Please turn in your Bibles this evening to Hebrews chapter 7 as we continue our study through the Word of God. Now keep in mind that Paul is showing these Jewish believers who were struggling with their faith, were being drawn back into the legalism of Judaism, that Jesus is superior to all. He shows them that Jesus is superior to angels in Hebrews chapters 1 & 2. Then in Hebrews chapter 3 he shows them that Jesus is superior to Moses. As we moved into Hebrews chapter 4 we saw how Jesus is superior to Joshua.
Now, in Hebrews chapters 5-10 Paul will show them how Jesus is superior to the Levitical priesthood, obviously an important issue for these Jewish believers. We saw last week Paul showing that Jesus is from a better priestly order, the order of Melchizedek. But before Paul got too deep into this subject he rebukes them and warns them of the dangerous path they were on. That they should be mature in the faith by now but instead they were like babes in Christ, and they have become dull to the things of God.
And as we saw last time Paul starts this rebuke and warning in Hebrews chapter 5 verse 11 and continues this through chapter 6, just picking back up with Jesus being our High Priest from the order of Melchizedek in verse 20. Paul wants them to move forward, to grow in the Lord and not be stagnant in their growth, knowing the base principles of their faith, the ABC’s, and not maturing.
So with that said, let’s begin reading in Hebrews chapter 7, beginning in verse 1 and let’s see what the Lord has for us this evening as we look at this person named Melchizedek and the relationship of Jesus to him.
VERSES 1-3
All we know of this man named Melchizedek is from 2 places in the Old Testament, Psalm 110:4 and Genesis 14:18-20 and what we are told of him here in Hebrews chapters 5-7. Let me refresh the story of Abraham’s encounter with this man. A confederation of 4 nations rose up and conquered 5 nations and for 12 years they served them and then these 5 nations joined forces to rebel, but it didn’t work. They lost the battle and Lot and his family who were living in Sodom were taken captive, as well as many others with their possessions.
When Abram or latter known as Abraham found out, he gathered his forces of 318 trained servants, and went on a rescue mission and succeeded in not only rescuing Lot, but bringing back the people who were taken into captivity as well as their possessions. As he returned from this victory the king of Salem (an ancient name for Jerusalem), came out to meet him with bread and wine. That should cause us to pay attention because those are the symbols of the New Covenant that Jesus instituted the night before His crucifixion. The bread symbolizing life, John 6:35, and the wine speaking of joy, Psalm 104:15. This man, Melchizedek, we are told, “was the priest of God Most High.” Genesis 14:18. And he blessed Abraham. In return Abraham gave this king and priest a tithe or 10% of the spoils of victory.
The name “Melchizedek” means “King of Righteousness” and “Salem” means “Peace” so he is also called the King of Peace. Those are titles of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, (Jeremiah 33:6, Isaiah 9:6). Now here is where things get interesting. It says that this man had no father, no mother; there were no genealogies of him, no record of his birth or death. Also the priestly order of Melchizedek never ends, it is eternal. So what does this mean?
Because there were no genealogies of this man, no report of his birth or death, many believe this is none other than Jesus Christ, an Old Testament appearance of Jesus or a Christophany. I don’t believe that is what the text is saying here. I believe this is a picture or type of Christ, but not an Old Testament appearance of Him. Let me explain. In verse 3 the Greek word for “made like” is APHOMOIOO (af-om-oy-o’-o) and it speaks of a copy or model. Also, in verse 15 the word “likeness” or “similitude” is the Greek word, HOMOIOTES (hom-oy-ot’-ace), which speaks of being similar, a resemblance to but not the person. It is a copy of that person, a picture you might say.
I personally believe Melchizedek is a type of Christ or a picture of Christ, that this man was real, not an angelic being as some think. Now, what about his eternal existence? I believe that the Holy Spirit edited it out to fit the type. Do we see this in other places? Yes we do. In Genesis chapter 22 as Abraham takes his son, his only son to offer him as a sacrifice, Isaac, we can see how another Father was going to offer His only begotten Son on that same mountain some 2,000 years later, Jesus.
Now as God spared Isaac we are told that only Abraham came down from the mountain, where was Isaac? Interestingly enough we don’t see Isaac again until the father, Abraham sends out his servant, Eliezer, which means comforter and is a type of the Holy Spirit, to get a bride for his son. As Eliezer, the comforter gathers a wife for Isaac, we see Isaac once again as the bride is presented to him. We will see Jesus once again when the Holy Spirit gathers a bride for Jesus and we are presented to Him. So I believe the Holy Spirit did edit the text or make the text to fit the type, Jesus!
Now don’t get hung up on this. If you believe this is an Old Testament appearance of Jesus I won’t take any points away from you. It could be, but again, as you look at the wording that Paul uses, it seems that this was a picture of Christ and the work He was to do!
One more point before we move on and that is the priesthood. God called the tribe of Levi for the religious service for the nation and all priests were from the tribe of Levi, but not all the Levites were priests though. If you were a priest you not only had to be from the tribe of Levi but you also had to be a descendent of Aaron, the brother of Moses. The other Levites helped the priests out, they may have been singers and-so-on. And no Levite could be a king, which is going to be important for us to understand this evening. The sacrifices they made were not to permanently take away sin but they covered them for a time and they themselves needed to offer sacrifice for their own sins. And a priest’s position was limited; he could only serve from the age of 25 until the age of 50.
Now we are going to see how Jesus is from a better priestly order than the Levitical priesthood.
VERSES 4-7
Notice the difference here. Abraham freely gave his tithes to Melchizedek, he was not forced to, there was no commandment for him to do that. On the other hand God gave the commandment to the children of Israel to pay their tithes to the priests and it came to about 23% a year, not just 10%! The point here is that the order of Melchizedek is greater than the order of the Levites. And if Melchizedek blessed Abraham it shows that he was greater than Abraham and Abraham did not reject the blessing but he received it. Now keep in mind he is just setting the stage to prove his point. By the time Paul is finished there will be no doubt about who is greater and who is lesser.
As Christians how much are we to give? Some would say our tithe should be 10%, it is Biblical. I won’t argue with that point but I don’t see the New Testament support that thought. In II Corinthians 9:6-7 we are told, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” You see, God does not want us to give because we are forced to give. We are not to give reluctantly but we are to give cheerfully to the Lord. I know, I still didn’t answer the question as to how much we are to give to the Lord. The answer is really simple. Give with a joyful heart what you feel is right, it is not the amount you give but your heart as you give.
But also remember that what you sow you will also reap. It is as Proverbs 11:24-25 says, “There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.” You can’t out give God! Also, in Proverbs 3:9-10 we are told, “Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.” You see, God is a debtor to no man and what you see in nature in regards to the more seeds you plant the more of a harvest you will have, also applies in the spiritual realm. But don’t use God as a stock market, you give to Him because you desire to give to Him and as He blesses, it is not always monetary!
VERSES 8-10
Obviously Levi could not have literally paid tithes to Melchizedek because he was not even born yet. In fact there was almost a 500-year time gap between Abraham and the Exodus from Egypt, to the giving of the Law, to the Levitical priesthood. Notice what Paul says in verse 9, “so to speak.” In other words, it was an allegorical point or symbolic and not to be taken literally! The whole idea is this, if the greater ancestor Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, then his descendents did so because of their relationship to Abraham. Thus, the actions by Abraham affirm the superiority of Melchizedek over the Levitical priesthood.
VERSE 11
Paul makes this strong argument for them to chew on. It would make no sense at all for God to make another priesthood if the Levitical priesthood was sufficient! Thus, there is something lacking in the Levitical priesthood, which gave us the Law and because God knew that, He made another priestly order, that of Melchizedek. Now please understand, there is NOTHING wrong with the Law, it is good, it is perfect, that is not the issue. Then what is the issue, what is the problem? We will look at that in a few minutes, but I think you already know. The problem is you and me, we are sinners and we can’t keep the Law. The Law shows us we fall far short of perfection, and again, we will look at this a little more in a few minutes.
VERSE 12
Now Paul shows them that if the Levitical priesthood was not sufficient and it must be changed, and this priesthood is associated with the Law, then the Law’s status or place is going to need to be changed also. The Greek word for “changed” regarding the priesthood is METATITHEMI, (met-at-ith’-ay-mee) and it carries with it the idea of putting one thing in place of another like Melchizedek in place of the Levitical priesthood. And the Greek word for “change” in regards to the Law is METAHESIS, (met-ath’-es-is) and it comes from the Greek word we just spoke about.
John Macarthur put it this way. He said, “Christianity, in a sense, comes from Judaism. But Christianity is not merely enhanced Judaism; it replaces Judaism. For a Jewish convert, his faith is changed from Judaism to Christianity. The new priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek, was not added to Aaron’s, but replaced it. Aaron’s priesthood now has no validity at all, not even as a picture of salvation or as a temporary covering of sin. It is defunct, totally abrogated.” Obviously this was very important for these Jewish believers to hear and apply to their lives, not to go backwards into the legalism of Judaism but to grow in Grace! Now it is not that God made a mistake in the Old Testament, it is that the Jews took it to the wrong conclusion and then Jesus came to get things back in order and to pay in full the penalty for our sins. It is as Jesus said to the Jewish religious leaders in John 5:39-40, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” They missed Jesus, their Messiah because they searched the Scriptures but came to a faulty conclusion!
Now, in saying that, does that mean the Law is of no use to us? Not at all because Jesus holds us to a higher standard of living, not just our outward actions but the intent of our heart, not for salvation but in sanctification, growing in Him. Read over some of the words Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5-7. If you look at another person of the opposite sex with lust you have committed adultery, if you are angry with another person you have committed murder in God’s eyes! We can’t do that on our own! You are right, but by the power of God’s Spirit working in us we can.
It is as Paul said in Galatians, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? . . . But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? . . . For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.” Galatians 3:1-3, 4:9, 5:6.
VERSES 13-14
Jesus could not be a priest let alone a high priest according to the Mosaic Law because He was not from the tribe of Levi, a descendant of Aaron. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, and that was not a priestly tribe. If Jesus is a priest, our Great High Priest, then it must mean there is another order of priests out there, and there is, of course, as we have seen, the order of Melchizedek.
VERSES 15-17
Here in verse 15 Paul speaks of Jesus being “another” priest. There are two Greek words for “another.” One of them is ALLOS, which means one of the same kind. That is not the word Paul used here. He used the Greek word HETEROS, (het’-er-os), which means another of a different kind. Think of it like this. Jesus Christ is not just another priest (ALLOS), who ministered in the tabernacle and then the temple. No, Jesus Christ is of another order, (HETEROS), He is the one great High Priest, there is no other, He is different than the Aaronic priesthood! In fact, the word “arises” is structured in the Greek in such a way that this verse can be translated, “another priest arises by Himself.” So Jesus stands alone by His power, He is far superior to all the Levitical priesthood, He is in a class all of His own!
Notice that Jesus didn’t come based on the Mosaic Law or His heredity but upon who He is, Almighty God, eternal God and even though the descendants of Aaron tried to put Him to death, (Matthew 27:1), He conquered death! The Aaronic priesthood is not eternal, and they must be replaced, but Jesus remains, He is eternal and thus, His priesthood never ends!
VERSES 18-19
If you are a person who is living under the Law, listen carefully, the Law is weak, it is unprofitable, it cannot make anyone perfect. “How can you say that?” you might say. And you might point to the Scriptures where we are told in Psalm 19:7-11, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.” So how can the Law be weak, be unprofitable to us?
Because all the Law can do is show God’s standard of entering into Heaven, into His presences, fellowshipping with Him and that standard is perfection. The Law can’t make you perfect, all it can do is show you what you are like and Paul tells us what we are like in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So the Law is perfect and we are not!
The priests and the children of Israel were reminded of this separation as the veil in the tabernacle and later in the temple separated man from God because of our sin. Today the problem of sin still exists but as Paul said, there is a better hope and that is found in Christ. Paul put it this way in Hebrews 10:19-23, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
The Old Covenant could show us our sin, and even cover it for a time, but it could never take away our sins casting them as far as the east is from the west to be remembered no more! I like the way Guthrie puts it. He said:
Although the law performed a valuable function, its essential weakness was that it could not give life and vitality even to those who kept it, let alone to those who did not. In fact its function was not to provide strength, but to provide a standard by which man could measure his own moral status. Its uselessness must not be regarded in the sense of being totally worthless, but in the sense of being ineffective in providing constant means of approach to God based on a totally adequate sacrifice.
- Guthrie
Paul in Galatians 3:19-25 tells us, “What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”
You see, the Law was our tutor or schoolmaster that brought us to Christ. It could not save us but it pointed us to the Savior, to Jesus. Now, here in Hebrews Paul shows us the Law and the priesthood have been made obsolete by Jesus, who is of a superior priesthood, or as Meyer put it, “Cease to think of cleansing, and consider the Cleanser, forbear to speculate on deliverance, and deal with the Deliverer.” Again, the idea is to consider Jesus!
VERSES 20-21
In the Levitical system there was no swearing in ceremony, you became a priest by being in the tribe of Levi, a descendant of Aaron. God never said to Aaron that his priesthood would be eternal. But God made an oath according to the order of Melchizedek and when God makes an oath it is unchanging. What does this mean to us? Look at the next verse and we will see.
VERSE 22
It means that Jesus assures us that the New Covenant that was made by God through Jesus is secure; it is better than the Old Covenant because it is eternal! The Greek word for “surety” is EGGUOS, (eng’-goo-os) and it speaks of someone who gives security. Think of it like a person who would cosign a loan to guarantee payment. Here’s the point, Jesus is our guarantee of a better covenant. The Old Covenant was based on the faithfulness of man to keep it and they failed to do it! The New Covenant is based on the faithfulness of Jesus and it is a guarantee – our sins have been paid in full, the work is finished and all we must do is receive it by faith!
VERSES 23-25
Why did the priesthood under the Law of Moses constantly change? Because the priests would die off and new ones would come in and they would die and-so-on. And depending on who the priests were, especially the high priests, it could be good or bad. It seems that many times they were evil, not godly men. We saw that in the days of Jesus how the high priest was making a profit off of God as he ripped the people off who came to worship God by charging them high exchange rates for the temple money, selling the animal sacrifices for high prices. Many still do that today like these televangelists who profit off of God and are ripping people off who want to worship God!
Now with Jesus as our Great High Priest, we will never have to worry, He is unchanging, He is eternal, He is perfect and He will not rip us off!
For those of you who doubt God being able to save you because of where you have been or because of what you are doing now – YOU ARE WRONG! Jesus is more than able to save us to the uttermost. Yes He will bring us out of the mire we are in but He will also bring us up to the heaven, He will lose none of us! What is the key? You must come to God through Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14:6, “ . . . ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” There is no other way, there is no other truth and there is no other life outside of Him!
Paul also tells us that Jesus “ . . . He always lives to make intercession for them” or us and what a comfort that should be to each and everyone of us who has asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. Notice what Paul said in Romans 8:31-39 about God’s love for us and who can take it away. He said, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession 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? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 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.”
Do you believe that even when you are not walking as you think you should? You need to because that is what God says. He can’t love you anymore than He already loves you and He can’t love you any less! But it doesn’t end there, He loves you too much to let you stay where you are at and that just shows His love for you is real. If He didn’t love you He wouldn’t care what happens to you, what you are doing, but He does love you and He does care!
Now as Jesus is interceding for us before the Father please understand that He is not trying to placate the Father because He is angry at us but He represents us before the Father as we draw near to God through Jesus. Remember what Jesus said in Luke 22:31-32, “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’” God is not waiting for us to fail and then hammer us, but He is praying for us, that our faith will not fail and as we go through a difficult time we would be able to strengthen others because of it, strengthen them in the Lord! That is what Jesus is doing for us.
VERSES 26-28
No priest could compare to Jesus in character. No priest could be exalted in heaven. No priest was without sin and thus, he needed to offer sacrifice for himself daily. The priests were weak but Jesus is not, He is able to save us, He is sinless, His character is flawless, He has been received up to the right hand of the Father, and thus, Jesus is far superior to any earthly priest!
Now, because Jesus is a perfect High Priest, He was able to offer Himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. Peter reminds us in I Peter 1:18-21, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” Jesus alone is our Great High Priest who has been perfected forever!