Historically, it can be inferred from the biblical records
that Mary the mother of Jesus was once a Levite prior to her marriage to Joseph
because all her known relatives were from the tribe of Levi. For instance,
Elizabeth was her closest known relative that was mentioned in the scriptures,
who was a Levite in all ramifications.
“And, behold, thy
cousin Elisabeth, she has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the
sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God, nothing shall be
impossible.” (Luke 1: 36-37)
Elizabeth is confirmed in the context above as the cousin of
Mary and she was revealed again in the scriptures as a Levite because she was one of
the descendants of Aaron, the first Levirate high priest under the
dispensation of the Law and prophets. Aaron the brother of Moses was the first
high priest to emerge from the tribe of Levi, and his descendants were assigned
to do the works pertaining to the most holy things of the temple. Zechariah the
husband of Elizabeth was also from the tribe of Levi because he was revealed as
a priest that offered prayers under the old dispensation, which was a role that
was performed only by Levites.
“…Zecharias the priest
of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name
was Elisabeth…And it came to pass, that, while he executed the priest’s office
in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest’s office, his
lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole
multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.’” (Luke 1:
5, 8-10)
Under the Old Testament, the services of the temple could
only be performed by the Levites among the Israelites. However, only the
descendants of Aaron among the Levites can handle the most holy duties of the
temple such as burning incense on the altar. For example, the sons of Korah
that once attempted to burn incense in the tabernacle suffered a devastating
plague despite being Levites. This punishment was a lesson and reminder to the
Israelites that only the descendants of Aaron can burn incense in the temple.
“…To be a memorial unto
the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron,
come near to offer incense before the Lord; that he be not as Korah, and as his
company.” (Numbers 16: 40)
Generally, the Levites were divided into different courses
with respect to their family units for the work of the temple, which included
the Levite descendants of the families of Moses and Aaron. For example, it was customary for some
Levites according to their course to work as porters while another course of
Levites were assigned to sing praises with instruments to the Lord in the
temple etc. Only the descendants of the families of Aaron alone were separated
among the Levites for the purpose of the most holy things of the temple such as
burning of incense and to minister in Lord’s presence ( 1Chronicles 23: 13). By
earlier revealing that the duty of Zechariah the husband of Elizabeth was to
burn incense in the temple of the Lord during prayer time implied that he was
also a priest from the Aaronic order.
“According to the
custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into
the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying
without at the time of incense.” (Luke 1: 9-10)
As shown above, the relatives of Mary that became the parents
of John the Baptist were from the most sacred course of Levites, whom the
scriptures confirmed as Levites that lived in the hill country of Judah. This
implied that John the Baptist was also a Levite, as the forerunner of the
Christ and he was mentioned as the greatest person born of a woman under the
Old Testament.
As the priesthood lineage under the old dispensation of the
Law and Prophets, the Levites were found in all parts of Israel because they
have no particular geographical inheritance among the Israelites. This was due
to the fact that the Levites were assigned to take charge of temple duties and
to teach the Israelites the oracles of God concerning the future plans of
salvation that would be fulfilled through the Messiah. By virtue of this
assignment, which includes taking charge of the temple duties, the tribe of
Levi was entitled to a tenth of everything in Israel.
“… behold, I have taken
your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are
given as a gift of the LORD to do the service of the tabernacle of the
congregation…And behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in
Israel for an inheritance, for their service of the tabernacle of the
congregation…But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as a
heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore
I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no
inheritance.” (Numbers 18: 6, 21, 24)
Under the Old Testament, the Jews were saddled with the task
of teaching the nations of the world the oracles of God concerning redemption
by virtue of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Among the tribes
of the Israelites, the Levites were assigned to take charge of the temple
duties as a priesthood lineage, and to guide the people concerning the
ordinances and shadows relating to atonement and forgiveness of sin.
“WHAT advantage then
has the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way; chiefly
because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.’ (Romans 3: 1-2)
So far, it is evident from the scriptural references above
that all the known relatives of Mary before her marriage to Joseph were not
just Levites but they belong to the most sacred order of the priesthood from
the tribe of Levi, which was also known as the Aaronic order. However, the
subsequent shift of the priesthood from Levi to the tribe of Judah after Mary’s
marriage to Joseph also signified a type of the transition of the Levirate
priesthood under the dispensation of the law to the royal priesthood of the new
dispensation of grace.
In anticipation of this switch from Levirate to the royal
priesthood from the tribe of Judah, it is confirmed in the scriptures that
Joseph the husband of Mary was from the house and royal lineage of King David
of the tribe of Judah (Luke 2: 4). Biblical
records reveal how King David also portrayed different shadows of the royal
priesthood that later fully re- emerged from the tribe of Judah through the
birth of the Messiah. For instance, he once ate from the hallowed bread that
was only lawful for priests while he fled from the envy of King Saul after he
was anointed to become the next King (Matthew 12: 3-5; 1 Samuel 21: 1-6). When
David became the King, he composed many songs and psalms under inspiration more
than Asaph and other Levite priests that were notable for such acts. King David
was not a Levite yet he made musical instruments for the priests. David was the
King that first decided to build a magnificent temple in Jerusalem to replace
the old tabernacle, a task that was successfully completed by his son and
successor, King Solomon.
This physical temple of the Old Testament was later replaced
by the body of Christ through his death and resurrection, as the High Priest
and mediator of the New Testament that was established by the shedding of his
own blood, as the true Lamb of God that atoned for the sins of the world.
“Destroy this temple, and
in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was
this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he
spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the
scripture, and the word which Jesus had said” (John 2:19-22).
The
New Testament temple that was raised in form of the body of Christ is called
the Church, which is a mystical body with many members, Christ being the head
of the body.
“...and gave Him to be the
head over the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that fills all in
all.” (Ephesians 1: 22, 23)
‘Know ye not that your bodies are the members
of Christ…What! Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost
which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?’ (1Corinthians
6: 15, 19)
“But Christ being come a high priest of good
things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands,
that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves,
but by his own blood he entered once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption for us…. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made
with hands, which are figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to
appear in the presence of God for us:” (Hebrews 9: 11-12, 24)
The Change of Priesthood from Levi to Judah
One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the power of
foreknowledge that is revealed through biblical prophecies, as discussed in the
series of my blog posts concerning the birth of Jesus Christ. For instance, the
prophecies concerning the birth of the Christ already predicted that he would
come from the tribe of Judah but no one knew how this would be accomplished. In
the divine counsel to fulfill this prediction, it was important that Mary was first
espoused to Joseph so that her status as a Levite would have changed to the
tribe of Judah before the birth of the Christ. Consequently, the child that was
born after Mary was espoused to Joseph automatically adopted the status of a
member of the tribe of Judah. In other words, the transition of Mary’s tribe
from Levi to the tribe of Judah through her marriage to Joseph was divinely
orchestrated, as a type of the switch from the Levirate priest hood of the Aaronic
order to the tribe of the messianic royal priesthood after the order of
Melchisedec.
Moreover, the new priesthood patterned after the order of
Melchisedec would emerge out of the tribe of Judah through the Christ that
would come from the royal lineage of King David. By an act of foreknowledge,
this new priesthood from the tribe of Judah was already in existence before the
birth of Christ but it was hidden through the order of Melchisedec, whose priesthood
was already in existence many generations before the Levirate priesthood. However, it
was concealed till the Christ emerged from the tribe of Judah.
“…For it is evident
that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning
priesthood. And it yet far more evident: for after that similitude of
Melchisedec there arises another priest, Who is made not after the law of a
carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.’ (Hebrew 7: 14-17)
Despite the fact that the royal priesthood after the order of
Melchisedec was concealed for many years yet the superiority of this royal priesthood
from the tribe of Judah supersedes and predates the order of Aaronic priesthood
of the Levites under the law. This was foreshadowed in the past when Melchisedec
received tithes from Abraham in the dual capacity of the priest of the Most High
God and the King of Salem, whose dominion in Salem later became a territory of
Judah after the birth of the Jewish nation. As a type of the Son of God, the
name of the high priest “Melchisedec” means “King of righteousness” while his
title as “King of Salem” means “King of Peace”.
As a type of the Son of God without beginning or ending, the genealogy of
Melchisedec was purposely not provided to portray the priesthood that has no
beginning or ending. The full historically account can be found in the book of
Genesis whereby Melchisedec the high priest of the most high God blessed
Abraham after he came back victorious from the battle field (Genesis 14: 18-20).
“FOR this Melchisedec,
king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the
slaughter of the kings and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part
of all, first by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King
of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father , without mother, without
descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life: but made like unto
the Son of God, abides a priest continually. Now consider how great this man
was, unto which even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoil.”
(Hebrews 7: 1-4)
By divine arrangement, Abraham paid tithes to the high priest
Melchisedec on behalf of his entire generations including Levi, in
acknowledgment of the superiority of his royal priesthood, which was the same
priesthood order that later re-emerged through the Christ that came
from the tribe of Judah.
“And as I may say, Levi
also, who receives tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins
of his father, when Melchisedec met him. If therefore perfection were by the
Levitical priesthood, (for under it, the people received the law) what further
need was there that another priest should arise after the order of Melchisedec,
and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed,
there is made of necessity a change also of the law
…The LORD sware and
will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec: By
so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament…Wherefore he is able also
to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives
to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7: 9-12, 21-22, 25)
The most delicate work of the Levirate priests under the Old
Testament was only performed by the descendants of Aaron, which was to
intercede for the people especially on the Day of Atonement. As the price to
pay for the penalty of sin, many animals were often sacrificed by the Levite
priests to portray the ordinance of how the Lamb of God would come and redeem
the world from the bondage of sin and death by paying the penalty for our sins
through his own death.
“For the law having a
shadow of good things to come , and not the very image of the things, can never
with those sacrifices, which they offered year by year continually, make the
comers thereunto perfect…For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of
goats should take away sins…By which will we are sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all…And every priests stands
daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never
take away sins; But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for
ever; sat down on the right hand of God…For by one offering he has perfected
forever them that are sanctified.” (Hebrews 10: 1,4, 10-12, 14)
The scriptural context above confirm how the religious
ceremonies of the Levite priests under the law were shadows that all portrayed
how the Lamb of God would come and redeem the world from the spiritual bondage
of sin and death by paying the penalty for our sins through his own death. The
proof of his innocence and justification was revealed through the power of his
resurrection over the bondage of sin and death, which led to the redemption of
the world from the bondage of sin and death. This new hope through the
resurrection was what was foreshadowed through the typology of the first fruits
and the ordinance of tithing, as discussed in the next section below.
“Who was delivered for
our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” (Romans 4: 25)
“So Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he
appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9: 28)
The Resurrection that was foreshadowed by Tithing and the First fruits Ordinances
The acts of tithing the first fruits under the Old Testament
dispensation all foreshadowed Christ’s resurrection from the dead, as the
sinners’ representative and the first fruit of the new creation. Before the
dispensation of the law was given through Moses to the Israelites, it was
customary since the beginning of times to honor the Lord with a portion of your
first fruits or increase, as a type of eternal life insurance policy and a
demonstration of faith in the resurrection of the expected Messiah. Ever since
mankind lost his place in God’s paradise, this principle that invokes divine
protection and blessings had been in existence since the days of the first
generations of Adam and Eve, as evident in the story of their sons Abel and
Cain (Genesis 4).
“Honor the Lord with
thy substance and with the firstfruits of all thine increase. So shall thy
barns be filled with plenty and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”
(Proverbs 3: 9, 10)
On the basis of the above principle and in demonstration of
faith in the resurrection, the author of Hebrews explained how Abraham on
behalf of his descendants gave witness to the resurrection by giving a tithe of
his increase to the priest of the Most High God, who was a type of the Lord
Jesus Christ. In other words, Abraham on
behalf of his entire generations gave a portion of the firstfruits of his
increase to Melchisedec the priest of the Most High God in demonstration of
faith in the coming resurrection.
“And here, men that die
receive tithes; but there HE receives them, of whom it is witnessed that HE
lives.” (Hebrews 7: 8)
The portion of the increase in form of the tithes that
Abraham cheerfully gave to Melchisedec in demonstration of his faith in the resurrection
refers to one tenth. This one tenth was the yardstick that the Lord commanded
the descendants of Abraham to give the priests under the dispensation of the
law. In other words, “tithe” simply
means a tenth portion of a person’s increase or first fruits that was given to
the priest in demonstration of faith in the resurrection, as portrayed below in
the typology of the first fruits. When a grain in form of a seed is sown into
the ground, it dies and is buried alone but the stalk it brings out as a type
of its resurrection does not bear one grain but many, which is similar to the
resurrection of Christ that was foreshadowed in the Old Testament by the
firstfruits ordinances.
“Verily, I say unto
you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground, it abides alone: but if it
dies, it brings forth much fruits.” (John 12: 24)
Furthermore, the Old Testament ceremony of the first fruits that
typifies Christ’s resurrection from the dead was done on the day after the
Sabbath, which is Sunday. The Old Testament Sabbath was Saturday and the next
day is Sunday, which coincides with the same day Christ arose from the dead as
the first fruits of the resurrection. On the day of celebration, the priest was expected to wave
the sheaf of the first fruits on behalf of the people before the Lord. This
signifies how Christ resurrected from the dead on behalf of the people as the
high priest and first fruits.
“ And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak
unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land
which I give unto you; and shall reap the harvest thereof, then shall ye bring
a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave
the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the
Sabbath the priest shall wave it.’ (Leviticus 23: 9-11).
This firstfruits ordinance described above was normally accompanied
by a celebration of triumph and consecration, as a type of the celebration of the
resurrection victory of Christ as the firstfruits. Moreover, the appearance of
the firstfruits is an assurance that the rest of the harvest would be safely
gathered at the appointed season. Similarly, the resurrection of Christ as the
firstfruits is an assurance that all the dead will be resurrected at the
appointed season (Matthew 27: 50-53, 1 Corinthians 15: 14-58).
“But now is Christ
risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For
since by man came death, by man came also resurrection of the dead. For as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But everyman in his
own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his
coming. Then comes the end…” (1Corinthians 15: 20-23)
“He that goes forth and
weeps, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing
his sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126: 6)
As mortals, the Levirate priests under the law could not
continue their duties of intercession forever because of death but the royal
priesthood from the tribe of Judah is after the power of an endless life
through the victory of resurrection over the power of death. Hence, the
superiority of the priesthood of Christ that is patterned after the order of
Melchisedec is through the power of his resurrection. In other words, the new
hope brought by the royal priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ was his
resurrection victory over the power of death that is portrayed through the
typology of firstfruits and tithing under the dispensation of the Law, as the new
hope for the whole of humanity.
“And they truly were
many priests, because they were not allowed to continue by reason of death: But
this man, because he continues ever has an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore
he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he
ever lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7: 23-24)