The Letter to the Hebrews

Chapter 7Jan-Apr 2014 FXCC

Hebrews 6

• Elementary principles• Spiritual maturity• Don’t crucify Jesus again!

Hebrews 7

• Melchizedek– Ordained by God – Also a king– A priesthood order that is greater than the Levitical

priests of Israel

• Priesthoods• Jesus is a priest– Acknowledged by God’s own oath– Jesus is better than ALL other priests & priesthoods

Hebrews 7:1-10

• 1 Now this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him. 2 To him also Abraham apportioned a tithe of everything. His name first means king of righteousness, then king of Salem, that is, king of peace.

Hebrews 7:1-10

• 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, he has neither beginning of days nor end of life but is like the son of God, and he remains a priest for all time. 4 But see how great he must be, if Abraham the patriarch gave him a tithe of his plunder.

Hebrews 7:1-10

• 5 And those of the sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have authorization according to the law to collect a tithe from the people, that is, from their fellow countrymen, although they too are descendants of Abraham. 6 But Melchizedek who does not share their ancestry collected a tithe from Abraham and blessed the one who possessed the promise.

Hebrews 7:1-10

• 7 Now without dispute the inferior is blessed by the superior, 8 and in one case tithes are received by mortal men, while in the other by him who is affirmed to be alive. 9 And it could be said that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid a tithe through Abraham. 10 For he was still in his ancestor Abraham’s loins when Melchizedek met him.

Hebrews 7:1-10

• Melchizedek appears twice in the OT– Gen 14:17 After Abram returned from defeating

Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 18 Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) 19 He blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 Worthy of praise is the Most High God, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.

Hebrews 7:1-10

• Melchizedek appears twice in the OT– Psalm 110:4 The Lord makes this promise on oath

and will not revoke it: “You are an eternal priest after the pattern (order) of Melchizedek.”

Hebrews 7:1-10

• Melchizedek appears twice in the OT– Gen 14:17-20– Psalm 110:4

• He is the 1st priest mentioned in the Bible– Abraham recognizes him as a priest of God

• A priest without genealogy– An earlier precedent than the Levitical line– I.e. not necessary to descend from Aaron

Hebrews 7:1-10

• Abraham tithes to Melchizedek– Sets a precedent– Means Aaron/Levitical priests also tithed to

Melchizedek– Shows Melchizedek as greater than Abraham!!– Truly significant to the Jewish mind

• The only OT person both king and priest• The Psalm is a prediction/prophecy of a future

non-Levitical priest/king

Hebrews 7:1-10

• Because Melchizekek – Is greater than Abraham– A non-Levite priest, pre-dating Levi/Aaron– Appointed by God

• He is greater than the Levitical priests– Any other priest of his “order” is also greater than

the Levitical priesthood

• Proof that you can have a valid non-Levitical priest

Hebrews 7:11-25

• 11 So if perfection had in fact been possible through the Levitical priesthood – for on that basis the people received the law – what further need would there have been for another priest to arise, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in Aaron’s order? 12

For when the priesthood changes, a change in the law must come as well.

Hebrews 7:11-25

• 13 Yet the one these things are spoken about belongs to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever officiated at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord is descended from Judah, yet Moses said nothing about priests in connection with that tribe. 15 And this is even clearer if another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek,

Hebrews 7:11-25

• 16 who has become a priest not by a legal regulation about physical descent but by the power of an indestructible life. 17 For here is the testimony about him: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” 18 On the one hand a former command is set aside because it is weak and useless, 19 for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

Hebrews 7:11-25

• 20 And since this was not done without a sworn affirmation – for the others have become priests without a sworn affirmation, 21 but Jesus did so with a sworn affirmation by the one who said to him, “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever’” – 22 accordingly Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

Hebrews 7:11-25

• 23 And the others who became priests were numerous, because death prevented them from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently since he lives forever. 25 So he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Hebrews 7:11-25

• Priests had a variety of roles– Interpreters of the law– Preachers of the law/will of God– Teachers of the law/will of God– Protectors of the law– W/out the priests there would be no law, i.e. they

ensured the law was known and obeyed– The law and the priesthood were tied at the hip

Hebrews 7:11-25

• This was the Levitical priesthood• A change in how/who could be priest was a

MASSIVE upheaval in how things were done– Required a change in the law!– Meant a change in the covenant between God

and His people!

Hebrews 7:11-25

• Jesus would be/is the perfect priest– Son of God, vice fallible human– Eternal, vice subject to death– Bound by ancestry, vice being the best for the job– Had to sacrifice for their own sins, vice being

sinless– Had to offer regular and annual sacrifices for the

people’s sins, vice offering one perfect sacrifice for everyone and all time/eternity

Hebrews 7:11-25

• Jesus would be/is the perfect priest– Could enter the Holy of Holies only once a year,

vice always in the presence of God

Hebrews 7:26-28

• 26 For it is indeed fitting for us to have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need to do every day what those priests do, to offer sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people, since he did this in offering himself once for all.

Hebrews 7:26-28

• 28 For the law appoints as high priests men subject to weakness, but the word of solemn affirmation that came after the law appoints a son made perfect forever.

Hebrews 7:26-28

• The priests who were part of the Mosaic Law were human– Short lived– Sinful– Had to sacrifice for his own sins

• Jesus is the Son of God (divine)– Lives forever– Does not sin– Sacrificed once for all people, all time

Hebrews 7:26-28

• Eternal appears in vss 17, 21, 24 & 28– This is a PERMANENT priesthood!– Forever, eternal– It is possible, because Jesus is Himself eternal!• He is always before God, the Father, not just once a

year and then not even seeing God

Hebrews 7

• It is easy to get bogged down in the details in this chapter– Melchizedek?– No mother/no father?– Not sure we understand the argument– Etc

• The main point is the main point – don’t get bogged down

Hebrews 7

• It is easy to get bogged down in the details in this chapter

• The main point is the main point – don’t get bogged down– Jesus is better than anything God has done before– Jesus is the final say from God– In this chapter, the author proves to Jewish

readers that Jesus is a better High Priest than any Levitical High Priest was or could be

References

• F.F. Bruce, “The Epistle to the Hebrews”, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, Eerdmans, 1967

• Edward Fudge, “Our Man in Heaven: An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews”,, Baker, 1974– Available on-line for free– http://www.edwardfudge.com/written/omihtext.

html

References

• Edward Fudge, “Hebrews: Ancient Encouragement for Believers Today”, Leafwood Publishers, 2009

• John Mark Hicks, Hebrews, Word Doc– http://johnmarkhicks.com/wp-content/uploads/si

tes/10/2009/03/hebrews-edited.doc

References

• Referenced in John Mark Hicks, Hebrews, Word Doc are the sites for a sermon series (Strength for the Journey) by Rubel Shelly and John York on Hebrews– http://www.rubelshelly.com/content.asp?

lShow=20&ListSG=316&Start=121&SortAlpha=– http://www.rubelshelly.com/content.asp?

lShow=20&ListSG=316&Start=101&SortAlpha=– http://www.johnyork.org/content.asp?

lShow=20&ListSG=260&Start=161– http://www.johnyork.org/content.asp?

lShow=20&ListSG=260&Start=141

References

• Bobby Valentine’s “Stoned-Campbell Disciple” blog – http://stonedcampbelldisciple.com/2013/08/20/

paul-and-the-unquestioned-authority-of-the-old-testament/