Once more...Melchizedek
Notes
Transcript
introduction
Who has taken a joy ride? Sometimes we do this to explore and see new things that we have never seen. Usually we use a GPS to get somewhere. It provides the most direct route and an ETA. It can even tell you when there is a delay and when to take an alternate route. But when you are not taking a direct route, we take a scenic route-winding back roads through sleepy towns or stops at historical markers or locations. They are never the fastest or the most efficient, but they are almost always the most interesting.
The goal of Hebrews is to demonstrate that Christ is superior in his person and work. Sometimes the writer goes straight to this point in different parts of the letter. He did this in chapter 1 when he described his power and deity. Other times the writer takes a scenic ride through the OT and slowing down to use exposition that was very familiar to the first-century, Jewish audience but unfamiliar to 21st century readers.
Hebrews 7:1-17 is one of these scenic routes, which is difficult for us to understand because of some significant differences between the original audience and us. We need to remember that the original readers were men and women of Jewish heritage who had come to embrace Jesus as their long awaited Messiah.
Most of us aren’t Jewish, if any, and accepted Jesus as the savior of the world. We weren’t raised with an intimate familiarity with OT imagery of the Law, the priesthood, sacrifices and temple worship.
A lot of these people were actually involved in these practices most of their lives. However, today, even if you are Jewish have never been involved in sacrifices or temple worship. We only know about these from the pages of scripture and other historical sources.
Lastly, these Jews would have been familiar with the various ways their rabbis exposited the OT, using unique techniques that seem strange to us but were common practice back then.
The author references Psalm 110:4 in a unique way to expound on how Jesus is a priest “according to the order of Melchizedek.”
This book argues that Christ is the center and goal of the OT revelation-whether in direct messianic prophecies, prophetic anticipation, or even foreshadowing figures as in the case of the mysterious Melchizedek. Though he takes the scenic route, the author’s destination is clear: With the arrival of the messiah, a whole new era has dawned, leaving the old ways of Judaism in the rearview mirror.
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, met Abraham and blessed him as he returned from defeating the kings, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means king of righteousness, then also, king of Salem, meaning king of peace. Without father, mother, or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
After the warning about growing up spiritually and maturing, the author goes back to Psalm 110:4, which was quoted in chapter 5.
Psalm 110:4 (CSB)
The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back: “You are a priest forever according to the pattern of Melchizedek.”
This is the basis for this section. Now the author explains how it is that Christ’s Melchizedekian priesthood is superior to Aaron, who came later. Remember, this subject is the one what the author said it was hard to explain to his dulled readers in 5:11.
We have a great deal to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand.
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, met Abraham and blessed him as he returned from defeating the kings, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means king of righteousness, then also, king of Salem, meaning king of peace. Without father, mother, or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
The author begins by pointing out some similarities between the brief account of Melchizedek from Genesis and the person of Christ.
Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High. He blessed him and said:
Abram is blessed by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and blessed be God Most High
who has handed over your enemies to you.
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
What Melchizedek was in the biblical narrative, Christ is in His very nature. The interpretation of Moses’s description of Melchizedek is that he was made like the Son of God. This mean that he resembled the other. It was not in his nature the son of God or that he was in nature eternal, divine, angelic or heavenly. This means that in the text of scripture, or the narrative, the description of Melchizedek displays similarities that serve as the type, foreshadowing or illustration of the true eternal high priest, Jesus.
So, what are the similarities?
1) They are similar because they are both kings and priests.
1) They are similar because they are both kings and priests.
Melchizedek was the king of Salem, which would later be called Jerusalem.
His tent is in Salem,
his dwelling place in Zion.
Jesus is also King-not only of Jerusalem, but of Israel, the world and all creation.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Revelation 1:5 (CSB)
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood,
Melchizedek was also “priest of the God most High”. Jesus is our High Priest who makes intercession foe us.
Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.
Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.
For every high priest taken from among men is appointed in matters pertaining to God for the people, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.
In the same way, Christ did not exalt himself to become a high priest, but God who said to him,
You are my Son;
today I have become your Father,
and he was declared by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
What Melchizedek is in the narrative, Christ is in His nature.
2) There are parallels between the names “Melchizedek” and “Salem” on the on hand and Christ’s work as King on the other.
2) There are parallels between the names “Melchizedek” and “Salem” on the on hand and Christ’s work as King on the other.
Melchizedek comes from 2 Hebrew words: “melek”, meaning king, and “tsedeq” meaning righteousness. And the name “Salem” is related to the word shalom meaning peace. When you put these all together, what does his name mean? King of righteousness, king of peace. Again, what he is in the narrative, Jesus Christ is in his nature-he is righteousness incarnate and the embodiment of peace.
It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption
For he is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh,
3) The way Melchizedek appears in the narrative suggests additional similarities with Christ.
3) The way Melchizedek appears in the narrative suggests additional similarities with Christ.
As both priest and king, we would think that he would come with some sort of impressive credentials or backstory. Instead, what is said about him does not include his parentage, ancestry, progeny, birth or death. He simply appears out of nowhere, brought bread and wine, and pronounced a priestly blessing over Abraham, who in return, gave him a tenth of the spoils of the recent battle.
This mysterious high priest of Salem appears in the text, as it were, having neither a recorded beginning of days nor a recorded end of life. Of course, as a mortal man, he had been born and did die, but as a biblical figure, what he is in the narrative, no beginning or end, Christ is in nature, without actual beginning or end.
In these ways, the author of Hebrews argues, Melchizedek foreshadowed the coming of the Son of God. As such, David can later declare of the future Messiah in Psalm 110:4. This is why what Melchizedek was in the narrative, Jesus is in his nature-priest and king, righteousness and peace incarnate, eternal and ever able to serve as High Priest in heaven.
Now consider how great this man was: even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the plunder to him. The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their brothers and sisters—though they have also descended from Abraham. But one without this lineage collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. Without a doubt, the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case, men who will die receive a tenth, but in the other case, Scripture testifies that he lives. And in a sense Levi himself, who receives a tenth, has paid a tenth through Abraham, for he was still within his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
After showing how Melchizedek served as a fitting type for Christ and how Jesus can be viewed as having a priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek, the author now moves toward demonstrating the superiority of Christ as the fulfillment of the OT expectations. He demonstrates that Melchizedek himself was greater than Abraham, the founding father of the Hebrew people and original recipient of the covenant of God.
When Abraham encountered Melchizedek after winning a battle against his enemies, he gave the priest a tenth, or tithe, of his spoils of war.
The author points out that in the Las of Moses, the Levitical priesthood received tithes from the people of Israel-or the descendants of Abraham. But, because Abraham was the ancient ancestor of the Levites, when he paid paid his tithe to Melchizedek centuries earlier, in a sense the Levitical priests, who were genetically in Abraham, paid tithes to Melchizedek.
This means Melchizedek was greater than Abraham and, by implication, Melchizedek’s priesthood was greater than the priesthood of the Levites, who were descendants of Abraham.
ADD CHART
Melchizedek blessed Abraham, the one who possessed the promises of God.
He blessed him and said:
Abram is blessed by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and blessed be God Most High
who has handed over your enemies to you.
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
But one without this lineage collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.
We know that the superior always blesses the inferior. This does not mean that Melchizedek occupied a space of superior nature to Abraham. After all, they were both humans. But he did have spiritual authority that was greater. This means that Melchizedek’s priesthood was superior to the priesthood of the Levites, who were still in the “loins” of Abraham.
This may seem strange to us, but the original Hebrew readers would have understood its intricacies. But this is the breakdown:
Melchizedek was superior to Abraham.
The Levitical priests were “in Abraham”.
Therefore, Melchizedek is greater that the Levitical priests.
Now listen to this so you understand:
Because Melchizedek is greater than the Levitical priests, Melchizedek’s priesthood-which existed long before the Law of Moses-is greater than the Levitical priesthood established under Moses.
and
Because the Messiah’s priesthood is of the order of Melchizedek, his priesthood is greater than the priesthood of the Levites under the Law of Moses.
This would have been a very powerful argument for the waffling audience of that time. Remember, the original readers of Hebrews were being tempted to back away from the Messiah to the Levitical priesthood with its continual sacrifices and rituals. The author was trying to show these people that there was another priestly order superior to the Levitical line fathered by Aaron, the first high priest of Israel. It was the order of Melchizedek, a king-priest who foreshadowed a still greater future King and Priest, Jesus Christ.
Now if perfection came through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the law), what further need was there for another priest to appear, said to be according to the order of Melchizedek and not according to the order of Aaron? For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must be a change of law as well. For the one these things are spoken about belonged to a different tribe. No one from it has served at the altar. Now it is evident that our Lord came from Judah, and Moses said nothing about that tribe concerning priests.
And this becomes clearer if another priest like Melchizedek appears, who did not become a priest based on a legal regulation about physical descent but based on the power of an indestructible life. For it has been testified:
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
The author pushes more by pointing out an implication of David’s prophecy concerning a future messianic priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek. Through this prophecy, God demonstrated it was necessary for another priest to arise who was not part of the order of Aaron. The readers, in light of this prophecy, understand that a new priest was coming whose priesthood resembled that of Melchizedek. The only thing the priesthood of Aaron couldn’t accomplish was perfection.
The Levitical priesthood was clearly linked to the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses established the Aaronic priesthood.
“Have your brother Aaron, with his sons, come to you from the Israelites to serve me as priest—Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
The author makes the obvious point that with the changing of the priesthood from that of Aaron to Melchizedek, there must also be changes regarding the Law of Moses.
Melchizedek represented something more ancient than, and separate from, the later Law and its priesthood. The Levitical priesthood failed to give full access to God. The law failed to bring maturity into the life of the believer. Where the old covenant failed, the new one succeeded. With Jesus, the promised priest, came the assurance both of unhindered access to God.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.
and growth toward real spiritual maturity.
Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
In these last verses, the author explains that Jesus descended from the tribe of Judah rather than the tribe of Levi. With this, He stood outside the legal lineage for a priest under the old covenant Law. This means that his priesthood was completely different. It was an eternal priesthood based on an indestructible life.
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Change in the Priesthood, Change in the Law
When Christ took his position at the right hand of God as the great high priest, he didn’t continue the OT Levitical priesthood, but the priesthood of the order of Melchizedek. He uprooted the law and in its place he planted the bountiful orchard of grace.
We must never forget that it is grace, not the Law, which enables us to be closer to God. Rigid rules don’t provide access to God; legalistic principles provide no security. Our security is in a Savior who fulfilled the law.
Being right with God doesn’t require us to work through a list of do’s and don’ts....or turn to a priest-who is also sinful-for mediation. Instead, we turn to the great high priest who is after the order of Melchizedek. Our priest is indestructible, lives permanently and is able to do what no earthly priest can do.
Jesus not only knows where we’re coming from, but more importantly, He knows where we’re going. He’s able to ensure that we get there, both in terms of our spiritual maturity and our eternal security. Unlike the OT priesthood with its endless sacrifices, our high priest, Jesus, not only tells us that we’re in need of saving; more importantly, he actually saves us, strengthens us, and fills us with his power to trust and obey him. Apart from him, we can do nothing,
Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.
but with him, we can do all things.
I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
Thank God that with the changing of the priesthood, there has been a changing of the Law as well!