It is important that we keep covenant with the Lord as the royal priesthood in the area of our individual lives and how it manifests in the area of religion. This includes all believers, not just the pastors and clergy.
“Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you,
That My covenant with Levi may continue,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
“My covenant was with him, one of life and peace,
And I gave them to him that he might fear Me;
So he feared Me
And was reverent before My name.
The law of truth was in his mouth,
And injustice was not found on his lips.
He walked with Me in peace and equity,
And turned many from iniquity.“For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge,
And people should seek the law from his mouth;
For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.”
Malachi 2:4-7 (NKJV)
Even though this scripture speaks of the covenant of life and peace with Levi and his descendants as the priests, this speaks to us directly today as the royal priesthood.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV)
What the Lord intended for the covenant of life and peace with Levi and his descendants as priests is still the same covenant of life and peace for the royal priesthood of believers. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV)
As the royal priesthood, please repent in our individual lives, for our past family generations and on behalf of our Nation for not representing well or extending the covenant of life and peace with the Lord to others. These can either be acts of commission—things we have done, or acts of omission—things we have not done.
- As the royal priesthood, please repent of not choosing to extend the covenant of life the Lord has made with us to others.
- Malachi 2:5
- Abortion, anti-Semitism, racism (anything else the Lord leads you to repent of)
- Bitterness/unforgiveness, jealousy/envy, rejection, taking up offense against others
- Disunity among believers and other denominations
- Replace with choosing life for others.
- “…That I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live….”Deuteronomy 30:19b (NKJV)
- As the royal priesthood, please repent for not choosing to extend the covenant of peace the Lord has made with us to others.
- Malachi 2:5
- For being exclusive of extending the grace, mercy and provision of the covenant of peace.
- For not looking out for the safety of others.
- For not taking care of the welfare and health of others.
- For any ways we have not looked out for the best interest of another person prospering.
- For not being a good representative and steward of the covenant of peace in order to bless others.
- The covenant of shalom (Strong’s H7965) includes completeness in number; safety and soundness in body; welfare, health, prosperity; peace with God especially in covenant relationship. Shalom comes from a root word that means, “covenant of peace.”
- Replace with choosing to live from the covenant of peace/shalom from Malachi 2:5.
- As the royal priesthood, please repent of how our not fearing, reverencing or standing in awe of the Lord has lead others to have a lack of fear and reverence for the Lord .
- Malachi 2:5
- For how this may have led others to not believe in the Lord.
- For modeling to others that the Lord is commonplace, everyday, mundane, ordinary and routine.
- Replace with the fear and reverence of the Lord
- The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. Psalm 25:14 (NKJV)
- As the royal priesthood, please repent of how not having the law of truth in our mouths has led others astray or misrepresented the covenant of life and peace of the Lord.
- Malachi 2:6
- Law (Strong’s H8451) means, “law or instruction”
- Truth (Strong’s H571) means, “faithfulness” and “truth” including “truth of divine instruction, and true doctrine”
- Replace with truth and the excellence of wisdom that says….
- “Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.”
Proverbs 8:6-8 (NKJV)
- “Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
- As the royal priesthood, please repent of having iniquity on our lips and how it has negatively affected the lives of others.
- Malachi 2:6
- Iniquity (Strong’s H5766) means, “injustice, unrighteousness, wrong, injustice (of speech)”
- Replace with speaking of righteousness and justice
- The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
Psalm 37:30 (NKJV)
- As the royal priesthood, please repent of how not walking in peace/shalom with the Lord has affected others.
- Malachi 2:6
- For not being one to proclaim good news and proclaiming the good news of peace.
- For not walking in peace and being a living example of what it means to walk in peace and equity with the Lord.
- For the negative effects of proclaiming bad news to others.
- Replace with peace
- How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
Isaiah 52:7 (NKJV) - …And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel [good news] of peace. Ephesians 6:15 (NKJV)
- As the royal priesthood, please repent of how not walking in equity with the Lord has affected others.
- For how any works of unrighteousness have caused pain to others or have caused others to stumble in their lives.
- Equity (Strong’s 4334) means, “uprightness”
- Replace with uprightness
- Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle?
Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
He who walks uprightly,
And works righteousness,
And speaks the truth in his heart.
Psalm 15:1-2 (NKJV)
- As the royal priesthood, please repent of how not turning others away from iniquity has negatively affected the lives of others.
- Malachi 2:6
- Iniquity (Strong’s H5771) includes meanings of, “perversity, depravity, iniquity”
- Replace with rescuing others from iniquity
- “But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.” Ezekiel 33:6
- …Save others by snatching them from the fire… Jude 1:23 (NIV)
Copyright 2015 Rivkah Isaacs