DOMINION MANDATE DAILY DEVOTIONAL

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2022

GO SHOW YOURSELF TO THE PRIEST

BIBLE READING: LEVITICUS 14:1-32; MARK 1:44; EZEKIEL 44:30-31

"And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." Matthew 8:4(NKJV).

The Lord God Almighty is truly Worthy of our gratitude for His Faithfulness towards us this year. He alone is the One Who ensures that "the end of a thing is better than its beginning."(Ecc. 7:8). Therefore, we are still alive to thrive in the land of the living. However, even though God Himself is our Source, He has raised certain men as channels through whom we have been sustained throughout the year.

In Leviticus 14:1-32, lepers being healed of their leprosy were mandated by Moses the Lawgiver to appear before the priest with various gifts. We are made to understand that the priests played an integral role in the cleansing process proper: "And the priest shall take the lamb of the trespass offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. Then he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot."(v 24-25). By making this atonement before the Lord on behalf of the leper, the priest was establishing a premise upon which God would intervene with healing. Furthermore, the Bible validates the role of the priest by stating clearly that "the Lord your God has chosen them to minister to Him and to bless in the Name of the Lord; by their word, every controversy and every assault shall be settled." (Deut. 21:5). The gifts the lepers were mandated to give to the priests were an Expression of Thanksgiving which the priest received in the Name of the Lord. Leprosy is known to be a degenerative disease, hence the cleansing process brought about restoration to the afflicted. Since all truths are parallel, we can rightly say that the Restorative Role that priests play in our lives goes way beyond the cleansing of leprosy.

Throughout the year, areas such as health, family, business, ministry, etc., experienced a restorative boost through the ministry of authentic priests. The Scripture declares "Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in the Word and Doctrine." (1Tim. 5:17). In other words, genuine priests or pastors who have laboured well in providing Spiritual Nourishment are deemed worthy of or qualified for double the honour others such as your doctors, lawyers and public servants deserve.

In the Old Testament, the Levites were not even given a physical inheritance because "the Lord is his Inheritance." (Deut. 10:9). However, the Lord instructed the children of Israel to ensure that the Levites and priests were given a physical portion i.e., forty-eight cities to be exact, within each of their allotted territories: "Command the children of Israel that they give the Levites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession, and you shall also give the Levites common-land around the cities." (Num. 35:2). By doing this, the Lord set a Precedent for the Mandatory Sustenance of the priesthood due to the quality of service they rendered every year to Israel. By this, we can clearly see that it is forbidden to "muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." (1Cor. 9:9).

The year 2022 is fast coming to a close. We are in a Season of Thanksgiving. As we offer the Lord our heartfelt gratitude for all He has done in our lives this past year, let us do well to remember the priestly channels He used to move things on our behalf. Do not end the year without showing yourself to the priest because "by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt and by a prophet he was preserved." (Hos. 12:13).

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, to You alone we ascribe all the Thanks, Praise and Worship. O Lord, we exalt Your Name for giving us pastors according to Your Heart who feed us with Knowledge and Understanding. Please grant us a Revelation of the role of our priests in our lives that we may act appropriately and accordingly. Receive all the Honour in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.