Hebrews 7:1-28.  In yesterday’s reading we saw that Jesus was a special kind of High Priest.  He was one appointed by God rather than one born into the family of Levi (Jesus was not from the family of Levi).  We saw Jesus compared to a person from the Old Testament named Melchizedek.  Melchizedek was called a “priest”.

In today’s reading that comparison is explained in more detail.  The story referred to in today’s reading is recorded in Genesis 14.  In that chapter there is a war among several kings ruling territories around where Abraham lived.  In those days kings often ruled city-states.  Their kingdom was limited to the area around a particular city.  In the story for instance we see listed the “king of Sodom”.  Sodom was a city, the one in which Abraham’s nephew Lot lived.  Melchizedek is referred to as the “king of Salem”.  Salem (“peace”) is usually identified as Jerusalem (“teaching, throwing or shooting of peace”).   During the war the people of Sodom were taken captive, including Lot.  Abraham heard that his nephew was in peril and went and rescued him, along with all of the other people of Sodom and all of the stuff that had been taken.  Upon return Abraham was met by Melchizedek and given a blessing.  Abraham in turn gave a tenth of all that he had recovered to Melchizedek; this offering was a way of recognizing that Melchizedek was greater than him and that the blessing had power behind it.  Aside from Hebrews and Genesis 14 Melchizedek is only mentioned in one other place in the Bible, Psalm 110.  Psalm 110 was written by David and in that Psalm we see David’s “lord” (v. 1) being compared to Melchizedek.  David lived around 1000 BC.  Genesis was written by Moses around 1400 BC.

In Hebrews 7:2-3 the author paints a picture of Melchizedek for us.  We are told the meaning of his name and the name of his kingdom.  Based on those meanings the author tells us that Melchizedek is the king of righteousness and the king of peace.  The word righteous means “things as they ought to be.”  So Melchizedek is “king of how things should be”.  He is also “king of peace”.  That reminds me of the birth of Jesus.  The wise men were looking for the “king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2) and the angles declared to the shepherds that because of Jesus birth there could now be peace and good will between God and mankind (Luke 2:14, check out the wording in the King James Version).  In Hebrews 7:3 we are told he has no family, that he is like the Son of God, a perpetual priest.  This does not mean that he actually had neither parents nor children; it just means that in the story we are not told of any.  So, as the story goes, he stands alone as a priest appointed by God.  As far as we know he did not inherit his priesthood nor did he pass it on.

In verses 4-10 the author uses this story to explain how the kind of priest Melchizedek was is greater than the kind of priest that the Levites were or are.  When Abraham honored Melchizedek in a way so did all of his descendants.  Abraham was considered the greatest of his family by his descendants so if Abraham needed to honor Melchizedek they would have felt the same need if they had been there.  Verse 7 explains to us that blessings always come from someone greater than us.  Remember that Hebrews was written to Jewish followers of Jesus, many of them probably ex-priests.  Their families and friends were putting pressure on them to come back to the “true faith”.  Remember too, that there was a war with the Roman authorities that was escalating.  It was important for them to see that the Levitical priesthood was a temporary part of God’s plans.  The whole Jewish system of honoring God had a purpose but it was not to make us right with God, it was designed to remind us of our failures.  Verses 11-19 makes this point clear.   These verses also tell us that Jesus is a new priest and that his position is like that of Melchizedek.  He is not a priest because he was born into the tribe of Levi.  IN fact no one from his tribe ever had been a priest.  He is a priest because of the nature of his being.  Verse 16 tells us it is based on his indestructible life.  According to John 1:1,14 a person known as “the word”, a person who was actually God, became flesh.  From the rest of John 1 we learn that that person is Jesus.  As the infinite God-Man, Jesus’ life is indestructible.  So he is the lord of David from Psalm 110, he is the priest similar to Melchizedek.

According to Hebrews 7:12 the change in priesthood also brings a change in the rules or law.  According to verses 18-19 the old Law of Moses was weak.  Why?  Because it could not make us right with God it could only remind us of our failure in our relationship with God.  But now with this new priest we have a better hope, a way to get close to God again.  Verse 20-22 tell us that this new way is much better and that it is guaranteed, God has appointed Jesus as the real ruler of how it ought to be and peace and he has sworn to the deal.  Verses 23-28 explain to us that, while the old Levitical priests were weak and unable to really deal with or sin (disobedience and rebellion toward God), that Jesus as the infinite God-Man could, and because of the sworn promise of God would deal with our sins forever.  Verse 27 tells us that his death was in our place.  When verse 28 tells us that Jesus, the son of God, was “made perfect” it does not mean that he wasn’t perfect before.  This is not talking about who he is but about what he has done.  Verse 27 tells us that he never sinned (he didn’t need to make offerings for himself like other priests did).  What Jesus did was perfect of fulfill his purpose.

Jesus thank you for fulfilling your purpose, God’s purpose, by dying for my sins.  I am so glad I do not have to pay that price.  I want to spend forever with you in Heaven.  I do not want to be on the outside.  Thank you for the old law that shows me I am a failure.  Thank you for that rule that I never measure up to.  But help me try.  Not to get to Heaven but because that is where I am going.  Let my life be an offering in honor of who you are and what you have done.  Thank you for being the ultimate king or how it ought to be and of peace.  Help my life be how it ought to be.

Hebrews 6:9-20.  Wow way to get behind.  I know, I know we had this discussion before when we were in Isaiah.  Reading my Bible daily is about a relationship with God it’s not a thing on a list of todo’s.  And for the most part I have been reading along each day (though not on the schedule I have set), I just haven’t had time to write.  I just looked at my work records over the summer and I worked about 60 hours each week.  When you consider that last week was the church campout and I did not work much on Friday and not at all over the weekend that adds up to a lot of time on the other days.  That is party why I am behind in writing.  Sorry for the delay.

In yesterday’s reading the author of Hebrews gave a pretty heavy warning about faithfully living for God and about making progress in our relationship with him.  In today’s reading the author gets way more positive.  He tells the readers that he is sure they will live up to the decision they have made to follow Jesus.  In verse 10 he tells his readers that God knows what they have done, that they have faithfully served other believers.  This hints at the problem that is going on with these believers, they have started to back off; skipping church, not hanging out with people from church, not serving anymore.  Though it appears that they are still involved a little.  The author wants them to get back to it, he wants them to be involved like they were at the beginning.  The author wants them to live this way so they can experience the full measure of hope that comes with living for God; he doesn’t want them to live half-hearted Christian lives.  The author wants them to imitate those who have gone before them believing in the promises of God and patiently enduring the troubles of life.

In verses 13-20 the author uses an example from the past to help his readers trust God with their lives.  The example is from Genesis 22, a story where tells Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac.  Ultimately Abraham does not have to sacrifice Isaac but for a while he thinks he is going to, all the way up to tying Isaac up and holding a knife over him on an altar.  God provides an animal at the last minute, but Abraham passed the test by being willing.  The back story is that God had previously promised to make Abraham a great nation through Isaac, so killing Isaac would have seemed to destroy the possibility of God fulfilling his promise.  There was more to the promise though than just a large group of descendants.  God had also promised to “bless” the world through that group of people (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18).  In Genesis 22:18 it is clear that the “blessing” come because Abraham was obedient to the voice of God, he had faith that God would do what he said even if Isaac was dead.  That’s a lot of faith.  The word blessing includes the idea of kneeling down, I had trouble figuring that out until I remembered that in the Old Testament that fathers would have their children come to them before they died and make a sort of wish for each child.  The child would kneel down and the father would put his hand on their head and ask God to do certain things in the child’s life.  Kneeling down was a sign of respect for the father.  For those earthly fathers the blessing was a hopeful prayer to God but in Hebrews we see that the “blessing” of God on Abraham was a done deal.  Men’s words have only so much power but in the case of God there is no one to overrule him.  According to the author of Hebrews God not only said it but he swore an oath based on his own existence; this gives us the ultimate assurance that God’s plan to “bless” the world will come to pass.  Sin will be dealt with and mankind will be able to live once more with God.

Verses 19-20 get to the ultimate point for these Jewish believers who were being tempted to quit church.  This “Jesus thing” they were believing in and following was as real as and traced all the way back to the promises to Abraham.  This “new” faith was really God’s original solution to the separation between us and him.  The Jewish people were reminded of the separation constantly by the fact that the temple contained a room which represented the presence of God, the Holy of Holies.  This inner room was separated from the outer room of the temple by a thick curtain, the veil in Hebrews 6:19.  Once a year the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies and make an offering for the sins of the people.  On the day Jesus died that curtain was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), the separation was destroyed by Jesus’ death.  Jesus was the ultimate high priest offering the final and ultimate sacrifice for our sins.  Other high priests were ones born into the job but Jesus was like Melchizedek, a high priest appointed specially by God.

God thank you for dying for my sins.  I am glad I do not have to pay the price myself, that would mean an eternity away from you.  Thank you for taking the time to explain the story to me.  Help me be passionate about our relationship.  Let me be as faithful as Abraham.  Help me see and trust and do.