HEBREWS 7:1-28

6 INFORMATIVE COMPARISONS OR SIMILARITIES ARE GIVEN US IN VS. 1-3…

1. BOTH MELCHIZEDEK AND JESUS WERE KINGS AND PRIESTS. Unlike normal Hebrew kings who were not at all priestly, Melchizedek represented a special tradition of sacral kingship, unique to the Bible. In this mysterious figure was united the dual honors of royalty and priesthood…

^NAS Hebrews 7:1 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,

MELCHIZEDEK WAS A PICTURE OF JESUS. Jesus would be both a king and a priest.  Melchizedek’s name and title as king of Salem (Salem was an old name for Jeru-salem) characterized two things about his reign: he ruled in righteousness, which is what his name means in the Hebrew language (“king of righteousness”), and he ruled in peace, which is what the word “Salem” means.  These two characteristics were prophesied of the Messiah…

^NAS Isaiah 9:6-7 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

“RIGHTEOUSNESS” AND “PEACE” are found together many times in Scripture.  Here are but a few other examples…

^NAS Isaiah 32:17 And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.

^NAS Psalm 85:10 Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

^NAS Psalm 72:7 In his days may the righteous flourish, And abundance of peace till the moon is no more.

^NAS James 3:17-18 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

TRUE PEACE CAN ONLY BE EXPERIENCED ON THE BASIS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. The only way to know true peace is to have peace with God. The only way to have peace with God is by being declared righteous by God through salvation in Christ. There is no peace apart from Jesus…

^NET Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

1. THE SECOND SIMILARITY OR COMPARISON IS BOTH MELCHIZEDEK AND JESUS BLESSED OTHERS AS ONE WHO IS A SUPERIOR TO THE ONE BEING BLESSED…

^NAS Hebrews 7:1 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,

ALTHOUGH ABRAHAM WAS THE ONE WITH THE COVENANT PROMISE, IT WAS MELCHIZEDEK WHO BLESSED HIM, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. This showed Melchizedek’s priesthood was superior to that of the future nation of Israel and its Levitical system.  This also pictured One who would come as a Superior to the ones He would bless.

III. THE THIRD SIMILARITY IS SIMILAR TO THE SECOND… in that Melchizedek as the superior, received tithes from Abraham…

^NAS Hebrews 7:2 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.

ABRAHAM RECOGNIZED THE SUPERIORITY OF THE POSITION OF MELCHIZEDEK.  The giving of tithes is a recognition of superiority.  The fact that Jesus functions as a Melchizedekian priest (Psalm 110:4) demonstrates His superiority over the Levitical priesthood of the Jews, or any other priesthood for that matter.  This argument of the writer to the Hebrews, while difficult for us to follow at times, involving as it does strange terms and images to our modern ears, would have been quite familiar and convincing for the Jewish Christians to whom he wrote.

OUR ENTIRE PASSAGE FOR THIS WEEK…

^NAS  Hebrews 7:1-10 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, ² 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.

³ Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he abides a priest perpetually.

⁴ Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.

⁵ 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.

⁶ But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham, and blessed the one who had the promises.

⁷ But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.

⁸ And in this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on.

⁹ And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes,

¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

THIS IS NOT A MESSAGE ON TITHING, BUT THIS IS, NEVERTHELESS, AN OPPORTUNE MOMENT TO SAY A FEW CAREFULLY-CHOSEN WORDS ABOUT TITHING. Tithing is biblical.  Tithing was the primary means of furnishing the nation of Israel with the funds to operate their vast religious system (theocracy).  Old Testament Jews were commanded by the Law of Moses to tithe.  To tithe means to set aside one-tenth of your income to give to the Lord’s work.  In my opinion, tithing is an excellent principle upon which to base your giving to God today.  But Christians are not commanded to tithe. I believe Pastor Matt would agree. Tithing is an O.T. legal command. The Law is not in effect for Christians today because Christ has abolished it…

^NAS Colossians 2:14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it (the Law – TAR) out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

AND IN OUR PASSAGE THIS WEEK WE READ…

^NAS Hebrews 7:18 For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside (disannulling – TAR) of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness

TITHING WAS OF THE OLD COVENANT; CHRIST, HOWEVER, HAS ESTABLISHED A NEW COVENANT, A NEW COVENANT THAT IS OUR GUIDE TODAY…

^NAS Hebrews 8:13 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

HAVING SAID WHAT I SAID ABOUT TITHING, PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THOUGH THE LEGALITY OF THE LAW CAN TRUTHFULLY BE SAID TO NOT BE BINDING ON CHRISTIANS, THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW IS AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE FOREVER FOR IT REFLECTS THE CHARACTER OF GOD HIMSELF.

^NAS 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.  Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.

NEW TESTAMENT GIVING IS A MATTER OF THE HEART, NOT THE LAW…

1. THE FOURTH SIMILARITY HAS TO DO WITH INDEPENDENCE. I am using the word “independence” in such a way as to underscore the fact the priesthood of Melchizedek was not dependent on human relations or institutions. Look with me again at v. 3…

^NAS Hebrews 7:3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he abides a priest perpetually.

WITHOUT TAKING US INTO TOO MUCH DETAIL, let me just say that the Levitical order of priests, following the line of Aaron (Moses’ brother), was not independent.  You had to be born of the line of Aaron before you could ever become a priest.  Melchizedek, we are told here in Hebrews 7:3, did not have this attachment.  He was without mother or father or genealogical record, something extremely important to the Jews.  This does not mean that he dropped out of the sky one day.  Neither does this mean that Melchizedek was Jesus Christ.  It simply means that he was a special priest, that his priesthood was not dependent on genealogical lineage. Ancestry was not important in establishing Melchizedek as priest. In other words, Melchizedek was different from the Levitical order of priests who had to rely on being a descendent of Aaron in order to be a priest…

BECAUSE MELCHIZEDEK WAS “WITHOUT FATHER, WITHOUT MOTHER, WITHOUT GENEALOGY,” HE WAS A TYPE OF CHRIST THE ETERNAL  PRIEST, who though He was born as Jesus and, thereby, was of the lineage of David, ultimately He was the Messiah; He was God who as an eternal being has no beginning or end…

1. THE FIFTH SIMILARITY OR COMPARISON BETWEEN MELCHIZEDEK AND JESUS WAS THAT THE PRIESTHOOD OF BOTH WAS TIMELESS. This point is very similar to the fourth, but here the emphasis is not on beginning but ending. There is no record of Melchizedek’s priesthood ever ending, either of him dying or being succeeded by another priest. Here again, we see that Melchizedek was different from the Levitical priests…

^NAS Numbers 8:24-25 “This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting. But at the age of fifty years they shall retire from service in the work and not work any more.

THAT WAS THE RULE FOR LONGEVITY OF THE LEVITICAL PRIEST. Note again to what the Scripture says about the length of Melchizedek’s service…

^NAS Hebrews 7:3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he abides a priest perpetually.

WE KNOW THAT AS A MAN MELCHIZEDEK DIED. But his priesthood was never succeeded.  So, in effect, he is still abiding as a priest.  In this he again pictures…

CHRIST, WHO IS OUR ETERNAL PRIEST. He truly, as the reality to which the type Melchizedek pointed, abides our priest eternally.  He ministers on our behalf forever…

1. THE SIXTH AND FINAL COMPARISON OF THE MELCHIZEDEKIAN priesthood to that of Christ’s has to do with universality. Melchizedek’s priesthood, not being of the Levitical priestly order which only ministered to the nation of Israel, was universal. It was applicable to all peoples; it was not national. The Eternal Priest also has a universal priesthood that is open to all…

THE OVERRIDING POINT OF THESE SIX SIMILARITIES IS THAT MELCHIZEDEK WAS “MADE LIKE THE SON OF GOD.” He was a human being whose human priesthood constituted a fascinating and compelling type of the reality who is Jesus Christ our eternal spiritual priest…

OUR ETERNAL PRIEST. There is great comfort in knowing that Jesus Christ, God made flesh to die for our sins, is ministering as our high priest in heaven on our behalf, and will continue to minister in our behalf for all of eternity…

…CHAPTER 7 IS THE FOCAL POINT OF HEBREWS. Aside from being the physical center of the 13 chapters of the book, it is the doctrinal heart of Hebrews.  In chapter 7 the preacher takes the central, most important part of Judaism, the priesthood, the vital organ of the entire Jewish religious system, and shows conclusively, inarguably that Jesus Christ is superior to it.  Just as he was telling the original readers there was no sense at all in returning to a religious system that had become null and void because of Christ, so is God’s Word telling Christians today that it is foolhardy to fall away from Christ and return to the world system around us.  Christ is superior. He is not only best way; He is the only way…

NOW, AS WE CLOSE FOR THIS WEEK, LET’S LOOK AT THE NEXT PASSAGE WE WILL STUDY IN CHAPTER 7: VERSES 11-19…

^NAS Hebrews 7:11-19 Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of Him, “Thou art a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. And inasmuch as it was not without an oath ²¹ (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, ‘Thou art a priest forever’ “); so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. And the former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers, because they were prevented by death from continuing, but He, on the other hand, because He abides forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.

“FOREVER!” UNLIKE ALL THE LEVITICAL PRIESTS WHOSE MINISTRIES LASTED ONLY FOR THEIR HUMAN LIFETIMES ON EARTH, JESUS CHRIST IS OUR PRIEST ETERNALLY!  Studying Hebrews 7 helps us to understand Jesus better. May His holy name be forever praised!

THAT’S JESUS CHRIST, OUR ETERNAL PRIEST. He is superior in everyway to everything.  There is no one or nothing like Him. He stands alone in the world…

HE STANDS IN THE SHADOW OF HIMSELF!

– Professor Thomas A. Rohm