THE PRIESTS

THE PRIESTS

Priest. The above from former editions, supposed to have been embroidered with needlework. See illustration (p. 90) of priest executed for this edition to illustrate the text, “Thou shalt weave the coat in chequer work,”

Exodus 28:1-43 (RV).

After the giving of the law, the office of priest was restricted to one family, that of Aaron: “Take unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto Me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons” (Exodus 28:1).

QUALIFICATIONS

Every applicant for the priesthood had to prove his descent from Aaron, and was required to be free from bodily defect or blemish. An Israelite, for example —who had a flat nose, or who was broken-footed, broken-handed, or crook-backed, or who had married a profane woman or one who had been put away from her husband—was not permitted to discharge sacerdotal duties, even though he belonged to the illustrious house of Aaron (Leviticus 21): “He shall not go in unto the veil, nor come nigh unto the altar” (v. 23). Exclusion from the priest’s office, because of these and similar physical and moral disqualifications, pointed to the dignity and holy character of the position occupied by a priest, and to the inward purity requisite for the proper discharge of his sacred duties.

DUTIES The chief duty of the priests was to offer or present offerings and sacrifices to God. Sometimes they had to kill the victims (Leviticus 16:11) and always to sprinkle and pour out their blood, and burn their carcasses, or part of them, on the altar. They had charge of the altar and the sanctuary: they had to see that the fire was ever burning on the altar: they made loaves of shewbread, trimmed and lit the lamps of the golden candlestick, and evening and morning burned incense on the golden altar, and in general, conducted the sacred services of the tabernacle worship. Their duties were not, however, confined to the performance of the rites and ceremonies of that worship; for the law being committed to their custody, they, with the Levites, were entrusted with the religious instruction of the nation: “He shall teach Jacob Thy judgments, and Israel Thy law” (Deuteronomy 33:10); and the people were exhorted to seek knowledge at the priests’ lips. The whole tribe of Levi was given to the priests for the purpose of assisting them in their sacred work. The Levite, unless in an emergency, was not permitted to perform any strictly priestly act. He could not offer up the sacrifices, pour out or sprinkle the blood, or burn incense on the golden altar; he could nevertheless do much as the servant of the priest, in assisting him in his multifarious duties. It appears that he could even officiate as a priest should the priests at any time be too few in number to overtake their peculiar duties (2 Chronicles 29:34).

MAINTENANCE The priests were not permitted to follow any secular calling. Their time was entirely devoted to their sacred work; hence it was necessary and just that their maintenance should be provided for at the expense of those for whose spiritual and temporal welfare they ministered. The remuneration consisted principally of the redemption money paid for the first-born Israelites, the first-fruits of the field, the fruit of trees in the fourth year, parts of various of the offerings, and a tenth of the tithes which fell to the Levites. They were not able, of course, to reap all these dues till they reached the promised land. To the tribe of Levi, including the priests, were assigned forty-eight cities (Joshua 21:41).