The Priestly Odor

Neither shall any priest drink wine, when they enter into the inner court. Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before. And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. (Ezekiel 44:21 – 23)

A friend challenged me to consider the priests in Israel and how they appeared when they went back home. But we first need to look at what they did.

A priest assessed the sacrifices, slaughtered them, sprinkled the blood for some sacrifices, roasted some sacrifices and burnt the ceremonial portions which at times involved whole animals.

What did he smell like? At the barest minimum he smelt like a cocktail of a slaughterhouse, butchery, nyama choma joint (a place they roast/ grill meat) and the kitchen of a very bad cook who burnt everything they cooked. But it was more because whereas in a slaughterhouse blood is poured, the priest handled blood all the time.

A combination of all those smells is not what is used in the makeup of perfume. It is repulsive to say the least. And of course it was all topped up with the smell of smoke.

What was the experience of his wife? What did it take to be a priest’s wife? Was it pleasurable to embrace all those smells in one person? You see smells do not disappear when one washes, whatever soap they use. Even changing clothes like the priests did was not sufficient to get rid of them. Yet they were the backdrop of the priest’s office.

Another challenge the priest’s wife experienced was spontaneity. She did not know what she would cook at any time. Apart from the meat that the husband would be given from every sacrifice, everything else was a mystery. You see a priest did not have a farm and was excluded from running any income generating enterprise. The priesthood was his inheritance. She therefore was not in charge of her diet. It simply depended on the whims of whoever brought offerings. Of course it was not also predictable as there were times no offerings were forthcoming. This is what we can call living by faith, faith that food will come, not necessarily the food you desire. You see even the sacrifices depended on others, but at least they were more predictable as people were always sinning, unless people lost their sense of guilt as happens with many of us sometime.

Combine the smells you have to deal with and the anxiety of not knowing what kind of food you will cook and whether it would be there anyway and you see why a priest’s wife was very key to the success of the priesthood. For many that marriage bed would be repugnant and loathsome. The sight and smell of that priest husband would repel most wives.

But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible. (Malachi 1:12)

It is possible that this complaint started with the priests’ wives who were fed up with all the smells and unpredictable nature of their office (just speculating). Then it spread down to the people who were offering as they were offended that their sacrifices were not appreciated by the priests through their wives.

‘I am fed up with all this meat. I need variety. Why must I be the one at the mercy of the whims of the community yet made to believe I am privileged to suffer this drama all my life?’ must be some of the things they may have been telling other women when they met for their women talk.

Of course other women told their husbands who were offended because they felt that maybe the priests did not even intercede for them. How can one intercede for someone whose offering you detest? They therefore maintained the religious practices but lost the passion, resulting with what we see in Malachi.

The only thing that made the priest’s life bearable was the fact that they lived in their own cities. They therefore did not deal with the pressures that come from neighbors who live different lifestyles. Peer pressure was therefore dictated by the same kind of living. All the snooping neighbors were of the same caliber.

In fact even a daughter who was married outside the priesthood was disqualified from family meals as marriage outside the family made her defile the priesthood she had been born into. They were therefore more or less insulated from outside pressure at close quarters.

But that did not lessen the pressure to lead more predictable lives. In fact the original sin came from such a desire – desire to be fully in charge of our lives. God had told Adam to trust Him but the serpent convinced Eve that Adam was too trusting on a God who released very scanty information to live by. It would be much easier if we dealt with more information to trust God more. That is how we fell. To Eve, more knowledge meant easier access to faith as the mystery of God disappeared. We believe that a more predictable God is easier to trust. In fact that is the driving force in worshipping idols. They are more or less our creation and so subject to our understanding.

But God is different. We know Him more as we trust Him. His revelation grows as we walk in faith. That is how He related with the men of old.

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: (Genesis 12:1)

This is to an old man who should be settled and taking care of his grandchildren. Yet God gives him such a call. It is similar to being asked to walk with a blindfold. Yet that is what makes Abraham the father of faith. He was ready to be foolish for the call on his life.

I believe the Levites and priests were the carriers of that call. They were the reminders that God still calls and that He requires such kind of faith, sometimes called blind faith, to be able to access Him. It is blind in the physical but very clear in the spiritual. We believe in God and follow Him for us to be able to see Him. Abraham’s call increased as he followed what God was saying.

They were to live a life that was dependent on God in all ways. They ate what God provided. They wore what God provided. In short their lives were totally dependent on God. That way they were able to focus on getting to know God and as a consequence teach the people who God was. They were to spend their time learning God’s word and copying it. They were to spend time in prayer for the people. In fact the only remotely economic activity they were permitted was to keep animals. But they were not to sell but to offer sacrifices for the people. That is why the only lands they were given were the town’s pasturelands for those animals.

Why were they ordered not to marry just any widow? I think it is precisely for the same reason. A widow of another Israelite was exposed to life on the outside and had experienced a predictable kind of life. Getting that kind of person to start living a life of faith would have been asking for too much. A person has a limit to what kind of change they can handle. Transitioning from a normal life to the kind of life the priest leads is nigh impossible even from God’s viewpoint.

Another reason God may have forbidden such a union is the leaven effect. She would carry the poison of a life in control into the unpredictable terrain, applying intense pressure on the priest to be ‘like all the other men’ and later taking the same argument to the other women, making them dissatisfied with the kind of life God had ordered for their husbands. A priest’s widow had no other experience but the life of faith and so carried no threat to the priesthood.

I have mentioned the fact that God put the priests in their own cities. This protected their families from the daily rub of the families in charge of their destiny. Their wives and children could therefore grow experiencing God collectively and support each other in the challenges their calling brought about. Their sons could therefore grow to appreciate a devoted life all their lives as their mothers were extensions of the priesthood.

Do we have priests and Levites today? Who are they?

I think I will start with who they are not. They are not people who are living predictable lives. They are not pastors whose congregations keep them in comfort. They are not ministers whose ministries have a budget they keep. They are certainly not what many pastors teach are. Certainly they are not ministers who are making their lives selling everything from honoraria to CDs to books. They are not the ministers who are running pyramid schemes (conveniently called Multi-Level Marketing networks) to be in greater charge of their ministries.

We do not have sacrifices to be offered as Christ finished with that on the cross. We therefore do not have priests in the same order as those Old Testament ones. We also do not have Levites in the same order. We can only draw parallels for our generation.

A Levite was forbidden to run his life. God said He was his inheritance. The parallel is a person who has been commanded to leave all to pursue God’s call. It may be a job or trade or any other thing. But it is not to get a job in a church or ministry. Being called to resign your job to join a ministry certainly does not make you the equivalent of a Levite. Being in a ministry where you have to hassle for support disqualifies you from the same.

Let us look at a few Biblical characters who were not necessarily Levites but represented more accurately the Levitical calling to get the point across.

Samuel was given to the Lord and ‘forgotten’ by his family. His ministry was one that was dictated by the King. What makes it clear was that though he ministered for so long, he owed nothing to anyone. He dared all Israel to produce a debtor or corruptor and they failed. That couldn’t have been possible had he been pursuing other peripheral support avenues. But I also suspect he did not own much.

Elisha burnt the tools of his trade to follow Elijah in the prophetic calling. We also do not see any evidence of his wealth. What we are able to see is the refusal to be given gifts even of appreciation after successfully ministering. Though he ministered to kings even beyond Israel, we do not see him caught up with palace politics.

Elijah was not much different.

John the Baptist lived a very rugged life though he simply could have become an Israel celebrity.

Daniel and his three friends, though eunuchs, followed God against all odds. We also see them refusing rewards that could have easily got them out of servitude thought they were promised publicly.

We can go back even before the call of the Levites to see where it all begun. All the firstborn rightly belonged to God, from animals to people. He therefore chose the Levitical clan instead of having to take all the firstborns, probably to ease the logistical challenge of bringing all these people from all the families to be fully dedicated to Him. There were some who were born into that and their stories bring to the fore what we are talking here. The easily remembered were Samson, Samuel and John the Baptist. The term used was Nazirite and among other things,

… no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God (Judges 13: 5; 1 Samuel 1: 11)

This kind of person we are talking about is one that is separated unto God, not to something else, however godly it might appear. He is a person who operates according to the dictates of the King directly and is answerable to Him. He may have accountability relationships with others like Samuel had with Eli but it should be clear that ONLY GOD holds the reins of his life. And that is why we are ruling out people serving in ministries or churches at staff level, though they might be the vision bearers.

Consider the lives of Samuel, Elijah, Elisha and John the Baptist to get what I mean. Simply saying no human structure could contain or control them. But we also need to note that they were not indebted to any structure and for the most part lived very frugal lives. They controlled kings but led the life of paupers as they owned nothing. Truly God was their inheritance and it was clear to all the others.

We can forget the Levites for now and concentrate on the Nazirites as I think it ties better with what I am sharing. These are people God has separated from His people for His purpose. The only problem with God as I share with many people is that He does not inform anybody when He calls these kinds of people. At least for John and Samuel there was advance preparation.

How did Elisha’s family and friends feel when he cut to pieces his plowing implements to feast on the oxen he used as a way of bidding bye to the farming life to go to pour water on Elijah?

… Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah. (2Kings 3:11)

What argument did he use to convince his family that pouring water on Elijah was more productive than being in charge of his life and the lives of servants as he had been before?

These are the kinds of characters I want us to consider. People who are doing ‘nonsensical’ things in the name of the King, especially a King who is so rich and who had the capacity to make us billionaires as preachers are telling people all over to access their offerings.

I also want us to think about their wives. Many in the Bible did not get married. At least we know that Jeremiah was ordered not to and John died young.

Samuel however was married but his life was such as he was never at home for all the ministry he was involved in.

And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places. (1Samuel 7:16)

Moses was married but he had to ‘desert’ his young family to be what God had called him to. He may even have had a second wife at least from the complaint of his sister but one wonders what that marriage was for.

And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. (Exodus 18:14 - 16)

This apart from the great amount of time he spent on the mount with God, one time disappearing for almost three months, having to get back to the camp between in the middle though he might not even have slept there due to the crisis he found when he arrived. He had to intercede for Israel as God was incensed enough to clear them and make Moses a great nation.

Wasn’t Isaiah married? How did his wife react when he was walking naked for three years? Suppose Elijah and Elisha were married? What do you think their wives experienced on a daily basis?

Many speculate that Paul was married but that his wife deserted when his call became too much for her. Supposing that to be the truth, was it possible for Paul to be all we know to have been if he operated under our understanding of marriage and especially love?

God’s call is such that everything else falls way below His orders. No wonder Christ had the audacity to say

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26, 27)

How does a modern wife feel with a man who has his priorities in Christ’s order? Surely romanticism is impossible. Such a man can never approach, leave alone become a gentleman. He will never be able to enrich his wife in the modern sense. In fact calling him a chauvinist would be too polite. He is a monster, looking at modern trends of love and marriage since his wife’s desires will never come anywhere close to Christ’s orders.

I will however mention that before marriage very few women would resist such a man. He would appear as the epitome of romanticism. What with being the man who can hear clearly from God? What with the mystery that each woman craves as he would not be dealing with the small print since his orders are clear? What with a life whose direction is dictated by the creator of the universe?

The adventure in his life would make women kill to marry him. That kind of life would represent the greatest future for her and her children. But this comes around because she thinks in modern terms. She thinks he will love her as much, probably even more than he loves God. A modern man prefers his wife above all else, and that is what a gentleman is known for. A man who loves God must prefer his wife more other gentlemen, she may think.

But then she gets married to this ‘mad man’ who like Christ expects is supposed to hate her in comparison to his love for Christ. She tries to mold him to be more like her friends’ men and find that he becomes even worse as the choices become clearer for him. What she says and thinks become clear oppositions to his call. She starts thinking that she is neglected when decisions even concerning her are made.

She can’t compare what she thought was her treasure to this uncaring man she got. It becomes worse when he is ordered to leave all his security for the call. All of a sudden his life becomes more unpredictable than the weather as even the barest necessities become subject to ‘faith’ as he left his security, from a job to a business to family connections just because God ‘says’ as if he is the only one with ears to hear God speaking. What do other men of God doing ministry hear to have their lives in control (predictable)?

But it gets even worse as the vision becomes clearer. All of a sudden her contemporary dressing becomes unacceptable to him. He insists that it is not good enough for his King yet even pastors do not have any problem with it. He starts censoring TV programs and movies. He might eventually get rid of the TV calling it a negative spiritual influence or at best useless baggage.

Her voice becomes irrelevant especially when she is arguing using other families and marriages. Why must she produce a Biblical argument when she is supported by the majority of Christian families? Don’t they also read the Bible?

‘Do they believe and live the Bible?’ is his normal answer to which she has no response as she knows that most of them are not sold out to the Bible as her husband.

Eventually the marriage strains very badly. She knows he is right but is not ready to go the depths he is going with God as the sacrifices are becoming increasingly prohibitive. The kind of life her husband is pursuing is exciting to read about. It is good to hear testimonies of. But it is a painful experience to live in.

What worsens it is the fact that they are surrounded by all these people whose lives are packed and dried. The only surprises in them are the new car or cable TV subscription. These cannot understand why these people with so much potential are making fools of themselves in God’s name, as if God loves suffering. They have tried unsuccessfully to drum sense into the man and have dismissed him as too stubborn. They therefore resort to the wife and find very fertile ground. Initially they want to use her to make her husband to see sense but realize that he is unshakable. They therefore change to looking for ways to rescue this unfortunate woman from this dreadful prison and per chance help this crazy man to see sense.

They will therefore engineer a separation or even divorce proceedings. Why? I think the first reason is that this radicalism is an open rebuke to their complacent and cozy Christian lives. This man reminds them that theirs is a profession without commitment. They see the emptiness of their profession through his commitment to his King. But they are not willing to change. Like I said in my book ‘The Road to Sodom’ comfort is addictive, probably more addictive than drugs. They would rather kill this rebuke by breaking his marriage than ask God to take their faith to another level. Another reason they may want to break his marriage is that they know that his wife will eventually connect to that life given time and her testimony will be even more powerful than that of her husband because she was rescued from a life just like theirs. It will make them have no excuse for not growing in God’s direction.

Like I tell you, this is not a message out of the blue and context. I know and am dealing with many such situations and families. It just connects to a message God has given me, and probably this is the reason He has given me.

The aroma from the priest may be so to outsiders. But it is a stench to those closest to him because they are with it all the time.

It therefore requires extra grace to be a priest’s wife, in our case a radically called man’s wife. The sacrifices called for are immense. The support from the ministered community are nowhere close to what the priest’s got as the pastors teach that only a pastor and church are worth any support from anyone. Giving outside that is sometimes treated as disobedience and wastage of the seed. Most of the persecution for them many times comes from the visible church and its leaders as the radicals also threaten them with their deeper spirituality.

Can there be a solution? I think the idea of priestly cities is good, only that it will take a major miracle from God Himself to happen. But this is different from a monastery. It is a city where they will be able to build each other’s faith without much outside interference so that their ministry will be able to flourish. Then they will be able to launch into the society fully prepared for the challenges they will face.

In ‘Varsity on a Hill’ I talked about such a strategy where people being called to ministry are taken to learn ministry in an all inclusive location. But further to that I think ministers who are engaged will have their fiancées getting exposed to the extremities of their calling so that they can make a decision early enough whether they will be ready for such a lifestyle of sacrifice and faith.

In those cities they will learn not only to live simple lives but also to be creators. They will be able to grow their food, make their clothes and furniture, and in short live full lives in their cities without crying for support from the believers who think they are a cult due to their seriousness with their King. You see even now they rarely receive any support.

The city itself does not have to be big. The key thing is the refuge element. It might just be a house big enough to host many refugees from the church. They may have been hounded out of church because they challenged the unchallengeable because that was the order God gave them. Some may have run because a scandal was falsely planted on them because they had become too popular and their radicalism was at the risk of spreading. Many had too many questions that the leadership knew would require them to go deeper in their faith, a thing they were not ready for.

The city will deal with those issues not from a victim direction but from the King’s direction. Scriptures will be sought not just for answers but for the voice of the King to be heard. Radicalism will be dealt with from the direction of the King and not popular understanding. Listening to the King and understanding His voice will be the most pursued thing in that city. This as few outside there may think that of such a voice or even want to survey that aspect for their life. That is what will make their ministry relevant to the King once they venture out from the city.

LET US PRAY THAT GOD DOES THIS IN OUR GENERATION