‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:9‬ (‭ESV) says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (emphasis added). What does it mean to be a “royal priesthood?” Let’s take a look at what the Old Testament priests’ roles were and see what we can learn about being a priest. 

Priests Were Representatives

‬‬The Old Testament priests were chosen to be a representation of God to the rest of the nation. The other tribes looked to them for direction in how to serve God. The priests were to commune with God, much like Moses, who would go talk to God face to face. Moses would relay the message he received from God to the nation of Israel.

The priests were also representatives to God on behalf of the nation of Israel. One time when Moses was on the mountain talking to God, the people got restless and decided to make a golden calf to worship. God angrily told Moses what the people were up to, and wanted to destroy them. Moses reminded God of the promise he made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to make their descendants a great nation. Moses pointed out if God destroyed the nation of Israel, the Egyptians would find out. They would see God as one who just wanted to kill his people with his own hand. The Egyptians would see God as an evil god, not a good and loving god. (See Exodus 32:1-14)

Moses Represented The People To God

Because Moses pleaded with God to save the people from destruction, God relented and kept his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses represented the people to God. Priests represent the people to God when they take up the case for why God should show favor instead of wrath to a person or group of people. 

We, as priests, are also representatives of God to the people who are yet to be called his children. The lost can only know who God is by the words we speak and the actions they see from us.

We as priests are supposed to live our lives as a representation to the rest of the world of what it looks like to live a Godly life. Our job is to lead others to Jesus with both words and deeds. We have been given a message of grace, love, peace, and redemption to proclaim to the rest of the world. 

Priests Were Examples

Priests were supposed to show the nation of Israel how to live a Godly life. Ideally they were to live out a Godly life as an example to the rest of the nation. They were called to a higher standard. The nation of Israel looked to the priests for direction and guidance when it came to dealing with problems. It was the priests who would declare someone free of contagious diseases and allow them back into the community. Priests were respected and honored. The words they spoke and the deeds they did were seen and often replicated by the rest of the nation.

We are examples to the rest of the world regarding what it means to be a child of God. Even other Christians look to you for direction. We are called to a higher standard of living. Both our words and our actions are seen and noted by those around us. We must choose what we say and do very carefully. 

What do others see when they look at you? Do they see someone who lives a life filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)? Are you known to be full of peace despite the circumstances you find yourself in, or do you ooze anxiousness and worry? How do people describe you to others? What do you talk about? Are your words flavored with love and peace, or do you speak with harshness and fear? It is important to ask the Holy Spirit to guide your words and actions everyday. Remember, living a life guided by the Holy Spirit will allow you to be the Godly example you desire to be to your lost friends and family. 

Priests Carried The Presence Of God

When the nation of Israel moved from place to place, it was the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant around. The Ark of the Covenant is where the presence of God would sit on the mercy seat when the priests would come in for the Day of Atonement. 

Today, we carry the presence of God inside us. When Jesus and the Holy Spirit come to dwell in our hearts, we become carriers of their presence. Everywhere we go, everything we do, we do with the presence of God. 

How amazing is it to think that we are like walking, talking Ark of the Covenants? We are image-bearers of Jesus and literally carry around HIS presence, no matter where we go. 

The question is; would you be proud to bring the physical presence of Jesus to all the places you choose to go? Would you be embarrassed to bring Jesus to that movie you saw last week? Do you feel excited about involving Jesus in that conversation you had earlier today? Would you still tell the same jokes if Jesus was standing there? 

There was a trend in the late 90s and early 2000s. Do you remember the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) craze? It seemed every teenage Christian had a WWJD bracelet on. There were WWJD notebooks, pencils, and all sorts of objects with WWJD plastered all over them. The idea was to ask yourself if Jesus would do whatever it was you were about to do. While I do think it lost some of the importance of the message, it is important to think about that message when deciding what to do, where to go, or what to talk about. 

Priests Were Mediators Between The Nation And God

Old Testament priests were mediators between the nation of Israel and God. They were to kill the animal sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. It was the priests who asked God to forgive the sins of the people. 

It is up to us to teach others how to get their sins atoned for. We tell others about Jesus’ sacrifice and gift of redemption. We then have the opportunity to lead them into salvation and disciple them into a deeper relationship with Jesus. 

Remember, life is more than just getting your ticket to Heaven. We need to teach new believers what it means to walk with Jesus. They will look to you for answers on how to react to situations. We need to teach them how to pray, read their Bibles, and how to have their own, personal relationship with Jesus. 

How I Teach My Kids To Have Their Own Relationship With Jesus

I teach my children the importance of having their own relationship with Jesus. To do this, I use their dad as an example. I could tell them what Brett looks like, what his favorite food is, the type of character he has, and all sorts of things about him. While they would know a lot about Brett, they would be missing out on getting to know their dad and having their own relationship with him. They would miss out on the funny jokes that come up when hanging out together. The kids would have a very limited understanding of who their dad really is. 

This is the same concept we need to keep in mind with other believers. Sure, we could tell them what the Bible says about life. We could tell them stories of times when God protected us and showed us more of who he is. More importantly, we need to teach people to have their own relationship with God. Then they can discover for themselves how amazing God is. They will know they can trust God in all circumstances because they have learned to rely on God during difficult times. They will know more about God’s personality. In fact, they will find out things about God’s personality that you haven’t discovered yet. It will be amazing!

We Are More Than Priests

Here’s the exciting part. We are called a “royal priesthood.” We aren’t just priests. We are royalty. As children of God, we are sons and daughters of THE King. As children of the King, we are endowed with certain privileges. What are some of those privileges? 

We Have The Privilege Of Making Declarations

As royalty we, like kings and queens, have the ability to make declarations. 

Most nights before bed, we spend time reading the Bible with our kids. We are currently in the book of Daniel. In Daniel 6 we read the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. In this story, King Darius made a decree that no one could pray to any god except the king for 30 days. This king made a terrible declaration. Still, as king, he had the power to make such declarations. 

We, as people of royalty, also have the privilege of making declarations. We declare healing over others when we pray. Declaring God’s abundance is a great declaration. In fact Ephesians 3:20-21 is one of my favorite verses. It says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:20-21‬ (‭ESV) (emphasis added).‬‬ John 10:10 reminds us that Jesus came to give us an abundant life. 

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭(ESV)‬‬ (emphasis added)

We choose to declare blessings or curses over ourselves and everyone around us. By our words we choose to come into agreement with the will of the Father and declare his will over situations. On the contrary, we can choose to not agree with the will of the Father and declare the opposite over any given situation. Words are powerful. We must use them wisely. 

Royalty Knows How They Should Be Treated

Kings, queens, princes, and princesses are taught how others should treat them. They expect their subjects to show them respect (even if they don’t actually respect them at all). Royalty would never allow anyone to treat them like trash. They are taught to be confident (or at least pretend to be confident). As a result others respect and have confidence in their leadership.

Do you allow others to speak down to you and treat you like trash? You, my friend, are royalty and should expect others to treat you as such. No one has the authority to speak to royalty like they are less than who they really are. Likewise, no one has the right to make you believe you are anything less than what Jesus says about you. He says you are HIS perfect bride, without blemish. (See Ephesians 5:27) Jesus says you are worthy to be called his son or daughter and become co-heirs with him. 

You can be confident knowing that Jesus lives inside you and has given you the Holy Spirit to guide you. 

“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:4-6‬ (‭ESV)

We are free to be confident in going to God the Father with anything, both good and bad. We are also made confident to declare this new covenant of new life, freedom, and peace to everyone around us at any given moment. ‬‬

Walk As Royalty And Priests

As sons and daughters of the King of Kings, we have a big responsibility. We are to walk as royal priests. The good news is we don’t have to carry that responsibility all on our own. We have the power of the Holy Spirit inside us to guide us and teach us to fulfill the role of a royal priest. Our job is to ask for HIS guidance and then go do whatever it is he tells us to do. 

We get to be carriers of God’s presence. As both representatives and mediators, we have the privilege of showing others the love that lives inside us and teaching them how to live a life as a royal priest too. We get to declare God’s goodness in all circumstances and walk confidently, knowing that we are the pure, spotless bride that Jesus declares us to be. 

Let’s all go out there as royal priests and walk in the calling Jesus has given each of us. The way we walk out this identity may look different, but the goal is always the same. That goal, of course, is to lead others to a personal relationship with Jesus and to always continue to develop our relationship with Jesus into a more intimate and ever-deepening relationship.