Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25 ESV)
For the law appoints men in their weakness as high
priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law,
appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. (Hebrews 7:28 ESV)
So this chapter definitely hit on some pretty dense topics, but here are the two verses that comforted me the most. The first because the thought of Jesus interceding on our behalf is very powerful even though we are the sinners who he gave his life for, but only God was able to turn something so gruesome and sin-filled into an eternal promise of forgiveness and mercy. And the second verse just reminded me of the great example that the gospels are for us as we have an account of the teaching and life of Jesus who faced the many trials and temptations of life and did it without sin, accepting the purpose that God had for his life on earth.
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.
ReplyDelete(Hebrews 7:1-3 ESV)
Just to help clarify about who Melchizedek was, he appears in Genesis 14 where he is referred to as a priest of the Lord Most High. Abram rescues Lot in a daring battle, comes back, breaks bread with Melchizedek, then gives the first recorded tithe.
Melchizedek was a priest-king, and some argue that he was a Christophany (an appearance of Christ in the Old Testament). No background information is given on Melchizedek except that he was the king of Salem. As Hebrews says, his name means king of righteousness and he was the king of a city called peace (which became Jerusalem). Christ follows in his order in that he was appointed a priest by God and was not born into the Levitical priesthood. Every name used to describe Melchizedek is also a name of God. To us he is our peace and righteousness. God is good!
Travis gives a good introduction to the being of Melchizedek. What is the noteworthy is the need for a transition, from the Aaronic priesthood to that of Melchizedek, in line with the move from the Old Covenant to the New. We need "one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens," and we have that in the person of Jesus (v. 26).
ReplyDeleteThe foreshadowing in the Bible is crazy though. The extent of the narrative lines is incredible and truly weaves together the Story that is above all stories. God putting Melchizedek towards the beginning of Genesis with Abram, father of the Judeo-Christian heritage, shows me that his plans for our good were already known way before they transpired. The concept of time is strong here, contrasting our finite spans on the Earth with that which is eternal and perfect. May we take heart and remember that every moment of our lives is known to God.
"For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God." Hebrews 7:18-19
ReplyDeleteI think this part sums up as well as anything our need for a transition to a new priesthood. The priesthood under Aaron certainly served its purpose, but only as a placeholder for something better that was yet to come. Just as we all need atonement for our sins, Aaron's priesthood provided a way for the sins of Israel to be forgiven. Of course, the sacrifice made on the cross was so much better because it was the perfect sacrifice, and gave us a priest who did not need atonement for himself. We are truly blessed to have the perfect high priest.
As an extra piece for reflection I bring to you Psalm 82: 3,4 (ESV)
ReplyDelete[Give justice to the weak and the fatherless: maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.]
I believe that the message is straightforward. In this psalm, David reminds us to be like God in the fair and just judgement of others. In fact the verse before this states “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?" Reading this many people might ask, why don't we just wait for God to bring justice and help to those in need. God could, but then again, God could've stopped Adam and Eve from eating the apple, thus keeping the entire human race pure. But would that mean anything?
If we to truly call ourselves His children we must act justly in His name. We must uphold the weakest amongst us, those without a voice, and rescue all from exploitation and injustice. It's a simple calling we can do from working in rescue ministries to upholding the dignity of a homeless person. For as Christ said "Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me."
The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
ReplyDelete- Hebrews 7:23-25 -
I really like this because it shows how different Jesus is from previous great teachers, priests, and leaders in the old testament. He totally shattered the typical characteristics of priests and reconnected us to God through his own death and resurrection. He continues to watch out for us and I really like the verse saying "since he always lives to make intercession for them." He just doesn't do it as a side-job or whenever He feels like doing it. He LIVES to make intercession for us. Everyday. I think it is just awesome and mind-blowing to know that Jesus, who is innocent and perfect, lives to help, intervene, and guide us. I think it was last week in my bible study that we talked about how God is just not sitting still and waving his fingers once in a while. He is always actively working in our lives, through Holy Spirit, to glorify his name. Its great verse to think about.
"to that same degree has Jesus [also] become the guarantee of an [even] better covenant."
ReplyDeleteHebrews 7: 22
Jesus came to fulfill the old covenant and guarantee a new covenant. Hebrews 7 talks about how he came as a new high priest and because of that we no longer need the priests of the old covenant. Instead we have Jesus as our high priest, different than any of the previous high priests, and with that a ministry of new covenant priests. Now, we are all called to be priests in the new testament, but it is important to note that a universal priesthood does not exclude the presence of a ministerial priesthood which we do indeed have in the priests around the world.
Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
ReplyDeleteThis verse largely speaks for itself. In ancient Israel, they would sacrifice animals to purify their sins, but now there is no longer any sacrifice required. We don't have to sacrifice anything for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus paid it all. He did it all for us. This grace, however, calls us to a greater mission. But we shouldn't see it as a sacrifice. Though we have to sacrifice everything, we gain so much more. The cost of discipleship is high, but the reward is much higher.