Study Notes

Hebrews 7:1-28

Review

We have seen that the author of Hebrews has referred to Jesus as the High Priest eight times in the first six chapters. As chapter six came to a close, he was telling us to show diligence, and hold on to hope. Then he said,

Hebr. 6:19-20 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a {hope} both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus entered within the veil, that curtain which separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. We'll talk more about this veil in chapters nine and ten. But for the chapter before us, chapter seven, the main subject is that Jesus is a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

7:1-3 Melchizedek Like Jesus

We talked about Melchizedek back in chapter five. As you recall, Genesis 14 tells us that when Abraham was returning from a rescue mission,

Gen. 14:18-20 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand." And he gave him a tenth of all.

The writer is drawing an analogy here that will stretch our understanding of the Bible.

First, the name Melchizedek comes from two Hebrew words: MEH-lek, meaning "king," and TSEH-dek, which means "righteousness." Melchizedek means, "king of righteousness." He was, the Scriptures tell us, the king of Salem. "Shaw-LAME" in Hebrew is "peace."

In the brief mention of Melchizedek, we never hear who he descended from or when he died.

In this way, the author says he was made like the Son of God. After all, isn't Jesus the real King of Righteousness? Isn't He the King of Peace? Isn't He eternal, past and future?

Some have taken this to read that Melchizedek was an incarnation of Jesus Christ, but I don't see the text supporting that. It says that Melchizedek was "made like," a Greek word that means "copy, model, or facsimile." Melchizedek was simply a typological picture of Jesus, Who would come.

7:4-10 Levi's Tithes To Melchizedek

The Jews' priests were all from the tribe of Levi. All those who served in the temple were Levites. But the author is showing us how the priesthood of Melchizedek is superior to the priesthood of the Levites.

First of all, when Abraham gave a tenth to Melchizedek, he was tithing to him - taking a portion of what God had blessed him with and returning it to God.

I think it is interesting that when people don't want to give money to the church, they will often use the excuse, "I'm not under the Law." But remember, tithing began with Abraham, long before the Law was given to Moses. When someone refuses to give a tenth of their increase to God, it is not an issue of Law, it is an issue of the heart.

Lesser And Greater

When Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, he was making the statement that Melchizedek was greater than he. Now, because Abraham would father Isaac, and Isaac Jacob, and Jacob Levi, the author says that in effect, Levi was paying tithes to Melchizedek.

7:11-19 Change Of Tribe, Change Of Law

Remember that the Hebrews to whom the author is writing were being tempted to return to Judaism. To go back and offer sacrifices at the temple. To be subject to the Levite priests instead of Jesus Christ.

But he is telling them that perfection cannot be found in the Levitical priesthood. If it could, there would be no need for God to raise up another priest in the order of Melchizedek, as He had promised in Psalm 110, saying,

Ps. 110:4 The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, "Thou art a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."

Now, the author is saying, "Since God is establishing a new priesthood, He's got to change the Law as well. The Law had ordained the Levites as priests. It had commanded the sacrifice of animals to cover man's sin. It had dictated the rules by which man could gain atonement. But this new High Priest Whom God has appointed is not from the tribe of Levi. He's from the tribe of Judah. And with that change brings a change in the ceremonial laws. The priests will not be from Levi any longer. The animals shall not be sacrificed, for Christ died once for all. And atonement will not be found in anything but the cross.

7:20-21 Not Without An Oath

It is interesting to compare the two priesthoods. The priesthood of the Levites was not created with an oath from God. As a matter of fact, it was more of a "Plan B."

Originally, God's will was that the first-born son of every household serve as a priest. He told Moses,

Exod. 13:2 "Sanctify to Me every first-born, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me."

But there was a problem. When Moses was up on the mountaintop with God, the people were down below having a carnal party of idolatry. Moses came down to find a terrible mess of sin.

Exod. 32:21-28 Then Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you, that you have brought {such} great sin upon them?" And Aaron said, "Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil. For they said to me, ‘Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.' So they gave {it} to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf." Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control - for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies - then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, {come} to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. And he said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Every man {of you} put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.'" So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day.

Thus, God cast aside the first-born as His priests, and instead put the obedient Levites into the ministry. He said,

Num. 3:12 "Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every first-born, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine.

This doesn't sound like the best way to pick your leadership, does it?

But God appointed the Melchizedek priesthood with an oath, and made it an eternal priesthood.

7:22 A Better Covenant

With the Levites, the Jews lived under the old covenant: the continual slaughter of animals to cover their sins. But Jesus introduced the new covenant, saying,

Luke 22:20 And in the same way {He took} the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.

This was the covenant by which one sacrifice paid for every sin. It is obviously far superior to the old covenant.

We'll talk more about this in chapters eight and nine.

7:23-25 An Eternal Priest

When God had appointed the Levites, he made Moses' brother Aaron the high priest. But eventually, Aaron died, and his son El-aw-ZAWR became the high priest. But then El-aw-ZAWR died and another priest replaced him. This progression went on and on, with each death.

But the same is not true for the Melchizedekian priesthood.

Rom. 6:9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.

If the High Priest is replaced when he dies, then we have the same High Priest forever, for He will never die! He will always be able to save, because He will always make intercession for us.

And when Jesus intercedes for us, He keeps us from being condemned.

Rom. 8:33-39 Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, FOR THY SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus will always be alive to intercede for us.

7:26-28 A Holy Priest

Now the writer points out another quality that makes this priesthood superior to the former. The Levites were sinners. They had to offer up sacrifices for their own sins before they could even do their job! Every day, they had to do this. But Jesus, our high priest, is "holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens."

Jesus has never known sin. In Him is no sin. He is blameless and innocent.

2Cor. 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin {to be} sin on our behalf...

When Jesus was nailed to the cross, it was our sins that were nailed to the cross. He was righteous, but we were unrighteous. He stood in our place. That is the new covenant, that is the gospel. Jesus died to pay the price of our sins. He rose again from the dead and is never to die again. I we believe this good news, our sins will be forgiven, and we will live forever.

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

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