“The responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil– the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings” (Numbers 4:16).
We are told that the “Old Testament” was a shadow of things to come; but the substance belongs to Christ (Colossians 2:17). The Old Testament was the very Scriptures Jesus used to teach the disciples on the way to Emmaus the things concerning Himself (see Luke 24:27). To the degree that we can see Jesus, the new covenant He brought to us, and even the things pertaining to the end times – as represented in their shadowy forms in the Old Testament – our understanding of our New Covenant and ministry in Christ deepens.
Prior to Jesus’ death and resurrection, only the sons of Levi could serve as priests (Numbers 18; Hebrews 7:5). But now, all those who have come to God through faith in Jesus Christ have been made a royal Priesthood unto God (1 Peter 2:9). We have been made a kingdom of priests unto our God (Revelation 5:10). If the Law given through Moses was to serve us our school master to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24), and the things represented therein were shadows of things that were to come in Christ (Colossians 2:17), then by looking at the duties God prescribed for the priests, we can gain a deeper and clearer understanding of our priestly duties in Christ.
Firstly, the priest was responsible for the oil for the light and the fragrant incense (Numbers 4:16). In Psalm 119:105, the Word of God is referred to as light: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). We are also shown in Revelation 5:8 that incense represents the prayers of God’s people: “When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints”. Thus we can see that fundamental to the ministry/duty of the priest is the Ministry of the Word and the Ministry of Prayer. These two go hand in hand and should be foundational in our service as priests of God. The Apostles recognized the importance of these when they noted, “But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).
The Ministry of the Word requires that we study the Word of God, practice it and teach it (see Ezra 7:10). Therefore we are told to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). The Ministry of the Word is also the ministry of reconciliation: “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). This is what has been given us as our great commission: “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”(Matthew 28:18-20). The Ministry of prayer also requires that we “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), praying in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition (Ephesians 6:18). We are not only to pray for ourselves but for one another (James 5:16) and for all people (1 Timothy 2:1). The prayer of the righteous is the Lord’s delight (Proverbs 15:8).
It is worth noting that, in the duty prescribed for the priest, oil was required for the light and the incense (Numbers 4:16). “Oil” is also used in Scripture in connection with the Holy Spirit (e.g. Isaiah 61:1-3; 1 Sam 16:13). In the same way, we cannot be effective in our ministry of prayer and the Word without relying on the Holy Spirit. He is the Helper, and we are in desperate need of His help in prayer and walking in the Word of God.
To be continued….
Kwadwo Omari
© 2016