Hebrews 7
Intro:
On June 27, 1976 armed operatives for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine surprised the twelve crew members of an Air France jet liner and its ninety-one passengers, hijacking it to a destination unknown. The plane was tracked heading for Central Africa, where indeed it did land under the congenial auspices of Ugandan President Idi Amin. And there it remained apparently secure at Entebbe Airport where the hijackers spent the next seven days preparing for their next move. The hijackers were, by all estimations, in the driver’s seat.
However, 2,500 miles away in Tel Aviv, three Israeli C-130 Hercules transports secretly boarded a deadly force of Israeli commandos, who within hours attacked Entebbe Airport under cover of darkness. In less than sixty minutes the commandos rushed the old terminal, gunned down the hijackers, and rescued 110 of the 113 hostages. The next day, July 4, Israel’s Premier Yitzhak Rabin triumphantly declared the mission “will become a legend,” which it surely has! Israel’s resolve and stealth in liberating her people is admired by her friends and begrudged by her enemies.
Actually, Israel’s resolve is nothing new, because the same quality can be traced all the way back to the very beginning of the Hebrew nation in the prowess of their father Abraham. The kidnappers in his day were a coalition of four Canaanite kings headed by King Kedorlaomer who attacked the Transjordan, defeating the city-states of Sodom and her neighbors and carrying off a large number of hostages, including Abraham’s nephew Lot (cf. Genesis 14:5–12).
Undaunted, Abraham recruited “318 trained men” (v. 4)—proto-commandos!—from his own household and took off in hot pursuit—until he closed in on the kidnappers somewhere close to Damascus. And there, under the cover of night, he deployed his small forces in a surprise attack. His troops, riding bawling camels and slavering horses, bore down on the hijackers and their hostages. Deadly arrows flew in the night, and bloody swords were raised gleaming in the dusty moonlight—and the four kings were put to flight.
The Genesis account gives this Entebbe-like summary of Abraham’s success: “He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people” (v. 16). Abraham could be formidable. It was not wise to mess with father Abraham!
That was around 2000 B.C., and for a millennium there is no mention at all of Melchizedek, not even in retrospect. But in the tenth century B.C., when the Psalmist David was King of Israel, the Holy Spirit inspired him to write this prophetic word: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek’ ” (Psalm 110:4). There God declared that he was going to do something new. His intention was to bring into history one who would be a priest like Melchizedek. In the likeness of Melchizedek he would be both priest and king (cf. Psalm 110:1).Also, his priesthood would last forever. And, like Melchizedek, he would be appointed directly by God. It was all divinely guaranteed: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind.” What an intriguing prophecy! God was going to establish a totally new priesthood.
In spite of their many failures, the priests had served God for centuries; but now the writer has affirmed that their priesthood has ended! To defend this statement, and to prove that the order of Melchizedek is superior to that of Aaron, he presents three arguments.
The Historical Argument: Melchizedek and Abraham (Heb. 7:1–10)
The Doctrinal Argument: Christ and Aaron (Heb. 7:11–25)
In this section, the writer took his argum
The Practical Argument: Christ and the Believer (Heb. 7:26–28)
If you were asked to name the most important people in the Old Testament, I doubt that Melchizedek’s name would be on your list. He appeared once, in Genesis 14:17–24; and he was referred to once more, in Psalm 110:4. You could hardly call this “top billing.” But the Holy Spirit reached back into the Old Testament and used those two passages to present a most important truth: the priesthood of Jesus Christ is superior to that of Aaron because “the order of Melchizedek” is superior to “the order of Levi.”
7:4. Tithing was already an ancient Near Eastern custom before it was mandated in the Old Testament, and a form of it is also attested in Greco-Roman literature. Here the author refers to Genesis 14:20, its first occurrence in the Bible.
Sometimes a great spiritual crisis was the occasion for changing a person’s name (see Gen. 32:24–32; John 1:35–42). The name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness” in the Hebrew language. The word Salem means “peace” (the Hebrew word shalom), so that Melchizedek is “king of peace” as well as “king of righteousness.”
“Righteousness” and “peace” are often found together in Scripture. “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever” (Isa. 32:17), “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Ps. 85:10). “In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth” (Ps. 72:7). “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable … And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace” (James 3:17–18). Of course, God’s purpose for His people is that they bear “the peaceable fruit of righteousness” (Heb. 12:10–11).
True peace can be experienced only on the basis of righteousness. If we want to enjoy “peace with God” we must be “justified [declared righteous] by faith” (Rom. 5:1). Man cannot produce righteousness by keeping the Old Testament Law (Gal. 2:21). It is only through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross that righteousness and peace could have “kissed each other.”
The title Melchizedek, our author explains, means “king of righteousness” and the title “king of Salem” (i.e., Jerusalem; cf. Psalm 72) means “king of peace” Significantly here, we should note that both the qualities of righteousness and peace were prophesied of the Messiah in Isaiah 9:6, 7, where his fourth title is “Prince of Peace,” and he goes on to rule with “righteousness.” The New Testament identifies Jesus specifically as “Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1) and “our righteousness” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Jesus is the King of righteousness! Likewise, the New Testament says of Jesus, “For he himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus is the King of peace!
So Jesus brings righteousness and peace together in his person. As the Psalmist so magnificently indicates, in the Lord “righteousness and peace kiss each other” (Psalm 85:10). Righteousness and peace are the telltale kiss of his character.
Secondly, all Levitical priests served limited terms of office—no more than thirty years. But with Melchizedek, there was no set beginning or end of his life. As William Lane says, “Melchizedek’s sudden appearance and equally sudden disappearance from recorded history awakens within a sensitive reader the notion of eternity.” 4 What was foreshadowed in Melchizedek’s having no beginning or end was fully realized in Christ’s eternal priesthood.
He was the father of the nation of Israel—the patriarch. But when he met Melchizedek, he recognized that personage’s superior greatness and paid him a “tenth of the plunder” (Hebrews 7:4; literally, “the top of the heap”), the choicest spoils of war. This was a calculated recognition by Abraham that he was in the presence of one greater than himself. Our writer expresses proper astonishment: “Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder.” This Melchizedek was a person of transcending superiority!
We understand, first, that he is peace—the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6)—that he is the essence and sum and source of all peace—that there is no peace without him.
We understand, too, that he is the bestower of peace. When he came to earth the angels sang, “Peace to men on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). On the eve of his death he said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you” (John 14:27). And after his glorious resurrection he came to his disciples again with the words, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19).
So our study here is about access to God—a better hope. Prayerfully taken in, it will motivate and encourage our access to God.
Helpfully, the text breaks into two parts, with verses 11–14 explaining the insufficiency of the Aaronic priesthood and verses 15–19 the sufficiency of Melchizedek’s priesthood.
Sacrifices could ease the conscience because one was doing what was required, but total clearing never took place through the system. As to the crucial matter of access, F. F. Bruce says, “The whole apparatus of worship associated with sacrifice and ritual and priesthood was calculated rather to keep men at a distance from God than to bring them near.” Clearly, the Old Covenant had profound limitations as to making atonement, imparting life, clearing the conscience, and providing access.
On the other hand, this new priest (Christ), like Melchizedek, has one grand qualification, which is not external but internal—“the power of an indestructible life” (v. 16b). This does not mean that he never died. It means that our priest died a death that could not hold him—a death that was followed by resurrection! Therefore, to say that Jesus is high priest on the basis of “an indestructible life” is to say that he is high priest on the basis of the resurrection. This is implicit in the words of the Father to the Son: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (v. 17). Thus, the resurrection not only declared Jesus to be the Son (Romans 1:4), but it also marks the inauguration of Christ as our high priest.
Jesus is our great high priest because of the quality of his life. He is eternal: the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and ending, the first and the last. His eternality was not suspended when for thirty-three years he took on a temporal existence. In human form he experienced all that is common to man, everything, even death—through the exercise of his own will: “I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again” (John 10:17, 18). He then rose by virtue of his indestructible life—and now lives eternally as our priest.
But there is more to the quality of his priesthood than its eternality—it is experientially and morally, internally perfect—and because of that he is a perfect priest. What this means personally to us can scarcely be put into words.
7:11–19. The Dead Sea Scrolls eventually recognized two “anointed” figures: a warrior messiah descended from David, hence of Judah, and an anointed priest from the tribe of Levi. But Psalm 110 allows this writer to view both roles as fulfilled by one future figure; a priest “like Melchizedek” need not be descended from Levi, and was, in fact, greater than Levi (7:4–10).
The presence of this oath gives to the priesthood of our Lord a greater degree of permanence and assurance. Jesus Christ is the “surety of a better testament [covenant]” (Heb. 7:22). The word “surety” means “one who guarantees that the terms of an agreement will be carried out.” Judah was willing to be the surety for Benjamin, to guarantee to their father that the boy would return home safely (Gen. 43:1–14). Paul was willing to be the surety for the slave Onesimus (Phile. 18–19). Perhaps the nearest equivalent we have today is a bondsman who posts bail for someone under indictment and guarantees that the indicted person will appear in court and stand trial.
The Practical Argument: Christ and the Believer (Heb. 7:26–28)
No matter how devoted and obedient the Aaronic priests were, they could not always meet the needs of all the people. But Jesus Christ perfectly meets all of our needs. “For such an High Priest became us” means “He was suited to us; He meets our needs completely.” The emphasis here is on His sinlessness. Being perfect, He is able to exercise a perfect ministry for His people. Because of their sins, some of the Old Testament priests not only were unable to serve the people, but actually abused them. This could never happen with Jesus Christ and His people.
In this section the writer gives us three consecutive reasons for the superiority of Christ’s priesthood: 1) God’s divine oath, 2) the priesthood’s permanence, and 3) the person of the priest. As before, the first two reasons are firmly rooted in the prophetic words of Psalm 110:4, “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek’ ”—from which the writer extracts the last drops of significance.
Josephus reckoned that some eighty-three priests served from Aaron until the destruction of the second Temple in A.D. 70 (Antiquities, 20.227). But the Talmud lists even more—eighteen during the first Temple and over three hundred for the second (Yoma 9a).
In marked contrast to this, the author asserts, “but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood” (v. 24). The Greek word for “permanent” can have the sense of unchangeable or permanent as our translation has it, or it can mean that the priesthood is non-transferable. Hebrews scholar Philip Hughes thinks that “The term is enhanced by its ambivalence: the priesthood of Christ does not pass to another precisely because it is a perpetual priesthood.” The word may, indeed, have both senses.
Recently a reporter called and asked me what I thought of Jeffrey Dahmer’s professed repentance and public embrace of a relationship with Christ. (Jeffrey Dahmer is a convicted serial cannibal killer, one of the most infamous criminals in U.S. history.) I replied that I had two thoughts.
First, I believe Mr. Dahmer may be mouthing pious conventional Christian phrases that he picked up somewhere along the way in his miserable life. Certainly, he has repeatedly demonstrated an amazing ability to deceive others, along with the coldest premeditation. It is very likely, in my opinion, that he is attempting to use Christianity for his own temporal ends.
But, second, if he has truly turned to Christ, confessing his sins and trusting him alone for his salvation, then he has been regenerated and totally forgiven for every sin. I further explained that on the cross “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus became “a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). Because Jesus truly took on our sins, the gospel was able to penetrate the ancient dark alleys of ancient Rome and Corinth and to redeem murderers, prostitutes, transvestites and even cannibals (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:9–11). And it is still the same today, from Bombay to Boston.
Paul says, “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). Jesus’ contact with the Father is unbroken. His intercession is never-ending. Day by day, hour by hour, year by year, millennium by millennium, Christ prays for us. How does he intercede for us? He, along with the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26, 27) takes our feeble prayers, cleans them up, ennobles them, and presents them to the Father. St. Chrysostom, the great fourth-century preacher, provides a helpful analogy. A young boy whose father was away on a trip wanted to present his father with something that would please him. His mother sent him to the garden to gather a bouquet of flowers. The little boy gathered a sorry bouquet of weeds as well as flowers. But when his father returned home, he was presented with a beautifully arranged bouquet, for the mother had intervened, removing all the weeds.