Now here are all of the Bible texts relating to deacons and/or deaconesses. Some of these will not use the English word "deacon" but are from a Greek form or synonym of the word.

Principal Texts on Deaconry
Strong's Number G1247 matches the Greek διακονέω (diakoneō), which occurs 38 times in 32 verses in the Greek concordance of the KJV.
Mat 4:11	Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Mat 8:15	And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
Mat 20:28	Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Mat 25:44	Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Mat 27:55	And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
Mar 1:13	And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
Mar 1:31	And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
Mar 10:45	For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Mar 15:41	(Who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him;) and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem.
Luk 4:39	And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
Luk 8:3	And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.
Luk 10:40	But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
Luk 12:37	Blessed [are] those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
Luk 17:8	And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
Luk 22:26	But ye [shall] not [be] so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
Luk 22:27	For whether [is] greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? [is] not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.
Jhn 12:2	There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
Jhn 12:26	If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will [my] Father honour.
Act 6:2	Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples [unto them], and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
Act 19:22	So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.
Rom 15:25	But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints.
2Cr 3:3	[Forasmuch as ye are] manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
2Cr 8:19	And not [that] only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and [declaration of] your ready mind:
2Cr 8:20	Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us:
1Ti 3:10	And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being [found] blameless.
1Ti 3:13	For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 1:18	The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.
Phm 1:13	Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:
Hbr 6:10	For God [is] not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
1Pe 1:12	Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
1Pe 4:10	As every man hath received the gift, [even so] minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
1Pe 4:11	If any man speak, [let him speak] as the oracles of God; if any man minister, [let him do it] as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

In other words, the Greek word isn't limited to just one meaning, therefore, those verses need to be looked at within each of their own contexts.

In other words, the Greek word isn't limited to just one meaning, therefore, those verses need to be looked at within each of their own contexts.

I think the Greek word is much more cohesive than the English usages have come to be. We think of "minister" as an elevated position. But the word is more synonymous with the likes of "servant." Let the Bible explain itself, rather than imposing modern meanings upon ancient words.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. (1 Timothy 2:12)

"Unknown to Paul," Johann? Let's hear his side of the story...


Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant [or deaconess] of the church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also. (Romans 16:1-2)

Sure.



There is no contradiction in the Word of God, and Paul does not contradict himself. I have experience serving as a deacon. Deacons do things like make sure the doors are open in the morning for everyone to enter the church, turn on the lights and the sound system, line up the chairs, if necessary, on the platform, and help to collect the offering. A deaconess would do similar church duties of a more feminine nature, perhaps.

Deacons and deaconesses are not at church to be authority figures. They are there to serve.

Unfortunately, too many of our modern pastors and ministers have lost sight of their true service-oriented positions as well, and think that they must be "ordained" in order to "rule." But the Bible does not indicate this.

Again, this thread is about establishing what the Bible teaches. I would prefer to focus more on what is taught than on what is not taught. There are multiple other threads on the topic of ordination right now where other concepts relative to the topic may be discussed. With this topic, please come with your Bible at hand.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

deaconesses could be ordained, but it is impossible to ordain ministers, even though in Greek the same terms are used for all of these positions.

I guess I will have to go dig it into it, but where did 'Elder' or the position of the elders come from, is it the equivalent of deacon?

What Paul and the other NT writers called "ministers" may not be what we have in mind. Should we ordain everything that they called diakonos? Were the servants that helped Jesus turn water into wine what you consider "ordained ministers"?

I'm guessing that's not exactly what the women are yearning to be. But if it is, you certainly don't need the laying on of hands to get that job.

The Greek word is generally "presbyteros". Translated mostly "elder" in English versions.

Going through the lists in my Young's Analytical I notice that all through the Old Testament and the Gospels the term applies generally to tribal leaders or captains in Israel.

It does not seem to apply to church leaders until in Acts.

The general meaning of "ordain" appears to be "appoint". Somewhere in the writings of Rllen White I have seen her saying something like every person should be ordained to whatever task they are appointed to do. Can you find the quotation?

I can't get past the fact nowhere in the Bible is ordaining women to serve as elders or pastors prohibited. And, coupled with the fact Jesus Himself ordained women to serve and lead the chosen people, it is hard to imagine ordaining women as something evil or sinful or prohibited.

There is no contradiction in the Word of God, and Paul does not contradict himself. I have experience serving as a deacon. Deacons do things like make sure the doors are open in the morning for everyone to enter the church, turn on the lights and the sound system, line up the chairs, if necessary, on the platform, and help to collect the offering. A deaconess would do similar church duties of a more feminine nature, perhaps.

1249.διάκονος diakonos, dee-ak'-on-os; prob. from an obs. διώκω diakō (to run on errands; comp. 1377); an attendant, i.e. (gen.) a waiter (at table or in other menial duties); spec. a Chr. teacher and pastor (techn. a deacon or deaconess):-deacon, minister, servant.

1. univ.: of the servant of a king, Mt. xxii. 13; with gen. of the pers. served, Mt. xx. 26; xxiii. 11; Mk. ix. 35; x. 43, (in which pass. it is used fig. of those who advance others’ interests even at the sacrifice of their own); τῆς ἐκκλησίας, of one who does what promotes the welfare and prosperity of the church, Col. i. 25; διάκονοι τοῦ θεοῦ, those through whom God carries on his administration on earth, as magistrates, Ro. xiii. 4; teachers of the Christian religion, 1 Co. iii. 5; 2 Co. vi. 4; 1 Th. iii. 2 R T Tr WH txt. L mrg.; the same are called διάκονοι (τοῦ) Χριστοῦ, 2 Co. xi. 23; Col. i. 7; 1 Tim. iv. 6; ἐν κυρίῳ, in the cause of the Lord, Col. iv. 7; [Eph. vi. 21]; ὁ διάκ. μου my follower, Jn. xii. 26; τοῦ Σατανᾶ, whom Satan uses as a servant, 2 Co. xi. 15; [ἁμαρτίας, Gal. ii. 17]; διάκ. περιτομῆς (abstr. for concr.), of Christ, who labored for the salvation of the circumcised i. e. the Jews, Ro. xv. 8; with gen. of the thing to which service is rendered, i. e. to which one is devoted: καινῆς διαθήκης, 2 Co. iii. 6; τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, Eph. iii. 7; Col. i. 23; δικαιοσύνης, 2 Co. xi. 15

So you're saying that the word "minister" in those verses was "diakonos," right? But "diakonos" really means "servant," doesn't it? In a sense, should we not all, as Christians under the Gospel Commission, be "ministers?"

Each of us should have a ministry. Some have a ministry in feeding the homeless. Some provide housing for the homeless. Some conduct medical ministry work. Some minister in other ways. But most "ministers" are not of the "ordained" variety in our church today. Ordained by God, perhaps, but they are not ordained by the church leadership to a public church office.

Is this what our modern pastors are? Or are they diakonos?

But it should reveal to us that the common understanding of a deacon as merely one who turns on the lights and collects offering is not biblical. We have strayed from God's plan.


Like for deacons, we have altered God's plan.

So it looks like we have fallen into two extremes: we add requirements to qualify to become one type of ordained minister (pastor), while we diminish the role of another type of ordained minister (deacon).

Many think, "How hard can it be to turn on lights and collect offering?"

What would happen in our churches if we suddenly start calling our pastors deacons? Is that Biblical?

In short: When we look at our modern pastor, let's say Ted Wilson, is he the biblical diakonos or presbyteros or episkopos? Or is it something else?

I thought we had come to the conclusion that these terms are overlapping quite a bit in Scripture. What difference does it make then which term applies to Ted Wilson?

In other words, the Greek word isn't limited to just one meaning, therefore, those verses need to be looked at within each of their own contexts.

Deacons do things like make sure the doors are open in the morning for everyone to enter the church, turn on the lights and the sound system, line up the chairs, if necessary, on the platform, and help to collect the offering. A deaconess would do similar church duties of a more feminine nature, perhaps.

Can a deacon ordain an elder?

But it should reveal to us that the common understanding of a deacon as merely one who turns on the lights and collects offering is not biblical. We have strayed from God's plan.

diakonos is often translated minister

In short: When we look at our modern pastor, let's say Ted Wilson, is he the biblical diakonos or presbyteros or episkopos? Or is it something else?

In the Roman Catholic Chruch and certai other "high church" denominations, Deacons are clergy, just not priests. These denominations havae several levels of clergy and Deacons are one.

True. But, that does not mean that they can always be interchanged.

Something else it seems. Pontifex Maximus ?
__________________________

Ted Wilson holds an honorable posiiton as President. In no way does he fill the role of a pastor.

I was using him as an example of a pastor everyone knows. But I hear you. If I refer to a local pastor who is actually shepherding his local sheep, nobody would recognize him. It seems that pastoring is very different from evangelism and adminstration.

This might be a bit off topic, but it is well within the realm of the ordination discussion. If the GC president is not doing a pastor's work, then why do we have pastoral ordination as a requirement for the job? It is like saying, "If you want to get a job as an accountant, you need to get SCUBA certified." It seems that we have lost sight of the basic meaning of ordination: being called and authorized to perform a particular task. Why do we require a person who wants an administrative position (conference president, etc.) to be ordained to perform some other task (pastoring)?

Now we end up with local pastors who have no divine calling to be pastors, but have to endure it, and force their congregations to endure it, as they work their way up the denominational ladder. Or, you find gifted pastors who are excellent at their jobs, who are "promoted" into some other position for which they have no skill. Or just keeping it on the local level, pastors who are good shepherds are forced to be administrators as well, and pastors who are great administrators are forced to shepherd a flock.

Don't even get me started on pastors who are terrible preachers but feel it is their duty to preach every week, or awesome preachers who spend much of their time doing administration because they are "only" an associate pastor.

17:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
17:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of [their] fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod.
17:3 And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod [shall be] for the head of the house of their fathers.
17:4 And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.
17:5 And it shall come to pass, [that] the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.
17:6 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, [even] twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron [was] among their rods.
17:7 And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.
17:8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
17:9 And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.
17:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
17:11 And Moses did [so]: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.
17:12 And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.
17:13 Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?

God still holds strict adherence for His selection of spiritual leadership of the people.

While I agree that God still chooses His leaders, I don't think the tie to Aaron's rod holds. Hebrews is pretty clear that the Aaronic priesthood has been replaced by Christ, a priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Perhaps the more enduring lesson of Aaron's rod is that God can still quicken the dead and cause him to bear fruit in spite of the helplessness of the raw material.

18:1 And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.
18:2 And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee [shall minister] before the tabernacle of witness.
18:3 And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.
18:4 And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you.
18:5 And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel.
18:6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you [they are] given [as] a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
18:7 Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the veil; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office [unto you] as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.
18:8 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Israel; unto thee have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to thy sons, by an ordinance for ever.
18:9 This shall be thine of the most holy things, [reserved] from the fire: every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of theirs and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render unto me, [shall be] most holy for thee and for thy sons.
18:10 In the most holy [place] shalt thou eat it; every male shall eat it: it shall be holy unto thee.
18:11 And this [is] thine; the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel: I have given them unto thee, and to thy sons and to thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: every one that is clean in thy house shall eat of it.
18:12 All the best of the oil, and all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, the firstfruits of them which they shall offer unto the LORD, them have I given thee.
18:13 [And] whatsoever is first ripe in the land, which they shall bring unto the LORD, shall be thine; every one that is clean in thine house shall eat [of] it.
18:14 Everything devoted in Israel shall be thine.
18:15 Every thing that openeth the matrix in all flesh, which they bring unto the LORD, [whether it be] of men or beasts, shall be thine: nevertheless the firstborn of man shalt thou surely redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts shalt thou redeem.
18:16 And those that are to be redeemed from a month old shalt thou redeem, according to thine estimation, for the money of five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, which [is] twenty gerahs.
18:17 But the firstling of a cow, or the firstling of a sheep, or the firstling of a goat, thou shalt not redeem; they [are] holy: thou shalt sprinkle their blood upon the altar, and shalt burn their fat [for] an offering made by fire, for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
18:18 And the flesh of them shall be thine, as the wave breast and as the right shoulder are thine.
18:19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it [is] a covenant of salt for ever before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.
18:20 And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I [am] thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel.
18:21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, [even] the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
18:22 Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die.
18:23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
18:24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer [as] an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.
18:25 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
18:26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, [even] a tenth [part] of the tithe.
18:27 And [this] your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though [it were] the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress.
18:28 Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the LORD'S heave offering to Aaron the priest.
18:29 Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the LORD, of all the best thereof, [even] the hallowed part thereof out of it.
18:30 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress.
18:31 And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it [is] your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.
18:32 And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.

But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer [as] an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. (Numbers 18:23-24)

GC - Do you believe in the priesthood of ALL believers? ALL?

1 Peter 2:9 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;

And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These [are] the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (Exodus 19:6)

But while any "tribe" of the earth could now participate as a "Levite" (seeing as the original Levites were part of the nation of Israel which had been replaced by Christians), not every believer is automatically "upgraded" to a tithe-receiving "Levite." The tithes are still appropriated for the spiritual leadership only, and while the entire nation, just like ancient Israel was to be, may be looked upon as a spiritual leader for the world, the spiritual leadership within that nation is still special to that nation.

...

It has always been a part of the plan that the entire nation is as a kingdom of priests. But God ordained the Levites to be the spiritual leadership of that kingdom and to receive the tithes. God still sets aside the "Levites" of today for this responsibility and privilege.

I will feel it in my duty to create a fund from my tithe money, to pay these women who are accomplishing just as essential work as the ministers are doing, and this tithe I will reserve for work in the same line as that of the ministers, hunting for souls, fishing for souls. I know that the faithful women should be paid wages proportionate to the pay received by ministers. They carry the burden of souls, and should not be treated unjustly. These sisters are giving their time to educating those newly come to the faith, and hire their own work done, and pay those who work for them. All these things must be adjusted and set in order, and justice be done to all. ... {SpM 117.3}

Please supply the scriptures to back up your position. For example, what makes you think that Christ made a "change" to the representation of Aaron's rod?

The manna has not changed. The Ten Commandments have not changed. What makes Aaron's rod different from these, when they were placed in the same category in the ark?

Are you saying that we can identify who the spiritual leaders are, because they are the ones that receive the tithe? Is the tithe then limited to only to the ordained?

EGW included women as spiritual leaders, due tithe money for their support.

Numbers 4:46-47
46 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers’ houses, 47 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who came to do the work of service and the work of bearing burdens in the tabernacle of meeting—

I think they were all men, between 30 and 50 years old. That's a very small slice of the tribe of Levi.

In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, [were] eight thousand and six hundred, keeping the charge of the sanctuary. (Numbers 3:28)

Numbers 4:46-47
46 All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers’ houses, 47 from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, everyone who came to do the work of service and the work of bearing burdens in the tabernacle of meeting—

I think they were all men, between 30 and 50 years old. That's a very small slice of the tribe of Levi.

Could this be why Christ didn't begin His ministry until He was 30?

There's another text which seems to include all of the males, from a month old and upward, in the duties of the sanctuary. Obviously, an infant could do very little. But they were counted as part of the "team."



So that's a little bigger slice.

But Samuel ministered before the LORD, [being] a child, girded with a linen ephod. (1 Samuel 2:18)

Ordination of what we mean seems to be different and in fact, I don't see any specific word being used or reserved for what was back then.

For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things [pertaining] to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: (Hebrews 5:1)

For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore [it is] of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer. (Hebrews 8:3)

And [he that is] the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes; (Leviticus 21:10)

And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people: (Leviticus 21:1)

I'm not sure if "ordained" fits them in our modern sense of the word, but for them I think that they were ordained, yes.

Consider Samuel, for example. He was a child, who as a child, ministered in the sanctuary. We have no record of when the Levites were to begin their training, nor, so far as I am aware, do we see any special age requirements for, say, high priest. Clearly, Samuel, or any child for that matter, could not have served as a high priest. But Samuel was a priest as a small child.

So here's one important point to catch: They were ordained and eligible for tithe, but not in the way we "ordain" today. Our system today does not match the old system.


There's another very important point here. How did Samuel become a priest, since his father was an Ephraimite? Where do we find that Samuel was a Levite? Where do we find that Samuel was a descendant of Aaron?

1 Chronicles
6:16 The sons of Levi; Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
6:17 And these [be] the names of the sons of Gershom; Libni, and Shimei.
6:18 And the sons of Kohath [were], Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel.
6:19 The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. And these [are] the families of the Levites according to their fathers.
6:20 Of Gershom; Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,
6:21 Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeaterai his son.
6:22 The sons of Kohath; Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,
6:23 Elkanah his son, and Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son,
6:24 Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.
6:25 And the sons of Elkanah; Amasai, and Ahimoth.
6:26 [As for] Elkanah: the sons of Elkanah; Zophai his son, and Nahath his son,
6:27 Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son.
6:28 And the sons of Samuel; the firstborn Vashni, and Abiah.
6:29 The sons of Merari; Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzza his son,
6:30 Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son.
6:31 And these [are they] whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest.
6:32 And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and [then] they waited on their office according to their order.
6:33 And these [are] they that waited with their children. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman a singer, the son of Joel, the son of Shemuel,
6:34 The son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,
6:35 The son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,
6:36 The son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,
6:37 The son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,
6:38 The son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.

Let's start with all of the Bible texts (using the KJV standard) on the topic of ordination that relate to people and use some form of the word "ordain" in the English translation. (There are some uses of "ordain" that relate to objects or actions outside the scope of this topic which we will ignore.)

Principal Texts on Ordination
1 Chronicles 9:22	All these [which were] chosen to be porters in the gates [were] two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office.
2 Chronicles 11:14-15	For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the LORD: And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.
Jeremiah 1:4-5	Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Mark 3:14-15	And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:
John 15:16	Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Acts 1:21-26	Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all [men], show whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Acts 10:40-42	Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly; Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, [even] to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God [to be] the Judge of quick and dead.
Acts 14:23	And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
Acts 17:31	Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained; [whereof] he hath given assurance unto all [men], in that he hath raised him from the dead.
1 Corinthians 7:17-20	But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
1 Timothy 2:7	Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, [and] lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
Titus 1:5-6	For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
Hebrews 5:1-4	For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things [pertaining] to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as [was] Aaron.
Hebrews 8:1-3	Now of the things which we have spoken [this is] the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore [it is] of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Samuel appears not to have been a descendent of Aaron. However, you may recall that after Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, were destroyed before the Lord, God opened up the priesthood to all of the tribe of Levi.

Hebrews 7:5 says; "And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham;"

Hebrews specifies "sons of Levi".

No, I don't recall that. What I remember is that Aaron's two other sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, took over. I don't remember the priesthood being opened up to the rest Levi. Can you give the reference? Thanks.

Numbers
3:2 And these [are] the names of the sons of Aaron; Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
3:3 These [are] the names of the sons of Aaron, the priests which were anointed, whom he consecrated to minister in the priest's office.
3:4 And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.
3:5 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
3:6 Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him.
3:7 And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle.
3:8 And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle.
3:9 And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they [are] wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel.

This appears to be the reason why, ever afterward, the Word of God speaks of "Levites" and we don't see the term "Aaronites." From this point on it seems any member of the tribe of Levi was ordained to minister in the sanctuary.

We can guess at the reasons God did this, but since the Bible itself says that neither Nadab nor Abihu had any children when they died, and since Nadab was the eldest of Aaron's sons, it may well have been that the younger two sons were not married or had no sons either to help them minister in the sanctuary. It seems they needed more help.

17 And these were the sons of Levi by their names; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari.
23 The families of the Gershonites shall pitch behind the tabernacle westward.
25 And the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tabernacle of the congregation shall be the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,
26 And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the service thereof.
29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.
31 And their [Kohathites] charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.
32 And Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be chief over the chief of the Levites, and have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary.
35 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.
36 And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto,
37 And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords.
38 But those that encamp before the tabernacle toward the east, even before the tabernacle of the congregation eastward, shall be Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary for the charge of the children of Israel; and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death.

Numbers 10:8
And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets; and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations.

Numbers 18:1
And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

Joshua 21:19
All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen cities with their suburbs.

2 Chronicles 35:14
And afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering of burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron.

24 Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest's office.
3 And David distributed them, both Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, according to their offices in their service.
4 And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar, and thus were they divided. Among the sons of Eleazar there were sixteen chief men of the house of their fathers, and eight among the sons of Ithamar according to the house of their fathers.
5 Thus were they divided by lot, one sort with another; for the governors of the sanctuary, and governors of the house of God, were of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar.
19 These were the orderings of them in their service to come into the house of the Lord, according to their manner, under Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.

Psalms 99:6 Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call on his name; they called on the LORD, and he answered them.

Moses was not a son of Aaron either! But was considered a priest. Moses was chosen of God, and spoke with God, "face to face". Samuel, it appears by the circumstances of his birth, and "adoption" by Eli, became a priest also. Samuel in the same class as Moses by Jeremiah, see Jeremiah 15:1.

Theirs was a peculiar priesthood service, which made them butchers as well. They were to slaughter all of the animals, and yet this was a special sacrificial service.

Are our pastors/evangelists in our church performing a similar service in our preaching? Are we to be compared to the services of the Roman Catholic priest, the Jewish priest - or the work of a prophet?

Regarding Samuel, it is clear from other accounts in the Bible that anyone not qualified to be a priest would not have been permitted to serve as one.

The Bible does not indicate this, but perhaps Samuel's mother was descended from Aaron.

IIRC, both sinner and priest participated intimately in the slaughter and butchering of the animals. Can't look it up now.

Leviticus
1:1 And the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
1:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, [even] of the herd, and of the flock.
1:3 If his offering [be] a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.
1:4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
1:5 And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar that [is by] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

4:22 When a ruler hath sinned, and done [somewhat] through ignorance [against] any of the commandments of the LORD his God [concerning things] which should not be done, and is guilty;
4:23 Or if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, come to his knowledge; he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a male without blemish:
4:24 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD: it [is] a sin offering.
4:25 And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finger, and put [it] upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of burnt offering.
4:26 And he shall burn all his fat upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings: and the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him.
4:27 And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he doeth [somewhat against] any of the commandments of the LORD [concerning things] which ought not to be done, and be guilty;
4:28 Or if his sin, which he hath sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he hath sinned.
4:29 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering.
4:30 And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put [it] upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar.
4:31 And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn [it] upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.

4:3 If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.
4:4 And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD; and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head, and kill the bullock before the LORD.
4:5 And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock's blood, and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation:
4:6 And the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, before the veil of the sanctuary.
4:7 And the priest shall put [some] of the blood upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which [is] in the tabernacle of the congregation; and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the bottom of the altar of the burnt offering, which [is at] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

4:13 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done [somewhat against] any of the commandments of the LORD [concerning things] which should not be done, and are guilty;
4:14 When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.
4:15 And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the LORD: and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD.
4:16 And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock's blood to the tabernacle of the congregation:
4:17 And the priest shall dip his finger [in some] of the blood, and sprinkle [it] seven times before the LORD, [even] before the veil.

It seems Arnold is correct in that Moses was not a priest; however, Moses did have the God-ordained task of consecrating Aaron and his sons to the priesthood (see e.g. Exodus 40).

It was the sinner who did the killing, not the priest. The priest would then take the blood and make an atonement by it, sprinkling it around the altar or before the veil.

First, here's a quote that says Samuel was a priest:

...

1 Samuel 2:18 But Samuel ministered before the LORD, [being] a child, girded with a linen ephod.
...
1 Samuel 2:26 And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.
1 Samuel 2:27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?
1 Samuel 2:28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel [to be] my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?
...
1 Samuel 3:19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.
1 Samuel 3:20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel [was] established [to be] a prophet of the LORD.
...
1 Samuel 7:15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

But maybe he was not a normal priest.


Even then, his tribe comes through his father. For example, though Mary and Elizabeth were cousins, Jesus was from Judah and John was from Levi.

Even then, his tribe comes through his father. For example, though Mary and Elizabeth were cousins, Jesus was from Judah and John was from Levi.

Among the Levites only the sons of Aaron were priests.

2 Chronicles 29:24
And the priests killed them, and they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel: for the king commanded that the burnt offering and the sin offering should be made for all Israel.

Did the priest make a verbal pastoral or evangelistic sermon when he killed the animal?

Who did the preaching in Israel?

2 Chronicles
15:1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
15:2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD [is] with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
15:3 Now for a long season Israel [hath been] without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.
15:4 But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.