Sunday
Morning Bible Study
May
20, 2018
Introduction
We don’t know for sure who wrote the book of Hebrews, but we do have a
pretty good idea of who it was written to.
Hebrews was written to Jewish believers.
The author expects the
readers to be well acquainted with Levitical worship and sacrifice.
He will constantly quote the Old Testament in a way that expects that the
reader understands what he’s talking about.
We also know that these believers were encountering very strong
persecution.
Times were so bad that some were beginning to wonder if they shouldn’t quit
following Jesus.
We will see three elements woven throughout this letter to the Hebrews.
1. Both Testaments
Even though the Old Testament has become “obsolete” (Heb. 8:13), the entire
book of Hebrews is built upon the clear foundation of the Old Testament.
(Hebrews 8:13 NKJV)
In
that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what
is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
You aren’t going to understand Hebrews, or even the New Testament correctly
unless you learn the Old Testament.
2. Jesus is superior
He’s superior to angels.
He’s superior to Moses and the Torah.
He’s superior to the Levitical priests and their sacrifices.
3. Don’t quit
The ultimate goal of the book is to encourage those who are struggling with
difficult times, and help them to endure.
There’s much to find strength from and not quit.
Last week Caleb began this new section in Hebrews that deals with a person
named Melchizedek.
Caleb laid out the historical background to this person from Genesis 14.
There had been a war between an alliance of kings from the east and the
area of Sodom. Abraham’s nephew Lot was
taken captive.
Abraham mounted a rescue and not only conquered the invading force but returned
with the captives and their property.
That’s when Abraham met this mysterious person:
(Genesis 14:18–20
NKJV) —18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was
the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed
be God Most High,
Who
has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.
Abraham gave one tenth of all the spoil to Melchizedek.
It seems strange to me that Abraham would give a tenth of all he had
captured to this mysterious person.
Abraham is giving this “tithe” to Melchizedek because
Melchizedek is a representative of God, the one who had helped Abraham.
Melchizedek was not just a king, but a priest of “God Most
High” (Hebrew: El Elyon), a name of
God that Melchizedek connects to Abraham as Abraham’s God and the one who gave
Abraham victory.
(Note: The specific
Hebrew phrase El Elyon is unique to
Genesis 14, though the word Elyon is
used in other combinations referring to God (Yahweh Elyon, Elohim Elyon, and
simply Elyon)
Caleb asked me to do quick review of last week’s passage to pick up on
things he didn’t have time to cover.
7:1-10 King of Righteousness
:1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who
met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
Melchizedek – “king of righteousness”
met - sunantao - to meet with
slaughter - kope - the act of cutting, a cut; a cutting in
pieces, slaughter
blessed - eulogeo - to praise, celebrate with praises; to
invoke blessings; to consecrate a thing with solemn prayers; to ask God’s
blessing on a thing
:2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated
“king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,”
a tenth - dekate - a tenth
part of anything, a tithe
gave - merizo - to divide;
to separate into parts, cut into pieces; to divide into parties, i.e. be split
into factions
being translated - hermeneuo -
to explain in words, expound; to interpret; to translate what has been spoken
or written in a foreign tongue into the vernacular
righteousness - dikaiosune -
in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the
condition acceptable to God; integrity, virtue, purity of life, rightness,
correctness of thinking, feeling, and acting
The name “Melchizedek” has two
parts - “Melchi” means “king” and “zedek” means “righteousness”.
Salem - Salem - “peace”;
the place where Melchizedek was king and thought to be the ancient name of
Jerusalem
peace - eirene - a state
of national tranquility; peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord;
security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and
keep things safe and prosperous)
:3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither
beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a
priest continually.
without father - apator -
whose father is not recorded in the genealogies
without mother - ametor -
born without a mother
without descent - agenealogetos
- one whose descent there is no record of, without genealogy
beginning - arche -
beginning, origin
life - zoe - life
end - telos - end;
termination, the limit at which a thing ceases to be (always of the end of some
act or state, but not of the end of a period of time)
made like - aphomoioo (“from”
+ “to be made like”) - to cause a model to pass off into an image or shape like
it; to express itself in it, to copy; to produce a facsimile; to be made like,
render similar
remains - meno - to
remain, abide
priest - hiereus - a
priest, one who offers sacrifices and in general in busied with sacred rites
continually - dienekes -
continuously, continuous
:1 this Melchizedek
Our writer has already mentioned Melchizedek three times (Heb. 5:6, 10;
6:20), referring to a prophecy David had made (Ps. 110:4)
(Psalm 110:4 NKJV) The Lord has sworn And will not
relent, “You are
a priest forever
According
to the order of Melchizedek.”
This is a prophecy concerning the Messiah, who would be a priest by way of
connection to Melchizedek.
Melchizedek’s name in Hebrew means “king of righteousness”, but because he
was also the king of Salem (“peace”), he is also called the “king of peace”.
:3 remains a priest continually
All we know of Melchizedek is this odd story in Genesis 14.
Nothing is known of this man’s genealogy, of when he was born or when he
died.
David will mention Melchizedek 400 years later, as if he was still around.
Don’t forget this thought…
:4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch
Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.
consider - theoreo - to be
a spectator, look at, behold; to view attentively, take a view of, survey; to
view mentally, consider; to see; to ascertain, find out by seeing
how great - pelikos - how
great, how large; in a material reference (denoting geometrical magnitude as
distinguished from arithmetical); in an ethical sense: how distinguished
spoils - akrothinion - top
of the heap, the first fruits; best of the spoils or crops; the Greeks
customarily selected from the topmost part of the heaps and offered this to the
gods
That’s from the story of Genesis 14.
A fancy word for “tenth” is the word “tithe”.
You’ll see the two words sprinkled in our passage, and they’re the same
Greek word.
Technically when you give a “tithe” you are supposed to be giving a
“tenth”.
:5 And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the
priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to
the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of
Abraham;
:6 but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from
Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.
descent - genealogeo - to
recount a family’s origin and lineage, trace ancestry; to draw one’s origin,
derive one’s pedigree
received tithes - dekatoo -
to exact or receive the tenth part; to pay tithes
promises - epaggelia -
announcement; promise; the act of promising, a promise given or to be given; a
promised good or blessing
blessed - eulogeo - to
praise, celebrate with praises; to invoke blessings; to consecrate a thing with
solemn prayers
:5 though they have come from the loins of Abraham
Our writer assumes you understand the genealogical connections.
I won’t.
The Levitical priests were physical descendants of Abraham.
Abraham then Isaac then Jacob.
Jacob had twelve sons, one of which was Levi.
One of Levi’s descendants was Aaron, the first priest under the Law of
Moses.
All further priests within Judaism were supposed to be
descendants of Aaron, or, Levitical priests.
:6 blessed him who had the promises
The Jews all prided themselves of being descendants of Abraham, the man who
taught the world about having a relationship with God.
God had promised that the whole world would be blessed through Abraham
(Gen. 12:3)
(Genesis 12:3 NKJV)
I
will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the
earth shall be blessed.”
Yet our writer’s point is that there was someone in Abraham’s life who had
actually “blessed” Abraham (and not the other way around).
:7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.
contradiction - antilogia -
gainsaying, contradiction; opposition, rebellion
lesser - elasson - less
better - kreitton - more
useful, more serviceable, more advantageous; more excellent
is blessed - eulogeo - to
praise, celebrate with praises; to invoke blessings; to consecrate a thing with
solemn prayers; to ask God’s blessing on a thing
:7 the lesser is blessed by the better
The chapter we’re in lays out the superiority of Jesus to the Levitical
priests.
There’s going to be at least ten reasons within this chapter why Jesus is
better (we’ll see five of them today).
#1 Why Jesus is better
Melchizedek blessed Abraham (v.7)
If Jesus is connected to Melchizedek, then Melchizedek blessing Abraham is like
Jesus blessing the Levitical priests.
That makes Jesus “better” than the Levitical priests.
:8 Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of
whom it is witnessed that he lives.
:8 mortal men receive tithes
The Greek text here is literally, “dying men receive tithes”, in contrast
to the One who “lives”.
mortal – apothnesko - to
die
it is witnessed – martureo -
to be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. to affirm that one has seen or heard or
experienced something, or that he knows it because taught by divine revelation
or inspiration
he lives – zao - to live,
breathe, be among the living (not lifeless, not dead)
Levitical priests are simple mortal beings (men who will die), and in the
writer’s day they received tithes from worshippers.
:8 of whom it is witnessed that he lives
Remember back in vs. 3, that Melchizedek “remains a priest continually”
We’ll be reminded in a minute that “forever” is connected to Melchizedek.
(Heb. 7:17)
It was this “forever” alive guy who received tithes.
:9 Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to
speak,
paid tithes – dekatoo – to
exact or receive the tenth part; to pay tithes
:10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
loins - osphus - the hip
(loin); to gird, gird about, the loins; a loin, the (two) loins; the place
where the Hebrews thought the generative power (semen) resided
met - sunantao - to meet
with; of events: to happen or befall
:10 he was still in the loins of his father
I
just read an article yesterday about a 64-year-old man who had been
abandoned as a baby in a telephone booth.
Through DNA testing, he just reconnected to his birth mom.
Levi’s genetical material was in Abraham, when…
:9 Levi … paid tithes through Abraham
Because Levi is a direct descendant of Abraham, there is a sense in which
he was paying tithes to Melchizedek.
#2 Why Jesus is better
Levi tithed to Melchizedek (v.9)
Levi was still inside Abraham when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek. This makes Melchizedek greater than Abraham,
and Jesus better Levitical priests.
7:11-19 The New Priesthood
:11 Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for
under it the people received the law), what further need was there that
another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be
called according to the order of Aaron?
perfection - teleiosis - a
completing, a perfecting; fulfilment, accomplishment; the event which verifies
the promise; consummation, perfection
received the law - nomotheteo -
to enact laws; laws are enacted or prescribed for one, to be legislated for,
furnished with laws; to sanction by law, enact
:11 that another priest should rise
Keep the timeline in mind.
Abraham meets Melchizedek around 2000 BC.
The Law of Moses and Levitical priests are at 1400 BC.
David prophecies about the Messiah being of the “order of Melchizedek” in
1000 BC.
If the Levitical priests were all the priesthood the world ever needed,
then why did David say there would be another priest after Melchizedek’s order 400 years after the Levites
started?
#3 Why Jesus is better.
Levites weren’t permanent. (v.11)
God never planned for the Levitical priesthood to be the final priesthood, there
was another priesthood after Melchizedek’s order coming.
:12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change
of the law.
being changed - metatithemi -
to transpose (two things, one of which is put in place of the other); to
transfer; to change; to go or pass over
a change - metathesis -
transfer: from one place to another; to change; of things instituted or
established
:12 the priesthood being changed
I don’t know if you’ve talked lately with the fine young men in white
shirts and ties knocking on your front door.
Mormons claim that Joseph Smith received the “Aaronic priesthood” from John
the Baptist, and that boys 12 years old and up may become priests (without
being Jewish nor descendants from Aaron).
They can then progress to the “Melchizedek” priesthood.
Of course these “priesthoods” have nothing to do with what the Bible
teaches.
The further problem is, the book of Hebrews says the Aaronic priesthood has
been changed, “annulled” (vs. 18)
There is no longer a need for it.
:13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from
which no man has officiated at the altar.
belongs - metecho - to be
or become partaker; to partake
has officiated - prosecho -
to bring to, bring near; to turn the mind to, attend to be attentive
altar - thusiasterion -
the altar for slaying and burning of victims used of
:13 from which no man has officiated at the altar
From the time of Moses, only descendants of Aaron were allowed to perform
the worship and sacrifices that God required.
Aaron was from the tribe of Levi, who was a descendant from Abraham.
Yet David (from the tribe of Judah) spoke about Jesus, as a priest, and He was
not a descendant of Aaron.
:14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe
Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.
evident - prodelos (“before”
+ “clear”) - openly evident, known to all, manifest
sprang - anatello - rise;
to cause to rise; of the earth bring forth plants; to rise, arise, to rise
from, be descended from
:14 our Lord arose from Judah
Go back to the genealogies.
Jacob has twelve sons including Levi and Judah.
Jesus came from Judah, an entirely different tribe than Levi.
It was “evident” Jesus came from Judah.
Yet priests weren’t supposed to come from Judah, only Levi.
:15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek,
there arises another priest
:16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but
according to the power of an endless life.
:15 it is yet far more evident
far more – perissoteron –
exceeding some number or measure or rank or need
evident – katadelos (intensive
form of “clear”) – thoroughly clear,
plain, evident
As “evident” as it was that Jesus came from the tribe of Judah, it is “way
way more evident” that Jesus has a connection to Melchizedek.
It’s “captain obvious” evident.
He cranks up the intensity level of the word “evident”.
likeness - homoiotes -
likeness
:16 not according to the law of a fleshly commandment
fleshly - sarkinos -
fleshly, consisting of flesh; pertaining to the body
This is speaking of the fact that Levitical priests got their job because
of a physical, genetic, “flesh” connection with Aaron.
The “fleshly” commandment doesn’t mean that the Law of Moses was “bad” or
“carnal”.
:16 the power of an endless life
power - dunamis - strength
power, ability
endless - akatalutos -
indissoluble, not subject to destruction
We’ve already hinted that there’s a “forever” quality connected to
Melchizedek.
He had no beginning and no end of life (vs. 3), he “lives” (vs.8)
Jesus qualified for His Melchizedek priest job because of His endless life,
not because of His genealogical connection.
:17 For He testifies: “You are a priest forever According to the
order of Melchizedek.”
:17 You are a priest forever
forever - aion - for ever, an unbroken age,
perpetuity of time, eternity
So once again our writer has taken us back to the prophecy of David from
Psa. 110:4, that the Messiah would be connected to Melchizedek.
How is Jesus connected to Melchizedek?
Because He alone has “forever” life.
He has always existed and will always exist.
#4 Why Jesus is better.
Jesus lives forever (v.16)
Levitical priests didn’t (we’ll see more next week on this)
:18 For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment
because of its weakness and unprofitableness,
:19 for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the
bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
former - proago - to lead forward, lead forth; to
go before; preceding, prior in time, previous
weakness - asthenes -
weak, infirm, feeble
unprofitableness -
anopheles - unprofitable, useless
:18 on the one hand…
Our writer is going to give us two lessons.
The law isn’t the answer.
Jesus is.
:19 the law made nothing perfect
made … perfect - teleioo -
to make perfect, complete
This is the root of that word “maturity” which is sprinkled throughout
Hebrews.
We’ve talked a bit about the theme of “maturity” in this letter to the
Hebrews.
The Law doesn’t make anyone “mature”
The Law has never made a person perfect before God. All it does is show us our failings.
That’s why there would be …
:18 an annulling of the former commandment
Because of what Jesus does, the Law of Moses is rejected.
annulling - athetesis - abolition, disannulling, put
away, rejection
from atheteo – to do away with,
to set aside, disregard; to reject
The word is used one other place:
(Hebrews 9:26b NLT)
…But
now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove
sin by his own death as a sacrifice.
The “former commandment” is the Law of Moses.
The Law of Moses still has value.
(Galatians 3:24
NKJV) Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that
we might be justified by faith.
The Law teaches us how much we need Jesus by showing us God’s standards of
perfection, and the fact that we aren’t able to meet those standards.
When Jesus died and rose again, there was a putting away of the Law.
Jesus’ death paid for our sins.
Jesus’ resurrection ties Him to the “forever” part of the Melchizedek
priesthood, which shows us that God is now finished with the Levitical
priesthood.
#5 Why Jesus is better.
Only Jesus makes perfect (v.19)
The law can’t do it.
Jesus makes us right with God by being the perfect sacrifice.
:19 the bringing in of a better hope
better - kreitton - more
useful, more serviceable, more advantageous; more excellent
bringing in - epeisagoge - a bringing in besides or in
addition to what is or has been brought in;
The word is used of the introduction of a new wife in the place of one
repudiated.
Josephus (Antiquities 11.196) uses the word when he talks about how
Ahasuerus replaced Queen Vashti with Esther.
Jesus was “brought in” to take the place of the Law.
The “hope” that Jesus gives of us connecting to God and having an eternity
in heaven is a “better hope” than what the Law offers, which can’t make anyone
better.
Lesson
Hope
Jesus brings hope.
The subject of hope has already played a significant role in our book. Even though the Jewish believers are going
through great trouble, the writer has tried to assure them that there is hope,
there is a place of safety.
(Hebrews 6:18–19
NLT) —18 So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things
are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who
have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope
that lies before us. 19 This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It
leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.
Life can get very difficult at times, can’t it?
It might be health issues that are tearing at you.
Maybe you’re struggling with how your finances are going to work out.
Perhaps there’s a relationship that’s falling apart.
Maybe you’re worried you’re going to lose your job.
In a powerful article titled "Dying of Despair," psychiatrist Aaron Kheriaty
observes the startling rise in deaths from suicide and drug overdoses. He
points to a number of long-term studies that have analyzed the difference
between high-risk patients who survive and those who die by suicide. Here's his
conclusion of this research:
Over a ten-year span, it turns out that the one factor
most strongly predictive of suicide is not how sick the person is, nor how many
symptoms he exhibits, nor how much physical pain he is suffering, nor whether
he is rich or poor.
The most dangerous factor is a person's sense of
hopelessness. The man without hope is the likeliest candidate for suicide. … We
cannot live without hope.
Paul knew about having difficulty in life.
He wrote:
(2 Corinthians
4:8–9 NLT) —8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed.
We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never
abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.
Paul wrote,
(2 Corinthians
4:16–18 NLT) —16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our
spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet
they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t
look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that
cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we
cannot see will last forever.
Illustration
I remember hearing years ago about tests done with Norwegian wharf
rats. These are the rats that live under
the piers along the waterfront. One
group of rats was placed in a large container of water, in the dark, with no
place to stand on, they had to keep swimming.
They all drowned within fifteen minutes. The second group was placed in
a similar container, yet every ten minutes the lab technician would open the
container, take the rats out, stroke them a few seconds, and without giving
them a chance to rest, put them back in the water. They just got a hope. These rats went on swimming for over 12 hours
(or something like that...).
Are you in need of hope today?
Jesus is our “better hope” through which…
:19 we draw near to God
we draw near - eggizo - to
bring near, to join one thing to another; to draw or come near to, to approach
The job of a priest is to bring a worshipper closer to God.
No one does this better than Jesus.
Lesson
The Best Hope
I don’t know about you, but I like movies where the hero saves the
day.
I’m not a particular fan of movies where everyone dies in the end.
I think there’s something in most of us that is drawn to the idea that
there’s a hope, that some hero will one day rescue us.
As important as hope is, it is vitally important that you
put your hope in the right thing.
Sometimes we put our hope in things or people that let us
down.
Though Jesus is more than able to change any of our difficult situations
and rescue us from any problem, you are going to find that there will be times
when Jesus doesn’t stop your difficulty.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were three young Jewish boys living in
Babylon.
They were there the day that King Nebuchadnezzar made his
decree that everyone was to bow down to his new statue or else face the
consequences of being thrown into a great fiery furnace.
When the moment came, and everyone else bowed to the
statue, those three young men stood straight and tall. When they were brought before the King to
face judgment, they said,
(Daniel
3:17–18 NKJV) —17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to
deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from
your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not
serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
On Friday night at the Harvest Crusade, the band Mercy Me sang one of my
favorite songs (Even If).
Video: MercyMe
– Even If
The lyrics of the chorus go like this:
I know You’re able And I know You can
Save through the fire
With Your mighty hand
But even if You don’t My hope is You alone
I know the sorrow and I know the hurt
Would all go away
If You’d just say the word
But even if You don’t My hope is You alone
When it comes to Jesus being our hope, there are some things that He does
best thing of all, and it’s what He will absolutely do every time.
He will rescue us from Hell.
He will bring us “near” God.
My friend, Jesus died on a cross for one reason.
He wanted to be the sacrifice to pay for your sins.
If you will turn your life over to Him, He will forgive all of your sins,
and make you right with God.
Tim Keller writes,
Here’s the gospel:
You’re more sinful than you ever dared believe
You’re more loved than you ever dared hope.