Hebrews Chapter 7
In the previous chapters we have already learned that God proclaimed Jesus to be our High Priest. We also know that Jesus is our King. Therefore, He is both priest and king. In the Old Testament there was a man, who was just a man, who was a picture of the coming Messiah because he was also a priest and a king. This was unusual as God appointed kings and priests separately. But God in His great wisdom wanted to give us a picture of what the Messiah would be for us and so we have the example of Melchizedek in the Old Testament.
Psalms 110:4The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
Melchizedek was the king of Salem (an ancient name for the city of Jerusalem) and he was also a priest of the Most High God. See Genesis 14:17-20 After Abraham defeated the group of kings who took his nephew Lot captive, he met with King Melchizedek. We don’t know a lot about this man, and that is kind of the point, that we don’t know too much about him, he is a bit of a mystery. The main thing we do know is that he was both a king and a priest of God.
Let's Reflect
1. We know that the name Melchizedek when translated meant what?
2. We also know that the Bible says this man did not have any recorded genealogy. That would have been odd for a king to not have a recorded genealogy, right? So in a sense, it was said of this man that he did not have a beginning nor an end. And if we do not have a recorded time of death, it would seem that he never died, perhaps he was translated like Elijah. We just honestly do not know. But God put it in His Word because He wanted us to think about it. He wanted us to draw a parallel to Jesus who is called what at the end of verse 3? (Think about what Melchizedek’s name means too.)
Jesus being a High Priest was intellectually hard for the Jews to accept. They knew that Jesus did not come from the Levi family. He was not born into the priestly family so to speak. Melchizedek was not from the Levite family either. In fact, the tribes of Israel had not yet been established. The establishment of the priests coming from the tribe of Levi would come later. In verses 4-10 it explains that the Levite family as well as the other tribes of Israel would come from the loins of Abraham. So in a sense when Abraham paid tithes to the priest Melchizedek, Melchizedek was accepting tithes from the Levite family that would be a part of Abraham’s future generation. And what a future of generations Abraham had! Abraham was blessed beyond measure.
3. What is God’s purpose in teaching us about Melchizedek here in the New Testament? As wonderful a man as he must have been, eing both a king and a priest of the Most High God he could not bring about what for the people? See verse 11.
4. God wanted us to see that a better way was needed. Jesus was not a priest after the Levitical order but because He had what? See verse 16.
5. There is a phrase that is in verse 19 and repeated in verse 25 that I think is so precious what is it?
6. Jesus as a priest forever has done so much for us. He is the guarantor of a better covenant as seen in verse 22. The priests of the Old Testament would offer a sacrificial system, but Jesus offered complete forgiveness. He is the guarantee of our salvation because He has bought us with His blood. We know that His priesthood is one that is what according to verse 24?
7. In what ways is Jesus as our High Priest different than any other priest according to verses 26-28?
I think that God wanted the Jews and us to think about their death grip on traditions. Just as Melchizedek was not of the norm, neither was Jesus. They needed to let go of the old ways and look to the future that God had created in Jesus.
