Apostolic Scripture Reflection
for
Tetzaveh
Philippians 4:10-20
"A
Perpetual Priesthood"
POSTED 27 FEBRUARY, 2010
by Mark Huey
mhuey@outreachisrael.net
Our Torah portion for this week, Tetzaveh (Exodus
27:20-30:10), continues with a description of
not only the materials, but also some of the
specifics, of what the Lord required of the
Israelites to worship Him. After the details of
the Tabernacle and its accoutrements are
completed, the need to bring pure beaten olive
oil to light the menorah in the
Tabernacle is recorded. In the opening verses of
Tetzaveh it is stated that these
requirements for communing with the Almighty
will be done continually (from evening to
morning) throughout the generations of the
Israelites:
“You shall charge the sons of Israel, that they bring you
clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp
burn continually. In the tent of meeting, outside the veil
which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep
it in order from evening to morning before the
Lord; it
shall be a perpetual statute throughout their
generations for the sons of Israel” (Exodus 27:20-21).
The Lord required the people of Israel to continually bring olive
oil to those who would minister by the light of the
menorah—somewhat reminiscent of what Zechariah
envisioned when he saw the lampstand in Heaven (Zechariah
4:1-5, 11-14)—but He also specifically chose those who were
to carry out the tasks of the continual ministry. At this
particular time in the desert sojourn, Aaron and his sons
are chosen for this role. Further clarification comes as the
parashah turns to describing the priesthood and
priestly vestments. We see not only the consecration and
ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests, but the need
for the role of those in priestly service for perpetuity:
“Then you shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons
shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. You shall
slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it
on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on the lobes of his
sons' right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and
on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the
rest of the blood around on the altar. Then you shall
take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the
anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his
garments and on his sons and on his sons' garments with him;
so he and his garments shall be consecrated, as well as his
sons and his sons' garments with him. You shall also take
the fat from the ram and the fat tail, and the fat that
covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two
kidneys and the fat that is on them and the right thigh (for
it is a ram of ordination), and one cake of bread and one
cake of bread mixed with oil and one wafer from the
basket of unleavened bread which is set before the
Lord; and you
shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands
of his sons, and shall wave them as a wave offering before
the Lord. You
shall take them from their hands, and offer them up in smoke
on the altar on the burnt offering for a soothing aroma
before the Lord; it is an offering by fire to the
Lord. Then you
shall take the breast of Aaron's ram of ordination, and wave
it as a wave offering before the
Lord; and it
shall be your portion. You shall consecrate the breast of
the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering which
was waved and which was offered from the ram of ordination,
from the one which was for Aaron and from the one which was
for his sons. It shall be for Aaron and his sons as
their portion forever from the sons of Israel, for
it is a heave offering; and it shall be a heave offering
from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace
offerings, even their heave offering to the
Lord. The holy
garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, that in
them they may be anointed and ordained” (Exodus 29:19-29).
The need to continually offer up sacrifices before God is
also described in Tetzaveh, as Aaron and his sons are
designated to minister as priests to Him:
“Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year
old lambs each day, continuously. The one lamb you shall
offer in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at
twilight; and there shall be one-tenth of an ephah
of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten
oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering
with one lamb. The other lamb you shall offer at twilight,
and shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same
drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an
offering by fire to the
Lord. It shall
be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at
the doorway of the tent of meeting before the
Lord, where I
will meet with you, to speak to you there. I will meet
there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated
by My glory. I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the
altar; I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister
as priests to Me. I will dwell among the sons of Israel
and will be their God. They shall know that I am the
Lord their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt,
that I might dwell among them; I am the
Lord their God”
(Exodus 29:38-46).
In the pre-resurrection era, the Levitical priesthood was
specifically chosen to serve as the representative priests
for Ancient Israel, maintaining the Tabernacle and Temple,
offering the prescribed sacrifices, and making sure that the
significant religious rituals of the people were honored.
Yet, the Israelites themselves were called out to be a holy
nation and a kingdom of priests, before receiving the
Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai:
“‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My
covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the
peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to
Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are
the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel”
(Exodus 19:5-6).
While the Levites had specific priestly duties to perform, all
within Israel had a priestly service to accomplish in
representing God to the nations of the Earth.
The Haftarah reading for Tetzaveh, Ezekiel 43:10-27,
anticipates something very special for the long term future.
Prophesying about the future Millennial Temple, Ezekiel
describes how the sons of Zadok, who are connected to the
priest loyal to King David (2 Samuel 15:24-29, 35, 17:15,
19:12) and King Solomon (1 Kings 1:8, 32), will be able to
minister to the Lord:
“‘You shall give to the Levitical priests who are from the
offspring of Zadok, who draw near to Me to minister to Me,’
declares the Lord God,
‘a young bull for a sin offering’” (Ezekiel 43:19).
“‘But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept
charge of My sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray
from Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me; and they
shall stand before Me to offer Me the fat and the blood,’
declares the Lord God. ‘They shall enter My sanctuary; they shall come near to
My table to minister to Me and keep My charge’” (Ezekiel
44:15-16).
By looking to the past Levitical priesthood guided by Aaron’s
lineage, and then into this future priestly service with the
sons of Zadok, one can understand that the priesthood of
Israel is subject to some changes. This is buttressed by the
fact that Israel itself is supposed to be a nation of
priests. By extension, all those who acknowledge Israel’s
God and Messiah are called into a kind of priestly service,
in representing their faith to the Lord. Just as the
menorah was to burn brightly in the Tabernacle and
Temple, light is supposed to usher forth from Believers’
lives as they serve the interests of the gospel. The Messiah
Himself serves humanity at large in Heaven, performing a
priestly service modeled after the order of Melchizedek
(Hebrews chs. 5-7). Whether a “priesthood” is likened to be
Levitical, Melchizedekian, or is rather general—the themes
of serving as priests are quite important to the message of
the Scriptures.
One of the most significant and influential figures in the Bible is
the Apostle Paul, who was specifically called by the Lord
for a unique ministry service (cf. Acts 9:15-20).
After his Damascus Road experience, Paul’s unique background
as a Pharisee and Roman citizen enabled him to have a
special position as one who could minister to broad groups
of First Century people. Reading through the Book of Acts,
we see that Paul was not only used mightily to help proclaim
the good news to his fellow Jews and those from the nations,
but he was also able to help mentor many of the early
congregations and fellowships of Messiah followers in the
Mediterranean. Even though Paul had once tried to destroy
the Messianic movement, he became one of the leading
spokespersons for it. Paul’s letters were able to help guide
the First Century ekklēsia, and they remain at the
forefront of anyone who hopes to really understand the
trajectory of the Scriptures and God’s plan for His people.
The suggested Apostolic Scriptures verses, to read along
with Tetzaveh, come from Paul’s letter to the
Philippians. Paul is very thankful for the Philippians’
financial support of his ministry efforts, as he certainly
does have to fulfill a priestly-type of calling in the
service of the Messiah Yeshua. Paul dedicated his time and
his life to furthering the work of the Kingdom, declaring
Yeshua to be the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world.
As you consider Philippians 4:10-20, you may see a few
parallels between the prescriptions regarding Aaron and the
Levitical priesthood, or the role of the prophesied role of
the Zadokites. Paul was totally dedicated to his role as a
servant and minister of the Lord, without any complaining
about his priestly-type duties, in spite of the challenges
and suffering he endured:
“But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you
have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned
before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak
from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever
circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble
means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and
every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled
and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering
need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in
my affliction. You yourselves also know, Philippians, that
at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left
Macedonia, no [assembly] shared with me in the matter of
giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica
you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that
I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which
increases to your account. But I have received everything in
full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having
received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant
aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my
God will supply all your needs according to His riches in
glory in Messiah Yeshua. Now to our God and Father be
the glory forever and ever. Amen” (Philippians 4:10-20).
The Apostle Paul, as a fully dedicated servant of Yeshua, learned
to be content in whatever circumstances he found himself. He
understood that through his faith and confidence in Yeshua,
he could do all things as he would be strengthened during
the challenges of life. Paul was thankful for the heartfelt
gifts that he received, recognizing that his Philippian
friends who have contributed to his ministerial work, have
sacrificed in order to support his efforts. He commended
them for their generosity, comparing their gifts to being
like a well-pleasing sacrifice offered to God. They enabled
Paul to be the significant light that he was, even while in
Roman imprisonment.
In Exodus 27:20-21, Ancient Israel was commanded to continually
bring forth the beaten oil so that the menorah could
continue to shine light. This depicts how the people
themselves were to serve as God’s light to the world at
large. We know that not only is Yeshua the Messiah the light
of the world (Luke 2:32), but that even Paul associated
himself as being light (Acts 13:42)—as both had the Prophet
Isaiah’s descriptions of the or goyim (~yIAG
rAa) applied to them:
“I am the Lord,
I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by
the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a
covenant to the people, as a light to the nations, to open
blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon and
those who dwell in darkness from the prison” (Isaiah
42:6-7).
“He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My
Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the
preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of
the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the
earth.’ Thus says the
Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
to the despised One, to the One abhorred by the nation, to
the Servant of rulers, ‘Kings will see and arise, princes
will also bow down, because of the
Lord who is
faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You’”
(Isaiah 49:6-7).
In the case of Paul, whether it was his ability to proclaim
the good news to Jews, Greeks, and Romans—or write
rhetorically packed epistles to diverse assemblies of
Believers—he served as a light of God to the world. He
continued in the kind of calling that the Levites originally
had, and which Ancient Israel was commissioned by God to be.
Countless others throughout history have laid down their
lives and their personal goals and ambitions, to spread the
gospel to the world, or simply minister as beacons of God’s
goodness via acts of human service.
Today, we see that the need for God’s people to serve in a
priestly capacity continues—just like in the days of Aaron
or Paul, or as it will be in the future with the Zadokites.
While there are some who are specially called into the full
time service of the Lord in ministry, all of us as
Messiah followers are to function in some kind of priestly
capacity. This is true whether we are prosperous, or have
humble means. The need to shine God’s light to the world at
large—on whatever level—will always be the role of the
priesthood of Believers.
It should be our prayer that everyone will serve in their
priestly calling to the best of their abilities. In so
doing, the Kingdom will come, and His will shall be done on
Earth as it is in Heaven. To Him be all the glory!
Until the restoration of all things…
Mark Huey (B.A., Vanderbilt
University in History and Graduate Studies at
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is the
Director of Outreach Israel Ministries (www.outreachisrael.net).
He is the author of several books, including:
TorahScope, Volumes I & II, and Counting
the Omer: A Daily Devotional Toward Shavuot.
He is also co-author of
Hebraic Roots: An Introductory
Study.
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