Hebrews 7

Hebrews 7:1

7:1 Melchizedek was an enigmatic figure who appeared briefly on the stage of human history (Gen_14:18-20), then disappeared. Centuries later his name was mentioned by David (Psa_110:4). Then, after a lapse of additional centuries, it reappears in the book of Hebrews. One thing is apparent: God arranged the details of his life so that he would be an excellent type of our Lord Jesus Christ. In these first three verses of chapter 7 we have some historical facts concerning him. We are reminded that he combined the offices of king and priest in his person. He was king of Salem (later called Jerusalem), and priest of the Most High God. He was the political and spiritual leader of his people. That is, of course, God’s idealthat there should be no separation between the secular and the sacred. When sinful man is reigning it is necessary to separate church and state. Only when Christ reigns in righteousness will it be possible to unite the two (Isa_32:1, Isa_32:17). Melchizedek encountered Abraham when the latter was returning from a military victory and blessed him. The significance of this act is reserved for verse 7. If we had only the OT Scriptures, we would never realize the deep significance of these seemingly irrelevant details. 7:2 Abraham gave a tenth part of the spoils of war to this mysterious king-priest. Again we must wait till verses 4, 6, 8-10 to learn the hidden meaning of Abraham’s tithe. In the Scriptures, a man’s name stands for what he is. We learn about Melchizedek’s name and his title: his name means king of righteousness and his title (king of Salem) means king of peace.It is not without meaning that righteousness is mentioned first, then peace. There cannot be peace unless first there is righteousness. We see this clearly in the work of Christ. At the cross, Mercy and truth … met together; righteousness and peace … kissed (Psa_85:10). Because the Savior met all the righteous demands of God against our sins, we can have peace with God. 7:3 The puzzle concerning Melchizedek deepens when we read that he had neither father nor mother, neither genealogy, birth, nor death. If we divorce these statements from their context, we would have to conclude that he was a visitor from heaven or from another planet, or that he was a special creation of God. But the key to understanding lies in taking these statements in their context. The subject is priesthood. The writer is distinguishing between the Melchizedekan priesthood and the Aaronic. In order to qualify for the Aaronic priesthood a man had to be born of the tribe of Levi and of the family of Aaron. Genealogy was all-important. Also, his qualification began at birth and ended at death. Melchizedek’s priesthood was quite different. He did not inherit the priesthood by being born into a priestly family. God simply picked him out and designated him as a priest. As far as his priesthood was concerned, there is no record of his father or mother or genealogy. In his case, this was of no importance, and as far as the record is concerned, no mention is made of his birth or death; therefore his priesthood continues. We should not conclude that Melchizedek had no parents, that he was never born, and that he never died. That is not the point. The thought is that as far as his priesthood was concerned, there is no record of these vital statistics because his ministry as priest was not dependent on them. He was not the Son of God, as some have mistakenly thought, but was made like the Son of God in this respect, that his priesthood continued without interruption. Now the author is going to demonstrate that Melchizedek’s priesthood is superior to Aaron’s. There are three arguments in the proof: the argument concerning the tithes and blessing; the argument concerning a change that has taken place, replacing the Aaronic priesthood; and the argument concerning the perpetuity of the Melchizedekan priesthood. 7:4 In verses 4-10 we have the first argument. It opens with an unusual interjection, asking the readers to consider the greatness of Melchizedek. Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the spoils of battle. Since Abraham was one of the greatest stars in the Hebrew firmament, it follows that Melchizedek must have been a star of even greater magnitude. 7:5 As far as the Levitical priests were concerned, they were authorized by the law to collect tithes from their fellow Hebrews. Both the priests and the people traced their descent from Abraham, the father of the faithful. 7:6 But when Melchizedek received tithes from Abraham, it was an unusual and unconventional transaction. Abraham, called to be the father of the nation from which Messiah would come, was paying deference to one who was not connected with the chosen people. Melchizedek’s priesthood leaped over racial barriers. Another significant fact is that Melchizedek blessed Abraham. He said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth (Gen_14:19 , 20). 7:7 When one man blesses another man, it is understood that the superior blesses the inferior. This does not signify any personal or moral inferiority, of course, but simply an inferiority of position. As we read these arguments based on the OT, we should try to picture the reactions of the Hebrew readers. They had always revered Abraham as one of their greatest national heroes, and rightly so. But now they learn that Abraham acknowledged a non-Jewish priest as his superior. Just think! This was in their Bible all the time and they had never noticed it. 7:8 In the Aaronic priesthood tithes were received by men who were subject to death. There was a constant succession of priests, each one serving his own generation, then passing on. In Melchizedek’s case there is no mention of his having died. Therefore he can represent a priesthood which is unique in that it is perpetual. 7:9 In receiving tithes from Abraham, Melchizedek virtually received them from Levi. Since Levi was the head of the priestly tribe, it amounts to saying that the Aaronic priesthood paid tithes to Melchizedek and thus acknowledged the superiority of the latter. 7:10 By what chain of reckoning can it be said that Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek? Well, first of all, Abraham was actually the one who paid the tithes. He was the great-grandfather of Levi. Though Levi had not yet been born, he was in the loins of Abraham, that is, he was destined to be descended from the patriarch. Abraham really acted as a representative for all his posterity when he gave a tenth to Melchizedek. Therefore Levi, and the priesthood that sprang from him, took second place to Melchizedek and to his priesthood. 7:11 In verses 11-20 we find the second argument that shows Melchizedek’s priesthood to be superior to Aaron’s. The argument is that there has been a change in the priesthood. The priesthood of Christ has set aside the Levitical priesthood. This would not have been necessary if the latter had achieved its purpose fully and finally. The fact is that perfection was not attainable through the Levitical system. Sins were never put away and the worshipers never obtained rest of conscience. The priesthood that was set up under the Law of Moses was not the ultimate one. Another kind of priesthood is now in effect. The perfect Priest has now come, and His priesthood is not reckoned according to the order of Aaron but rather after the order of Melchizedek. 7:12 The fact that the priesthood has been changed forces the conclusion that the entire legal structure on which the priesthood was based has been changed also. This is a very radical announcement! Like a tolling bell, it rings out the old order of things and rings in the new. We are no longer under the law. 7:13 That there has been a change in the law is evident from the fact that the Lord Jesus belongs to a tribe which was barred from performing priestly function by the Levitical law. 7:14 It was from the tribe of Judah that our Lord was descended. The Mosaic legislation never authorized anyone from that tribe to be a priest. Yet Jesus is a Priest. How can that be? Because the law has been changed. 7:15 The author has additional evidence that there has been a vast change in the law of the priesthood. Another kind of priest has arisen in the likeness of Melchizedek, and His qualification for the office is quite different from that of Aaron’s sons. 7:16 The Levitical priests became eligible by meeting the legal requirements concerning bodily descent. They had to be born of the tribe of Levi and of the family of Judah. But what qualifies the Lord to be a Priest like Melchizedek is His endless life. It is not a question of pedigree but of personal, inherent power. He lives forever. 7:17 This is confirmed by the words of Psa_110:4, where David points forward to the Messiah’s priesthood: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Here the emphasis is on the word forever. His ministry will never cease because His life will never end. 7:18 The law which set up the Aaronic priesthood has been annulled because of its weakness and unprofitableness. It has been canceled by the advent of Christ. In what sense was the law weak and unprofitable? Was it not given by God Himself? Could God give anything that was impotent and useless? The answer is that God never intended this to be the ultimate law of priesthood. It was preparatory to the coming of God’s ideal priesthood. It was a partial and temporary picture of that which would be perfect and final. 7:19 It was also weak and useless in the sense that it made nothing perfect. The people were never able to go into the presence of God in the Most Holy Place. This enforced distance between God and man was a constant reminder that the sin question was not settled once for all. But now a better hope has been introduced through which we draw near to God. That better hope is the Lord Jesus Himself; those who have Him as their only hope have perfect access to God at any time. 7:20 Not only has there been a change in the order of priesthood and in the law of priesthood, but also, as we shall now see, there has been a change in the method of induction. The reasoning here revolves around the use of God’s oath in connection with Christ’s priesthood. The oath signifies the introduction of that which is unchangeable and everlasting. Rainsbury says, Nothing less than the oath of Almighty God guarantees the efficacy and the eternity of the priesthood of our blessed Lord Jesus.7:21 The Aaronic priests were appointed without an oath. Therefore the implication is that their priesthood was intended to be provisional and not enduring. But God addressed Christ with an oath in designating Him as a priest. The form of the oath is found in Psa_110:4 : The Lord has sworn and will not relent, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Henderson says: God places behind Christ’s commission the eternal verities of His throne, and the immutable attributes of His nature. If they can change, the new priesthood can change. Otherwise it cannot. 7:22 It follows from this that Jesus is the surety of a better covenant. The Aaronic priesthood was a part of the Old Covenant. The priesthood of Christ is connected with the New covenant. Covenant and priesthood stand or fall together. The New Covenant is an unconditional agreement of grace which God will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah when the Lord Jesus sets up His kingdom on earth (Jer_31:33-34). Believers today enjoy some of the blessings of the New Covenant but its complete fulfillment will not be realized until Israel is restored and redeemed nationally. Jesus is the surety of the New covenant in the sense that He Himself is the Guarantee. By His death, burial, and resurrection, He provided a righteous basis on which God can fulfill the terms of the covenant. His endless priesthood is also vitally linked with the unfailing fulfillment of the terms of the covenant. 7:23 We now come to the third and final argument concerning the superiority of the Melchizedekan priesthood. The priests of Israel were many. It is said that there were eighty-four high priests in the history of the nation, and of course, there were innumerable lesser priests. The office periodically changed hands because of the death of the incumbents. The ministry suffered from these inevitable interruptions. 7:24 In the case of Christ’s priesthood, there is no such failure because He lives forever. His priesthood is never passed on to anyone else, and there is no interruption to its effectiveness. It is unchangeable and intransmissible. 7:25 Because He lives forever He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God by Him. We generally understand this to refer to His work in saving sinners from the penalty of sin, but actually the writer is speaking of Christ’s work in saving saints from the power of sin. It is not so much His role as Savior as that of High Priest. There is no danger that any believers will be lost. Their eternal security rests on His perpetual intercession for them. He is also able to save them for all time because His present ministry for them at God’s right hand can never be interrupted by death. 7:26 Christ’s priesthood is superior to Aaron’s because of His personal excellence. He is holy in His standing before God. He is harmless or guileless in His dealings with men. He is undefiled in His personal character. He is separate from sinners in His life at God’s right hand. He has become higher than the heavens in His present and eternal splendor. It is fitting for us to have such a High Priest. 7:27 Unlike the Levitical priests, our High Priest does not need to offer sacrifices daily; this He did once for all. He does not need to offer for His own sins because He is absolutely sinless. A third amazing way in which He differs from the former priests is that He offered up Himself for the sins of the people. The Priest gave Himself as the sacrifice. Wonderful, matchless grace of Jesus! 7:28 The law sets up priests who are personally imperfect; they are characterized by weakness and failure; they are only ritually holy. God’s oath, given after the law, appoints the Son as a Priest who has been perfected forever. This oath was referred to in verse 21 of this chapter and quoted from Psa_110:4. There are momentous implications in the material we have just covered. Human priesthood has been superseded by a divine and eternal priesthood. How foolish, then, for men to set up priestly systems patterned after the OT and to intrude upon the functions of our great High Priest!