THE PRIEST'S CROWN

By Reverend William Claire Greiner

Job 9:32-33 — "For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. 33 Neither is there any daysman [yaw-kahh'; meaning one who argues, decides, arbitrates, pleads, reasons together] betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both. 34 Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his fear terrify me: 35 Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me."

It is was from a sense of frustration that Job uttered this painful cry, and he speaks for the human race. Here is a man plunged into the depths of grief, stripped of every earthly covering -- wealth, position honor, family, health, and all. Here is one who had walked in strength, security, and rightness, who is now sitting in the dust -- bewildered, awed, afraid. He clings desperately to his integrity, and somehow he still feels that God has become his enemy and is pressing him on all sides. He could argue his own righteousness before men, but in the presence of God his boasting is vain, and his uprightness turns to mire and filth.

Go back a few verses: Job 9:30-31 — "If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean; Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me."

Job could not meet God on equal terms. He could not offer human integrity against the demands of divine holiness. If only, then, he might find one who could touch him on the human level and also touch God on the divine level, one to whom he could speak as a fellow, and yet who could approach God as an equal, there would be hope. But Job knew of no one who met those requirements or who had the qualifications. "Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both."

This cry was in the heart of man long before Job uttered it. And God heard it arising from the human race even before they were created. For this reason by a decree of Divine and infinite love and mercy He appointed a Daysman, the Arbiter, the Mediator, the High Priest. He did not immediately reveal this mediator, however, but over a long period taught man, through chosen means, what was the nature of the mediation and the character of the mediator by whom man might be brought back to God.

It was for this purpose that God decreed the Levitical order of priesthood in Israel. It was here that the principle of divine appointment was emphasized and demonstrated. The High Priest was divinely appointed, and no one could usurp that exalted position.

It was a sin of sacrilege for anyone to intrude into the priest’s office. Korah and his brethren presumed they could, and they were destroyed in the presence of all the people. Saul presumed, and lost his kingdom. Uzziah presumed, and was smitten with leprosy. One of the chief factors in the apostasy and degradation of the Northern kingdom was the elevation of non-Levites to the priesthood.

All this was God’s schoolhouse in preparing His people for the appointment of His Son, Jesus Christ, as the Great High Priest for ever, abolishing the old priesthood. Jesus Christ came into the world as the Son of God, lived a sinless life, offered himself as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of his people, rose again and is seated in power and authority at the right hand of the majesty of God. There He loves us and prays for us and bids us draw near to God through him. He did not come to fit into the old system of priestly sacrifices. He came to fulfill them and end them.

Hebrews 5:5,6 — "So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. 6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."

Hebrews 9:24 — "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:"

Ah, Job, there is one who can satisfy the cry of your heart! And we shout it to every troubled, burdened, sinful soul: "Rejoice! A Daysman, a Mediator, has been found. God found Him and appointed Him as one who can "lay his hand upon us both."

"There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5).

Praise God! We have found One who can lay His hand on us, and also on the heart of God.

Hebrews 7:26 — "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; "

Jesus Christ, our High Priest, is enthroned above with the Father as a perfect man. We are represented before God by a glorified Man, and in Him God is wholly pleased.

A SANCTUARY THAT’S PERFECT

Hebrews 9:11-12 — "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. "

Aaron's ministry was carried out in weakness in a tabernacle that stood in the wilderness of Sinai. The Lord Jesus Christ, on the other hand, exercises His ministry as High Priest in the glory of heaven in the true sanctuary, and His ministry there is unchangeable and eternal.

A SACRIFICE THAT’S PRECIOUS

The Aaronic priesthood and animal sacrifices are no longer needed because Jesus, as our High Priest, is "consecrated for evermore." He shed His own blood as the spotless Lamb of God. (Hebrews 7:28). And it is that precious blood alone that is the blessed foundation of our relationship with the God.

A SALVATION THAT’S POWERFUL

Would you be free from your burden of sin,
There’s power in the blood, power in the blood.
Would you live daily a victory to win,
There’s wonderful power in the blood.

A SYMPATHY THAT’S PERSONAL

Hebrews 9:24 — "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:"

Hebrews 4:15,16 — "15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

It is through Jesus Christ, our High Priest, we find understanding and compassion, mercy and comfort, help and a listening ear, grace and power. As we journey through this world of sin, misery, and corruption, Jesus Christ our High Priest intercedes for us.

The work is completed. The sacrifice offered once for all. The High Priest is seated, as compared to Aaron who never sat in the Holy of Holies.

Hebrews 6:19,20 — "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."

As our "forerunner," Christ, our High Priest, has already reached the goal, and we have the firm assurance that He will bring us there too. He won’t be in Heaven and leave us behind.

J.A. Seiss in his book "The Gospel in Leviticus" writes: "A glorious High Priest is Jesus. Fold upon fold of glory and beauty encompass Him. With round upon round of heavenly excellency and celestial praise is He girded. Purity, and holiness, and power, and grace, and majesty, and ten thousand indescribable attractions cluster upon Him and surround Him with flames of perfection and light . . . which angels bend to contemplate, and which archangels cannot find words competent to express. Fit is He to draw near to God, and worthy of our holy adoration—‘chief among ten thousand, and the one altogether lovely’—‘holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who needeth not like those high-priests to offer up sacrifices for His own sins: for the law maketh men high-priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath which was since the law, maketh the Son [an High Priest], who is perfected for evermore’ (Hebrews 7:26-28)." —J.A.Seiss

I want to look with you now at the High Priest’s garments as he served in the presence of a Holy God. Seven special articles of clothing and ornaments composed the official apparel of the Levitical high priest: the robe, the embroidered coat, the ephod, the belt of the ephod, the breastplate, the mitre, and the diadem.

According to Exodus 28:2 and 40 they were all prescribed for the high priest "for glory and beauty."

The crowning feature of the entire holy vesture were the mitre and the diadem 

Exodus 28:36-38 — "And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD." (Also Exodus 39:30-31, Leviticus 8:9.)

THE MITER (Hebrew netzer) was a kind of turban which was larger than the headdress of the priests, and according to Josephus was pure white.

On the front of this turban was a diadem or crown (a thin gold plate) of pure gold on which was engraved, "Holiness to the Lord" or "Holy to Jehovah."

The Hebrew word here for the "diadem" or "crown" is translated "plate" ("tsits"... tseets) and elsewhere is translated "flower" and "blossom", as in the flowers which adorned the pillars of Solomon’s Temple, adding beauty and grace and charm.

The words "Holiness to the Lord" indicated the high priest’s purity to represent the people before a Holy God and bear the iniquity of the people by making their sacrifices acceptable.

Exodus 28:43 — "And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him."

Hebrews 7:26 — "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens."

Imperfections, weaknesses, or failures could creep into the ministry. It was, therefore, always important that the high priest, graced with the holy diadem, exercise all priestly duties in a manner appropriate to the holiness of God.

Our High Priest in Heaven -- Hebrews 7:26 — "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; "

Notice the position of the priestly crown. "And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead."

The forehead is the seat of the will and of the intellect. The the character of the mind inscribes itself indelibly upon the forehead, so that it can truthfully be said that an inscription is written upon every forehead.

You have heard it said, possibly said it yourself about someone: "I can read him like a book," but always remember that if it is true then the other person can read you like a book. This should bring an important question from us — if he can, then what does he read?

On seeing a person with a high forehead, the remark is passed that man has a large brain, he is a thinker. Another has a wrinkled brow and those wrinkles spell out the word "worry" When the forehead is dropped stern determination is demonstrated. These are always plainly read inscriptions, often unconsciously inscribed.

Ezekiel 3:7: ". . . for all the house of Israel are stiff of forehead; and hard of heart (Margin)". Then in the next verses: " I have made thy forehead strong against their foreheads ... as an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead . . . "

The Lord is here telling Ezekiel that stubbornness is the character of the nation. There was no bending of their wills, but God would make His prophet as determined in ministering the Word as they were in refusing it.

Revelation 17:5— "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

The Bible teaches that there were many forms of leprosy, and each one had to be treated differently. One of these kinds was leprosy in the forehead, and this was the worst with which man could be defiled.

Verse 44 says that the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean. He was the only man that had to put his hand over his mouth and cry: "Unclean, unclean!" He was the man who had to live in absolute isolation right outside the camp.

There is an extraordinary illustration in 2 Chronicles 26 concering good King Uzziah. He reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem and did much that was highly commendable until, in the hour of his strength, pride took hold of him and in his pride he entered the Temple of the Lord to burn incense. This was a privilege that never fell to kings to perform. It was the appointed ministry of the priests. Azariah, the priest, went in with his colleagues to forbid King Uzziah to enter into the office of the priest, and to warn him of the penalty, but pride was ruling. The king would not be deterred. He was angry at being reproved.

The pride, arrogancy, and self-will of his mind wrote themselves upon his forehead in the dread disease of leprosy.

What is written on our foreheads? The High Priest bore the inscription HOLINESS TO THE LORD. This is the crowning fact, the culmination of everything. Without this, all else is worthless. Forms, ceremonies, priestly attire, sacrifice, prayer, are mockeries. It required primarily the high priest himself to be holy; but it was a call also to the whole nation, whose representative the high priest was, that they should be 'a holy nation a kingdom of priests', and should consecrate themselves heart and soul to Jehovah.

All the blood-bought children of God are priests. It is a dignity which God Himself has conferred upon us who believe. In the Levitical priesthood the common priests became priests because their father was the High priest. So, too, we can our priesthood proceeds out of our High Priest, Jesus Christ. That is why the new birth is so crucial. Christ must first become our life. The result of sonship guarantee a blessed priesthood.

In Revelation 1:6 John ascribes glory and dominion to Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, for having "made us kings and priests unto God."

Exodus 19:6 — "And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation."

So we have a glorious calling, as a priestly race, to serve in the presence of a holy God. We are to worship Him in humility and holy reverence, in spirit and in truth, and "to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5).

NOTICE: "It shall ALWAYS be always upon HIS forehead, that THEY may be accepted before the Lord."

None of the Aaronic priests could enjoy the position perpetually. Aaron, the first of the line, served his people throughout the wilderness wanderings; but the day came when Aaron and his son Eleazar were taken by Moses to the summit of mount Hor. There "Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mount: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount" (Numbers 20:28).

Later, after the settlement in the land of Canaan, Eleazar died in his turn and was succeeded by his son Phinehas; and so the tale went on. In generation after generation the high priest died and his office passed to another, until in all (according to Josephus) eighty-three high priests officiated from Aaron to the fall of the Second Temple in A.D. 70.

But how different is the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. He is superior over all other priests in that His ministry is forever. Jesus never dies. He never has to be replaced. He has an indestructible life. He will outlive all his foes. He will be there for us long after everyone we depend on is dead. Sometimes children fret that Mommy or Daddy won't live to take care of them. And sometimes we parents fret that we won't be alive to take care of our children. But that is why this truth is so precious. The priesthood of Jesus -- the one who prays for us, and the one who is sympathetic with us, has been "perfected forever." Not for a decade or a century or a millennium. But forever.

When we entrust our cause to Him we know it is permanently secure in his hands. He will never have to hand it over to someone less well qualified. "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I commit to His hand." Those who have Christ as their high priest and mediator with God have in Him a Savior whose saving power is available without end.

I don’t know how that makes you feel, but it gives me great rest and peace of heart amid all the changing experiences of life. Our High-Priest is "always" in the presence of God for us. We are represented by, and accepted in Him. His holiness is ours.

I would encourage you to stay your whole soul upon the precious truth that this great High Priest represents you before the throne of God.

Stayed upon Jehovah
Hearts are fully blest,
Finding as He promised,
Perfect peace and rest.

Fix your eyes upon the golden plate, and read the measure of your eternal acceptance with God. "Holy to Jehovah."

Write upon our garnered treasures
Write on our choicest pleasures,
Upon things new and old;
The precious stone and gold -
Wife, husband, children, friends -
On all that goodness lends;
Go write on your good name -
Upon your cherished fame -
On every pleasant thing -
On stores that heaven doth fling
Into your basket - write!
Upon the smile of God,
Upon His scourging rod -
Write on' your inmost heart,
Write upon every part --
To Him Who claims the whole,
Time, talent, body, soul --
HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD

Horatius Bonar, realized that the little things can either make or break the Christian. he wrote, "A holy life is made up of a multitude of small things. It is the little things of the hour and not the great things of the age that fill up a life like that of the apostles Paul or Joh, or David Brainerd, or Henry Martyn. Little words, not eloquent speeches or sermons; litttle deeds, not miracles or battles, or one great heroic effort or martyrdom, make up the true Christian life. it’s the little constant sunbeam, not the lightning, the waters of Siloam that go softly in their meek mission of refreshment, not the waters of the rivers great and many rushing down in torrent, moise, and force, that the true symbols of a holy life. Be on guard against little evils, little sins, little inconsistencies, little waknesses, little foibles, little indul;gences of self and of the flesh, little acts of indolence or indecision, or slovenliness or cowardice, little equivocations or aberrations from high integrity, little bits of little indifferences to the feelings or wishes of others, little outbreaks of temper, or crossness, or selfishness or vanity."

Holiness unto the Lord! Written on our forehead as a way of life.

In conclusion I want to remind you of another great difference between the Aaronic Priesthood and that of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 6:20 —"Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."

Melchisedec was a king-priest, and this speaks of the royal authority of Christ’s High priesthood, as we read in Hebrews 7.

Zechariah 6:11-14 -- Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua (Ezra 3:2,8. He went into captivity under Nebuchadnezzar) the son of Josedech, the high priest; 12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: 13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 14 And the crowns shall be to Helem [Heldai], and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen [Joshua] the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the LORD.

Zechariah was commanded to make an ornate crown of silver and gold circlets for the head of Joshua the high priest, probably a double crown to symbolize the future uniting of the priestly and regal offices in the one person — Messiah. Ordinarily a crown is made for a ruler, not for a high priest. But this action points forward to the coming Christ as King and Priest. He is spoken of in verse 12 as the BRANCH who will build the millennial temple, bear royal honor, and... sit and rule on his throne. 

"The counsel of peace shall be between them both," that is, peaceful understanding will exist between King and Priest (in one Person).

David Baron: "Surely it is in keeping with the Royal priesthood of Messiah, that the Hebrew word used here (for temple in vs. 12,14) means both palace and sanctuary. As King Jesus has entered into His palace, and as Priest into his sanctuary." 

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