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In the preceding lessons we saw how the tabernacle typifies Christ and the church and how the altar typifies the cross of Christ. We also saw how the different offerings are types of Christ in revealing the riches of Christ in His various aspects to meet the need of God and man. Now we come to see how the priesthood of Aaron and his sons typifies Christ and His believers as the New Testament priesthood.
Under the old covenant, God’s original intention was that all the children of Israel would be His priests to become a kingdom of priests to Him (Exo. 19:6). Later the children of Israel fully forsook God by worshipping the golden calf (32:1-7); therefore, God rejected them and chose only Aaron and his descendants to be His priests throughout the generations.
In the Scriptures there are two orders of the priesthood: the order of Melchizedek and the order of Aaron. Melchizedek, as the one having neither beginning of days nor end of life (Heb. 7:3), was sent from God to be a priest according to God’s eternal order. The details of what Melchizedek typifies are explained in lesson 5 of the first volume of Level Three. Aaron, as one who was taken from among men to be the priest to the children of Israel according to the order of man, typifies Christ as the High Priest chosen from among men to be the High Priest to the believers according to the order of man.
Christ, as God’s High Priest according to Aaron, was taken from among men (5:1). Hence, He possesses humanity. Furthermore, He entered with His humanity into resurrection so that He has not only honor but also glory (vv. 4-5), not only the preciousness of His position, but also the splendor of His person. In this way He is qualified to be our High Priest.
Christ, as our High Priest, was taken from among men. Possessing humanity, though not encompassed with weakness as other high priests, He was tempted in all respects like us; hence, He is able to be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses and to exercise compassion toward us who are ignorant and erring (4:15; 5:2).
As Aaron typifies Christ being the High Priest according to the order of man, the sons of Aaron typify the believers in Christ being priests to God with Christ.
In the Old Testament age God saved the children of Israel out of Egypt, saying, “I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself...You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exo. 19:4, 6). God’s desire was for the children of Israel to be a kingdom of priests. Regrettably, because of their rebellion and failure, most of the Israelites lost the priesthood. Eventually, only the house of Aaron became the priests, with the tribe of Levi helping them in doing various duties. Hence, in the Old Testament there was a distinction between the clerical class (the priests) and the common people.
In the New Testament, 1 Peter 2:4-5 and 9 says, “Coming to Him, a living stone, rejected by men but with God chosen and precious, you yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ... You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired for a possession.” This portion clearly indicates that in the New Testament age God has recovered His original heart’s desire that every child of God fulfill the priestly ministry. Furthermore, the New Testament believers are priests of God not singly, individually, but corporately; they are a body of priests, a priesthood. This portion of the Word also shows that the body of priests in coordination is the built-up spiritual house. God wants a spiritual house for His dwelling, a priestly body, a priesthood, for His service. We all need the corporate service in the spiritual house in order to fulfill God’s purpose and satisfy God’s desire.
By indicating that all the believers in Christ are constituted into the holy priesthood, 1 Peter 2:4-5 and 9 show that in the New Testament age the priestly service is not only for a few but is universal; every believer is a priest to God without exception. The book of Revelation also stresses that the Lord has redeemed us with His blood to make us priests to His God and Father (1:5b-6; 5:9-10). If we practice the priestly ministry in the church life today, we will be made priests to God and Christ in the millennial kingdom as a reward. In the New Jerusalem in eternity, one of the blessings to be received by the redeemed ones is to be priests serving God. That will be the consummation of the priestly service.
The Old Testament priests offered bulls and goats as sacrifices. According to the New Testament, because all the sacrifices were accomplished by Christ (Heb. 10:9), there is no need for the New Testament believers to offer them any longer. However, according to the New Testament there is still the need for the believers in Christ to bring the sinners who have been redeemed by God through the sacrifice accomplished by Christ and present them to God as offerings (Rom. 15:16). Furthermore, the New Testament believers in Christ need to lead the believers, who have received the compassions of God, to offer themselves to God as a living sacrifice (12:1-2), and they also need to present the believers full-grown in Christ to God in all wisdom (Col. 1:28).
The offerings presented by the Old Testament priests were physical; they offered mainly bulls and goats as sacrifices to God to be His food to satisfy His heart’s desire. All these are types. In the New Testament all the types have been fulfilled. Now the priests of God offer sinners as sacrifices. In the Scriptures the turning of the priestly ministry from the Old Testament to the New Testament occurred with John the Baptist. John was born a priest, yet he “grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness” (Luke 1:80). He did not live in the holy temple or in a priestly house but in the wilderness. In his ministry he neither wore priestly garments nor ate priestly food. Rather, he wore a garment of camel’s hair, and he ate locusts and wild honey (Matt. 3:4). Moreover, instead of remaining in the holy temple to offer sacrifices, burn incense, and light lamps, he went to preach in the wilderness, baptizing people into water. All this indicates that the old way of worshipping God according to the Old Testament had been repudiated and that a new way was about to be brought in. There was a turn from the old way to the new way, and there was a change from the Old Testament priests to the New Testament priests. The New Testament believers, as the priests of the gospel of God, no longer offer bulls and goats. Instead, they offer sinners chosen by God and saved in Christ. Hence, every believer should personally preach the gospel by visiting people to save sinners and offer them to God as sacrifices.
After people have been saved through us, we should go to the new believers’ homes to feed them as the Lord’s lambs (John 21:15) and cherish them as a nourishing mother would cherish her own children (1 Thes. 2:7) so that our fruit may remain (John 15:16). Furthermore, we need to lead them to know the Lord and His salvation and also to know that they have the Lord’s life (3:36a) and that their spirit has been regenerated by the Lord’s Spirit (vv. 3, 6). Thus, they must exercise their spirit to call on the name of the Lord, pray to the Lord, breathe in the riches of the Lord (Rom. 10:12), enjoy the milk of the Lord’s word to grow in life (1 Pet. 2:2), and thereby offer themselves to God as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1).
The New Testament priests also need to be like fathers to exhort and console the saints (1 Thes. 2:11), teaching them all the counsel of God at the appropriate time (Acts 20:20, 27, 31), as the apostle Paul did in admonishing and teaching every man in all wisdom that he might present them full-grown in Christ to God (Col. 1:28). At this point, the perfected saints will be able to do what the gifted ones do. Thus, they can be appointed to go forth and preach the gospel by visiting people, to nourish and take care of new believers, and to teach them. Moreover, they can prophesy for the Lord to minister Christ and build up the church for the carrying out of God’s New Testament economy.
In addition to their offering of the saints who have been redeemed by Christ and who have received the compassions of God, the New Testament priests offer other spiritual sacrifices, such as praises, good deeds, and the sharing of material riches. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise continually to God, that is, the fruit of lips confessing His name.” In the church the Lord Jesus sings hymns of praise in us to God the Father (2:12). We also should praise God the Father through Him in the church. Eventually, in the church He and we, we and He, praise the Father together in the mingled spirit. This is the best and highest sacrifice that we can offer to God through Jesus.
Hebrews 13:16 goes on to tell us about doing good and sharing with others, that is, having fellowship in the needs of the saints. This kind of doing good and fellowshipping with others are also sacrifices which we should offer to God. Furthermore, Philippians 4:18 indicates that the supply of material things by the believers to meet the apostle’s need is a sacrifice to God, which is well pleasing to Him.
The priesthood of Aaron and his sons typifies Christ and His believers as the New Testament priesthood. Aaron, as one who was taken from among men to be the priest to the children of Israel according to the order of man, typifies Christ as the High Priest chosen from among men to be the High Priest to the believers according to the order of man. The sons of Aaron typify the believers in Christ being priests to God with Christ to become a priesthood serving God. The New Testament priesthood is universal; without exception, every believer is a priest to God. If we practice the priestly ministry in the church life today, we will be made priests to God and Christ in the millennial kingdom as a reward. In the New Jerusalem in eternity, one of the blessings to be received by the redeemed ones is to be priests serving God. That will be the consummation of the priestly service.
The offerings presented by the Old Testament priests were physical; they offered mainly bulls and goats, which typify Christ, as sacrifices to God. In the New Testament all the types have been fulfilled. Hence, the New Testament believers as the priests of the gospel of God no longer offer bulls and goats. Instead, they offer sinners chosen by God and saved in Christ; they also lead the believers under their care to offer themselves as a living sacrifice; and they present the perfected saints full-grown to God in Christ. Furthermore, they offer spiritual sacrifices, such as praises, good deeds, and the sharing in material things.
