“Hebrews 7”

Friday, September 08, 2017

Melchizedek, the mystery man of the Old Testament, was a “type” of Christ. The Old Testament is filled with types and shadows, which were people, places, events, etc. that foreshadowed the coming realities of the new (and better, verse 22) covenant.

After the insert (5:12-6:20), when he reminds them of first principles, the writer returns to his original discussion, which was the high priesthood of Jesus and the comparison between Christ and Melchizedek.

Melchizedek preceded the Levitical priesthood by many years. This chapter shows us that the priesthood of Melchizedek is far superior to that of Aaron (or Levi). He uses two lines of reasoning to prove this. First, Melchizedek received tithes from Abraham, the father of the Levitical priesthood and second, Melchizedek (the better) blessed Abraham (the lesser).

Of course, Jesus could not be a priest under the Law of Moses, because that covenant specified the tribe of Levi. So for Christ to be a priest, the law had to be changed (verses 11-14).

Some of the Hebrew Christians were considering returning to the Old Law and that would have been an eternally fatal error. The contrast is between “the law of a fleshly commandment” (the old) and “the power of an endless life” (the new).

The Old Covenant was annulled due to weakness and unprofitableness. The New Testament brought in a new hope, a better hope.

Christ is the superior High Priest. Because He lives forever, unlike the Levitical priests, He has “an unchangeable priesthood.” And His current role is to make intercession for the people of God. His “once for all” sacrifice made our salvation possible.

--Roger Hillis

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