OUR FATHER WHO SWORE THAT CHRIST WAS PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK

The book of Hebrews chapter 7 begins with the writer explaining how the mysterious figure named Melchizedek (whose origin and end are undisclosed ) approach  Abraham after he was victorious over the five kings, and having shared bread and wine, was given a tenth of all the spoils of the battle.  Melchizedek, was timeless having no record beinging nor end and had no geneology and the writer of Hebrews likened the Son of God to him who was to remain a priest forever.

This eternal priest was paid a tenth by the patriarch Abraham from whom came the Levitical priests to whom were themselves paid tithes by all their brothers according to the law but Melchizedek was not derived from the geneology of the priesthood to whom the law prescribed the payment of tithes and thus this very great figure had stature beyond that of Abraham such that Melchizedek could bless him.

The presence of this priest made it legally possible for the appearance of another legitimate priest who was not from the family of Aaron the Levitical priest but who exists from another higher plane.

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 ofGod, 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.

The point being driven at by the writer is that there existed an order of priests provided for by the law but during the time that this priesthood was in force, David prophesied in Psalm 110 that there would a priest who would be in the order of Melkizedek. The case being made is that if the priesthood of the Levites was perfect in an of itself, why would another order of priesthood, that is characterized as eternal, be invoked 

11 Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. 13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar.

14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. 17 For He testifies:

“You are a priest forever

According to the order of Melchizedek.”

18 For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, 19 for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

Whereas the priesthood under the law of Moses was inherited through the lineage of Levi, the promised priesthood was  established by an oath made by God Himself and is thus a better covenant. 

20 And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath 21 (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him:

“The Lord has sworn And will not relent,

‘You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek’ ”),

22 by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.

As well, the priests were limited in their service by their mortality but a priest of the order of Melchizedek is a eternal, unchanging and singular High Priest who  is able to save permanently and who continously intercedes for those He has saved. 

Whereas the Levitical priests had to offer sacrifices for their own sins first and then for the people who came to them , this priest who is Christ was appointed to be an ascended High Priest whose perfection made the sacrifice He presented before God absolutely efficacious 

23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, whiach came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO AUTHORIZES OUR MOVE INTO ENLIGHTENMENT

The writer of the book of Hebrews continues in chapter 6 telling believers should travel the road of progression from the elementary principles of Christ to the state of enlightenment and the experience of the gifts of heaven and partake of the Holy Spirit and enjoyed the good word of God and been involved in the powers of the age to come.

This elevated state is hazardous because if a person falls aways after reaching that state, they will not have recourse to repent because there is no sacrifice that can provide those who have trampled the provided salvation.

However, there are guardrails provided by God so that people who are prone to being derailed do not get make the irrecoverable spiritual blunder. In verse 3, we see that God acts as a gatekeeper regulating the passage of believers from infancy to adulthood. Only those who he permits ( having measured their personal nature and strength), advance into maturity where they are able to engage in the mature spiritual life. 

If any believer, having been cleared to grow and from that vantage point choose to pursue other options, they will have no sacrifice available for their redemption because the sacrifice was made for human sinners and not for gods.

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.

An analogy is offered of the earth receiving rain and producing herbs that are useful to the one who cutivates the earth but if thorns and briers are produced, the output is rejected and is thrown into the fire. 

In the same way, if the Lord cultivates a person and what emerges as the output is a source of shame to the one who sincerely and righteously provided the only way of salvation to the point where a curse is warranted (like the fig tree that produced nothing and Jesus cursed it), then no remedy can be found for a person beyond that point.

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.

The writer of Hebrews acknowledges that the subject matter to this point was rather gloomy and declares that the readers would have a better outcome from their experience with salvation (even though they had to alert them to the potential hazzard) and so the reader is reminded that God is fair and would not forget their work for His name and for their service to their fellow believers. They are counseled to remain diligent ad steadfast in their faith till the end so that they don't drift into lethargic sluggishness but rather, they should follow the example of those who walk in faith and are patient in doing so, inherit the promises and do not incur curses.

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.

To demonstrate how sure the promises of God are, the writer of Hebrews reminds them that God promised a blessing to Abraham (and even though He is the self-existent One), he made an oath to Abraham by swearing upon Himself and binding Himself to the promises He made to Abraham which locked in God's participation in the fulfilment of the promises made to Abraham and those who were to be his progeny through faith. The Lord Jesus Christ, having fulfilled the requirements of our redemption, made a way through the veil of separation and it is to this our souls can be assured of the efficacy of our salvation and that we have a High Priest standing before the mercy seat on our behalf forever.

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, confirmed 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.

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.

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 OUR FATHER WHO CALLED JESUS TO BE THE ETERNAL HIGH PRIEST

In chapter 5, the writer of the book of Hebrews continues the theme from the last chapter related to role of Christ as our eternal priest by pointing out that the appointed levitical priests were subject to all temptation that were common to man, the author tells us that they were able to have compassion for those who were ignorant and continuously going astray because they too were subject to weakness.

1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins. 4 And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.

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”;

In the case of Christ, even though He was appointed to the role as the eternal High Priest, in the days when He lived on earth, out of godly fear, offered up tearful prayers and supplications to the God who could save Him in His status as a Son, yet remained obedient through the suffering that He went through. 

By the proving of His perfection, He became the author of eternal salvation for any and all who obeyed Him. Jesus would be their High Priest in 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.

Pivoting to the subject of the condition of those being written to, the writer of Hebrews tells them that they are behind schedule. THey should themselves be teaching others but instead, they need to be re-taught the basics of the things of God and retrograded from being able to ingest the solid food of the word of God back to requiring baby's milk.

In the progression from infanthood to adulthood, believers needs to going from being unskilled in the understanding of the doctrines of righteousness and advancing to being fully exercised in their spiritual senses such that they could spiritually disern the functioning of both good and evil in their midst.

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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