot , any obligation for Levites to perform priestly duties outside of the Temple, except those connected to health and blessing the Jewish People.

Copyright © Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster, The Law of Messiah, Torah from a New Covenant Perspective, Volume 1 & 2

Drawings

Artist: Jenske Visser

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Based on The Law of Messiah - Torah from a New Covenant Perspective by Michael Rudolph and Daniel C. Juster.

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