What connections exist between Leviticus 8:35 and New Testament teachings on priesthood? Levitical Snapshot • “You must remain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and keep the LORD’s charge, so that you will not die, for this is what I have been commanded.” (Leviticus 8:35) • Aaron and his sons are shut in with God, learning that priestly ministry flows from constant presence and strict obedience. Key Words That Echo into the New Testament 1. Remain / Abide – OT: “remain at the entrance … day and night” – NT: “Remain in Me, and I will remain in you” (John 15:4). 2. Keep the LORD’s charge – OT: exact obedience or death. – NT: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15); “Let us hold firmly to what we profess” (Hebrews 4:14). 3. Seven days (fullness, completeness) – OT consecration ends with an eighth-day unveiling (Leviticus 9). – NT fulfillment appears after a complete work: Christ rises on “the first day of the week,” inaugurating a new, eternal ministry (Hebrews 7:24-25). 4. Mediatorial ministry – OT priests stand between God and Israel. – NT: “There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5); believers share that ministry in intercession (1 Peter 2:5). Jesus — the High Priest Who Fulfills the Pattern • Perfect Presence: He “tabernacled among us” (John 1:14) and now “always lives to intercede” (Hebrews 7:25). • Perfect Obedience: “He learned obedience from what He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). • Perfect Consecration: “Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled” (Hebrews 7:26). • Result: by His blood we “enter the Most Holy Place” (Hebrews 10:19-22), a privilege foreshadowed by Aaron’s week-long seclusion. The Church — a Priesthood Called to Abide and Obey • Identity: “You … are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5). • Continual Presence: prayer, worship, and Word keep us at the “entrance” spiritually (Acts 6:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). • Holy Obedience: “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1). • Life-and-Death Seriousness: though Christ bears our judgment, careless ministry still brings discipline (1 Corinthians 11:27-32; Hebrews 12:5-11). Living Out the Charge Today • Guard your time in God’s presence; schedule “tent-of-meeting” moments daily. • Treat obedience as non-negotiable; Scripture is the charge we keep. • Remember the privilege: access cost Jesus His life—handle holy things with awe. • Intercede for others; priesthood is never self-focused. • Serve until the “eighth day” dawns—the Lord’s return—when consecration gives way to face-to-face communion forever (Revelation 22:3-4). |
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