Hebrews 7:1-10

We are Beginning Hebrews Chapter 7

Last Week, the Author Told the Audience Something Important About God

It’s Impossible for Him to Lie

So When He Says Something, it Absolutely is Going to Happen

We Can Put Absolute Faith and Confidence in His Words

But Sometimes God Will Not Only Make Us a Promise…

But He Will Also Swear By Himself…

Adding Even More Weight to His Word

He Did This in His Promise to Abraham that He Would Bless and Multiply His Descendants

God Does this to Bolster Our Faith in His Promises

Then Chapter 6 Ends with the Author Bringing Us Back to the Topic…

Jesus Being Our High Priest After the Order of Melchizedek

So, in Chapter 6, the Author Wanted to Show Us the Power of God’s Word

That When He Says Something (Especially When He Swears)…

It’s Absolutely Going to Happen…

And You Can Place Total Trust in Him

Then He Moves to Melchizedek

These are Not 2 Unrelated Subjects

Later in Chapter 7, the Author is Going to Quote the Messianic Psalm About Melchizedek

Hebrews 7:20–21 (NASB95)

And inasmuch as it was not without an oath (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, “The Lord has sworn And will not change His mind, ‘You are a priest forever’ ”);

God Also Swore that His Messiah Would Be a Priest Forever

There is No Changing that Promise

The Author Wants His Audience to Be Absolutely Confident in Jesus’ High Priesthood

Because Without His High Priesthood, We Have No Hope

But Since God Swore, We Can Have Faith and Hope (Confident Trust and Expectation)

Hebrews 7:1–10 (NLT)

This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him. Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means “king of justice,” and king of Salem means “king of peace.” There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.

Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle. Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham. But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.

The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on. In addition, we might even say that these Levites—the ones who collect the tithe—paid a tithe to Melchizedek when their ancestor Abraham paid a tithe to him. For although Levi wasn’t born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham’s body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him.

We Have Officially Returned to One of the Primary Arguments of the Book:

Jesus is Our High Priest

In Order to Encourage this Hebrew Christian Audience to Stay Faithful to Jesus…

It is Essential that They Know, Understand, and are Confident in the High Priesthood of Jesus

In this Passage, the Author is Setting the Stage for Some Points He is Going to Make About Jesus Later

He Mentioned that Jesus is Our High Priest Forever After the Order of Melchizedek

Our Question is, “What Does that Mean?”

In Order to Understand that Statement…

We Need to Know Some Things About Melchizedek

Hebrews 7:1–2 (NASB95)

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.

This is Referring to a Battle Between Several Kings, Which Included Sodom (Where Lot Lived)

Lot Ended Up Getting Captured, So Abraham Took a Small Army of His Men…

And Rescued Lot

He Also Took Spoils From the Battle

On His Way Back, He was Met By a Man Named Melchizedek

The Hebrews Author Tells Us He was King of Salem

This Would Later Be Called Jerusalem

He was Also a Priest of the Most High God

This is Referring to the One True God

He’s the First Priest of God We Find in the Scriptures

Abraham Gave a 10th of the Spoils to Melchizedek

This Would Later Be a Command of the People of Israel to Do for the Levitical Priesthood

Then the Author Tells Us Something Very Interesting About Melchizedek’s Name and Position

His Name Means “King of Righteousness”

And His Position was Literally “King of Salem (Peace)”

So Melchizedek was the King of Righteousness and Peace

Are You Starting to See the Connections that the Author is Making Between Melchizedek and Jesus?

He Keeps Going:

Hebrews 7:3 (NASB95)

Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

There Were Lots of Different Ideas that Had Arisen About Melchizedek

Around the 1st Century, People Had Become Fascinated with Him

They Started Coming Up with All Kinds of Theories and Speculations

The Dead Sea Scrolls Had Lots of Interesting Speculations About Him

One Scroll Says He was an Angel and Would Play a Significant Role in Judgment

2 Enoch Says that He was Saved From the Flood of Noah’s Day By the Archangel Michael…

And Taken to Paradise Where He Has Served as a Priest Ever Since

Other Documents From that Time Period Claim that He Himself was Michael, the Highest Archangel Over the Heavenly Priesthood

But It’s Important to Remember:

They Were Getting All of this Information From 3 Verses in Genesis

3 Verses that Say Absolutely Nothing Similar to These Speculations

Hebrews 7:3 (NASB95)

Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

These Descriptions Don’t Mean He was a Mythical or Divine Being

Though Many People Have Debated this for Centuries

The Author is Using an Argument From Silence

He Likely Means:

We Don’t Know His Parents or Family History

This Meant: His Kingship and Priesthood Didn’t Rely On His Lineage…

Unlike the Levitical Priesthood

He was Divinely Appointed to Be God’s Priest

We Aren’t Told of When He was Born or When He Died

He Suddenly Appeared and Then Suddenly Disappeared in Scripture

So, in a Sense, His Priesthood Never Ended

Hebrews 7:1–3 (NASB95)

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.

Here’s the Author’s Argument so Far:

Melchizedek was Like the Son of God in that He was:

King of Righteousness

King of Peace

Priest to the Most High God…

Even Though He was Not of the Levitical Lineage

Without Beginning or End (Eternal)

And He Remains the Priest of God Eternally Because He Never Ends

Melchizedek was a Regular Human…

With Parents, a Birth and Death Day

But the Scriptures are Silent on These Things…

So the Author is Using that Silence to Build His Argument About Jesus

The Author Now Turns His Attention to the Tithe that Abraham Gave Melchizedek

And the Point the Author is Going to Make is About “Superiority/Who is Greater”

Hebrews 7:4 (NASB95)

Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.

Abraham was a Man of Great Power, Influence, and Authority

He’s Always Been Looked at as One of the Greatest

The Author Calls Him “The Patriarch”

But Even Abraham Paid a Tithe of the Best of His Spoils to Melchizedek

How Much Greater Must Melchizedek Have Been?

Hebrews 7:5 (NASB95)

And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham.

Under the Old Law, the Tribe of Levi Had the Responsibility of Taking Care of the Tabernacle/Temple

Because that was Their God-Given Duty…

God Commanded the Other Tribes to Give a 10th of Their Wealth to the Levites

Hebrews 7:6 (NASB95)

But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises.

But Melchizedek, Who Didn’t Belong to the Tribe of Levi…

Received a Tithe From Abraham

He was a Priest to God Regardless of His Lineage

Then He Blessed Abraham

The Next Verse Tells Us Why that is Significant

Hebrews 7:7 (NASB95)

But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.

The Greater Always Blesses the Lesser

As Great as Abraham was, Melchizedek was Greater

Abraham, Being the Patriarch of the Levitical Priesthood, is Greater Than the Levitical Priesthood

The Author Has Proven that Melchizedek’s Priesthood is Greater Than the Levitical Priesthood

This is All Pointing to Jesus’ Priesthood Being Greater than the Levitical Priesthood as Well

Though Jesus Wasn’t From the Tribe of Levi…

He is a Priest Like Melchizedek was a Priest

And His Priesthood is Greater, Like Melchizedek’s was Greater

Hebrews 7:8 (NASB95)

In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on.

Israel Paid Tithes to Priests that Would Eventually Die

But, Based On the Silence of the Scriptures, Melchizedek Never Died

Again, Melchizedek is Greater than the Levitical Priesthood By Virtue of His Everlasting Life and Priesthood

Jesus is Greater Because of His Everlasting Life and Priesthood

Hebrews 7:9–10 (NASB95)

And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

The Greater Always Blesses the Lesser

And the Lesser Always Pays Tithes to the Greater

In a Sense, the Tribe of Levi, Who Typically Received Tithes…

Paid Tithes Through Their Grandfather/Patriarch, Abraham

This Again Being Another Argument for Melchizedek’s Superiority to the Levitical Priesthood

The Author has Been Focused Since the Beginning of the Book On How Jesus is Superior

He Shows Us that Jesus’ Priesthood is Greater than the Levitical Priesthood…

By Looking at the Great King and Priest, Melchizedek

Melchizedek was a Shadow of the Superior King of Righteousness and Peace and High Priest to the Most High God

The Next Section is Going to Build Off of This One

The Old Priesthood Wasn’t Perfect

And We Needed a Superior, Permanent, Perfect High Priest

And Jesus Checks All the Boxes

Invitation

The Context of James Chapter 1 So Far has Been Focused On Trials

Christians are to “Consider it all joy” When We Experience Trials

Because Enduring Faithfully Through Trials Makes Us Stronger and More Like Jesus

And God Helps Us in Our Trials When We Ask for it with Faith

James 1:12 (NASB95)

Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Blessed = Happy, Fortunate, Favored By God

Those Who Persevere Under Trials are Happy/Fortunate/Favored By God

They Will Receive a Crown of Life

They Will Be Resurrected to Live Forever

What Does it Mean to Persevere Under Trial?

To Continue Trusting God…

To Continue Loving God…

To Continue Obeying God…

To Continue Praising God…

Even When You Don’t Understand Why He is Allowing You to Suffer in the Ways You are Suffering

That is How We Attain the Resurrection to Eternal Life

Persevere Under the Trials