Was the 'kingdom of priests' only for the Levites?
No. Exodus 19:6 declares Israel would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, meaning every Jew was to have become a priest of God. While Levites served in tabernacle worship, the context says that limitation is not the point; God's intent was every Jew serving as a go-between to reach Gentiles.
Les explains that Exodus 19 is more or less prophetic, where God tells Israel that if they are obedient to His covenants, they can be a treasure above all other nations because the earth is His. Verse 6 calls Israel a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, a set-apart nation. Les emphasizes that the day would come in the future when every Jew was to have been a priest of God. He anticipates the objection that this was just for the Levites, acknowledging that so far as tabernacle worship was concerned that was true, but says that is not what this is talking about. The context is reaching out to Gentiles. Every Jew was to have been a priest, a go-between.
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.
More Questions
Was every Jew meant to be a priest in the Old Testament?
Exodus 19:6 means the day was coming, in God's Old Testament program, when every Jew was to have become a priest of God.