THE SOUL OF A PRIEST
“I will fill the soul of the priests with abundance.” (Jeremiah 31:14, NAS)
Jeremiah 31 describes a day of redemption. (31:11) It tells of a time when “they shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,” and “I will turn their mourning into joy… and give them gladness for sorrow.” (13) It’s a day when the LORD will “make a new covenant with the house of Israel.” (31) This refers to work of Jesus: “This is the New Covenant, in My blood.”
On that day, as well, God promises to “fill the soul of the priests with abundance.” (14)
What does this mean? It’s interesting because this is the only time this phrase (“the soul of the priest”) is used in the Bible. “Soul” can mean “one’s life” in a general sense. But when referring to “someone’s soul” it’s better to think of it the way we would think of “my self.” What is my “self”? Your soul.
In biblical categories, “the soul” is that part of us that gets “filled” when the Spirit comes into our life, “satisfied” by the love of Christ; and what remains “hungry and thirsty” so long as we are separate from the LORD.
This is the imagery used by Jesus and the apostles: “Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35) “I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) “I pray that you may be filled with all the fullness of God… who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.” (Eph 3:19-20)
In short, the soul of God’s priests—who are, today, all believers (1Pet 2:5, 9)—has been filled with abundance. Or, perhaps we should say, can be filled with abundance. The necessary provisions have been delivered through the work of Jesus, by the work of the Spirit.
So there are two questions for us to consider:
First, What does it mean to have the soul of a priest? A priest works to move people closer to God and to bring God closer to people; they intercede. They see themselves situated between God and the people around them.
Therefore, to have the soul of a priest is to long to see God become more real to the people in your life and to long to see the people in your life open their lives to Him. It means that our delights and our griefs, our passions and our angers, all have to do with people and their relationship with the LORD. Like Paul in 2Corinthians 11:28, we feel “a daily pressure of anxiety" for their faith. Or as in Paul’s description of Timothy in Philippians 2:21-22, “I have no one like Timothy who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare, who seeks what Jesus is interested in.” That’s the soul of a priest.
Second, What does it mean to have my priestly-soul filled abundantly? It means to see a lot of people opening their lives to God’s work. To see lives changed by God’s grace. To turn and find one person after another blinking with newly opened eyes in the light of Christ. Person after person breathing freely as they emerge from prisons of addiction, shame, fear, and anger. To see weak believers become strong, worldly Christians returning to the disciplines, Christians in old conflicts repenting in tears and being reconciled. To see the strong caring for the weak, the wealthy giving to the poor, and everyone discovering the use of their gifts, bringing delight to the body. To see suffering saints persevere and the church celebrating faithfulness and honoring humility. Doesn't that sound wonderful?
To have the soul of a priest is to seek first the Kingdom of God. To have that soul filled abundantly is to find the Kingdom of God thick, all around you.
The Thanksgiving holiday can be awkward for American Christians. While we do give thanks to God for providing for us, the world has shifted this a bit so that Thanksgiving becomes less about God's provision and more about our consumption. For many, it's a holiday of multiple kinds of gluttony. So while we don't want to lose an appreciation for "our daily bread," let's add this simple recognition: that our God supplies all our needs in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19) "In Christ Jesus": that's where our needs are truly met. Jesus is the true source of all blessings. Let us remember Jesus this Thanksgiving, His provisions, His interests, His heart: He gives us so much. Many are starving this holiday season, but not mainly for food.
May we have the souls of priests. May our souls be filled abundantly.
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
