Prophet, Priest and King
Sunday 18th June 2023
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I will raise up for them a prophet … and I will put my words in his mouth (Deuteronomy 18:18).
We have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God (Hebrews 4:4).
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16, NIV)
Prophet, Priest and King
You are perhaps familiar with the three ‘offices’ of Christ, the three roles he fills, the three things he does as our Messiah, the anointed one? He is our prophet, our priest and our king.
The three-fold office is there, for example (along with a further seven names for Jesus!), in this verse from John Newton’s hymn How sweet the name of Jesus sounds:
Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend,
my Prophet, Priest and King;
my Lord, my life, my way, my end –
accept the praise I bring.
Apart from acknowledging that he is our prophet, priest and king and sometimes singing of it, what are we to do with it? What difference does it make that he is each of these three things? And what is the difference between them anyway?
Here is one example, taken from a prayer by David Clarkson who was a pastor in Surrey and then London in the 17th century (from Into His Presence: Praying with the Puritans, Tim Chester).
Lord God, by faith I plead the offices of Christ.
Christ is my King, anointed and crowned for me,
coming to his kingdom that he might govern me.
Christ is my Prophet, anointed by his Spirit,
that he might instruct me.
Christ is my Priest, consecrated for my sake,
that he might satisfy the guilt of my sin.
There I will be confident:
as a king, he is able;
as a prophet, he is wise;
as a priest, he is willing.
…
When lusts are strong, and temptations are violent;
when grace is weak, and God’s ways seem unpleasant, be my king.
When I am ignorant, and wanting means of grace,
in danger of being seduced, and perplexed in my mind, be my prophet.
When I sense God’s wrath, and the guilt of my sin, be my priest,
and assure me of the satisfaction you have made for my sin.
When I sense the pollution of sin corrupting my person and my service, be my priest,
and assure me of your intercession which always prevails. Amen.
It is fair to say that this is not often the way I pray! We have much to learn from these saints of old. Why not use this prayer in your own devotions this coming week?
Yours warmly, in Christ,
Chris Hobbs (Senior Minister)