Priest vs. Prophets

by Tommy Peeler

An idea largely abandoned in this time to explain the religion of Israel is that the priests and prophets taught different ideas about what their God wanted and what was needed to be pleasing to Him.

The idea was that the priests of Israel taught a religion that emphasized ritual, sacrifice, and doing the right thing in the right way. This is epitomized by the laws on matters like sacrifices in Leviticus 1-7 (Numbers 28-29), the rituals necessary for purifying the priests (Leviticus 8-10), and cleansing lepers (Leviticus 13-14). The priests emphasized a ritual religion, we were told.

In contrast to the priests, the prophets taught a religion from the heart. In their teaching, they stressed not so much the proper rituals and sacrifices, but having the right heart and treating one’s fellow man properly. Such an emphasis is seen in passages like I Samuel 15:22; Isaiah 1:10-15; Jeremiah 7:21-26; Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8.

This explanation was always unsatisfactory to those who believed that the same God who inspired the law (Genesis-Deuteronomy) was also the God who spoke through the prophets. Certainly, God did not contradict Himself or offer conflicting visions of what was pleasing to Him.

However, it also fell out of fashion with some who did not have as high a view of the inspiration of Scripture. The reason is that there was a recognition that priests sometimes emphasized having the right heart and treating one’s fellow man properly. It is also clear that the prophets emphasized ritual, sacrifice, and doing things in the right way. These points were not meant to be either…or, but they were to be both…and points.

The priests emphasized following God from the heart and treating one’s fellow man properly. There is no book of the Bible with a higher percentage of ritual instruction than Leviticus. Yet Leviticus 19:18 says, “You shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Loving one’s neighbor as oneself includes:

• one’s mother and father (Leviticus 19:3),
• the deaf and blind (Leviticus 19:14),
• the poor and great (Leviticus 19:9-10, 15),
• and the stranger who lives among them (Leviticus 19:9-10, 33-34).

Loving one’s neighbor as oneself means:

• not stealing or lying to him (Leviticus 19:11),
• paying him the proper wages for his work (Leviticus 19:13),
• not slandering him (Leviticus 19:16),
• not hating him but confronting him about his sin (Leviticus 19:17).

The ritualistic priests seemed to be very concerned about treating one’s fellow man properly.

The prophets also stressed proper ritual and worshiping the right way. Ezekiel was a priest as well as being a prophet (Ezekiel 1:3). In his picture of a future ideal for the people of God, he envisioned an ideal temple in Ezekiel 40-48. In this temple, burnt offerings, sin offerings, and peace offerings were offered (Ezekiel 43:13-27). The proper sacrifices were to be offered at the festivals (Ezekiel 45:13-25). In this temple, a careful distinction was to be made between the circumcised and uncircumcised (Ezekiel 44:7, 9), between the Levites and the priests (Ezekiel 44:10-19), and between the clean and the unclean (Ezekiel 44:23). The prophets also stressed following the proper rituals.

The same God who wanted worship just as He asked is the same God who wanted the people to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. The same God who demanded His people treat their fellow man properly is the same God who wanted His people to carefully obey Him in the specifics.