Topical Bible: Priests: All Except Seed of Aaron Excluded from Being

◄ Priests: All Except Seed of Aaron Excluded from Being ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical context, the role of the priest is a sacred office established by God for the purpose of mediating between Him and His people. The priesthood is a central element in the religious life of Israel, with specific qualifications and duties outlined in the Scriptures. According to the Bible, only the descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses, were permitted to serve as priests in the tabernacle and later in the temple.

Divine Appointment of Aaron and His Descendants

The establishment of the Aaronic priesthood is recorded in the Book of Exodus. God chose Aaron and his sons to serve as priests, setting them apart for this holy office. In Exodus 28:1 , God commands Moses, "Bring near to you your brother Aaron and his sons with him from among the Israelites to serve Me as priests—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons." This divine appointment underscores the exclusivity of the priesthood to Aaron's lineage.

The Levitical Priesthood

While the tribe of Levi was set apart for religious duties, only Aaron's descendants were consecrated as priests. The Levites, who were also from the tribe of Levi, assisted the priests but did not perform the sacrificial duties reserved for Aaron's line. Numbers 3:10 states, "So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out the duties of the priesthood; but any outsider who approaches must be put to death." This verse highlights the severe consequences for unauthorized individuals attempting to assume priestly functions.

The Role and Duties of Priests

The primary responsibilities of the priests included offering sacrifices, maintaining the sanctuary, and teaching the Law to the people. Leviticus 10:11 instructs the priests to "teach the Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has given to them through Moses." The priests acted as intermediaries, presenting the people's offerings to God and seeking atonement on their behalf.

Exclusion of Non-Aaronic Lineages

The exclusivity of the Aaronic priesthood is further emphasized in the narrative of Korah's rebellion, as recorded in Numbers 16. Korah, a Levite, challenged the authority of Moses and Aaron, seeking to expand the priestly privileges to other Levites. God's response was decisive, affirming Aaron's unique role and punishing those who sought to usurp it. Numbers 16:40 states, "This was to remind the Israelites that no outsider who is not a descendant of Aaron should approach to offer incense before the LORD, lest he become like Korah and his followers."

The Priesthood in the New Testament

In the New Testament, the concept of priesthood undergoes a transformation with the advent of Jesus Christ, who is described as the ultimate High Priest. Hebrews 5:4 reflects on the Old Testament priesthood, stating, "No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was." This passage reiterates the divine calling necessary for the priestly office, while also pointing to Christ's fulfillment of the priestly role.

Conclusion

The biblical priesthood, as established in the Old Testament, was a divinely ordained institution limited to the descendants of Aaron. This exclusivity was intended to preserve the sanctity and order of worship, ensuring that those who served as priests were chosen by God and equipped for their sacred duties. The New Testament reinterprets the priesthood in light of Christ's redemptive work, yet the foundational principles of divine calling and consecration remain evident throughout the biblical narrative.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 3:10
And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that comes near shall be put to death.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 16:40
To be a memorial to the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 18:7
Therefore you and your sons with you shall keep your priest's office for everything of the altar, and within the veil; and you shall serve: I have given your priest's office to you as a service of gift: and the stranger that comes near shall be put to death.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Of the Right of Bishops not to be Accused or Hurt by Detraction.
... no laying of accusations against each other among them, except what was ... we in
Ecclesiasticus: "Fear the Lord with all thy soul, and reverence His priests. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/unknown/the decretals/ii of the right of.htm

What a Sacrifice Is, and what are the Species of Sacrifice.
... mediators and propitiators out of the priests and sacrificers ... be overcome by any
work or anything, except by faith ... All good men among all nations can judge this ...
/.../melanchthon/the apology of the augsburg confession/part 30 what a sacrifice.htm

The Pentateuch.
... In the fourth chapter no individuals are mentioned except for special reasons"Cain ...
the duties of the Levites, in which body are included all the priests. ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xix the pentateuch.htm

The Letter of the Church of Rome
... 4For Holy Scripture says, "On whom shall I look except on him who ... 2For from Jacob
there came all the priests and the Levites who serve at God's altar. ...
/.../richardson/early christian fathers/the letter of the church.htm

John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians ...
... policy of Satan, the children of Cain, and the seed of Seth ... blood, and they have
broken my covenant, because of all your abominations ... 'Her priests have violated ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/john bunyan on the terms.htm

Letter Xlviii. To Pammachius.
... on the Holy Scriptures; nay, more, upon all bishops, presbyters ... deacons, and the
whole company of priests and levites ... 1109] which no man can sing except he be a ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter xlviii to pammachius.htm

Seances Historiques De Geneve --The National Church.
... is not here proposed to say anything, except, that it ... If all priests and ministers
of religion could at one ... Paul were anterior, probably to all of the Gospels ...
/.../seances historiques de genevethe national.htm

Against Jovinianus.
... that we approve of any sexual intercourse except for the ... husband of one wife, having
children with all purity. ... named in the Psalms among the priests, but among ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/against jovinianus.htm

Book ii.
... God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, except the dead ... But if thou blow with one
trumpet, all the princes ... And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with ...
//christianbookshelf.org/ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/book ii.htm

Concerning the Ministry.
... magistrates or instituting ministers of the church, except it be ... and among that vast
number of priests, monks, and ... I shall not at all discommend the [673] zeal ...
/.../proposition x concerning the ministry.htm