High Priests of God

(Hebrews 5:1-4 – High Priests of God)

It is an interesting subject to look at the high priests of God, and especially in this section that talks about how they are appointed.

The analogies for the priesthood and the high priests of God really haven’t changed. Under both Christianity and Judaism, there are similarities. One in particular is extremely important, which we will look at in this article today.

What I find interesting in this section of scripture is the reference to how the priests and the high priests of God are chosen and appointed.

High Priests of God under Judaism

When the tribes of Israel were formed from the sons of Jacob, who was named “Israel” by God, the tribe of Levi became the tribe of the priests.

It was only the descendants of Levi who could serve in the Temple. The families of the sons of Levi were allocated specific parts of the work of service in the Temple to ensure the forms of worship under Judaism were followed according to the law.

The High Priest of God likewise, was descended from Aaron, who was the brother of Moses. Aaron was the first of the high priests of God and all of the subsequent high priests were drawn from his sons and descendants.

Genealogy was and still is extremely important to the Jews. Each of the different tribes had different roles and it was important that they followed the correct processes under the law. For example, the tribe of Judah became the tribe of the kings when David took the throne. All of the kings after David were descended from him, and he was of the tribe of Judah.

Likewise the Lord Jesus was descended from David in the line of the kings. Jesus also became a priest in the service of God, but He was not a priest in the order of the Levites. As we look into various sections of the book of Hebrews, we find that Jesus became a priest of the order of Melchizedek.

But that is a study for another time.

Appointment of the high priests of God

What is interesting in this scripture today is the section in verse 4, as follows.

1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. 3 Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. 4 And one does not take the honour upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. (Hebrews 5:1-4)

The high priests under Judaism are appointed by God and called into the role of the high priest. Men do not choose to be high priests and they are not appointed by other men. They are selected and appointed by God to take on the role of the high priests of God.

So, we have this triple requirement to serve the Lord God under Judaism as the high priest of God. First, a person must be a descendant of the tribe of Levi. Second, the person must also be descended from the lineage of Aaron. And finally, they must be selected and appointed by God into the role.

As mentioned above, because Jesus was not of the lineage of Levi or Aaron, who was a Levite, Jesus could not become a priest in the Temple. He was not of the correct lineage to even qualify, and that is good for us as Christians, because He is a priest of God over a far better way to salvation than the Old Covenant offered.

The Christian Analogy

We have an issue in the church today that is analogous to this matter of the selection of priests. In the church today there are pastors, ministers, evangelists, prophets, teachers and so on. But the issue today in most cases is that these people are not appointed by God. They are appointed by men.

Many churches have established their Bible colleges, universities, and schools. For the purpose of training and appointing people into these roles. People attend these schools for the required study time, and at the end they receive a degree or diploma indicating that are ordained as a priest, or a pastor, or whatever the qualification is.

But this is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible is quite clear, both in word and deed as to how people were to come into the ministry.

First, let us consider the scripture that bestows these ministries within the church.

11 And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13)

The appointment of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers is not by receiving a degree or diploma from a Bible school. Ministers in the church are appointed by the giving of the gift of ministry from the Lord. He gives the gifts to those He chooses and who He wants to fulfil the relevant ministry.

We also see that all of the Apostles in the early church were likewise chosen and appointed by Jesus for the work they were to do in building the church. Jesus walked about and called the early Apostles saying, “Follow me.” Consider also, the appointment of Paul and Barnabas when they were called to become apostles.

1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyre’ne, Man’a-en a member of the court of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:1-3)

It was shortly after this that Saul was renamed “Paul,” and we still read His letters and teachings to this day. Both Barnabas and Saul (Paul)

The problem of having man appoint ministers through a Bibel school

When man appoints people to ministry in the church, they are not following the ways of God. It is God who appoints people to ministry, not man. Not the rulers of the churches either. Even Paul made the point that documents of recommendation, which is basically what a diploma or degree are, were not necessary in the church.

1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men; 3 and you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, 6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit; for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:1-6)

Paul makes the point in verse 1 that they do not need letters of recommendation from people to state they are competent to do the work of ministry. And as we see in verses 5-6, it was God who made Paul and his fellow ministers competent to be ministers in and to the church.

This is consistent with the fact that the ministries of the church are given by gifts from the Lord. They are not attested as competent to be ministers by receiving a human qualification, but by the power of the gift of God.

Implications for the Truth

The trouble with having Bible schools, colleges, and universities appoint men to ministry is that they perpetuate false doctrines.

Consider all of the churches in the world who ordain their ministers, priests, pastors, and so on. They all have differences in the doctrines of the church, sometimes holding exact opposite views to others.

They cannot all be correct, and they aren’t.

The trouble is that by only allowing graduates of their particular school to preach, they can never come to a knowledge of the truth. Anyone who wants to be a pastor, preacher, or priest in a church that insists on them being a graduate of their Bible school must toe the church’s doctrinal line. If they do not, they either will be forced to do so, or will be asked to leave and will not graduate, and therefore not be permitted to preach in the church.

Jesus spoke about this issue in Matthew 23 where He upbraided the scribes and Pharisees, all of whom were the trained priest and teachers of Judaism.

13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. 16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If any one swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If any one swears by the altar, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; 21 and he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it; 22 and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it. (Matthew 23:13-22)

In the first verse of this section we see that Jesus accused these scribes and Pharisees of shutting people out of the kingdom of heaven. And as we continue into this section, it is evident that they did so because they were teaching false teachings. They were making up doctrines that had no basis in the scriptures.

The same thing happens today in many churches. But the big problem is that because the church leaderships shut the door on anyone speaking who is not ordained by that church, they can never find or even hear the truth.

The problem with the Bible colleges and schools is that when they hold a false teaching, and don’t allow anyone to preach against it in their church, they perpetuate the false doctrine from one generation to the next.

As you read the section above from Matthew 23, you gain some insight into the issues and problems that faced Judaism in the time of Jesus. And these same issues and problems still exist today.

Sadly, the quality of the doctrine being taught today is so poor that, like the scribes and Pharisees, many of the modern churches are shutting the doors of the kingdom of God. The ministry in many churches is almost completely unrecognisable when compared to the truth of the scripture. And that poor teaching is being perpetuated by the Bible universities, colleges, and schools who will not allow truth to penetrate their walls.

If you want to find the truth, go to the source. Seek it from Jesus and the book He has given us as a guide. The Holy Spirit will guide and teach you so that you can find the truth. Don’t rely on the words or doctrines of men, and check everything against the scripture.

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