Priests Are Obligated to Uphold God’s Standards

The Bible puts it simply when it says of ancient priests that they were “appointed in behalf of men over the things pertaining to God.” (Hebrews 5:1) When Abraham of old served his family in this way, he helped them to “keep Jehovah’s way.”​—Genesis 18:19.

Likewise, the priesthood in ancient Israel played a critical role in upholding God’s standards. The priests were duty bound to help the nation “continue as the people of Jehovah.” (2 Chronicles 23:16) Today, just as then, God’s representatives are obliged to help their flock to ‘continue as God’s people’ and to ‘keep God’s way.’

Something similar happened to the ancient Israelites when the priests did not uphold God’s standards. He said of them: “They have become far off from me . . . And they have not said, ‘Where is Jehovah?’” And why? Because “the priests themselves did not say, ‘Where is Jehovah?’ And the very ones handling the law did not know me.” (Jeremiah 2:5-8) The prophet Zephaniah said: “The unrighteous one was knowing no shame” because the “priests themselves profaned what was holy; they did violence to the law.”​—Zephaniah 3:1-5.