Following on the heels of yesterday’s post, I wanna expound a bit more on the High Priest situation as it existed during the time of 1st Samuel Chapter 14.
I said there were actually two High Priests in existence when Saul came to power: one from the legitimate line of Eleazar and one from the illegitimate line of Ithamar.
And right now, the current High Priest was Achiyah who was from the illegitimate line of Ithamar.
Now, when Saul came to power, he could’ve removed Achiyah and installed a proper Torah-ordained High Priest from the line of Eleazar.
In other words, he could’ve done what was right.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he decided to let Achiyah continue on as High Priest.
Why?
The answer is political favoritism.
See Eli’s family (Achiyah’s line) was aligned with the 8-tribe northern coalition, and Saul’s tribe Benjamin was part of that same alliance.
So naturally, the Benjamites accepted and recognized Achiyah as their High Priest, and happily ignored the High Priest from the legitimate line.
Of course, Saul wasn’t about to cause conflict because he wanted to maintain loyalty among his people.
However, a couple of chapters later, things get really interesting.
When King Saul gets killed on the battlefield, David will become the new King.
And guess who he’ll install as the new High Priest.
A man named Zadok who was operating during Saul’s time as a direct competitor to Achiyah, and was of the proper God-ordained line of Eleazar.
However, he was NOT accepted nor recognized as High Priest by the northern tribes for the political reasons I just explained.
But he was accepted by the two southern tribes.
Remember, David hailed from the tribe of Judah (one of the two southern tribes).
So it was only natural that once David took the throne, he booted out Achiyah, the illegitimate high priest, and replaced him with Zadok.
Now, there’s a huge takeaway here I don’t want you to overlook.
From God’s perspective what David did was the proper thing to do.
However, David was just acting politically.
The Scriptures may not explain all the details about how certain governmental and political changes come about.
But the bottom line is this: God works behind the scenes to fulfill His divine plan, even when people are unaware of His involvement.
In His own time, God rewards the good and punishes the wicked, gradually bringing balance and guiding humanity toward a kingdom led by the Messiah, as prophesied in the last days.
Until next time.
Where in Torah does it say that Eleazar was the legitimate high priest and Ithamar was not?
Aaron and all his sons were priests and were consecrated together!
Are you referring to the death of Aaron when God told Moses to take the garments off Aaron and put them on Eleazar?
If Eli was an illegitimate priest, why did God place Samuel under his tutelage in preparation for the transition to an earthly king?
QUESTION:
Where in Torah does it say that Eleazar was the legitimate high priest and Ithamar was not?
ANSWER:
The legitimacy of Eleazar and Ithamar as high priests can be found in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in the Torah. In the book of Exodus, there is a passage that establishes Eleazar as the legitimate high priest. This passage can be found in Exodus 28:1, which states:
“Take Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, that he may serve me as priest—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.”
In this verse, Eleazar is mentioned as one of the legitimate sons of Aaron, designated to serve as a priest. However, Nadab and Abihu, the other two sons of Aaron, died before producing offspring, which left only Eleazar and Ithamar as the surviving sons who would carry on the priestly lineage.
Ithamar is also mentioned as a legitimate priest, but the primary line of high priests would continue through Eleazar and his descendants. This passage serves as the foundation for the division of the priestly duties between the descendants of Eleazar and Ithamar within the Levitical priesthood.
QUESTION:
If Eli was an illegitimate priest, why did God place Samuel under his tutelage in preparation for the transition to an earthly king?
ANSWER:
God has always worked through imperfect men despite their shortcomings.
Thanks for your response, but I still do not see any clear distinction being made between Eleazar and his brother…they are both listed together along with Nadab and Abihu,.All of Aaron’s sons were consecrated together as priests…you say this verse serves as a foundation for the division of priestly duties?
How does it do that?
According to who and what scriptures?
Hi Ed,
I understand your confusion.
The High Priesthood in ancient Israel was primarily passed down through the line of Aaron, and more specifically, through his sons Eleazar and his descendants.
The scriptural evidence for this can be found in the Book of Exodus, specifically in Exodus 28:1 and Exodus 29:9, which mention the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests.
Exodus 28:1 (NIV):
“Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests.”
Exodus 29:9 (NIV):
“Then put the turban on his head and attach the sacred emblem to the turban.”
These verses establish the initial consecration of Aaron and his sons, which includes Eleazar and Ithamar.
However, in Leviticus 6:22 (NIV), it is specifically noted that Eleazar is to succeed Aaron as High Priest:
“The son who is to succeed him as anointed priest shall prepare it. It is the Lord’s perpetual share and is to be burned completely.”
This verse implies that the High Priest’s line would come from Aaron and his descendants, with Eleazar being the one to succeed Aaron.
While both Eleazar and Ithamar were consecrated as priests, the High Priesthood’s succession was to go through the line of Eleazar.
There are instances in the Hebrew Bible where High Priests from the line of Ithamar served, such as Eli and his descendants.
But as I pointed out, that is NOT in line with Torah, and thus a FALSE line.
Keep in mind, I’m not talking about the general priesthood here, but the position of “High” Priest.
The primary and more common line for the High Priesthood was through Eleazar’s descendants.
Be blessed.
Rich