Day 5 – Order of the Priesthood (Part 1)

Study Luke 1:5-10

“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.” Luke 1:5 NKJV

Even beyond faith circles, Luke’s Gospel is regarded as historically reliable. He anchors John’s birth announcement to the reigns of Roman and regional rulers, creating a tangible link between the prophets of Israel and the earthly life of Jesus.

Luke opens and ends his Gospel with the story of a priest. He begins with a priest of the Abijah division named Zechariah, who served under the order of Aaron, and ends with Jesus, who steps in as our High Priest in the order of Melchizedek (as David prophesied in Psalm 110:1-4).

The objective of the nation’s priesthood was to act as a mediator between man and God. They conducted sacrifices according to the laws and regulations of the covenant. Aaron, the brother of Moses, was from the tribe of Levi, which is why they were known as the Levitical priesthood. The descendants of Levi continued to serve as priests according to the order of Aaron in the earthly sanctuary of God. The name 𝘓𝘦𝘷𝘪 means “united” or “joined,” signifying the unification or founding of this sacred institution.

Later in the Biblical narrative, King David organized the priesthood into 24 divisions. Abijah was the head of one of these priestly families and became the eighth order (1 Chronicles 24). These orders, or family groups, had distinct duties as priests. According to David’s roster, there were 24 cycles based on a calendar year, with each cycle serving for one week twice a year. The rotation was settled as the lots came forth, without any regard to age, position, dignity, or family size. Luke also provides Elizabeth’s lineage as being from the daughters of Aaron. She would have been raised in a priestly lifestyle, understanding the importance of the priesthood.

As we already know, some priests were so caught up in the law that they missed their Messiah, but some served with holy hearts seeking God’s heart—like Zechariah and Elizabeth, who were 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴.

Pray with me: Father, we sometimes skip the genealogy scriptures without noticing the importance of it as it came into fulfilment in the New Testament. Even the ordination of the priesthood at Sinai shaped the destiny for Your Word not to return to You void. We praise You for the detail and ask that You guide us in the scripture not to overlook it. Amen ©

Love, Pastor Iriza