Priests

Priests led the worship of God and offered sacrifices in the temple and tabernacle. From the time of Moses to the New Testament, all priests of Israel were from the tribe of Levi. While other nations also had priests, the Bible describes three kinds of priests of Israel:

The High Priest. Aaron was the first high priest. The high priests were to come from Aaron’s family line. The high priest, like other priests, offered sacrifices in the tabernacle and later in the temple. His most important work, however, came once a year on the Day of Atonement. On that day he put aside his beautiful clothes and put on a plain linen ephod. Then he entered the Most Holy Place to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant to offer a sacrifice for his sins and for the sins of the people. Although the high priest was meant to be the spiritual leader of Israel, the high priests Annas and Caiaphas opposed Jesus and worked to bring His death.

Priests. The sons of Aaron—Nadab, Abihu, Elezar, and Ithamar—were the first priests. Later priests were divided into twenty-four groups. They took turns working in the tabernacle and later in the temple. Only the priests could offer the sacrifices that the people brought to God. Part of these offerings went to the priests and their families. Because the priests did not own land, the Israelites were required to give one-tenth of their earnings or harvest to the tribe of Levi, and one-tenth of that was given to the priests.

Whenever someone was healed of an illness, he was to show himself to a priest. In this way, he could be allowed to worship at the tabernacle or temple.

Levites. They were assigned to help the priests take care of the tabernacle, and later the temple. Some Levites were singers and musicians; others were gatekeepers and assistants to the priests who offered sacrifices. Levites were assigned forty-eight cities where they could live and have pastureland. The Levites, in turn, were to give one-tenth of whatever they received to the priests. Levites began their service when they were twenty-five years old and worked until age fifty.