Priests and Levites served to mediate God’s saving grace to His people.

And the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them… ‘They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their god. For they offer the LORD’s food offerings, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.” Leviticus 21.1, 6

In order to help His people know deeper fathoms of His saving grace, God established a variety of “mediators” within His people, men whose calling it was to function in ways that enabled people to escape their sin and become more fully immersed in God’s grace. Special obligations for holiness, and special ceremonies acknowledging the “sanctified” status of these individuals made it clear that they had been called to their mediatorial roles by God Himself and performed those roles only at His pleasure. The judges and elders who ruled in the towns and cities of Israel served to mediate the blessings of the civil law to the people of Israel. And the priests and Levites performed the duties of the ceremonial laws in order to provide cleansing and renewal from sin.

All these various mediators were assigned specific duties according to the demands of God’s holiness and the sinfulness of the people. God is holy, and He requires His people to be holy. But His people are not holy, at least, not perfectly so. Thus, they must be ever helped and assisted in the journey toward holiness through teaching and interpreting the requirements of holiness and the performance of such judgments and ceremonies as conduce to holiness.

In the case of the civil laws, teaching and judging made it possible for the people to walk in the way of God’s blessing. In the case of the priests and Levites, maintaining the Lord’s dwelling in the midst of His people and performing the offerings, prayers, and sacrifices God required provided the means by which the people could be renewed in God’s grace after a spiritual manner. The judges and priests/Levites operated in separate spheres but for the same ends. Indeed, often the decision of each was required to mediate the full measure of God’s restoring grace to His sinful people.

God’s people are sinners, and we cannot lay hold on His grace through our own efforts. Our sin simply prevents us from doing so, as Paul so ably explained in Romans 7. We need mediators – teachers, pastors, parents, magistrates, and others – who can help us break free of the constraints of sin and become more deeply immersed in our salvation.

And above all, of course, we need the one Mediator between God and men, even our Lord Jesus Christ, without Whose mediation on the cross and at the Father’s right hand, no other mediators would avail us one whit. The ceremonial laws – as all the Law of God – consistently point us toward Him.

For a fuller study of the pattern of worship revealed in Scripture, order the book, The Highest Thing, by T. M. Moore, from our online store. These studies and brief essays will help you to see how the pattern of sound worship, which began in the Law of God, comes to complete expression in the rest of Scripture. Pastors, we’re getting ready to start the next season of The Pastors’ Fellowship. Write to me today at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for information about how you join in these online discussions. Our theme for the coming series is “The Worldview of God’s Law.” There is no charge for participation, but you must reserve a place for these monthly gatherings. Subscribe to Crosfigell, the devotional newsletter of The Fellowship of Ailbe.