Hebrews 2:17 NLT
“Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.”
The priestly ministry of Jesus Christ has done so much for our spiritual strength and access to the most High God. To better understand the weight of what Christ has done in that regard, it partly takes a thorough appreciation of how demanding it was for Israel and her high priests to go before God. Not only did it require detailed and meticulous preparation, but the life of the high priest himself was also at stake: any mishaps in the Tabernacle could result in his death! In that light, the high priest had to offer sacrifices “…first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people” (Heb 7:27 NIV). Indeed, access to God’s presence was so strict, and it heavily depended on the high priest.
When Eli was the serving high priest, the LORD was displeased with the wickedness going on in the temple. He raised Samuel to take over from Eli and promised to raise yet another high priest. That night He spoke to Samuel (1 Sam 2), God said, “…I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him a permanent and enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed forever” (1 Sam 2:35 AMP). Notice, the unnamed “faithful priest” would serve “forever”. Later, though the LORD was pleased with the family of Zadok the priest, who ministered “…faithfully in the Temple when Israel abandoned me for idols” (Eze 44:15 NLT), Zadok did not minister “forever”.
In talking about the priestly ministry of Jesus Christ, the Scriptures refer to Him as the “faithful High Priest” (as in our text), and “our eternal High Priest” (Heb 6:20 NLT). Hallelujah! Notice, the LORD also said to Samuel that “I will build him [the faithful priest] a permanent and enduring house”. Just as there has never been (and will never be) a “forever” faithful High Priest apart from Jesus Christ, indeed, there is also no “permanent and enduring house” apart from God’s house, which is the Body of Christ—the Church. That said, it was not a small thing when Jesus said that the gates of hades CANNOT prevail against His Church (Mat 16:18): God Himself had spoken of the same way earlier. We are the permanent and enduring house of God in Christ Jesus.
Pst. Emmanuel