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Priestly Duty

Wednesday, February 03rd, 2010 | Author: Skip Moen

“For the lips of the priest should guard knowledge; and they should seek the law from his mouth; for he is the messenger of YHWH of hosts.” Malachi 2:7

Guard – The Hebrew verb shamar means “to watch over, to guard, to keep, to preserve and to care for.”  It’s the same verb that described Adam and Havvah’s assignment in the Garden.  We expect a priest to do these things when it comes to God’s Word.  But take one more look at this verse.  Do you find something unusual?  When we think about God’s Word, we associate shamar with a heart activity.  We think of guarding God’s Word as an inner operation like memorizing, honoring and studying.  But what does God say through Malachi?  “The lips of the priest” are associated with shamar.  This can only mean one thing – speaking.  From God’s perspective, guarding knowledge is about what I say.  As a priest, if I am not speaking God’s truth, my inner spiritual life doesn’t seem to matter much.

This apparent disconnect is resolved when we realize that the role of the priest is to act as intercessor between God and the people.  He is called upon to speak to God on behalf of the congregation.  His job is to plead our case, direct our worship and faithfully communicate God’s instructions.  He is the public servant of the Lord.  What he says matters a great deal.  So, God instructs His priests to guard knowledge.  “Be very careful about your words for with your words you direct My people.  Know what you are saying.”

Malachi’s revelation creates two big issues for the Church today.  The first is obvious.  The priest (or whatever title we wish to assign) must know God’s instructions and speak them truthfully.  Unfortunately, eighteen centuries of Christian syncretism leave most of our leaders in a position where God’s instructions are no longer guarded.  The lips of most priests speak half the truth, unintentionally to be sure, but nevertheless, a tragic mistake.  We are led astray by misunderstood messages.

The second issue is the congregation’s expectation of the role of our priests.  We think they are leaders of the Body.  We think they are managers of the membership.  We think they should direct the decisions.  In other words, we put them in charge of everything.  That is not God’s assignment.  Priests are first and foremost intercessors on our behalf.  They are not pulpit pundits, committee counselors or budget barons.  They are called to be like those apostles of the first century who gave up running the “church” in order to devote themselves to prayer and the study of God’s Word.

We have left our priests and pastors in an impossible position.  We have forgotten what God called them to do – know Him, intercede for us and speak His truth.  What would happen if we followed the model of the apostles?  Well, for one thing, the congregation would have to take on all the other roles of the church.  We would have to act on God’s instructions instead of sitting in the pews.

Topical Index:  priest, guard, shamar, Malachi 2:7

Yesterday I posted an article on Jerusalem written by one of the members who went with us in October.  You might find it very interesting.  You can see it here.

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Covered Grace

Sunday, December 20th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

For Adam and for his wife the LORD God made coats of skins and clothed them. Genesis 3:21

Coats Of Skins - The Hebrew combination of labash (to clothe) and kotnot (garments) appears in other important Hebrew Scriptures.  The use in these other verses suggests something quite startling about God’s provision for Adam and his wife; something that we would never imagine for two people who have just disobeyed God’s explicit command.  But this is no accident.  What it implies tells us a great deal about the status and role of human beings – and about what isn’t lost as a result of the fall.

Evangelical theology usually understands God’s actions as a sign of the coming sacrifice of Yeshua for forgiveness.  God slays an animal in order to cover Adam and Eve.  God’s act is the first sacrificial death, a life substituted in order to restore the disobedient couple.  In this view, the garments are reminders of sin and the necessity of death accompanying sin.  Nothing positive is associated with this act of mercy.

But when we look a bit deeper, we find something else.  We find the combination of labash and kotnot in Leviticus 8:7 and 13 and Numbers 20:28.  Those verses describe God’s provision of the holy garments for Aaron and his sons.  In other words, this very special phrase is used exclusively for those whom God dresses as priests.  Jacques Doukhan notes, “The rare occasion where God clothes humans in the OT always concerned the dressing of priests . . . Adam and Eve were, indeed, dressed as priests.”[1] When God clothed Adam and his wife, He did more than cover their nakedness.  He installed them both as the world’s first priests.

Two amazing implications can be drawn from the intentional use of labash and kotnot.  First, the role of Adam and Havvah as priests commissioned by God is not erased by the fall.  In fact, the only thing that changes is the clothing.  Once they were clothed in light and glory.  Now they are clothed in the symbol of redemption – just as we are clothed in the blood of the Redeemer.  But their function as priests to God isn’t abandoned as a result of their disobedience.  Just think about that.  What does it mean in relation to the image of God in Man?

Second, and perhaps even more importantly today, Adam and Havvah are clothed as priests.  In an age where there is considerable controversy concerning the role of women in the “church,” this little insight from Genesis is incredibly important.  After her disobedience, Havvah is still commissioned as a priest by God Himself.  If Genesis is the foundation for our understanding of who we are and who God is, can there be anything more important than the recognition that He does not “punish” women in their role before Him?  We report.  You decide.

Topical Index:  clothed, garments, priest, labash, kotnot, Genesis 3:21

[1] Jacques Doukhan, “Women Priests in Israel: A Case for Their Absence,” in Women in Ministry:  Biblical and Historical Perspectives (Andrews University Press, 1988), p. 36.

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A Special Kind Of Help

Saturday, May 30th, 2009 | Author: Skip Moen

And said YHWH Elohim, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make for him a [‘ezer kenegdo].” Genesis 2:18

‘ezer kenegdo – The Bible was not written with chapter and verse numbers. Those were added thousands of years later. Unfortunately, their addition often breaks our thinking about the text so that we don’t see the continuation of one thought into another. Once these artificial stops are removed, the context of our interpretation often changes. Such is the case with the introduction of the ‘ezer kenegdo. Immediately preceding God’s statement about the need for the ‘ezer kenegdo is this command:

“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17).

What follows this warning? What follows the only prohibition that God gives Adam? The necessity of an ‘ezer kenegdo. The argument proceeds from the prohibition concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to the requirement for an ‘ezer kenedgdo. Furthermore, the entire story of the Fall focuses on the role of the ‘ezer kenegdo and the tree. How can we ignore the obvious conclusion that the purpose of the ‘ezer kenegdo is somehow connected to the command for Adam to obey. Adam doesn’t need an assistant or a co-laborer. The assignment to care for the garden, be fruitful, multiply and take stewardship over the earth is given to both male and female. They equally receive God’s directive. It is not the case that Adam is given the assignment and then delegates some of that responsibility to his faithful companion, Havvah.

However, the command prohibiting eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is given to Adam alone. It is not Adam’s productive energy that needs assistance. It is his faithfulness to God’s moral obligation. He needs a protector. He needs someone whose job is to keep him on the straight and narrow. He needs one who comes alongside for the express purpose of supporting his obedience. Havvah has a role to play, but it is not the role of domestic servant, sexual outlet, production assistant or Vice President for Public Works. It is the role of priest! She is to be the one who makes sure that Adam stays faithful to God. She is the one who stands between God’s command and Adam’s obedience, watching over him so that he will not go astray. The help she brings is the help of rescue and salvation. In this role, she parallels God’s ultimate relationship with Israel. God is the protector, provider and deliverer of Israel in the fallen world, but those are only roles God takes upon Himself after the Fall. In order to understand the role of the ‘ezer kenegdo, we must look at God’s relationship with human beings before the Fall.

For this exploration, we have only the barest of clues, but these will do. The Hebrew words for “male” and “female” contain double stories. Yes, they describe our sexuality, but they also imply something more. The Hebrew word for “male” is zakar. zakar has a homophone, another word that is spelled exactly the same way in Hebrew (Z-K-R) but which has an apparently different root and a different meaning. In this case, zakar as a verb suggests some very interesting nuances. The principle meaning of zakar as a verb is “to remember.” zakar describes a presence of mind that is taken to heart. In other words, it is thinking that becomes doing. There is no better connection between these two elements than what is described in Psalm 103:18. “To those who keep His covenant and remember His precepts to do them.” The purpose of zakar is not simply to bring something to mind. It is to bring something to mind in order to act upon it. “Thus remembrance of God and the obedience it implies are experienced as a vitally necessary relationship, from which a man cannot and must not escape” (Eising). zakar is an action that is “necessary for human existence” and “a fundamental bond of mutual remembrance that unites God and man.”

Do you see why the homophone of zakar is so intriguing? Is it possible that being in God’s image as male (zakar) could be related to a man’s necessity to remember who God is and how God is related to men? Man is called to remember – in particular to remember God and his obligation to God, the Creator. In this sense, Adam bears the image of God as the one who is called to remember what God said, who God is and to act accordingly.

What about “female?” The Hebrew nekavah also has another story. In combination with zakar (male), the two words demonstrate that the image of God is carried in the complement of these two. Both are necessary for human beings to be human. But nekavah also has its own enhancement. In this case, the Arabic cognate not only means “to pierce, to make a hole,” but also “single out” and “appoint as a leader.” These meanings are also found in Scripture. For example, a slave for life (voluntarily) is marked by a hole bored in the ear. When he is given a name, his identity is transferred from the hole in the ear to the name he bears. Furthermore, we find the word used to describe an appointment to a high office. Finally, Isaiah 62:2 describes being given a new name (nakav) as something of importance and value. Could it be that the nekavah as ‘ezer kenedgo is appointed to an office of distinction, a role in which she carries a new identity and bears the mark of that identity with her sexuality. After all, she is the “mother of all living”. Everyone born of woman must find a new identity through the breach or tunnel of her body and in the process acquire a name.

What do we discover about the ‘ezer kenegdo? The text suggests that she is designed for the specific purpose of maintaining obedience between her man and God. She is his intercessor. She is to guard his relationship with the Creator, support him when he embraces God’s direction and oppose him when he does not. She is the helper-opposite in the only arena where he needs additional attention. Not work, not world-changing assignments, not dominion, not stewarding – but spiritual awareness and obedience. Without her, the man is at great risk and particularly vulnerable.

Is this the role you imagined for the ‘ezer kenegdo? This makes it rather impossible to think of women as second-class citizens in the Body, doesn’t it?

(I’m sorry that this one is so long.  I just couldn’t say what had to be said with less.)

Topical Index: ‘ezer kenegdo, woman, priest, intercessor, obedience, Genesis 2:18, male, female

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Who’s Serving Whom?

Friday, December 05th, 2008 | Author: Skip Moen

I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister to Me. Exodus 29:44

To Minister – This is a surprise.  Aaron and his sons are not ministering to the people.  They are ministering to God.  They are consecrated to the Lord.  The focus of their actions, the instructions that they follow, the purpose of all that they do, wear, eat and say is about worshipping God.  Given our view of ministry, doesn’t that seem a bit strange?  Can you imagine going to church and watching the pastor worshipping God?  What do you think church would be like if the role of the “clergy” were only to serve the Lord, not to provide the sermon, chair the committees, run the staff or develop the programs?  Who would do all the rest of the things that needed to be done?  Oh, now I get it.  This little change implies that everyone has an active role to play.  No more passive congregants.

In Hebrew, the word translated “to minister” is kahan.  You can see that it is directly related to the word kohen which means “priest.”  Therefore, the translation should really be, “to act and serve as priests to Me.”  The concept of ministry, so popular in our view of church, really doesn’t fit here.  After all, God doesn’t need counseling, sermons, praise and worship teams, Sunday school curriculums or offering collectors.  If Aaron and his sons were consecrated by God to act and serve as priests to Him, what does that really mean?  How is it different from our invention of the role of the clergy?  Most importantly, why does God need priests anyway?

We usually think of priests as intermediaries.  They act as some kind of official bridge between us and God.  Of course, that role seems to have been replaced by the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers.   Now we believe that each one of us acts as a priest.  But what we discover from Exodus is that this concept really isn’t new.  It was established the day that God chose Israel to be a kingdom of priests.  The priestly role that all of God’s children play is directed toward those outside the Kingdom.  We act as intermediaries for those who have not yet been grafted into Israel.  We are God’s hands and feet to the lost.  But that’s not the kind of role that Aaron and his sons play.  After all, Israel is not lost.  Israel doesn’t need to be grafted in.  Israel is already elected.  So, why does God establish the Levitical order?

David tells us what they do (see 1 Chronicles 15:2).  Moses tells us when they do it (Exodus 32:26).  And God tells us why (Deuteronomy 10:8).  You can read some of the details in Numbers 1:50-51 and Numbers 3:6-10.  God establishes His priests before Him because they were passionate about who He is.  They are God’s official praise team.  They bless God.  In the process, they are living examples of active obedience and submitted worship.

Does God need priests who run the local church?  Hummm!  I’m not so sure that’s what He had in mind.  Maybe the idea of a church as a community of saints doesn’t really support the hierarchy that we find so numbing.  God seems to have had another purpose in mind, namely, blessing Him.  I wonder if we are ready for that kind of priest.  And I wonder if there really is any other kind.  Just thinking.

Topical Index:  Priest

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