God brought the Israelites out of Egypt to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex 19:6), and so in a sense all Israelites were priests, called to bear God's name faithfully and be a light to the nations. God's plan was to use this nation to bring all nations back to him.
Israel often fell short in its calling, but a prophecy in Isa 61:6 pictures that calling being carried out fully at a future time: "but you shall be called the priests of the LORD, they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast."
Analogously, Christians comprise "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession" (1 Pet 2:9), and all are charged to "proclaim the excellencies of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." At Pentecost the disciples of Jesus began an outreach to the nations.
In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on May 28, 2022, Kyle Kettering focused on the priestly calling of Israel and the church. As an example of the church carrying out this calling, Kyle turned to the experience of Paul and Barnabas at Lystra on Paul's first missionary journey in Acts 14:8-18.
Kyle also turned to Isa 66:18-21, which pictures God's glory being declared to the nations (v 19), and Israelites scattered among the nations being brought to God as an offering (v 20). Verse 21 says, "And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the LORD." Here it is not clear whether these "priests" and "Levites" are from Israel or from the nations. Either may be possible. At any rate, God's people are called to bring others to him.
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