The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 19:24,
"Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them."
Here the Lord gave Moses directions on meeting with him. In them the Lord told Moses that none of the priests and none of the people were to "force" their way to see him.
We see the Aaronic priesthood established by the Lord in Exodus 28. In addition to the line of Aaron, the entire tribe of Levi, (the patriarch from whom both Moses and Aaron were descended) were to serve in the "Levitical Priesthood". These were to support Aaron and his descendants in their activities and functions as priests.
Since we don't see the inauguration of the Aaronic and Levitical priesthood until later, who were the priests among the Israelites that were not to touch Mt. Sinai when Moses met with God in Exodus 19? It is thought by some that the firstborn or the heads of families may have performed priestly duties at that time.
Aside from the Egyptian priests we read of in Genesis that served their idols, there are other priests we find out about prior to Moses' meeting with God on Mt. Sinai. The first of which was the famous Melchizedek who was king of Salem (Jerusalem) that Abraham encountered, Genesis 14:18. In Hebrews 5 and 6 Melchizedek is mentioned as a type of Jesus Christ - that Jesus was designated by God to be a high priest in the order of Melchizedek, Hebrews 5:10.
Next we read that Jethro (not an Israelite), Moses' father-in-law, was a priest in Midian, Exodus 2:16. Moses had married his daughter, Zipporah. He is an interesting figure because he had given Moses advice on how to conduct court for Israel following the Exodus from Egypt, advice which Moses followed, Exodus 18:13-26.
Additionally, we see Job performing the function of a priest on behalf of his family, Job 1:5. Job is thought to be someone who lived during the patriarchal age, possibly near the time of Abraham or even earlier.
So, this morning I am curious about the priests we hear about in this chapter of Exodus. When Moses approached Pharaoh to let the Israelites go worship God with offerings and sacrifices, it certainly indicates priestly activity was known among the Israelites by then. I am reminded there is a lot of history behind what we read of in the pages of Scripture, some we know of and some we don't.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
"Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them."
Here the Lord gave Moses directions on meeting with him. In them the Lord told Moses that none of the priests and none of the people were to "force" their way to see him.
We see the Aaronic priesthood established by the Lord in Exodus 28. In addition to the line of Aaron, the entire tribe of Levi, (the patriarch from whom both Moses and Aaron were descended) were to serve in the "Levitical Priesthood". These were to support Aaron and his descendants in their activities and functions as priests.
Since we don't see the inauguration of the Aaronic and Levitical priesthood until later, who were the priests among the Israelites that were not to touch Mt. Sinai when Moses met with God in Exodus 19? It is thought by some that the firstborn or the heads of families may have performed priestly duties at that time.
Aside from the Egyptian priests we read of in Genesis that served their idols, there are other priests we find out about prior to Moses' meeting with God on Mt. Sinai. The first of which was the famous Melchizedek who was king of Salem (Jerusalem) that Abraham encountered, Genesis 14:18. In Hebrews 5 and 6 Melchizedek is mentioned as a type of Jesus Christ - that Jesus was designated by God to be a high priest in the order of Melchizedek, Hebrews 5:10.
Next we read that Jethro (not an Israelite), Moses' father-in-law, was a priest in Midian, Exodus 2:16. Moses had married his daughter, Zipporah. He is an interesting figure because he had given Moses advice on how to conduct court for Israel following the Exodus from Egypt, advice which Moses followed, Exodus 18:13-26.
Additionally, we see Job performing the function of a priest on behalf of his family, Job 1:5. Job is thought to be someone who lived during the patriarchal age, possibly near the time of Abraham or even earlier.
So, this morning I am curious about the priests we hear about in this chapter of Exodus. When Moses approached Pharaoh to let the Israelites go worship God with offerings and sacrifices, it certainly indicates priestly activity was known among the Israelites by then. I am reminded there is a lot of history behind what we read of in the pages of Scripture, some we know of and some we don't.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
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