Who Was the First Priest in the Bible?
Melchizedek
Melchizedek is one of the first priests in the Bible, but he wasn’t born a priest. His father, Shem, died before he was born. He was a man, however, and he was appointed by God as the first priest to serve his people. Israel’s priestly traditions placed great importance on the priest’s genealogy, as it proved his qualifications.
Melchizedek was born 2000 BC, which is quite a bit later than the writing of Leviticus. His priesthood began long after Abraham’s time, but he continues to serve as a mediator between God and Abraham. In the Old Testament, he is referred to as a high priest in the temple. He was even given ten percent of Abraham’s possessions, which he uses to bless the people.
Melchizedek was also a prefiguration of Christ. His priestly order was different from that of Levi, and he was more ancient than him. Psalm 110 is an example of how Melchizedek’s priesthood prefigured that of the Messiah.
The name Melchizedek derives from a Semitic root that means “king.” It also means “peace.” In addition to being the first priest in the Bible, he also served as an example of holiness. Despite living in an age of idolatry, Melchizedek stood firm in the faith of God.
Melchizedek was a priest of God and he offered two blessings to Abraham. He recognized that Abraham had won because of God, and Abraham had refused to accept honor from the king of Sodom, but accepted the honor from Melchizedek. He did so to honor God, for his miraculous victory.
Abiathar
Abiathar was a Jewish priest who served under the king David. He kept the ephod and administered the Urim and Thummin when David sought direction from the Lord. He also served as a priest to the men of David’s court when they went into hiding. Abiathar may have also been the first high priest of the Temple of Jerusalem. The priestly role was a vital role in the life of David, and he was an important figure in his life.
Abiathar was the son of Ahimelech, who served as high priest at Nob during the time of Saul. He was related to Eli and descendent of Abram, and was one of the only priests to survive the massacre. Abiathar later fled to David with the sacred ephod and gave him advice.
The story of Abiathar is very interesting. While there are numerous theories about him, none of them is entirely convincing. In 1883, Thomas M. Lindsay wrote about the incident, arguing that Abiathar wasn’t actually the first priest in the bible.
Interestingly, Abiathar was the first high priest of Israel. However, Solomon banished him to Anathoth because of his attempt to bring Adonijah to the throne. Afterwards, the priesthood passed to his son, Zadok.
Abiathar had several roles in the life of David. He was one of his chief officials in the early years of the kingdom. He served as a high priest for his people, and was also responsible for carrying the Ark of the Covenant to the new sanctuary. The ephod was a powerful tool for divining the will of God.
Zadok was also a high priest of the temple in the time of King David. His dynasty lasted for eighty years and continued until a period of time after Solomon. During the rebellion of Absalom, the ark was under the control of Abiathar and Zadok, who were also tasked with bringing David messages.
Zadok
Zadok was not always a priest. He was also a mighty warrior. He ruled over captains and hundreds of men. He was also close to King David, so he was likely to have learned a great deal from him. This is a great example of a man who was loyal to the will of God.
While Zadok was not an Anglican priest, he was certainly a pillar of the priesthood. In fact, his name is prominent in the history of the priesthood in ancient Israel. While many of the accounts of Zadok are ambiguous, there are four great lessons we can learn from him.
First of all, we can learn that Zadok is a Levite, one of the first priests of the Old Testament. In fact, the Hebrew word for ‘Levites’ (Tsodek) is related to the word for ‘righteous.’ It also means ‘charity.’ Thus, Zadok is a symbol of righteousness and charity.
Zadok is mentioned in the Bible several times. He was the chief priest of the Aaronite priests until 167 BCE, when he was deposed by King Adonijah. His descendants rose to prominence in the priesthood, and one of their descendants was Azariah.
Zadok’s sons later became royal priests and kings in the Kingdom. Zadok’s grandson Azariah was later to be a prince for King Solomon. His family was very successful in the kingdom of God. It is evident that God’s people have a great calling. Zadok and his descendants are examples of successful priesthood.
David was a good man, but he didn’t like people who remained loyal to him. Nevertheless, he remained faithful to God. He was also loyal to his king.
Eleazar
According to the Bible, Eleazar was the third son of Aaron. He married the daughter of Putiel, the uncle of Moses. Moses was designated as the first priest of the people of Israel. Initially, all Levites could serve as priests, but later, Moses decided that only Aaron could serve as the High Priest. Aaron was also a scribe.
The Bible mentions Eleazar only indirectly, but the story of him is woven throughout the book. The Bible says he was a mentor of Moses and Aaron. He also played a part in purifying the censers after the rebellion of Korah. He hammered the holy censers into plates, reminding the Israelites to not become like Korah.
After Aaron died, Eleazar had the power to distribute priestly offices. Poor priests would appeal to him to get priestly positions. His family would serve as the priests until the days of Eli, but Eli destroyed them. He then passed on the priestly office to the Ithamar family, whose descendants later became the descendants of Ahimelech.
Eleazar was the third son of Aaron. He married the daughter of Putiel. He had no children of his own. In the Bible, he was the head of Levitical families. He was also the chief of the principal Levites and oversaw the sanctuary.
Eleazar is mentioned 60 times in the Bible. He was an important man who helped Moses during the second census. He also served with Moses and Joshua during the division of the land of Canaan.
Phinehas
The Bible mentions two men with the same name. The first Phinehas is recorded in 1 Samuel as a wicked son of Eli, and the second was a priest. Despite their differences in religious zeal, both men had the same goal: to force the Lord to bless the Israelites. In addition, the Bible mentions that both Phinehas were killed in battle by the Philistines. It is unclear why God allowed both of them to die, but it appears that the brothers had a purpose. They had carried the Ark of the Covenant into battle. That was a blatant attempt to force the Lord to favor the Israelites.
The book of Numbers mentions Phinehas as the grandson of Eleazar, who was the first priest in the Bible. He is also in charge of signaling bugles and holy vessels. Interestingly, it is unclear why Moses and his brother Aaron were not chosen instead of Phinehas, although scholars believe that it was because Moses had already started fighting. As a result, they were a disgrace to the priestly office. However, the bible says that both men were great healers and had the ability to calm storms.
The Psalmist praises Phinehas’ ability to perform the tasks of judgment and reward. The Apocrypha also praises Phinehas’s accomplishments. As the son of Eleazar, Phinehas ranks third in glory after Eleazar and Salu. The Bible also says that he was the chief of the Korahites.
When Eli’s sons failed to do their jobs, the people began to blame their father for this. Eli had been a good father, but his sons were unfaithful. He neglected his parental duties. His sons mishandled the sacred items and treated them badly.