How does 1 Samuel 2:28 connect to Exodus 28:1 regarding priestly duties? Setting the Stage Exodus 28:1 records the original call: “Bring near to you your brother Aaron and his sons with him… to serve Me as priests”. Centuries later, 1 Samuel 2:28 echoes that call: “Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to go up to My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence? And I gave to the house of your father all the offerings of the Israelites.” What Exodus 28:1 Establishes • Divine selection—Aaron and his sons are hand-picked by God. • Lifelong office—their calling is not temporary or elective. • Mediatorial role—they stand between God and Israel, handling sacrifices and worship. How 1 Samuel 2:28 Mirrors and Expands • Re-affirms the same selection: “I chose him.” • Lists core tasks: – “Go up to My altar” (sacrifice) – “Burn incense” (intercessory worship, cf. Psalm 141:2) – “Wear an ephod” (priestly garment with stones representing the tribes, Exodus 28:6–12) • Notes priestly provision: “all the offerings” (cf. Numbers 18:8–19). Key Connections • Continuity—God’s choice of Aaron in Exodus remains the benchmark in 1 Samuel. • Accountability—Eli’s house is judged because they departed from the standard set in Exodus (see 1 Samuel 2:12–17, 29). • Exclusivity—only those God appoints may serve (Numbers 3:10; Hebrews 5:4). Priestly Duties Highlighted 1. Altar ministry—handling sin and fellowship offerings (Leviticus 1–7). 2. Incense offering—daily in the Holy Place (Exodus 30:7–8). 3. Wearing holy garments—ephod, breastpiece, turban, etc. (Exodus 28:2–39). 4. Receiving portions of offerings for sustenance (Deuteronomy 18:1–5). Lessons Drawn • Calling is a gift, yet obedience is essential—Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1–3) and Eli’s sons are sobering parallels. • God’s standards do not shift with culture or time; what He set in Exodus He enforces in 1 Samuel. • Privilege and responsibility travel together; to mishandle holy things invites judgment (1 Samuel 2:30–34). Looking Forward • Jesus, “a priest forever” (Hebrews 7:17), fulfills the Aaronic pattern perfectly—sinless, eternal, and seated at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 7:23–27). • Believers now share in a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), called to the same reverence, purity, and faithful service illustrated—and enforced—in Exodus 28 and 1 Samuel 2. The thread tying these two verses is clear: what God establishes, He remembers; what God commands, He expects; and what God promises, He brings to pass. |
    |