Theological Journal – August 19 SK’s Provocations

“What I really lack is to be clear in my mind what I am to do, not what I am to know, except in so far as a certain understanding must precede every action. The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wishes me to do…What good would it do me if the truth stood before me, cold and naked, not caring whether I recognized her or not, and producing in me a shudder of fear rather than a trusting devotion? Must not the truth be taken up into my life? That is what I now recognize as the most important thing.”

Royal Priests

I’m not a prophet nor the son of a prophet. But I know who you are and what you are to do with your life. Let me say that again: I know who you are and what you are to do with your life. And if you’ll give me 10 minutes I tell you. That’s all, 10 minutes. I’m not selling anything or asking you to support anything. I want only 10 minutes of your time. If you don’t want to hear what I have to say, fine. Go on your merry way. But if you’ve spent any time wondering who you really are and whether you’re doing something that aligns with who you truly are, take a listen. It might be the most important thing you ever hear. Not because I’m saying it – heavens no! But because of what is said. It’s nothing I thought up on my own. I’m not that smart. Nor did I receive it directly from God. I’m not that holy. I got this from a variety of folks who in the last 30 years or so have taught us to read the Bible better than we ever did before. I borrowed freely from them and that’s why I offer it freely to you.

We’ve spent so much time worrying and arguing over whether Genesis 1 and 2 square with modern science or not that we’ve completely - yes, completely, I say – missed the point of these stories. And it’s in them, read rightly as a version of ancient origins stories common to all the nations around Israel, that we find our real identity and vocation as God’s people.

If we read them in the context of these ancient creation stories we discover something remarkable. Like many of them, the Genesis accounts, tell a story of the deity building a temple in which to dwell. Usually on a mountain where it was thought heaven and earth met. Building a temple was the last step after a deity had won a major battle, and been acclaimed as a people’s Sovereign. You see, there’s nothing “scientific” in the sense we understand the word about these stories. If there was, the ancient author of Genesis and his readers would not have a clue what they were reading. But for Israel to tell their creation story as one of their God, sovereign over all things, crafting his world as a temple in which he would dwell with his creatures and “rest” in it as the 7^th day of creation has it would make complete sense to ancient author and reader alike.

I can’t in my 10 minutes lay out the evidence for this. If interested I’d be happy to point you to some of it. But for now, give me the benefit of the doubt that I am right about this. Interestingly, when we read in Ezekiel 28:13,14 that the garden of Eden was on a mountain (likely assumed rather than stated by the writer of Genesis), the suspicion grows we are on the right track. Creation is God’s temple (and BTW also his royal palace as the Great King; the same word in Hebrew can be translated either temple or palace).

Now if this is so, what role are human beings, you and I, to play in this temple/palace creation? We’re getting closer to who you are and what your to do in this world, I promise. Some ancient deities created humans to be their gophers and do the basic maintenance tasks and grunt work they didn’t care to do. Humans were a scruffy bunch, however. According to one nation’s creation story they made so much noise the gods tired of them and wanted to do away with them. I’ll leave it to you to google that story to see how it turned out.

In the Bible’s account humans are created in “God’s image” (Gen.1:26,28). This phrase, clarified in the recent study I referred to above, means humanity are God’s children - they bear the family likeness! - and serve as his representatives in his world to reflect his character, will, and way everywhere they go and in everything they do.

Further - yes, there’s more - further, as residents in God’s creational temple God appoints them as priests. Adam and Eve are the first priests of creation and so too are we who with them are created in God’s image. So human beings, far from gophers of the gods doing the dirty work the latter wouldn’t deign to do, are royal priests.

Royal priests. And that, friends, is who human beings, you and I, are! Ever thought of yourself like that! I doubt it.

Royal priests. That’s who we are, male and female equally and alike. Say that to yourself, “I am a royal priest.” Say it again to get comfortable with that reality. “I am a royal priest.” Above and beyond any other view of yourself that you or others have used to define you, you are royal priests!

Okay, you say, I can buy that – I’m a royal priest. But what does that mean? What do royal priests do? Glad you asked. Here’s Genesis’s answer.

-God charges humanity made in his image to have “dominion” over the creation. To shape it and guide it to its full flourishing. “Stewardship” is the churchy word for it. That doesn’t mean doing anything we want to the creation but rather caring for it, respecting its reality and integrity, and serving as God’s agents fulfilling his intention for his world.

-And that means we share in the divine temple-building. When we read in Genesis 2 about a river flowing out of Eden branching into four other rivers to irrigate the then uninhabited world, we learn God intends for humanity to live beyond Eden and fill the earth. God’s temple is to be extended as far as humanity goes, indeed, to the very ends of the globe. Humanity as royal priests, then, will extend the boundaries of this creational temple as they go. This whole world, in all its earthiness, will be God’s home with us. And as we care for it, treat it and its creatures with respect, care for one another, love and serve God and lead others in doing so, we help extend the creation temple as God intends.

-Rulers in the ancient world often placed images or statues of themselves in temples throughout their empires to remind its inhabitants who their ruler was. As divine image-bearers spread throughout the world, we too are God’s representatives reminding our part of the world through who we are and how we act that others and the world belong to God.

-As priests we stand in the world as mediators. We bring God and Gods’ concerns to the world and at the same time take the concerns, hurts, and desires of our world to God. As such mediators we hold our world, even those who reject or deny God in it, within the field of God’s grace and mercy.

Well, that’s at least a start. You can keep working out these implications. What I want to say in closing is this: your identity and vocation as royal priests is what your life, and mine, are all about. However we earn a living, pursue a career (or not), fulfill whatever dreams we may have for ourselves (or not), however all that works out and wherever we end up we serve there as royal priests. In whatever corner of this creational temple God places us, however exalted or menial it may seem to us, we have important, crucial work to do there (some of which I outlined above). You will have to work out and pray over the specific shape your royal priesthood will take in your time and place as I do in mine. But we must do it. That’s why we’re here and the world desperately needs our priestly and royal ministry. This is God’s will for your life and mine. We need seek no other.

My 10 minutes are probably up. But there you have it. Who you are and what you are to do with your life is the one double-edged question each of must wrestle our way to clarity on. And in Jesus Christ, the true and original image or royal priest in God’s creational temple, and his grace you and I and those with whom we share life will do so. But only if we know that’s what we’re supposed to do! And now you do. May the Lord be with you.