Sunday Night Bible Study Hebrews 7:1-28 April 24, 1994 Hebrews 7:1-28 Hebrews 7 Intro: We are reading a letter written to Jewish believers. People who understand the intricacies of the Old Testament Law and sacrificial system. People familiar with the priesthood of Aaron. We're now going to see a challenge to that priesthood. The last verse of chapter six ended: Heb 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Reminding us that Jesus was a priest after the order of Melchisedec, not after the Levitical order. Under the Mosaic Law, all priests had to be of the tribe of Levi, descended from the family of Aaron. Yet David wrote prophetically about the Messiah: Ps 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. So now we begin our look in detail into Melchizedek 1 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; :1 king of Salem, priest of the most high God Here's a unique thing about Melchizedek, that he is both a king and a priest. Kings are to rule over people. They're experts on the horizontal level - man to man, between people, life in the world. Priests are to take people to God. They're the experts on the vertical level - between man and God, getting man in touch with his God. There were several instances where kings tried to act like priests One was Uzziah 2Chronicles 26 16f He tried to burn incense, one of the priests' duties. He ended up with leprosy. From God. There are only two (except for us) individuals in the entire Bible who can fit this description. Melchizedek & Jesus :1 who met Abraham returning from ... Genesis 14:17 - 15:1 17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that [were] with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which [is] the king's dale. 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he [was] the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed [be] Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. 21. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. 22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23 That I will not [take] from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that [is] thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: 24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion. Genesis 15 1. After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I [am] thy shield, [and] thy exceeding great reward. Abraham has just rescued his nephew Lot, along with the inhabitants of several cities. He is welcomed back by the kings. This mysterious guy walks up with bread and wine. This guy blesses Abraham for being used by God. Abraham gives this guy a tenth of the spoils. Then Abraham refuses to keep anything belonging to Sodom. Abraham didn't want to become rich from Sodom. God declares that He is Abraham's protection and reward. This mysterious Melchizedek is only mentioned one other place in the Old Testament, the prophecy from David (Psa. 110). Who is this guy? 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; :2 Abraham gave a tenth part of all Why did Abraham do this? Abraham was giving recognition to the fact that God Most High (El Elyon) had been his helper. He was giving credit where credit was due. Since Melchizedek was the priest of El Elyon, he was given the tithe. :2 being by interpretation Or, "by translation" The writer is going to make a point based upon the meaning of Melchisedek's name :2 King of righteousness Melchi = "king of", or "my king" zedek = "righteousness" The name can mean either "King of righteousness", or "My King is Righteous" :2 King of Salem ... King of peace Salem (shalom) = peace It is thought that Salem was probably an ancient name for the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem = "teaching of peace" 3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. :3 without father, without mother Usually individuals like Kings and Priests had to display their lineage, to prove their right to their position. Kings of Judah had to show that they were descended from David Priests in Israel had to show that they were descended from Aaron. It was kind of like showing their qualifications for a job on their resume. Yet here comes this mysterious person out to meet Abraham, and we aren't given any part of his resume, yet he is an important enough person that the great father of faith, Abraham, pays tithes to him! The writer is trying to stress that this Melchizedek came out of nowhere. :3 neither beginning of days, nor end of life We aren't given this person's birthdate, age, or when he died. It's almost as if he's always existed. Just like Jesus. Who is this guy, Melchizedek? Is He Jesus? Is Jesus a King and a Priest? Does Jesus serve bread and wine? Is Jesus the King of Righteousness? Is Jesus the King of Peace? Is Jesus eternal? I wonder if Melchizedek is one of Jesus' appearances in another form before His birth in Bethlehem. Joh 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw [it], and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. There could have been several other places that Jesus is referring to, but I wonder if the encounter with Melchizedek is one of them. Melchizedek Quality #1: Righteousness Righteousness - being able to do the things that are pleasing to God. Doing right and being right before God. There is no righteousness apart from Jesus Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this [is] his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Melchizedek Quality #2: Peace There is no peace without Jesus Ro 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Melchizedek Quality #3: Eternal Eternity is in Jesus' hands Re 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. Eternity: The view from the blimp How does this life make any sense? The making of a tapestry. Escape the puny perspective of this world, gain eternal perspective in Jesus. 4 Now consider how great this man [was], unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. 5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: :5 the sons of Levi the Jewish priesthood was descended from Levi. 6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. 7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. :7 the less is blessed of the better In the Old Testament you see this pattern - A father who has walked with God gathers his children together and blesses them, passing on the touch of God to them. In other words, Melchizedek was greater than Abraham. 8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he [receiveth them], of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. :8 men that die The Levitical priests 9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. 10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him. :9 Levi ... payed tithes Since Levi was a great grandson of Abraham, in a sense, he being in the loins of Abraham, was there giving tithes to Melchizedek too. What's the writer trying to say? He's building up to his point that the priesthood of Melchizedek is better or greater than the Levitical priesthood. 11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need [was there] that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? :11 that another priest should rise ... This takes us back to our original quote in Hebrews 5:6 that first introduced us to the whole Melchizedek thing. The writer was in turn quoting David in Psalm 110: Ps 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. Now, if the Levitical priesthood was intended to be the only priesthood ever necessary, and all that we'd ever need to be able to get to God, then how come after the Levitical priesthood had been operating for several hundred years, did God give this prophecy that someone after another completely different priesthood would arise? Why the need for a Melchizedek priesthood if the Levitical was enough? In other words, God knew and planned all along to make a change in priesthoods somewhere along the line. 12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. 13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. 14 For [it is] evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. :12 a change also of the law A change is necessary because in the Mosaic Law, only those of the tribe of Levi could become priests. Jesus was of the tribe of Judah, and not qualified to be a priest under the Mosaic Law. 15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, 16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. 17 For he testifieth, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. :16 a carnal commandment In that priests became priests through the flesh, because they simply inherited the position from their fathers. :16 the power of an endless life In the quote from Psalm 110:4, He is a priest FOREVER. He became a great priest because of His endless life, not because he simply fell into it because of his earthly father. 18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. 19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope [did]; by the which we draw nigh unto God. :19 the law made nothing perfect We don't want to confuse this to say that the Law was bad. The Law is good, it was given to serve a purpose. Ga 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. The Law was given to show us just how much we needed a Savior. The Law itself is perfect, but no man can keep it completely. We need to be careful of legalism. Legalism, trying to keep the law perfectly, is deadly. 2Co 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. Legalistic churches don't grow, they kill instead of give life. Note about Mormonism: The Mormons make a big deal about their claim to have the "restored" priesthood of Aaron. Why would they want to restore something that God is done with? :19 the bringing in of a better hope did It's by trusting in Jesus and His work for us that we become perfect. How am I made perfect? Jesus makes the changes in our lives little by little, from the inside out. 2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord. We just keep looking in the mirror of the Word, looking to Jesus, and we find our selves changing bit by bit, to looking more like Him. We may end up looking like a person who is trying to keep the Law, because we're doing many of the same things, but for a different reason. We do them because we love Jesus and have learned to trust Jesus. They do them because they "have to", because they are trying to follow this external code. 20 And inasmuch as not without an oath [he was made priest]: 21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) 22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. :20 as not without an oath ... The Levitical priests were made priests because they inherited the position from their fathers. Jesus was made a priest because God swore an oath, making Him a priest. 23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: 24 But this [man], because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. :23 were many priests The Levitical priests had a bad habit. They died. Jesus, on the other hand, lives forever. :25 he is able also to save them to the uttermost Forever, completely Not a half-way job When Jesus saves us, He doesn't do a half-way job. He doesn't just save you from 25 sins, or only four years' worth of sins. He saves you from all of them. Saved from everything. There is nothing that Jesus can't save you from. Absolutely nothing. You may feel like you've really done the worse thing that could ever be done. Yet Jesus is able to save you. 1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. You don't have to be afraid of ever being separated from God again. :25 he ever liveth to make intercession for them He's on your side! 1Jo 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: Marriage counseling - it's hard not to take sides. When one person tells you their side of the story, they sure sound convincing. But it's kind of hard to tell which side is the correct one. Satan is constantly accusing you before the Father. But Jesus is always taking your side with the Father. 26 For such an high priest became us, [who is] holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. 28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, [maketh] the Son, who is consecrated for evermore. :26 such an high priest became us Or, "it is fitting", it is proper that Jesus should be this kind of High Priest for us. :27 this he did once The other priests were continually having to follow the correct procedures of first taking care of their own sins through sacrifice, then taking care of your sins through sacrifice. They were human, being sinners too. Jesus only had to make one sacrifice for sins. He didn't need to sacrifice for Himself, He was sinless. And the sacrifice He made for your sins wasn't just any old bull or goat, it was His own eternal, infinite life. He gave an infinite payment for the price of your sins, enough to cover all your sins, and the sins of the entire world.