Kings and Priests unto God

I haven’t got far into Revelation as yet.  But, on finding the phrase “kings and priests” in chapter 1, verse 6, I got to wondering about how many references there may be to Revelation in Mary Baker Eddy’s writings – in addition to the chapter in Science & Health with Key to the Scriptures (S&H) called The Apocalypse. 

First though, I must look up the phrase “kings and priests” in the concordance to S&H.  There it is on page 141:19-20: “The Bible declares that all believers are made “kings and priests unto God.””

On consulting Concord, I found that “kings and priests” go together in the Bible quite a lot.  Sometimes, as in talking about Josiah, they are the goodies; but most often they seem to be the baddies.  And they had tremendous influence on the thoughts of the people.

Having kings did not seem to be a good idea for Israel.  They asked for a king and got Saul!  It all started when Samuel, the priest, appointed his sons as judges, and they didn’t do the right thing, so the elders of Israel asked for a king.  Samuel consulted God.  This is sad: God tells Samuel to heed the voice of the people “for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.”

Israel had kings for about 500 years prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in BC 586. 

Of course, David, who succeeded Saul, is the star among kings.  What a star! – saint and sinner he is reported to have been.  How indebted we are to his musical and lyrical abilities – and for his inspiration. 

The Marginal Heading (in S&H) nearest to the “kings and priests” reference on page 141 is “No ecclesiastical monopoly.”  Concord allows me to set here the relevant passage from S&H –

All revelation (such is the popular thought!) must come from the schools and along the line of scholarly and ecclesiastical descent, as kings are crowned from a royal dynasty. In healing the sick and sinning, Jesus elaborated the fact that the healing effect followed the understanding of the divine Principle and of the Christ-spirit which governed the corporeal Jesus. For this Principle there is no dynasty, no ecclesiastical monopoly. Its only crowned head is immortal sovereignty. Its only priest is the spiritualized man. The Bible declares that all believers are made “kings and priests unto God.”

How blessed mankind is with this view of authority!  “Great as he is good,” comes to mind...how does one find that in Mrs. Eddy’s writings?

I don’t like my chances of finishing Revelation in December.  !!

Written on the next day…

Hello!  Hello! I neglected to consider what might be the qualities “all believers” are endowed with as “kings and priests unto God.” How about this:

As kings do we exercise dominion over all things (see Genesis 1:31) by knowing that “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good”?

It would seem that there is no place for priests in Christian Science since Wikipedia defines priests thus: A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities. Their office or position is the priesthood, a term which also may apply to such persons collectively.

But as previously stated, we are priests unto God when we claim our rights as “spiritualized man.” In other words – we practise Christian Science, serving God and man.

Joyce Voysey