OUR FATHER BEFORE WHOM WAS MELCHIZEDEK AS HIS HIGH PRIEST

The writer of Hebrews chapter 7 verses 1 - 10, having expressed how reliable the salvation through the Lord Jesus provided by God actually is by explaining how Jesus, the One who represents us before the One behind the veil that conceals the Presence, was a priest in the order of Melchizedek, goes on in this passage to reveal the significance of Melchizedek.

 1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” 3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.

4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. 5 And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; 6 but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. 8 Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. 9 Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, 10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. 

Melchizedek (whose name translates to 'king of righteousness") and whose title of king of Salem (translates of 'king of peace'), is a figure who came from no defined place and was not in the known ancestry of the children of Israel.

After Abraham had run down and killed the kings who had kidnapped members of his family, Melchizedek approached Abraham and Abraham paid him a tithe of the spoils of the battle.

The tithe, according to the law, was to be paid to the Levite priests who were descendants of Abraham but when Abraham paid his tithe to Melchizek, the Levite priests still within Abraham, in effect, also paid their tithes to Melchizedek which placed Melchizek above Abraham and above the priestly stucture that was set up under the Mosaic law.

This puts Melchizedek in a more senior position than anyone charted in the family tree of God's people and further to that, Melchizedek blessed Abraham which is another indication of the greatness of Melchizedek who was able to bless the patriarch Abraham who had the promise of salvation for all mankind and because the absence of a mention of an end of life, Melchidek is represented as being an eternal priest.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO SWORE BY HIS OWN SELF FOR THERE WAS NONE GREATER

The book of Hebrews chapter 6 verses 13 - 20 says this;

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, [mconfirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

The writer of Hebrews demonstrates from the scriptures that the promise to which we attached our hope in Christ is absolutely reliable because that promise has been sworn to by the God who is truth itself and who cannot lie.

Because of this, we can abandon our entire beings and future into God's hands with the knowledge that God has staked His integrity on His fulfillment of the promise He made. 

The centerpiece of this promise made to fallen sinners is Jesus the Christ who was the One through whom  our redemption was secured and by His priesthood, continues the work of santifying us and completing the work He began in us to prepare us for what He predestined us for.

19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Amen.

OUR FATHER IS NOT UNJUST TOWARDS THOSE WHO HAVE TOILED FOR THE SAKE OF HIS NAME

The book of Hebrews chapter 6 verses 9 - 12 says this;

9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

The writer of Hebrews, having warned his readers about the extreme hazzard of falling away after having experienced the heavenly gifts of God and having had partaken of the Holy Spirit and and having tasted of the goodness of the word of God and having participated in the powers of the age to come, reveals that he has high expactations that his readers would not go through that even though it was needful for him to speak to them in that manner.

The writer assures his readers that their work and labour of love in their ministry towards the saints sthat was done in the name of God did not go un-noticed by God and would be just towards them.

He encourages his readers to remain steadfast in their diligence until the very end of their time on earth. Whereas it is possible to become weary and sluggish, the readers of the letter are advised to imitate those in their midst who through theor own faith and patience, inherit the promises of God.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER TOWARD WHOM WE SHOULD HAVE SINCERE FAITH

The writer of the book of Hebrews in chapter 6 verses 1 - 8 urges his readers to grow beyond the foundational doctrines like repentance, faith, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection from the dead and eternal judgement. He encourages them to move toward maturity and completeness but  importantly notes that this is dependent on God´s permission to move ahead.

The reason God vets all those who will be allowed to surge towards maturity is that once a person has ascended into the heavenly things and partakes in the Holy Spirit, experience the good word of God and practiced the powers of the age to come, it is impossible for them to be restored by repentance if they fall away because at the enlightened level, falling away puts Christ to open shame and they would require that Christ be crucified again.

1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits.

4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

7 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

To minimize the chance of such a thing occuring, God screens believers and only those whom He green lights (because He understands their thoughts and intentions), are able to advance towards maturity with assurance that they can stay the course.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO EXPECTS HIS SONS TO GROW TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

The writer of Hebrews, at the end of the previous passage, laments the dullness of the audience´s ears as the reason why the priesthood of Melchizedek and the correspondence with the priesthood of Christ could not be explained to them.

He also laments the fact that the people to whom he was writing to explain the basics of doctrine should have already been teachers but instead  were like babies who needed to be suckled. In their state, they were not prepared to handle the word of righteousness which required that they would have, through their graduating to solid food,  be able to use their senses to disern both what was good and evil.

 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Amen

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OUR FATHER WHO CALLED HIS SON AS HIGH PRIEST

The book of Hebrews chapter 5 verses 5 - 11 says this;

5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him:

“You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You.”

6 As He also says in another place:

“You are a priest forever

According to the order of Melchizedek”;

7 who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10 called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” 11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

In this passage we see that Jesus did not glorify Himself but rather it was God who appointed Him to that position and we learn the principle of not self-promoting but rather leaving it to God to lift us up if it is His good pleasure. Psalm 75 verse 6 says it this way:

For exaltation comes neither from the east

Nor from the west nor from the south.

But God is the Judge:

The writer of Hebrews goes on to explain the journey of suffering that the Lord Jesus was set upon even though He prayed and supplicated to God His Father who was indeed able to save Him from death and Jesus was indeed heard because of His fear of the Lord.

Even though the Lord Jesus was a Son, while on earth He learned the highest form of obedience to the point of death and this proof of His absolute perfection made Him able to underwrite all the salvations of all the people who heard the good news of His salvation and as a result of believing the offer of salvation, obeyed Him.

The Lord Jesus, the author of salvation is then called as the High Priest whose on-going service is to represent those who were saved to God the Father and this priestly calling is "according to the order of Melchizedek" who was the high priest to whom the patriarch Abraham paid his tithe to with no begining nor end and no earthly pedigree.

Amen.

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