"Moses" (Ch. 10) and "A Nation of Priests" (Ch. 11)

Created to Draw Near: Our Life as God’s Royal Priests

by Edward T. Welch

 

“Moses” (Chapter 10)

 

From Jacob to Levi

• Jacob’s son Levi would be the father of the priestly line in Israel.
• Transition from Father/Patriarch priests to Levite priests

A Levite Had a Son

 

Exodus 2:1–2 NIV

¹ Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, ² and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.

“This couple would have a priestly son, and he would stand in the gap between heaven and earth. He would receive words from the Lord to give to the people, and he would hear the pleas of the people to give to the Lord. In Moses, humanity’s true identity would become more vivid than in anyone before Jesus.” - Ed Welch

1. Meeting God in a bush.

 

Exodus 3:1–5 NIV

¹Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ²There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” ⁴When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” ⁵“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

• A moveable Most Holy Place - wherever God is, there is holy ground.
• A fire that does not consume - awe and nearness.
• Removed sandals - cleansing in the presence of the holy
• A conversation - a back and forth dialogue between the Lord and Moses.

“This is an image-bearing priest on grand display. We alone are like God in such a way that he speaks to us, we listen, we speak to him, and he listens—back and forth. This is what can happen when God comes close, and it was a distinctive feature of Moses’s life.” - Edward Welch

2. Meeting God on a mountain.

• Heaven and earth meet at Sinai.
• A vision of heaven

Exodus 24:10 NIV

¹⁰and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky.

• With God on the summit - the Most Holy Place

Exodus 24:16 NIV

¹⁶and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.

• Moses - a new Adam walking and talking with God on the seventh day.
• A shining face - drawing near to the Lord is transformational.

Exodus 34:30 NIV

³⁰When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.

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3. Meeting God in a small tent.

• The Lord descends and came to Moses at the tent of meeting.
• Face to face

Exodus 33:11 NIV

¹¹The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.

 

Moses’ Priestly Role

• Established altars and made sacrifices and burnt offerings
• Guarded and kept the temple mountain to protect the people
• Made a stand for God’s holiness (Ex. 32:21)
• Led people into war (Ex. 17:8)
• Taught and applied the words of the Lord to the people (Lev. 10:11; Deut. 33:10)
• Preeminently, it was his nearness to God that identified him as a priest unto the Lord.

“Levites worked in the tabernacle courts, but they couldn’t get as near to the Most Holy Place as the priests who descended from Aaron. Moses and Aaron came from Levi, but Moses did not come from Aaron. Since Moses clearly came close to the Lord—closer than any Aaronic priest—he is a small reminder that non-credentialed people like us might also be able to come near to God, and he might come near to us.” - Edward Welch

“A Nation of Priests” (Chapter 11)

 

Exodus 19:5–6 NIV

⁵Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, ⁶you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

 

Priests among a Nation of Priests

• Priestly line was demarcated and specific
  • Levi
  • Aaron

“Priests represented the people, and the high priest actually wore symbols of the people on his vestments, but the people in general were not priests... But we have reason to think that the line of priests was going to expand.” - Edward Welch

Priests outside the Line of Aaron

• Moses
• Samuel

1 Samuel 16:2 NIV

²But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

• King David’s sons

2 Samuel 8:18 NIV

¹⁸Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.

• Family-father priests (Passover, Ex. 12:1-11)

“It wasn’t the temple or Levi that defined the priesthood. The key was holiness, and holiness—an essential condition for priests in which they were chosen by God, set apart for him and cleansed—was going to be available to everyone (Lev. 19:2; 20:7–8).” - Edward Welch

“The people as priests came first. The Levitical priesthood did not replace the people as priests. It simply offered a more concentrated version of priestly life that would eventually be redistributed to all the people.” - Edward Welch

“This means that you are a treasured possession. Out of all creation, God determined that those whose allegiance is to him are of great worth, and when you have a treasured possession, you keep it close and never let it go.” - Edward Welch

“You are among a kingdom of priests. Men, women, and children wear the priestly garments. As per the original calling, you go out and serve as priests to the nations that are presently far off.” - Edward Welch

“You are brought into a holy nation. You are not holy because you are pure in yourself or closer to perfection than your neighbor. Only God makes us holy. Humility and thanks, therefore, are the natural response of all priests.” - Edward Welch

Leviticus 26:11–12 NIV

¹¹I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. ¹²I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.

 

Isaiah 61:6 NIV

⁶And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.