Tag Archives: a priest forever

THE GOSPEL IN HEBREWS – 10

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Hebrews 6:13-20 NIV
[13] “When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, [14] saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” [15] And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. [16] People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. [17] Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. [18] God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. [19] We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, [20] where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

Having reassured himself and his readers that they were on the right track by remaining faithful to Jesus, our writer returns to his theme, the superiority of Jesus over Judaism.

Let’s look at the superiority of Jesus’ high priesthood over the Levitical priesthood of the Old Covenant.

When God appointed Jesus to be the High Priest over God’s house, He did it under oath, implying His accountability, integrity, and legal commitment to carry out His promises. God’s Word is always sufficient to guarantee His commitment to do what He says but…an oath is even more serious a promise of His intention.
Since there is none greater than God Himself, said our writer, He took an oath in His own name, to bless and prosper Abraham and His descendants. Included in this oath was His promise to provide a High Priest in the order of Mechizedek, one who would exist eternally to represent His people to God and God to His people.

However, in the Old Covenant system of worship, God had already given Israel an order of high priests, the order of Levi. God appointed the tribe of Levi to serve Him in the sanctuary, the temple and, later, the temple. The problem was that death interrupted the ministry of these priests. Every high priest served for a while and then and died. The people needed a high priest who would represent them uninterrupted, forever.

So, long before Israel became a nation through Abraham, God had already set up His divine order for His High Priest, Melchizedek, the forerunner of the one who would provide eternal continuity by rising from the dead…

Why Mechizedek? Who was this Melchizedek and what was his significance to God’s promise to His people?

Melchizedek appears in Genesis, after Abram’s victory over an alliance of kings who took Lot captive. Abram met him on his return for his conquest, worshiped and offered him a tenth of the spoils of victory.

Genesis 14:18-20 NIV
[18] Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, [19] and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. [20] And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”

The writer’s argument regarding Melchizedek’s greatness is an argument from silence. Since there is no record in Scripture of this man’s lineage, God presents him as the immortal king-priest of Salem to whom Levi, still unborn in Abraham, paid tithes. Great as Abraham was, Mechizedek was greater since the lesser gives tithes to the greater.

Therefore, Mechizedek appears in Scripture without lineage and with no record of his death. Levi, in Abraham, paid tithes to him therefore, it was fitting that Jesus should be appointed as High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, signifying that His is an eternal priesthood. Speaking of Melchizedek,

Hebrews 7:3 NIV
[3] “Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.”

Not only so, but God also made the appointment of Jesus in the order of Melchizedek with an oath.

Psalms 110:4 NIV
[4] The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

Jesus’ appointment to His high priesthood in the order of Melchizedek also has eternal consequences.

To be continued…

An Imperfect Priesthood

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AN IMPERFECT PRIESTHOOD

If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood – and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood – why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood changed, the law must be changed also. He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe, Moses said nothing about priests (Heb. 7: 11-14).

God established the Aaronic priesthood, according to the Law of Moses but, just like the sacrificial system of the Mosaic covenant, it served its purpose only for as long as the Mosaic covenant was in place. Our writer to the Hebrews indicated that, just like every other part of this covenant, it was temporary and would be superseded by a superior priesthood in the order of Melchizedek.

The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’  (Psa. 110: 4).

The Aaronic priesthood was of the tribe of Levi. God took this tribe to serve Him in the temple in the place of the firstborn sons of Israel because it was this tribe that stood with Moses when the Israelites worshipped the golden calf at Mount Sinai.

The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. Then Moses said, ‘You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and He has blessed you this day (Ex. 32: 28-29).

The Levitical priesthood was inferior to the order of Melchizedek for two important reasons.

1. They were part of a system that could only tell the people what God required of them but it could not enable them to obey. They were sinful and were required to offer sacrifices for their own sin first before they could minister to the people. The high priest was appointed from among them – he shared their weakness.

2. There was no continuing priesthood because every priest and high priest’s office was terminated by death.

God has already decreed that the Levitical priesthood would be replaced by another order, the order of Melchizedek which was a permanent priesthood. Jesus, followed Melchizedek, and it ended there because His priesthood would not be interrupted by death. God took Him right out of the Levitical priestly line and into the kingly tribe of Judah from which David descended.

In this rather obscure argument, the writer set out to show that Jesus is a superior high priest to theLevitical priesthood in every way. The Hebrew people looked to Moses as their authority for everything. It was time to move beyond Moses. Jesus is the fulfilment of everything Moses wrote about. He is the embodiment of the Torah, God’s instructions on how to live. He is the face of the Father. To see the Father, we look at Him.

And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’(Heb. 7: 15-17).

Jesus is a perfect high priest and He is a perpetual high priest, not because He was descended from Aaron, but because He was appointed by God’s decree in the order of Melchizedek.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.