ADVENT DEVOTIONAL | Day 6 | A Faithful Priest

READ
35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever.
1 Samuel 2:35

REFLECT
In 1 Samuel 2:35, God promises to “raise up a faithful priest” who will do what is in His heart and mind. Israel first heard these words during a season marked by failed spiritual leadership. Eli’s sons had abused their priestly role, and the people longed for someone who would truly represent them before God. This promise was a flicker of hope, but its fulfillment would take generations. God’s people waited hundreds of years before Jesus came as the perfect and faithful High Priest.

Hebrews 4:14–16 shows us that Jesus is the complete and final fulfillment of this promise. He is the great High Priest who has passed through the heavens and now stands before God on our behalf. As the faithful priest, He brings about the reconciliation of alienated people to God through His sacrificial death. Unlike the priests of the Old Testament, who were weak, sinful, and temporary, Jesus is the Son of God, faithful, sinless, and with an indestructible life. Because of His finished work and ongoing intercession, we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, knowing that our faithful priest perfectly intercedes for us before God.

RESPOND
In what areas of your life do you most need to remember that Jesus, your faithful priest, invites you to draw near to the throne of grace with confidence?
What does it look like for you to wait faithfully, like Israel waited, trusting that your faithful priest is working on your behalf even when you can’t see it?