H E B R E W S . 5
1 For every High Priest taken from among men is appointed to help draw the people closer to Alahim, by offering both gifts and sacrifices for sins.
2 Through his own experiences, he can have compassion and a measure of feeling for the ignorant (those not knowing the true way) who are being led astray, for he himself is also surrounded by weakness.
3 So because of this, he has to make offerings for sins (not just for himself, but for the people too).
1 For every High Priest taken from among men is appointed to help draw the people closer to Alahim, by offering both gifts and sacrifices for sins.
CHOSEN HIGH PRIEST
NO ONE COULD BE A HIGH PRIEST (OR EVEN A PRIEST) UNLESS THEY WERE CALLED OR CHOSEN OF ALAHIM TO THIS PRIESTLY MINISTRY. ONE MUST BE BORN A PRIEST (OF THE TRIBE OF LEVI) IN ORDER TO BE IN PRIESTLY MINISTRY. AND ONE MUST BE BORN OF AARON'S LINE IN ORDER TO BE A HIGH PRIEST. THE WHOLE TRIBE OF LEVI WAS GIVEN TO AARON FOR PRIESTLY MINISTRY. NONE OF THE OTHER TRIBES OF ISRAEL WERE GIVEN THIS PRIESTLY PRIVILEGE TO BE WORKING SO CLOSELY WITH THE TABERNACLE PORTAL OF YAHUAH.
THE TRIBE OF LEVI GAVE UP THEIR WORLDLY INHERITANCE (THEIR SHARE OF THE PROMISED LAND) AND WERE EVEN EXCLUDED FROM BEING ONE OF THE 12 TRIBES/SONS OF JACOB/YISHARAL ... YAHUAH TOOK THEM AND SET THEM APART FOR HIS SPECIAL PURPOSES ... TO MAKE HIS NEW BRIDE A NATIONAL ROYAL WITNESS OF HIS LOVE!
YAHUAH ALAHIM ORIGINALLY GAVE THIS CALLING TO THE WHOLE NATION OF YISHARAL, TO THE TWELVE TRIBES, FOR HE WANTED THEM TO BE “A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS”, BUT BECAUSE OF UNBELIEF, FEAR AND DISOBEDIENCE, THEY FELL FROM FAVOUR, AND SO YAHUAH INTRODUCED THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD AND THE LEVITICAL TRIBE TO BE THE PRIESTLY MINISTRY, TO SERVE WITH HIM AND HIS ROYAL HOUSEHOLD. SO THE PRIESTLY MINISTRY WAS TAKEN FROM THE TWELVE TRIBES AND GIVEN TO THE ONE TRIBE, AND NO TRIBE DARED TRY TO ASSUME OR PRESUME INTO THIS PRIESTLY OFFICE UNDER PAIN OF JUDGMENT BEFORE ALAHIM.
THE REBELLION OF KORAH AND HIS COMPANY, AND THOSE OF THE TRIBE OF REUBEN, WAS OVER THIS VERY THING. MOSES CHALLENGED THEM AS SUCH: “I SUPPOSE YOU'LL GO FOR THE PRIESTHOOD NEXT?” (NUM.16) ALAHIM SETTLED THE WHOLE MATTER OF HIS CHOSEN AND ORDAINED HIGH PRIEST BEING AARON IN NUM.17. THERE THE SIGN OF THE FRUITFUL BUDDING ROD BELONGING TO AARON WAS MANIFESTED TO ALL, CONFIRMING THAT HE WAS THE APPOINTED AND ANOINTED HIGH PRIEST IN YISHARAL, AND NONE OTHER.
AARON AS THE HIGH PRIEST WAS TAKEN FROM AMONG MEN. AARON WAS SEPARATED TO THE PRIESTLY OFFICE BY YAHUAH ALAHIM HIMSELF, THROUGH HIS SERVANT MOSES. SO AGAIN, THE HIGH PRIEST MUST BE TAKEN FROM AMONG MEN, BECAUSE HIS MINISTRY IS ON BEHALF OF MEN. SO HERE IS THE PRECIOUS TRUTH: THAT YAHUAH'S METAMORPHOSIS INTO FLESH IS ONCE AGAIN CONFIRMED HERE, FOR HE HAD TO BE TRANSFORMED INTO A MAN HIMSELF IN ORDER TO BE OF SERVICE AND APPOINTED FOR MANKIND !
THE VERY PURPOSE OF ALAHIM HAVING A HIGH PRIEST IN YISHARAL WAS TO TEACH ALL THE NATION, AND EVENTUALLY ALL MANKIND, SINCE NO MAN COULD COME TO ALAHIM DIRECTLY. NONE COULD APPROACH ALAHIM HIMSELF, BUT ALL MUST COME THE WAY YAHUAH ESTABLISHED - THAT IS THROUGH A MEDIATOR, THROUGH HIS CHOSEN HIGH PRIEST.
IT WAS A REVELATION OF THE NECESSITY OF A PRIEST, A MEDIATOR, A GO-BETWEEN, BETWEEN YAHUAH AND MANKIND! THIS WAS THE REASON FOR THE EXISTENCE OF THE HIGH PRIEST, AND THE TRUTH STILL STANDS APPLICABLE TODAY. MANKIND COULD NOT COME TO ALAHIM DIRECTLY BUT THROUGH HIM BECOMING A NEW CREATION AND DYING FOR US, HE HAS BECOME THE APPOINTED AND CHOSEN HIGH PRIEST AND HAS MADE CONNECTION POSSIBLE ONCE AGAIN.
AS ALAHIM CHOSE AND ORDAINED AARON TO BE HIGH PRIEST FOR YISHARAL, SO ALAHIM CHOSE TO BE REBORN INTO THE IMAGE OF A SON TO BE ESTABLISHED AS THE HIGH PRIEST FOR THE ALL BRIDAL BELIEVERS! THERE IS NO WAY TO ALAHIM BUT THROUGH YAHUSHA HIMSELF … SINCE HE IS ALAHIM! IT MAY BE A STRONG STATEMENT, BUT IT IS TRUE. NO ONE, NOT EVEN A BELIEVER, COULD GO TO THE DIVINE ALAHIM DIRECTLY FOR THEY WOULD BE FRACKLED UP. ONE MUST APPROACH ALAHIM THROUGH THE WORK AND IMAGE OF YAHUSHA HIMSELF, WHO EVEN SAID IN JOHN 14 "I AM THE WAY ... THE TRUTH ... AND THE LIFE ... NO MAN COMES TO THE FATHER, BUT BY ME!” SO, JUST AS AARON WAS CHOSEN FROM AMONG MEN, AND ORDAINED FOR MEN, SO WAS YAHUSHA MESSIAH.
1 For every High Priest taken from among men is appointed to help draw the people closer to Alahim, by offering both gifts and sacrifices for sins.
GIFTS & SACRIFICES
NO YISHARALITE COULD OFFER GIFTS AND SACRIFICES TO ALAHIM OF HIS OWN ACCORD, OR IN ANY PLACE HE CHOSE. THE ONLY OFFERING MUST BE AT THE TABERNACLE, UPON THE BRAZEN ALTAR, AND THIS WAS TO BE DONE THROUGH THE MEDIATIONS OF THE HIGH PRIEST, AARON. SACRIFICES ESPECIALLY REFER TO ANIMAL OR BLOOD SACRIFICES. GIFTS MAY INCLUDE SUCH OR OTHER ALAHIM-APPOINTED THINGS. THERE ARE BOTH LEGAL AND VOLUNTARY THINGS INVOLVED, SUCH AS TITHES, OFFERINGS, FIRST-FRUITS, THANKS
OFFERINGS AND SO FORTH.
2 Through his own experiences, he can have compassion and a measure of feeling for the ignorant (those not knowing the true way) who are being led astray, for he himself is also surrounded by weakness.
COMPASSION FOR IGNORANCE
COMPASSION POINTS TO A PERSON WHO CAN 'REASONABLY BEAR WITH, FEEL LENIENTLY TOWARD, MAKE ALLOWANCE FOR, ONE WHO IS ABLE TO EXERCISE GENTLENESS AND FORBEARANCE'. THERE WAS NO HIGH PRIEST AS COMPASSIONATE AS YAHUSHA MESSIAH, WHO WAS CONTINUALLY “MOVED WITH COMPASSION”, WHILE THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS, THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES WERE MOVED WITH ENVY AND INDIGNATION.
AND THE HIGH PRIESTS, ANNAS AND CAIAPHAS WERE CRUEL PRIESTS. BUT THE GOOD SAMARITAN, IN COMPARISON (WITH THE PRIEST AND THE LEVITE WHO PASSED BY THE ATTACKED MAN) REVEALED THE PRIESTHOOD CHARACTER — COMPASSION ! ONE OF THE QUALIFICATIONS OF PRIESTHOOD INCLUDES THE QUALITY OF COMPASSION.
THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO SINNED THROUGH IGNORANCE AGAINST ANY OF THE COMMANDMENTS OF YAHUAH. PAUL SPEAKS TO THE ASSEMBLIES AS SUCH: “I DO NOT WANT YOU TO BE IGNORANT...” WHAT IGNORANCE PREVAILS TODAY AMONGST YAHUSHA’S PEOPLE?!? THE BLOOD OF ATONEMENT COVERS SUCH IGNORANCE, UNTIL IT IS ENLIGHTENED BY THE WORD OF ALAHIM, AND THEN IT NEEDS TO BE PURGED & BROUGHT THROUGH TO CLEANSING. THE TEACHING OF THE WORD COMES, AND THEIR IGNORANCE IS ENLIGHTENED AND THEY MUST WALK IN THE LIGHT OF OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD FROM THEN ON. IE YAHUSHA REVEALS AND WE CONFESS AND GET RID OF IT ... "GO AND SIN NO MORE!"
HOW MANY GENUINE BELIEVERS ARE BEING LED-ASTRAY BY CARPET-BAGGERS STANDING IN THE DOORWAY OF DELIVERANCE?
SURROUNDED BY WEAKNESS
THE HIGH PRIEST, RECOGNISING HIS OWN WEAKNESSES AND INFIRMITIES WILL THEN BE COMPASSIONATE TO THOSE FOR WHO HE IS CALLED BY ALAHIM TO MINISTER TO. 'INFIRMITY MEANS THE MORAL WEAKNESS THAT IS SINFUL, AND MAKES MEN CAPABLE OF SIN, AND THEREFORE NEEDING SACRIFICE / FORGIVENESS' OF MORAL WEAKNESS & PHYSICAL INFIRMITY.
HERE IS WHERE YAHUSHA MESSIAH (OUR HIGH PRIEST) EXCELS. HE WAS WITHOUT THE WEAKNESS OF SIN, THOUGH HE HAD WEARINESS, HUNGER, THIRST AND HUMAN LIMITATIONS (KIND OF). AARON THE HIGH PRIEST HAD MANY WEAKNESSES AND WAS A SINNER ALSO WHO NEEDED A SACRIFICE. THE YISHARALITES KNEW THEIR HIGH PRIEST HAD SUCH INFIRMITY AND COULD BE TEMPTED AS THEY WERE, AND SO HE COULD BE SYMPATHETIC TO THEM WHEN MAKING THE ATONEMENT.
3 So because of this, he has to make offerings for sins (not just for himself, but for the people too). 4 And no one can take this honour for themselves, but only those who are called by Alahim (as Aaron was).
ATONEMENT FOR SINS
AARON MADE ATONEMENT FOR HIMSELF FIRST. THE THOUGHT HERE IS THAT THE HIGH PRIEST MUST BE WITHOUT SIN, CLEANSED FROM ALL SIN, BEFORE HE COULD OFFER FOR THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE. MOSES WAS AS ALAHIM TO AARON AND SO AARON WAS ATONED FOR, SACRIFICING FOR HIMSELF, FOR HIS OWN SINS.
BUT HERE IS THE SON OF ALAHIM: GREATER THAN AARON IN PRIESTLY OFFICE — BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS:
YAHUSHA MESSIAH AS OUR HIGH PRIEST HAD NO NEED TO OFFER SACRIFICE FOR HIS OWN SINS, FOR HE WAS SINLESS, SEPARATE FROM SINNERS - PERFECT. “WHO NEEDED NOT DAILY, AS THOSE HIGH PRIESTS, TO OFFER UP SACRIFICES FIRST FOR HIS OWN SINS...” FOR HE HAD NO SIN (HEB 7:26-28). ALAHIM THE SON (AS OUR HIGH PRIEST) IS GREATER THAN AARON, AS YISHARAL’S HIGH PRIEST.
BUT HE MUST HAVE A SACRIFICE TO OFFER FOR THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE, THE SINS OF FALLEN MANKIND. HE CAME TO REDEEM. “...TO OFFER SACRIFICE ... THEN FOR THE PEOPLE'S (SINS): FOR THIS HE DID ONCE, WHEN HE OFFERED UP HIMSELF.”
NO ONE TAKES THIS HONOUR
NO ONE COULD BE HIGH PRIEST JUST BECAUSE HE WANTED TO. NO ONE COULD JUST CALL THEMSELVES INTO THIS MINISTRY. NO ONE COULD APPOINT ANOTHER FOR THIS OFFICE. NONE COULD APPROPRIATE THIS PRIESTLY MINISTRY TO THEMSELVES. IT MUST BE BY THE CALL OF ALAHIM AND RECEIVED BY HIM. AARON DID NOT APPOINT HIMSELF TO OFFICE, NOR CALL HIMSELF INTO THIS MINISTRY.
THE REBELLION OF KORAH AGAINST AARON WAS ON THE GROUND THAT AARON HAD APPOINTED HIMSELF, OR BEEN APPOINTED BY MOSES TO THIS OFFICE, BUT YAHUAH SETTLED THE MATTER IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS OF JUDGEMENT. AND FOR ANY YISHARALITE WHO WOULD BY-PASS AARON, ALAHIM'S ANOINTED HIGH PRIEST, ALAHIM'S CALLED HIGH PRIEST - FOR THEM IT MEANT CERTAIN WRATH AND JUDGEMENT.
AARON WAS A MAN, TAKEN FROM AMONG MEN, ORDAINED FOR MEN, CALLED OF ALAHIM. IT IS WORTHY TO NOTE THAT AARON WAS PROPHET IN EGYPT BUT WAS CALLED TO BE PRIEST IN THE ASSEMBLY IN THE WILDERNESS! ALL THIS IS SIGNIFICANT SHADOW OF YAHUSHA ALSO, WHO WAS INDEED APOSTLE (AS MOSES WAS) AND PROPHET (AS AARON WAS) IN THE EGYPT OF THIS WORLD, BUT IN HEAVENLY MINISTRY AND IN THE ASSEMBLY, HE IS THE HIGH PRIEST (AS AARON, THE MEDIATOR OF YISHARAL).
PAUL IS ESPECIALLY DEALING HERE WITH THE HIGH PRIEST HIMSELF, RATHER THAN THE PRIESTLY TRIBE - BUT ALL PERSONS SERVING IN THIS PRIESTLY MINISTRY HAD TO BE BORN PRIESTS AND OF THE TRIBE OF LEVI TO BE IN THIS CALLING. LIKEWISE YAHUSHA'S PRIESTS MUST BE CALLED AND REBORN INTO THE ROLE IN ORDER TO SERVE IN HIS ASSEMBLY! THEY MUST PROVE THEMSELVES TO YAHUSHA AND QUALIFY ACCORDING TO HIM, BEFORE BEING HANDED VERY OBVIOUS GIFTS, TALENTS AND ABILITIES (SUPERNATURALLY) WITH WHICH TO SERVE, SUPPORT AND HELP THE ASSEMBLY. THIS IS NOT A RELIGION AND CANNOT BE DONE IN MERE FLESHLY AMBITION OR SELFISH PRIDE ... IF IT IS NOT YAHUSHA'S CALLING AND BEING LED THE WAY HE WANTS ... HE WILL GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TRANSFORM IT IN ORDER TO HAVE HIS BRIDE READY, WILLING, ABLE AND WAITING JUST HOW HE WANTS! . . . THIS IS THE PROCESS WE'RE ALL IN !!
When the people who wrote the Scriptures pondered the mystery of Alahim, they consistently described His character in this way. "Compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, overflowing with loyal love and faithfulness." The very first word used in this description of Alahim is 'compassionate,' or in Hebrew, 'rakhum.' This word also appears as a noun, 'rakhamim', or 'compassion'. And what's fascinating is that both of these words are related to the Hebrew word for womb, 'rekhem. So compassion in the Hebrew Scripture is centered in a person's core, and the word invites us to imagine a mother's tender feelings for her vulnerable infant, which conveys intense emotion.
But compassion also involves action. And surprisingly, the word is used most often to describe Yahuah's actions motivated by His emotions. Like when Yisharal is suffering and oppressed in Egypt, Alahim hears their cries and is 'compelled by His compassion' to rescue them. Then, as Yisharal travels through the dangerous wilderness, they're hungry and thirsty and Yahuah is `rakhum', caring for them as His own child. He provides everything they need, food, water and clothing, as He personally guides them.
So it's no surprise that when Yahuah reveals His character to the Israelites in the wilderness, He begins by saying He's 'compassionate'. But despite Yahuah's continual compassion, Yisharal turns away from Him time and time again. They reject His compassion and instead give their allegiance to other deites. And rather than showing compassion to each other, they have violent behaviour. And their rebellion results in divorce, exile, and they're cut off and scattered among the nations.
Then while this is all happening we come to the book of Isaiah, where Alahim compares Himself to a mother full of compassion toward her baby. He says, "Can a mother forget her nursing child, or have no compassion," on "the child of her womb?" "Even if she forgets, I will not forget you!" Yahuah is full of motherly compassion, and He will rescue His people. And as you read further in Isaiah, you realise that Yahuah is going to do this by entering into the suffering of humanity Himself!
This of course points forward to Him metamorphing into flesh, taking His Divine Blood into the virgin-conception within Mary. He became Yahusha, the deep loving-compassion of Alahim in human form.
And as Yahusha embraces the sick and cares for the outcast, He's 'deeply moved by human suffering'. He even compares Himself to a mother hen using her wings to shield her chicks from danger as He gathers people into His embrace. And in this ultimate expression, Yahusha is moved by compassion to enter into humanity's suffering, into death itself, to rescue and connect, restore and deliver us to in again, into the fullness of relationship- experience (once lost in Eden, yet intended since Creation).
This is same life of compassion that Yahusha calls His Bridal Followers to imitate, 'allowing ourselves to be moved by the pain of others, to embrace the hurting of those Yahusha is drawing to us, and to participate in relieving suffering in Yahusha's Body'. And in this way, we too, can embody the compassion of Yahusha, or in His words, "Be compassionate just as your Father in Heaven is compassionate." Now you can see how fitting it is that 'compassionate' is the first word Alahim uses to describe Himself. So, when we're in pain or see others suffering, we can be certain that Yahusha is deeply moved to respond and that He's there to meet us with his deep compassion as our Great High Priest ...
"Through His own experiences, He can have compassion and a measure of feeling for the ignorant (those not knowing the true way) who are being led astray, for He Himself is also surrounded by weakness!"
AS WAS HE - SO WE ARE TO BE !!!