A Kingdom of Priests and A Holy Nation 1. Where does the term "Priestly Nation" come from? The term Priestly Nation is a combination of the phrase "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." The Bible mentions a "holy nation" twice, once in the Old Testament in regard to the Israelites and once in the New Testament in regard to Christians. In the Old Testament, God gave the vision of a priestly nation to Moses, the great leader of Israel. Exodus 19:5,6 read, "'Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." (NIV) In the New Testament, God gave the vision of a priestly nation to Apostle Peter, the leader among Jesus' disciples. 1 Peter 2:9 reads, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (NIV) 2. How did God work in history to form a priestly nation? Exodus 19:1-6 "1 In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt--on the very day--they came to the Desert of Sinai. 2 After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. 3 Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." (NIV) God gave a promise to one man, Abraham. In Genesis 15, Israel's ancestor Abraham wondered how his descendants could possibly possess the promised land, the land of Canaan. God answered his question with a covenant promise. God told him that his descendants would be slaves in a foreign land for 400 years. They would suffer as in a furnace fire and learn how terrible it is to be slaves of men. They would also grow into a great multitude of people. Their suffering would bond them together into a nation. Then, according to God's promise, he would bring them out of Egypt. This multitude could enter and occupy the Promised Land. They would be free. In the furnace fires of Egypt they learned that slavery is suffering. Slavery to man is suffering. Slavery to sin is also suffering. Freedom is God's gift to those who belong to him. The only way out of slavery to men or slavery to sin is to belong to God. God freed a slave nation. Abraham's descendants became slaves in Egypt. But God did not forget his promise. The time came for God's people, the Israelites, to leave Egypt. God sent Moses to lead them out. Because of their slave mentality, they had no hope and they didn't want to leave. So God promised them a land flowing with milk and honey. He gave them a dream and a hope. They would be free. They would not have to work. And there would be plenty to eat. So with this dream and vision in their hearts they were ready to leave. Young people must have a dream. Sin robs us of dreams. A materialistic culture robs us of dreams. A great dream gives us hope. Verse 2 says, "After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain." Mount Sinai was holy ground. It was the place where Moses met God. God had said, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." (Exodus 3:5 NIV) It was here that Moses received God's calling. God sent him to Egypt to lead his people out of bondage and lead them to himself. The desert of Sinai was not the fastest way to Canaan. It was in the opposite direction. There was no milk and honey flowing in the desert. God could have led the Israelites quickly to the promised land. But before they could be free they had to receive God's training. They needed training to fight and win over enemies. They needed training to bear the blessings of freedom. They had to meet God and receive God's word. They had to know God's heart. They had to make a covenant with God and make a commitment to him. So Moses led them for three months through the desert to Mount Sinai. Eventually, the Israelites would spend 40 years in the desert. During this time, they learned to trust God. They learned God's love. Exodus 19:4 reads, "You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself." (NIV) A sense of God's history comes from remembering what God has done and from remembering God's grace. In this verse, God reminded his people of what he did to Egypt. What did God do to the Egyptians? God struck the Egyptians with his mighty hand. Moses spoke God's word to Pharaoh, "Let my people go." Pharaoh would not listen to Moses. He said, "Who is God that I should listen to him? I will not let the people go." Moses prayed to God. Then, according to God's word, he commanded. God struck Egypt ten times. The first nine times God struck Egypt Pharaoh's heart was not moved. Finally, the angel of death passed through Egypt and all the firstborn of Egypt died. Only those who obeyed God and put the blood of the Passover lamb on their doors lived. The angel of death passed through the land. God struck the heart of Pharaoh when his son died. Pharaoh surrendered and drove the Israelites out of Egypt. The Israelites saw God's mighty hand strike Egypt to set them free. They experienced God's grace. Freedom was the gift of God. God trained his people. Verse 4 also says that God carried them on eagles' wings. What does it mean that God carried them on eagles' wings? This means that he trained them. First, he led them across the Red Sea as if on dry land. It was like flying over the sea. Then God trained them on the desert road. This great multitude traveled to Sinai on the dry and empty desert road for three months. God gave them water and food. It is said that a mother eagle trains her young eaglets to fly by dropping them and then catching them. They learn to use their wings. (See: eagles1; eagles2; eagles3) God's training was to teach them that he loved them. It was to teach them to trust him. He gave them food and water in the desert. He brought them to himself--to the holy mountain. They pitched their tents there before the mountain and remained for a year. Here he gave them his law and taught them the Bible. 3. Why did God raise a Priestly Nation? Why did God do these things? God had a great purpose for his people. Exodus 19:5,6 reads, "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (NIV) God taught them that his plan for them was very big. It was beyond their imagination. God loved the people of Israel, but God also loves all the people of the world. God's plan was to use one people to be a blessing to all nations. The whole world belongs to God. He is the Creator. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God made a beautiful world. He blessed mankind. He blessed the world. But when Adam disobeyed God and broke spiritual order, the world became full of sorrow and trouble. Men and women became like animals. Once God wept when he saw how corrupt the world had become. John 3:16 tells us that he loves the world so much that he sent his one and only Son to suffer and die for the sins of the world. God does not want anyone to be lost (1 Ti 2:4). He wants all men to be saved. So he made a plan. He called Abraham and promised to bless him and make him a blessing. It was a promise to make a way of salvation and life for all people through Abraham's offspring, Jesus (Galations 3:8). God's people are God's treasured possession. The people of Israel belonged to God in a special way. He not only created them; he also ransomed them. He brought them out of bondage and slavery to be his own possession. We who have been ransomed by the blood of Jesus also belong to God in a special way. We once belonged to the devil. But God purchased us by his Son's blood and we belong to him (1Pet 1:18-19). Paul also said that we are Jesus' possession. We belong to Jesus (Ro1:6). Through Jesus, the door is open, not only to Israel, but to all Gentiles to belong to God. If we do not belong to God, then we belong to the devil. We are truly free when we belong to God. It is a strange paradox that we are only truly free when we belong to God. God wants his people to be holy. Exodus 19:6 reads, "…you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (NIV) Why must we be holy? God's people must be holy because God is holy. Without holiness no one can see the Lord (Heb 12:14). What does it mean to be holy? We must have clean hands and pure heart (Ps 24). Our hearts must be pure. We must have God's kingdom in our hearts; we must have God's word in our hearts. If our hearts are full of anger, jealousy, lust, hatred, slander, gossip, then God is not in our hearts. Our hearts are dirty, not clean. Our hands must be clean. This refers to our actions. We must act according to God's word. Verse 5 says, "if you obey me fully and keep my covenant.." We can be God's holy people when God's word is in our hearts. We can be God's holy people when we obey God instead of following the desires of our sinful nature. We must keep God's covenant. God's covenant is a promise that God's people will obey God and that God will be with his people and bless them. At Mt Sinai the people promised that they would keep the covenant and obey the law. So Moses sprinkled the people with the blood of the covenant. They could not keep the covenant. They broke it before they left the holy mountain. Man cannot overcome his sinful nature by himself. We have a new covenant with God. This covenant is established by the blood of Jesus. By the blood of Jesus we are cleansed and set free from sin. Jesus' blood purifies our hearts. If our hearts are pure we must reveal God's love and righteousness and holiness in our lives. This is what it means to be a holy nation. God wants his people to be a kingdom of priests. According to Exodus 19:5,6 and 1 Peter 2:9, we have a priestly duty before God. This means that God's people must be mediators between God and the world. They must bring God to the world and the world to God. God wants the whole world to worship and obey him. He wants to bless all creation and all people everywhere. God's people whom he purchased with Jesus' blood are a kingdom of priests. They must plant the love of God in all people. We must preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations. We must go back to the Bible. 4. Who can be part of the Priestly Nation? Apostle Paul discussed this question in depth. Romans 2:28,29 read, "A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God." (NIV) When we study the whole Bible, we see that God's plan of salvation is not exclusive, but inclusive. God's plan began with one man Abraham. Then God raised one nation, Israel. Finally, through Jesus, the door was opened for all nations to receive salvation. God did not call Israel, the Jewish nation, to exclude other nations, but to include all nations. The Bible is a book for laymen. Every believer must read and study it and obey it. Every Christian has a priestly duty before God and a calling to live a holy life. The Apostle Peter said, "..you are a royal priesthood," We must give the gospel to all people of the world. Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations…", teaching them to obey the word of God. Laymen are all to live as priests. We must pray for the world. We must go out as missionaries to the whole world. It is because God wants all people everywhere to repent and worship God. God wants all people to forgive each other. God wants all people to love each other. God wants the world to be at peace. 5. Why does UBF pray for people to be a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation"? This prayer topic is at the heart of UBF ministry. After many years of Bible study and campus evangelism, UBF founders Dr. Samuel Lee and Sarah Barry became convinced that God's desire is for all nations to be a holy nation and for each believer to be a shepherd with priestly duties before Christ. Before he went to heaven, Dr. Lee gave this one prayer topic as the direction for UBF ministry. (Adapted by Brian Karcher from messages by Sarah Barry and Dr. Samuel Lee.)