God refers to His saints as a kingdom of priests. Why? He has given them access into His presence through Jesus Christ. Therefore, parents can make their home a sanctuary where the presence of God abides.
After the children of Israel left the land of Egypt, they crossed the Red Sea and traveled to the wilderness. They continued their journey in the wilderness until they arrived at Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. Then, when they had set up their tents at the base of the mountain, the Lord spoke to Moses and told him to say these words to the people.
“You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exod. 19:4–6).
All the families of Israel gathered around the mountain to hear the words that God would speak to them through Moses. When they heard these words, they each affirmed they would keep God’s covenant and that they would belong to Him as a people for His own possession. In fact, they made this affirmation even before they heard all the words of the covenant that God would speak to them!
According to God’s plan, every family was to belong to Him as a kingdom of priests. For the duties of the priesthood included worship and prayer, keeping the commands of the Lord, and teaching His commands to the young and the uninitiated. And as a kingdom of priests, they would center their families around His presence as they learned His ways, kept them, and faithfully taught them to the next generations.
The biblical view of parents teaching their children is likened to a teaching priest in the presence of the Lord within the sanctuary of the home. Therefore, it is of no surprise that Peter calls those who believe in Jesus a holy priesthood, and the book of Revelation says that Jesus has made us to be a kingdom of priests to our God. This is God’s desired plan for those whom He has redeemed unto Himself. It is His intended pattern for families.
How wonderful it is that God is restoring His purpose for families. He is restoring the role of parents as those who create an atmosphere in the home, in the presence of the Lord, to raise and teach their children—to pass on to them all that God has spoken and lead them into the promise of His abiding presence (John 14:23).
From “A Kingdom of Priests” in Meditations for Parents: Finding Strength and Hope in the Stories of Scripture by Christopher J Reeves, 2024.
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