Genesis 2:15. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
Do you know what a priest is?
You might remember that in the Old Testament the Israelite had priests. Aaron, the brother of Moses, was the very first High Priest of Israel. The priests’ main job was to go between God and the people. The priests were chosen by God to represent the people before God. The priests offered sacrifices to God for the sins of the people, and the priests let the people know what God required of them in order for them to be holy and forgiven.
Today, some Christian churches still have priests. Some Christians still confess their sins to priests who act as the “go-between” between God and the people. Some churches have pastors instead of priests who speak for God to the people.
But the truth is that every single human being was made to be a priest. How do we know this? Because Adam was created to be a priest. And how do we know that? Because of two words in Genesis 2:15 – work and keep. These are two of the most important words in the Old Testament.
The word work means to serve, but it can also mean to worship.
The word keep means to guard, protect, or watch over.
Both these words show up again and again all over the Old Testament. But they specifically show up when the Bible is talking about being a priest. Like we said, God established the priests in Israel. The priests were from the tribe of Levi, Moses and Aaron’s tribe. The priests and Levites had a very important job – to work and keep the Tabernacle.
Numbers 18:4. [The priests] shall…keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the work of the tent.
1 Chronicles 23:32. Thus [the priests] were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the work of the house of the Lord.
Adam was the very first priest. He was put in the Garden of Eden to work and keep it. The priests were put in the Tabernacle (the tent where God lived) to work and keep it. Just like Adam, the priests were called to represent God to his creation. Just like Adam, they were called to lead in the worship of the Lord through self-sacrifice. Just like Adam, they were called to guard and protect the creation of God on Earth. Just like Adam, they were called to trust God above all else, having no other gods before him and serving only him.
And if Adam was meant to be a priest, then that means that we all were meant to be priests. This is another way that we image God. God himself is a worker and keeper. He is our provider and protector. Most clearly God is working and keeping through God the Son, Jesus. Jesus completed his work on the cross for us so that we can be saved. And Jesus keeps us safe until we are taken to Heaven to be with him.
Until then, we are God’s priests on Earth today. The Apostle Peter calls all who trust in Jesus a “royal priesthood.” We are kings and priests, loving, caring, sharing, protecting, and helping everyone we meet. We can let people know the truth about God from the Bible, while praying to God for others. We can take care of the world around us, while sharing the good news of Jesus. We can work and keep in God’s holy temple, the Church, until he returns to make everything new.
Questions: If you have Jesus living in your heart, then you are a priest! How can you represent Jesus to the people around you today? Is there someone you can pray for? Take care of? Talk to about God?
TLICfamily 