Why did the priests in the ancient east enjoy special honor?

In the ancient world, people faced many worries and dangers, in order to survive they had to work hard. A similar situation existed among the peoples of Mesopotamia, then people believed in different gods, who, in their opinion, ruled over the forces of nature. In this connection, the inhabitants of ancient Sumer or Akkad often made sacrifices to the gods so that they would send crops or rain, and the main mediators of the divine will on earth were naturally the priests. Thanks to this, they were very honored at that time.