12. Why should we appreciate the work of the anointed?

¹² Each of us might ask, ‘Do I appreciate the example set by the anointed over their many years of faithful service? Do I imitate their faith?’ It is good for those of the great crowd to remember that they will not always have the anointed with them here on earth. Of the priests in Ezekiel’s vision, Jehovah said: “No possession [of land] should you people give them in Israel: I am their possession.” (Ezekiel 44:28) Similarly, the anointed have no everlasting place on earth. They have a heavenly inheritance, and those of the great crowd view it as a privilege to support and encourage them while they are still here on earth.​—Matthew 25:34-40; 1 Peter 1:3, 4.

15. (a) How does Ezekiel’s vision shed light on the relationship between elders who are of the great crowd and the anointed priestly class? (b) What lead have anointed elders taken in God’s earthly organization?

¹⁵ What, though, is the relationship today between the anointed priestly class and such older men who, as part of the great crowd, are serving in positions of oversight? Ezekiel’s vision suggests that the elders who are members of the great crowd have a supportive and subordinate role, while the anointed take the spiritual lead. How so? Remember, the priests in the vision were given the responsibility to instruct the people in spiritual matters. They were also told to act as judges in legal cases. Additionally, the Levites were assigned to “posts of oversight” in the temple gates. (Ezekiel 44:11, 23, 24) Clearly, the chieftain was to submit to the spiritual services and leadership of the priests. It is fitting, then, that in modern times the anointed have taken the lead in pure worship. For example, the members of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses have been chosen from among them. Such faithful anointed elders have been training the developing chieftain class for decades, preparing prospective members of this class for the day when they will be delegated their full measure of authority in God’s new world to come.