(Wednesday)
Kings, Priests, and Prophets. Every form of civilization must have a ruling body, or leaders. Sometimes the structure is fairly primitive at other times (as our own) it can be immensely complicated, but however it is organized it can also be abused. So God has given a set of commands to follow in selecting a king and how the king should behave. It has already been established who the priests would be, they would be from the tribe of Levi and as priests they are not allowed to own any property and they would be supported through the offerings of the people. God also will rise up prophets. Each “office” has its responsibilities and a list of do’s and don’ts.
I find it very fascinating that each of these positions are there to keep the other ones in balance so that no one becomes more powerful than the other. In a perfect world this would have been the case, but unfortunately, as we will read in later books, all of these “offices” are compromised one way or another. And it all comes down to following the commandments of God. When we forget our place or role in society, when we forget that it is God who the Supreme Ruler, then our society breaks down and this is exactly what happens to the Israelites. We may fault the kings (or leaders of our country), or the priests who lord over people their positions, or ignore the message of the prophets, but in the end – we are just as guilty if we aren’t keeping God first.
Blessings
Pastor Kathy