One of the things that has interested me since I first converted and began reading the Bible is the book of Leviticus. As a newly converted Christian almost 8 years ago, this book was mysterious to me, and not just because I was only reading the King James Version at the time.
The Levitical priest was a strange, shadowy figure to me. He was able to diagnose leprosy, cast certain people out of the community, offer the sacrifices at the altar, cleanse homes from disease, and much more. I had an inkling that there had to be some connection between the Levitical priest and the pastor, but I was ignorant of much of the Bible, and didn't understand the connection.
As I still search the Scripture, I have landed on the conclusion that there is a correlation between the Levitical priesthood and the pastoral ministry, just as there is a correlation between circumcision and baptism (Col 2:11-12), or the peace offering and the Eucharist. My aim is to do a brief series of posts analyzing certain portions of Leviticus that relate to the priest, and compare them to the ministry of the modern pastor, hopefully learning something about the call that God has put on my own life in the process.
Much of the clarification for this thinking came from works like Jeff Meyers' The Lord's Service and Peter Leithart's From Silence to Song. As a caveat, I must say that I do not agree with everything those men profess. However, I have benefited greatly from both of these works, and Leithart's works as a whole have particularly shaped some of my thinking.
All in all, my hope is that this is as edifying to you as it is for me. If you want to interact with the thoughts at all, feel free to do so; I've got relatively thick skin and can take the challenge!
+ Blessings in Christ +
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