Saturday, January 27: - 1Chronicles 24- The many spiritual blessings of the New Covenant.

In some ways I feel like I am back in the beginning chapters of 1Chronicles… names, names and more names.

This chapter begins with the names of the priests. In a culture and religious system where priests are essential for maintaining personal and community connection with the Lord, listing the family names of priests is important. Doubly so if the community is reestablishing the sacrificial system after the exile.

Parallel to priests, cataloguing the Levite families is also important for similar reasons.

Contemplating the role of priests in the sacrificial system of Israel caused me to realize the great blessing we have under the New Covenant. In Christ we are a kingdom of priests.

As Peter reminds his readers in 1Peter 2:9:But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Such is our description: a royal priesthood… God’s special possession. No longer do we need to have an intermediary. We have direct access to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And no longer do we need to sacrifice the blood of animals to atone for our sins. Jesus Christ, the perfect priest, offered his life on the cross as the once for all sacrifice for sins.

Hebrews 10:10-14 …we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest [Jesus] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

So as I sat today, I pondered the many spiritual blessings of the New Covenant… what a wonderful way to prepare for worship tomorrow.

Jesus, thank You for establishing the New Covenant in Your blood and for inviting me to be part of Your new covenant. I am eternally grateful and I pray that I might live in a manner that declares You to my world. I pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.