Thoughts on prophet, priest, and king

In looking at the site meter I noticed that many readers find and click into my journal from Google searches for prophet, priest, and king. The concept is intriguing or intimidating, or both.

The thought that I need to learn how to be prophet, priest, and king in my home catches me off guard. The culture around us has tamed us into being “really nice guys.” In the entertainment media fathers are universally presented as clueless and irrelevant dopes. In the politically correct world patriarchy has been falsely reinterpreted to represent authoritarian abuse of women and children.

Also I think we have inherited from our first father the sin of passivity (or is it just plain laziness?) and have to work at being on top of things and leading our families in a godly way. We also have to struggle with selfishness and differentiation issues.

So how do we think of prophet, priest, and king in the modern context? I think you have to see the roles from the biblical intention, what God had in mind for each of these. Then I think you can make application.

The first prophets were seers, who had ecstatic experiences and spoke as the Holy Spirit gave utterance. Later they became messengers of God’s word to kings, interpreting Scripture. Prophets see and hear what God is saying and tell others so they can make good decisions. They use their wisdom and experience to “see” into the future and understand what will happen if we remain on a particular course. Prophets are eccentric and sometimes harsh in making a point.

Priest is advocate. Our best example of patriarch as priest is of course Job, who was concerned that his adult children might sin against God in their ongoing partying. So he offered sacrifices on their behalf continually. Sacrifice is the fundamental basis of worship, or approaching God. Under the Jewish order animal sacrifices were sufficient. In the church, only self-sacrifice, in the footsteps of Jesus, will do.

God meant for kings to be shepherds, or leaders of the flocks. Shepherds lead, groom, and provide healthcare for sheep so they will be profitable when presented at market. What goes into the development of sheep is intended to influence how profitable they will be later on. Shepherding people means discipling. Relationship. Pointing to a future direction.

See how these relate together? Prophet hears from God, while priest approaches God. King takes what has come from God and bestows into the lives of those in his charge.

It occurs to me that to do a good job as prophet, priest, and king, we need to be men of prayer. Which is a hard thing to do because our feminized world confuses prayer with long, wordy entreaties done just so. More than once I have heard the phrase, “I am not a praying man.”

So how can men pray? I’ll give that some thought and get back to you next week.

Love me tender, love me true

As I continue the series on they way of a man with a maid, recall that to this point I have written of what a godly man does to help his wife submit to him. Remember that when everything is working right, the man initiates and the woman follows. Man was created first, then the woman. Man was given mission and moral compass, and woman was created from his side to live by his side in pursuit of mission and moral. I believe the degree of submission a woman is able to freely attain is directly related to the effort a man puts into gaining her respect, earning her trust, and ensuring her security.

I’m wondering if all the effort I put into earning my wife’s submission is part of the command for me to love my wife. Paul admonished Ephesian husbands to love their wives “as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her” (Eph. 5:25).

Love is universally misunderstood. Despite what our culture tells you, love has little to do with warm fuzzies and sentimental notions brought on by a rush of hormones. Although feelings are great, genuine love remains long after the euphoria of romance fades. To love is to remain unconditionally committed to someone. It is a covenantal relationship. In marriage it is a patriarchal relationship. It is a relationship in which a man is heavily invested in the care and protection of his wife and all who are under his authority.

Love your wife as Christ loved the church. Jesus invested his earthly ministry in a few men and gave them authority and power to continue the work. Then he went to the cross to complete the sacrificial system, pay the sin debt of humanity, and then pave the way for the beginning of the church. This suggests that a husband’s love is sacrificial in that he puts aside his own interests to tend the greater needs of his wife and family.

So exactly how is it that a man should love his wife? Let’s look to the text of Ephesians chapter 5 for some clues . . .

Teach. A husband teaches his wife, indicating a need to be the spiritual leader and teacher of the household. Remember prophet, priest, and king? Too many times, due to the man’s inaction and passivity, the wife becomes spiritually advanced and then is tempted to take spiritual matters into her own hands. When this happens she openly disrespects her husband and does not fully submit to him. But this usually has something to do with the fact that the man’s love failed because he did not keep ahead. He was too proccupied with other things. I am convinced a husband needs to study the Scriptures and be versed in the various points of view in order to be conversant on spiritual matters and to be able to answer the questions of wife and children. How could you become the teacher of your household?

Cherish. The Greek word in the text comes from a root which means to warm or to heat, indicating the warmth of genuine affection. While you need sex, your wife needs affection and warmth. She is more willing to respond sexually (submit) when her needs for affection are met. I believe you meet those through respectful manners, kind words and deeds, and expressions of love and devotion that touch her heart. Give attention to the romance of the relationship. I note that a young suitor often expresses love in romantic ways to win his girl’s affection, but often forgets to do that after the wedding. Love your wife by continuing the romance, wooing her over and over again.

Sanctify. To sanctify means to set apart. You sanctify your wife be making her feel special, your one-and-only. Your wife needs to feel you are particularly devoted to her, that she is the most cherished and beautiful person to you in the world. She needs to feel that your expressions of love (verbal and physical) are genuine and directed to her.

The important thing to remember about the way of a man with a maid is that it is a relationship cycle or system, where the efforts of one affect the efforts of the other. Remember the principle: man initiates, woman responds. The way of a man with a maid is that a godly man pursues a woman he believes he can love with his whole heart for the rest of his life, and he declares his love and devotion to her. If she is convinced he truly loves her and is devoted to caring for her, she responds and submits through respect, trust, and feeling secure. This is an emotional response.

Through the years of marriage the cycle should tighten as the man continually demonstrates his love for her. She deepens her respect, trust, and sense of security and well-being. It should only get better.

Next week: Thoughts of love and sex in the marriage relationship. Warning, this one will be for mature audiences only, so be advised.

Seasons of life

I went with three of my daughters to the Rebelution Do Hard Things conference a few weeks ago. Rebelution is the project of twins Alex and Brett Harris (age 20) who as teenagers published the book Do Hard Things to encourage their peers to not accept the low expectations the culture places on youth, and to aspire to significant accomplishment as youth.

At the conference I ran into their dad, Gregg Harris, an old friend and pioneer in the home school movement. Gregg now heads the Noble Institute for Leadership Development and is teaching elder of Household of Faith Community Church in Portland, Ore. We talked about changes in our lives and how we both seemed to be moving into new things. Gregg said, “We are moving into a different season of life.” When he said that my mind went back ten years, to a time I had heard Gregg speak on the seasons of life.

I have reflected often on the concept of the seasons of life. I have felt the uneasiness of transition from one to another. I am coming to realize that when we move from one to the other another time of separation and inner alignment is called for so that we can successfully make the transition with minimal anxiety. It seems the masculine way requires continual separation and reflection, connecting in new fully defined ways. We are never quite “there.”

Gregg speaks of four seasons of life I’d like to mention, with my own reflections. To me they speak of the development of patriarchy and maturity in our lives as we continue on the path of becoming more like Christ.

Preparation. From childhood until the time we marry and begin having children we live in a period of preparation, where first responsibility is being student. We are learning all we can to prepare for life. We begin to venture out into the world and attempt to find our place. We begin to learn who we are as an individual.

I am convinced the best transition point out of preparation and into the next season needs a defining moment, a coming of age trial and ritual. Here is where our first separation should occur, where we go away from family and familiar way of life to find our identity and calling before God, where we define who we will be and how we will relate. Confession: I did not get to have such a period, and I am now convinced it severely slowed my progress. This is critical to moving into adulthood. I am equally convinced we have many immature adult men because they also did not have this kind of transition.

Production. The next season begins when we transition into adult life. We take a wife, establish a household, begin having children. We learn responsibility and we learn how to become productive. The main emphasis at this time is household and community. We become the patriarch by living out prophet, priest, and king as we raise our children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

The transition is when our children grow up and marry, and begin having children. We realize everything changes and we take on new roles as advisors. We become grandparents. It is hard for me to believe I will be a grandpaw in December! Transitioning out of this phase can bring about what we call “midlife crisis.” We begin to realize we are aging and that many of the goals we set in our youth will not be accomplished. Any errors we made with our children will become obvious and painful.

Provision. Having built our household and earning potential we move into a time of greater wealth production. Children are growing up and we can begin getting involved in other pursuits. If we have been maturing, we can put our accumulated wisdom to work in community efforts. This is the time when we earn eldership, where people begin to look to us for counsel. A young man approached me not long ago for counsel on particular matters. He said he wanted the wisdom of an “older man.” It is good to become active in church eldership at this time, because this is when we have the practical wisdom to contribute value to leadership conversations and decisions.

The transition from here is when we anticipate retirement. We become aware something has changed. Our energy may not be where it was, or we simply want to go in a new direction. Here another masculine separation is necessary to gain a perspective of how to relate in a new season.

Protection. The last season of life is what Gregg Harris calls protection. He refers to this as the time when we can lend the strength of our experience and wisdom to the community around us in government policy that protects us from harm. I think history shows our country’s best statesmen have been those in their 60s and 70s.

Our culture wants to devalue the contribution of those with experience. It wants to appeal to a younger generation unfortunately lacking in experience and wisdom, and totally consumed with self gratification. Our societal problems will stem from this significant error.

Lived out faithfully and with integrity, these four seasons of life are the stuff of patriarchy. Learn about the seasons, do all you can to live into the season you are in now, and when it is time to prepare for the next, separate enough to discover how to transition well.

Patriarch as priest

We protestants have a hard time with the concept of priest. We think of a man in a black shirt with a white collar, and we might say, maybe with a tinge of pride, something about the priesthood of all believers.

That does not do away with the biblical concept of priesthood and its application to our lives. Jesus remains the “Apostle and High Priest of our confession” (Heb. 3:1). God did not do away do away with the role and responsibility of priesthood in our lives. The function is still there and necessary.

In Hebrew thought a priest is a mediator between God and people. Someone who represents God to the people through word and sacrament, and who represents the people to God through prayer and sacrifice. The concept was described by Jethro for Moses: “Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do” (Ex. 18:19, 20).

For example in applying the concept of patriarchy we look to Job, the righteous man of the east who feared God and eschewed evil. He had grown sons and daughters who enjoyed each other’s company (fancy that among siblings!) and met at each other’s house regularly for a barbecue. Job regularly interceded for them and offered sacrifice for them, because, he said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts” (Job 1:5). Job assumed patriarchal responsibility for things that might have occured in his household, among his children, even without his personal knowledge or involvement.

Let’s see how patriarchal priesthood might look for us:

Prayer. Based on Job’s example, we husbands and fathers are responsible before God for praying for our families. This is difficult because many men do not feel they pray well. The example they have had is women praying long, wordy prayers, and most men aren’t wordy. For the prayerophobes among us let me assure you, on the word of Jesus, that prayer need not be wordy, lengthy, or flowery. It can be brief and to the point. Also, it can be written and recited from memory. Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer to the disciples for that purpose. We can use a prayer book, and we can write our own prayers to use every day. God is interested in the heart and obedience, not huge prayer vocabulary. Simple. To-the-point. Heartfelt. Intercessory.

Here is a wonderful prayer, straight from the Book of Common Prayer, that I use with the family every day. It is brief, to the point, and says it all:

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

What if you were to substitute the word us with the name of your respective family members? Powerful, effective, simple. Most of all, obedient and priestly.

Word.  This may overlap with the prophetic role, but refers to reading and explaining the Scriptures. Sometimes men don’t read the Bible because they aren’t good readers. They may not have been taught much about the Bible themselves. Or they might not know what to read in the Bible.

These need not be problems. If reading ability is an issue ask your wife or older children to read. Use Bible on CDs to listen to selected passages, or maybe some of the dramatized Scriptures on DVD. You don’t actually have to do it as much as you need to be sure it is done. There are several reading plans out there. Find one that works for you. I use the Lectionary for preaching at church, and the daily lectionary that goes with it to keep all the themes consistent.

Sacrament. This usually refers to administering God’s grace. In Hebrew practice fathers always presided over the weekly sabbath celebrations and the annual Passover celebrations. They taught their children spiritual principles and how to apply them to life.

In Protestant Christianity sacrament usually means Holy Communion and baptism. I regularly recruit people from the congregation to help me serve communion, and I get fathers to help me baptize their children. These are wonderful ways fathers can be involved sacramentally with their families.

Sacrifice. Priests offer sacrifice, and so do we. Jesus became sacrifice, and so must we. Patriarchal responsibility often means we set aside our plans, agendas, and dreams to ensure that wife is loved and children are nurtured in the admonition of the Lord. As I mentioned in another journal entry, the hope deferred experienced by men applies here.

But the obvious applies, too. We need to be sacrificial in giving to the church, and teaching our children the importance of giving to God’s kingdom through the church.

The priestly function of fathers cannot be overstated. The book of Acts records the powerful influence two pagan fathers had on their families when they became believers. Luke describes the Roman centurian Cornelius as “a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always” (Acts 10:2). He notes that when Peter arrived he gathered his family to hear the good news.

Luke also tells us about the Philippian jailer, on duty during the night guarding Paul and Silas, who were loudly praying and singing hymns from within the prison. Suddenly an earthquake occured and the jailer thought prisoners were escaping. When Paul assured him otherwise, the jailer rushed to them to ask how he might be saved. Paul promised the jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Luke is careful to tell us, “when [the jailer] had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household” (see Acts 16:25-34).

There is something powerful about a committed patriarchal father with firm faith that encourages his household. That is why we must be priests of our homes in the true patriarchal sense.

Prophet, priest, and king

We have noted before that patriarch means “rule of the father,” and that ruling in biblical thought actually means guidance by teaching, praying, and leading. We discipline and direct our masculine strength into these areas on behalf of our families. It is a sacred trust, not to be abused, overlooked, or abandoned. There can be no such thing as a lazy, passive, or disobedient patriarch. We live into the role of patriarch by intentional diligence, initiative, and obedience.

Let me observe that if we have the responsibility to do these things then we have an anointing to do these things. That is, we are set apart (separated in the masculine sense), sanctified, directed, and empowered into these functions. Could it be that the much-needed separation from family of origin (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:5; Mk. 10:7, 8; Eph. 5:31), and spending time apart from them to discover our identity and direction for life, somehow is the place where God imparts this anointing on us before we are joined to a wife? Could it be that we need to have these roles and boundaries clearly defined before we are married? Could it be that separation and solitude are necessary to eliminate the distraction and confusion of unbroken ties (i.e., “apron strings”) when new vision is being set?

I know that Jesus received his anointing at his baptism and immediately went to the wilderness, alone, for 40 days and nights, “to be tempted by the devil.” From there he returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus then functioned in three roles: prophet, priest, and king. First he was the prophet to Galilee, sent to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then he was priest, going to Jerusalem to become the “lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” and the once-for-all sacrifice for the sins of humanity. He continues to be our priest, sitting at God’s right hand, interceding for us. At his resurrection and ascension he became the king of all, and now expands the kingdom of God through the agency of the Church.

Of course the precedent for the anointing for the roles of prophet, priest, and king comes from the Hebrew Scriptures. When a man entered any of these offices a public pronouncement was made. A man in recognized authority poured consecrated oil over head of the man being set apart, and he was said to be “anointed.” Many times these men spent time in solitude, in the wilderness, alone, to hear from God and discover identity, vision, and direction for his role.

I am convinced that the patriarch is a man who is truly set apart and anointed by God for the task of patriarchy. We have the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives to give us grace to carry out this calling and responsibility. Grace is the supernatural strength of God which rests in and upon us to amplify our own strength to accomplish his purposes. Because of God’s grace we can say with Paul, “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9, 10). That is what salvation truly is, not “going to heaven when I die.”

And that grace is given to us to enable us to be like Christ, to sacrificially live and give as prophet, priest, and king of our homes. That is, we are given responsibility and grace to teach our families by precept and example. We cannot pawn that off on the Sunday school teacher or youth group leader. We have a duty to function as priest, to intercede on behalf of our families, and to take personal responsibility before God for their failures. We are expected to lead our families with vision, direction, and setting boundaries; to protect them from harm; and to provide for them.

These are non-optional for the patriarch. If we do not actively, intentionally, and aggressively do these things we are not patriarchal, we are merely taking advantage of our women and irresponsibly siring children to be sent aimlessly into a dangerous world to find their own way. This is reprehensible in the sight of God.

My next few posts will explore the roles of prophet, priest, and king respectively, and hopefully help us discover guidance for living into them as patriarchs.

The roles of prophet, priest, and king are depicted in this stained-glass window in the chapel of Wadham College (Oxford, England). The prophet is depicted by Moses (center), the priest is illustrated by Aaron (right), and the king is portrayed on the left. Click on the image for a closer look.