Every institution that God established or set-up, over time, has failed. The failure was man’s, not His. God would establish an institution by Divine Statute. Divine guidelines were given in the Word of God, and certain men and their progeny were charged with the responsibility to order, direct, and maintain it.

The Jewish priesthood was instituted upon Moses having received the Law. Aaron was the first “anointed” High Priest. The high priesthood of Israel was to be hereditary and was to be inherited by the descendants of Aaron, who were of the tribe of Levi. We have already pointed out some of their functions; attending to the things of God, offering gifts and sacrifices, and acting as the mediator between Israel and God.

This series of studies is to point out the decline of the Priesthood in Israel, and to show how the nature of man is inclined to drift, steadily, away from the written Word of God. By so drifting from the Scripture, man imposes his doctrines and commandments to the extent that the Word of God becomes of none effect.

“The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.” (Proverbs 20:12)
 
Spiritual hearing and seeing is, in some ways, much more important than physical. It is only by God’s free grace that any sinners are given spiritual ears and eyes to hear and see the things of God. Most men do not think about God, in any meaningful way, for their entire lives (Ps. 10:4). Not only that, but the vast majority of men seem to be comfortable being alienated from the life of God because of the “blindness of their heart” (Eph. 4:18). Spiritual senses are given when we are regenerated. We received natural hearing and vision at birth, but we receive spiritual hearing and vision when we are “translated into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son” (Col. 1:13).

“And it shall come to pass [during the Day of Christ], that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men [who were cast into Gehenna] that have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh” (Isaiah 66:23-24).