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Hebrews Chapter 7

Memory verses for this week:  Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Introduction:  In Chapter 6, we studied how that Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest today.   He is our forerunner, and stands today as our mediator between man and God.  We continue on our study of our Great High Priest today in chapter 7. 

I.  Melchisedec Was Priest of the Most High God

Heb 7:1  For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

Heb 7:2  To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

Verse 1 refers to the book of Genesis where Melchisedec met Abraham when he returned from rescuing Lot.

Gen 14:18  And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

Gen 14:19  And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

Gen 14:20  And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

We see in verse 2 that Abraham gave Melchisedec tithes of all he had, being one-tenth.   It was Abraham the believer who gave tithes.  Abraham is the father of believers.

Rom 4:1  What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

Rom 4:2  For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

Rom 4:3  For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Rom 4:4  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

Rom 4:5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Rom 4:6  Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

Rom 4:7  Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

Rom 4:8  Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Rom 4:9  Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

Rom 4:10  How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.

Rom 4:11  And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:

Rom 4:12  And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.

Gal 3:29  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

If we are Abraham’s children, the bible says we will do the works of Abraham.  One of those was tithing.

John 8:39  They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

Verse 2 mentions the terms “King of Righteousness” and “King of Peace”.   A person must always have the righteousness (which is by faith in Christ) before he or she can have peace.

Heb 7:3  Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

Some people misunderstand verse 3 and have went so far as to say that Melchisedec was actually Jesus Christ.   All this verse is saying is that we do not have a record of his genealogy.   He certainly did have a father and mother, but apparently had no children and we have no record of when he died.   He continued to be a priest until his death without interruption and without a successor.  

Matthew Henry said this of Melchisedec:

Verses 1-3. Melchisedec met Abraham when returning from the rescue of Lot. His name, "King of Righteousness," doubtless suitable to his character, marked him as a type of the Messiah and his kingdom. The name of his city signified "Peace;" and as king of peace he typified Christ, the Prince of Peace, the great Reconciler of God and man. Nothing is recorded as to the beginning or end of his life; thus he typically resembled the Son of God, whose existence is from everlasting to everlasting, who had no one that was before him, and will have no one come after him, in his priesthood. Every part of Scripture honours the great King of Righteousness and Peace, our glorious High Priest and Saviour; and the more we examine it, the more we shall be convinced, that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.  That High Priest who should afterward appear, of whom Melchisedec was a type, must be much superior to the Levitical priests. 

II.  Aaron Paid Tithes in Abraham

Heb 7:4  Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

Heb 7:5  And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

Heb 7:6  But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

Paul asks these Hebrews to consider how great this man Melchisedec was.  (Prophet, Priest, and King as we have studied that last two weeks in our lessons.)   Abraham recognized him as the priest of the most high God.   The sons of Levi were commanded to take tithes of the people.    We, in the time of the dispensation of grace, are to give our tithes to God.   Verse 6 points out that Melchisedec was not of the tribe of Levi.

Heb 7:7  And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

Heb 7:8  And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

Heb 7:9  And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.

Heb 7:10  For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

We know that the Levites were the priests, and these priests lived for a time and then died.   The Levites received tithes.   Abraham gave tithes unto Melchisedec  whom the scriptures said that he liveth.  Levi, who received tithes paid tithes in Abraham.   All men are commanded to pay (give) at least a tenth part of their income as tithes.

III.  Aaron’s Priesthood Made Nothing Perfect

Heb 7:11  If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

Heb 7:12  For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

If Aaron’s priesthood made everything perfect, then there would be no need of Christ and His Priesthood.  If the Levitical priesthood had been perfect then all priests would have been after the order of Aaron.   But our great High Priest was patterned not after Aaron’s order, but the order of Melchisedec.   Since the priesthood changed, there was also a change in the law.

Col 2:14  Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Col 2:15  And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

J. Vernon McGee summed up the order of Aaron’s priesthood.

In other words, the thing which characterized the Aaronic priesthood is that it was incomplete. It never brought perfection, complete communion with God. It never gave redemption and acceptance before God to the people. It never achieved its goal. Therefore we need Christ.  [1] 

Heb 7:13  For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.

Heb 7:14  For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.

Christ was not of the tribe of Levi.  He was from the tribe of Judah, and no priest had ever been chosen by the Lord to serve at the altar from any other tribe except Levi.

Heb 7:15  And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,

Heb 7:16  Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

Heb 7:17  For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

By Christ coming from the tribe of Judah, it is evident that his priesthood was not patterned after that of Aaron but Melchisedec.

Heb 7:18  For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

Heb 7:19  For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

Heb 7:20  And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:

Heb 7:21  (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)

The law could not make things perfect.   The law was added because of sin.  The bringing in of a better hope made all things perfect.  Christ was made the high priest with an oath.

Gal 3:19  Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Man cannot attain righteousness by the Mosaic Law. It is as if mankind in desperation grabbed for the Law as the proverbial straw when drowning. The Law won’t lift him up. Actually, it does the opposite. To hold onto the Law is like a man jumping out of an airplane, and instead of taking a parachute, he takes a sack of cement with him. Well, believe me, the Law will pull you down. It condemns man. It’s a ministration of death. [2]

IV.  Christ Liveth Forever

Heb 7:22  By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

Heb 7:23  And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:

Heb 7:24  But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

Heb 7:25  Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Under the Levitical law, there were many priests because they served and then they died.   Christ is different in that He lives forever, and there will never be any other Priest except Him for the saved man or woman.    Verse 25 points out that Jesus is “able to save to the uttermost.”

Heb 7:26  For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

Heb 7:27  Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

Heb 7:28  For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

Christ’s priesthood was much different than Aaron’s.

1.   He was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than   the heavens.

2.  Without sin, He did not have to offer sacrifices for his own sins.

3.   He was made a priest after an oath, not after the law.

4.  Levitical priests were not perfect, but had infirmity.   Jesus was perfect in all points.

Rev 1:18  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Jesus is the only mediator that stands between man and God.

1 Tim 2:5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

1 Tim 2:6  Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 

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