Requirements of Priesthood

The New Testament does not have much to say regarding the requirements of priesthood. This is because the outline was laid down in detail in the old. Isaiah 46:9-10 states "Remember the former things of old: for I am YHWH, and there is none else; I am YHWH, and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure", so if we want to know about the Messianic Priesthood, we will need to go back to the beginning to find out.

In our study on Melchizedek, we had to go back to Genesis 14 to find out who he was, and in our study on covenants, we went back to Genesis:1 and learned that YHWH reveals more and more about himself and his kingdom as time goes on. We also learned that each successive covenant did not replace the former, but rather, revealed more. These are important foundational concepts to correctly interpret scripture. Having said this, we find the first reference in scripture to priesthood is again in Genesis:14 and it refers to Melchizedek, so let's review.

1. He was THE priest of YHWH. Genesis:14 does not contain any mention of High Priest or Great High Priest.
2. He was priest over the entire world since "Hebrews" did not exist until Genesis 17. (Did you know that Abraham was a gentile before he "crossed over"?)

As we can see, there isn't a lot of information given here, but there are a couple of keys which we'll come back to a little later in our study. The next mention of priesthood, other than Psalms 110 which, as we discussed earlier, refers to Messiahs priesthood, appears in Exodus when the children of Israel are standing before Mt. Sinai.

Exodus:19:6 "And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel."

Wow, this sounds familiar. Where have we heard this before? "and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning..."

Revelation 1:6 "and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father-- to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.",

IPeter 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light"

We really don't find many specifics regarding the Levitical or Aaronic Priesthood until Exodus 28, and this is in reference to the priests garments. What does the garments have to do with anything? You couldn't imagine...

Exodus 28:3-43
³"You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me.

⁴These are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban and a sash, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister as priest to Me.

⁵They shall take the gold and the blue and the purple and the scarlet material and the fine linen.

⁶They shall also make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of the skillful workman.

⁷It shall have two shoulder pieces joined to its two ends, that it may be joined.

⁸The skillfully woven band, which is on it, shall be like its workmanship, of the same material: of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen.

⁹You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel,

¹⁰six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, according to their birth.

¹¹As a jeweler engraves a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel; you shall set them in filigree settings of gold.

¹²You shall put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for a memorial.

¹³You shall make filigree settings of gold,

¹⁴and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them of twisted cordage work, and you shall put the corded chains on the filigree settings.

¹⁵You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen you shall make it.

¹⁶It shall be square and folded double, a span in length and a span in width.

¹⁷You shall mount on it four rows of stones; the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz and emerald;

¹⁸and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond;

¹⁹and the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst;

²⁰and the fourth row a beryl and an onyx and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree.

²¹The stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be like the engravings of a seal, each according to his name for the twelve tribes.

You shall make on the breastpiece chains of twisted cordage work in pure gold.

²³You shall make on the breastpiece two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece.

²⁴You shall put the two cords of gold on the two rings at the ends of the breastpiece.

²⁵You shall put the other two ends of the two cords on the two filigree settings, and put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, at the front of it.

²⁶You shall make two rings of gold and shall place them on the two ends of the breastpiece, on the edge of it, which is toward the inner side of the ephod.

²⁷You shall make two rings of gold and put them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front of it close to the place where it is joined, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.

²⁸They shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it will be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastpiece will not come loose from the ephod.

²⁹Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the holy place, for a memorial before the LORD continually.

³⁰You shall put in the breastpiece of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron's heart when he goes in before the LORD; and Aaron shall carry the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.

³¹You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

³²There shall be an opening at its top in the middle of it; around its opening there shall be a binding of woven work, like the opening of a coat of mail, so that it will not be torn.

³³You shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around:

³⁴a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around on the hem of the robe.

³⁵It shall be on Aaron when he ministers; and its tinkling shall be heard when he enters and leaves the holy place before the LORD, so that he will not die.

³⁶You shall also make a plate of pure gold and shall engrave on it, like the engravings of a seal, 'Holy to the LORD.'

³⁷You shall fasten it on a blue cord, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be at the front of the turban.

³⁸It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, with regard to all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.

³⁹You shall weave the tunic of checkered work of fine linen, and shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of a weaver.

⁴⁰For Aaron's sons you shall make tunics; you shall also make sashes for them, and you shall make caps for them, for glory and for beauty.

⁴¹You shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him; and you shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve Me as priests.

⁴²You shall make for them linen breeches to cover their bare flesh; they shall reach from the loins even to the thighs.

⁴³They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they enter the tent of meeting, or when they approach the altar to minister in the holy place, so that they do not incur guilt and die It shall be a statute forever to him and to his descendants after him. "

Continued on Next Page