Transcription
So, we're in Hebrews chapter 7 today. We're going to do a real quick review of Hebrews chapter 6. Just the kind of the tail end, the important thing, um, the the important things that will help us segue into this, uh, chapter that we're going to do on the priesthood of Melchizedek. And we're also going to be looking at some other passages of scripture that, um, play into this priesthood that, um, is actually a quite a foreign priesthood to many people.
And if you were one of the people in the first century who received this letter from whoever the author was, some people think Paul, some people think other other people. But if you were the one who received this letter, this would be very interesting for you as a Hebrew Christian because the examples and the illustrations that are being used in this letter are ones that are taken from the Old Testament. So you would be familiar with many of these stories about the Israelites. You'd be familiar with the Psalms that are going to be, uh, mentioned specifically today in Psalm 110. You would be familiar with the story that we are going to look at from Genesis chapter 14 today. So the author is taking subjects, topics, people, Old Testament scriptures that were familiar to these people, these Jewish believers, and using them to illustrate the supremacy of Christ and the need for believers to persevere.
So, we've talked a lot about that in the first six chapters really of the book of Hebrews. But now, we're going to get into some very, very interesting, uh, a very interesting study on two different kinds of priesthoods. We're going to talk about how in chapter 8 and chapter 9, we'll be talking about the temple and about sacrifices and the law and all of this stuff, which sounds pretty dry and boring, but it's really not. It's so fascinating. And what it does is it shows the supremacy of Christ, which is the the big thing that we're going to be looking at today.
So, let's just take Hebrews chapter 6. I'm going to do a real quick review. If you haven't been following my Bible studies in the book of Hebrews, I suggest you go back to Hebrews chapter 1. I'll leave a link to the very first video in the series. If you've been following the series, if there's been a little time that's lapsed between, um, like say Hebrews 6 and Hebrews 7 that I'm doing today, you might want to go back and refresh your memory on Hebrews chapter 6.
But let's take a look at, uh, this passage from Hebrews chapter 6. We're going to be looking at part of verse 18, 19, and 20 where it talks about God swore an oath. He swore an oath that Jesus would be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. And this is what it says: "We who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul. A hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain or behind the veil."
We're talking about the heavenly temple here. The earthly temple, you'll recall, had, uh, two sections. The holy place where there was the, uh, menorah, the altar of incense, and the table of showbread. And every day the priests could go into the holy place. And then there was this veil, a very thick veil that separated the holy place where the priests went regularly to minister, separated it from the holy of holies where the ark of covenant was. And the ark was basically God's throne room. It was his, um, place on earth in the earthly tabernacle and also later in Solomon's temple. And the priests could only go into the place where the ark was on that one day of the year, the day of atonement, when they would offer up, um, the blood for the sins of the people.
So once Jesus died, you'll recall that the veil in the temple that separated the Holy of Holies from the holy place, that veil was torn in two. And later in Hebrews, we'll talk about how the veil is also symbolic of Christ's body. But we have this hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
So our hope is in a person. It's in the person of Christ. He is the forerunner. If we have a forerunner, we have afterrunners. We have people who will come after him into the heavenly temple. He is now behind the veil, behind the curtain. And he is acting as our priest in God's presence because Jesus is a different kind of priest. He's not like the ineffectual priests that you know. Aaron was an ineffectual priest, and so were all his descendants after him who acted as high priests because they all were sinners and they could never make anyone perfect. They could never bring people to that full relationship that God wants to have with people. And that relationship is actually available through Christ because he's a different kind of priest. He is an effectual priest. And we'll talk about that today.
One of the big points though is that God swore, he made an oath that Jesus would be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. And the point of swearing an oath, whether you're a human person or whether you're, you're God who is swearing an oath, it's in the case of people, we're appealing to a higher authority that someday we may have to, uh, be called into to give an account for what we said or what we swore. God is the highest authority. And so he just swore by himself that what he says about Jesus is actually going to take place. He has sworn that his son Jesus, who loved us and gave himself for us, now has an eternal standing before God. And our confidence rests in Jesus' position. And he's there right now in heaven, our forerunner. And we will follow if we hold fast to our faith firm until the end.
So, Hebrews 6:20 actually segues into chapter 7 where we have the example of Melchizedek. Um, and it's Melchizedek's story. Um, the one that Jesus is a priest like him. It's this story that we are going to be looking at today. Chapter 7, verse 1: "For this Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him."
Now, if you were a Hebrew, you would know this story. It's found in Genesis chapter 14. This is the story of when Lot was taken captive, uh, during this war, this battle that was taking place. There were four kings against five kings. And, and let's just kind of take a look at the story here. "And these kings, uh, made war in the valley of Siddim, that is the salt sea. Four kings against five. Now the valley of Siddim was full of bitumen pits. That is, there were tar pits there. And as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the hill country. So the enemy took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their provisions and went on their way. They also took Lot, the son of Abraham's brother, who was dwelling in Sodom, and his possessions, and went their way. Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and Aner. These were allies of Abraham. When Abram heard that his kinsmen had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, his personal army, born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan, which is quite a ways. Then he brought back all the possessions and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions and the women and the people. And after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh, that is the king's valley."
So basically, we have this story of this battle that took place. Abraham found out that Lot was taken captive. He gets, um, his allies together and his own personal army, and they go out and they defeat the enemies, okay? And capture all the people and, um, bring them back. "And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, 'Blessed be Abram by God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.' And Abram gave him a tenth of everything."
So let's continue on in Hebrews 7, verse 2: "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."
So the name Melchizedek means, um, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is the name of the town, and Salem is shalom or peace. Salem means peace, and it's actually another name for Jerusalem. Salem, Jerusalem is basically the same place. Salem is used here in Genesis to talk about Jerusalem. And it's also used again in Psalm 76. And there are only two mentions of Salem in the Old Testament scriptures: in Genesis 14 and in Psalm 76.
So let's just, let's just take a look at what Psalm 76 has to say. "In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. His abode has been established in Salem; his dwelling place in Zion." Salem, Zion, Jerusalem, all of these basically name the same place where God has his home. His abode, his temple is in, was established in Salem, and he dwells in Zion.
So, let's take a look at the name that's used here for God in Genesis 14. Melchizedek blesses Abram by God Most High, that is El Elyon. El is God, and El Elyon is the one who is the supreme God. The one who is over every other god or so-called god. He is also the possessor or the owner of all creation. Surprisingly, most people are unaware that long before Solomon built a temple in Jerusalem and long before, um, there was the tabernacle of Moses, long before Israel even became a nation, God had a city and he had a priest. He had an earthly temple in Salem, which is Jerusalem. He had a priest, uh, Melchizedek.
So this was long before, like I said, Israel became a nation, long before the establishment of, uh, the Levitical priesthood, or long before the law of Moses came into effect. Long before all of that, Melchizedek was already God's priest in Salem. Here's what it says in Hebrews 7:3: "He, that is Melchizedek, 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."
So if you were to read through, uh, the book of Genesis, what you're going to find is there are so many genealogies that are mentioned, including the genealogy of the creation of the earth, the genealogy of Adam, a genealogy for Cain, a genealogy for, uh, Noah, for his sons. There's a genealogy for Abraham. There's a genealogy for all these people, all the important patriarchs of, uh, the Old Testament, you know, especially in the very beginning. But there is somebody very, very important that's mentioned in the book of Genesis that has no genealogy.
Now, those of you who've been following my videos, uh, on the story of Revelation and the end times, you know that Adam has a book with a genealogy that's written in it. And there is a group of people, non-people, Nephilim, that is hybrids, who do not have a book. The Nephilim do not have a book. The the earth dwellers do not have a book. And this is pointed out in Revelation 17:8 and then I think also in Revelation 13:8, that there is a group of people who do not have a genealogy. Their names were never written in the book of life, which is the book of mankind from Genesis 5. But there is a, um, a good person. And we're not talking about non-people like the Nephilim who try to pass themselves off as people or try to overpower or overpopulate the earth. There is a good person who has no genealogy. And this, if you're a Jewish person, not having a genealogy is like very odd. Especially if you're a good person, you should know your genealogy. You should know what tribe you're descended from and who your parents are and, and all of that. But here's the thing. Here's Melchizedek, someone who actually is more important than Abraham, which is what we're going to see here in a minute, who doesn't have a genealogy. And the author of Hebrews is using this as an example.
The Bible doesn't provide any clues about Melchizedek's origins. Now, I realize that there are some extra-biblical books out there that some of them say that Shem was equated with Melchizedek, and there are other, um, you know, books, apocryphal books that talk about Melchizedek and link him to other people. But in the Bible, there is no link between Melchizedek and Shem or Melchizedek and anybody. He just sort of shows up and you go, "Who is this person? Where did he come from?" We don't know where he came from, and we don't know what happened to him. And this is the point that the author of Hebrews is wanting to make. The Bible doesn't supply any record of his birth. And there is no record of his death. We don't know if he died. Okay? Now, he's a man, so of course he did die, but there is no record of it. And because there is no record of it, as far as we're concerned, he might still be alive because there is no record of Melchizedek's death. It appears, symbolically speaking, that Melchizedek never stopped being a priest. The author of Hebrews is using Melchizedek's lack of a death record or a genealogy as evidence that Melchizedek is an eternal priest. That he was a priest even before there were genealogies, and he is a priest to this very day because we have no record of his death. And the author of Hebrews is using this now as an example of an eternal kind of priest. He uses this eternal priesthood to symbolically describe the kind of priesthood that Jesus now holds.
So the meaning of Melchizedek's name is also part of the symbolism of Christ. The idea that Jesus is the king of peace, that he is someone who is a righteous king, and that he is the priest of the Most High God, El Elyon. After Abram defeated the kings, uh, he gave a tithe or 10% of the spoils to Melchizedek. He actually gave a tithe to Melchizedek because Abraham had the victory. And what usually happened was whoever the victor was, the victorious king, the victorious party actually got the spoils. He got to take the people and all of the stuff. Abram gave 10% of the spoils to Melchizedek, but he himself did not keep any of the spoils. He didn't keep anything. And according to what we read in Genesis chapter 14, when, um, the king of Sodom said, you know, "You get Abram, you keep the spoils and give me the people." Abram said, "I'm not going to keep any of this, lest it be said that you made me rich. It would be only God that made Abram rich." And so Abram said, "I'm not even going to take a shoelace from you."
What the author of Hebrews now tells us is he's going to compare Melchizedek to Abraham. And if you're a Jewish person, uh, Abraham is like, he is like the man. He is the person of faith. He is the, um, the root from which you sprung. He is your patriarch, your forefathers. He is so, so very important. But what the writer of Hebrews is going to say to these Hebrew Christians is, look, there's somebody who's even more important in the Bible, in the book of Genesis, than even Abram, and that's Melchizedek. Verse 4 of Hebrews 7: "See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils. And those descendants of Levi who received the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is from their brothers, though these are also descended from Abraham."
So here's how it went. You have Abraham, you have his son Isaac. Isaac has two sons, Jacob and Esau. The promise goes to Jacob. Jacob has 12 sons. And out of these 12 sons, one of them, Levi, became the priestly tribe. And Judah became the royal tribe through whom the kings of Israel would come. The priestly tribe was Levi, the tribe of Levi. Aaron, who was the first high priest, was from the tribe of Levi. Now the people, you know, no matter what, which one of the 12 tribes you belong to, you know, once the Mosaic law was put into effect, which was about the time of Levi, the people gave 10% of what they had to the priests, to the tribe of Levi. They received from the people the tithes. But here's what the author of Hebrews says in verse 6: "But this man, okay, Melchizedek, who doesn't have any descent from Abraham or Isaac or Jacob, received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises."
Melchizedek, who wasn't even related to Abram, received tithes from Abram, and he also blessed Abram. And here's what the writer says: "It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior." Melchizedek is superior to Abraham. Melchizedek is superior to Isaac and to Jacob and to any one of the 12 tribes, including the tribe of Levi. The fact that Melchizedek blessed Abram lets us know that Melchizedek was greater than Abram, and by extension, he is greater than any of the 12 tribes who were descended from Abram, including the priestly tribe of Levi. Verse 8 of Hebrews 7: "In the one case, tithes are received by mortal men," talking about the Levites. People from all the, the tribes gave tithes to the Levites, who were mortal people. They would die, and a new high priest would come in, and he would die, and then there'd be a new high priest, and new Levites, and different people, always different people serving. They were mortal. They died. "But in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives." That's Melchizedek. There's no record that he ever died.
The writer of Hebrews just made a very shocking statement, and one that, you know, we can just sort of gloss over when we read the book of Hebrews. The mortal men who received tithes are equated with the tribe of Levi. And though the Levites received tithes from the people, they were still mortal. Mortal men die. But there is someone else who received tithes of whom there is no record of his death. So what's being suggested in this passage is that there is a kind of priest who never stops being a priest. Melchizedek becomes an Old Testament type of Christ, a priest who is immortal and never needs to relinquish his priesthood. This theme of an eternal priesthood by virtue of an eternal life will be further developed as we continue on in the other chapters in Hebrews.
So verse 9 of Hebrews 7: "One might even say that Levi himself, who received tithes, he actually paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him."
The writer of Hebrews is introducing another topic now as well. He's going to introduce the topic of the law. And we're talking about the Old Testament law that was given to the Israelites through Moses when Moses, um, received the law from God at Mount Sinai. The law of Moses is going to be contrasted and compared with a different kind of law because we're talking about two different kinds of priests. Verse 11 of Hebrews 7: "Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood, for under it the people received the law, what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek rather than the one named after the order of Aaron?"
So, let's just take a moment here and let's just sum up what we know so far before we look at these two different kinds of priesthoods and two different kinds of laws. So what we know so far is: First off, we know that Melchizedek was God's priest in Salem or Jerusalem long before the tabernacle of Moses came on the scene, long before the Mosaic law was instituted, long before there was a Levitical priesthood. The second thing we know is that Melchizedek was greater than Abraham, who is revered by the Jews. The third thing is Melchizedek has no recorded lineage. He is one of very few, and perhaps the only one of the patriarchs whose genealogy was not recorded anywhere in scripture. We don't know anything about his parents. We don't know anything about his birth or when or even if he died. The fourth thing we know is that Melchizedek was a king. He was the king of peace, and he was the king of righteousness. We also know, number five, that Melchizedek was a priest, and that his priesthood was superior to the Levitical priesthood, which would arrive much later. It's a royal priesthood because he is a king and a priest. Number six, even though God would later establish the Levitical priesthood when the Israelites left Egypt, the Bible informs us through the Psalms, which was written like 500 or more years later, that God would one day revert back to the type of priesthood first mentioned in the Bible. Okay, the first mention of priest has to do with Melchizedek. The first mention is very, very important in the Bible. The first mention will set the tone for a theme that will be continued on through the scriptures. God had his priest in Salem, Melchizedek. Years go by, and then there is a different priesthood that's established, the Levitical priesthood with the Mosaic law. But what God is saying is, I'm going to get rid of that priesthood and I'm going to go back, going to go back to the royal priesthood, the priesthood of Melchizedek.
So the seventh thing we've learned is that there is a need for a different kind of priest, one after the order of Melchizedek, because perfection, that is the complete fulfillment of what it meant to be a priest and to fully accomplish, uh, intercession for the people, was not actually attainable through mortal, sinful priests who were descended from Levi and Aaron. They couldn't actually complete the picture or totally fulfill or make perfect or fully mature, um, the finished goal that God had in mind. So when God decided he wanted to move from the Levitical priesthood back to that first kind of priesthood, the laws that were a part of the Levitical priesthood no longer applied. This is something we're going to see further in the book of Hebrews. And this is really important because there are a lot of people who think that the laws that were given to, um, the Israelites through Moses from Mount Sinai still have application for us today. Well, we are actually under the ministry of a different kind of priest, a different priesthood. And so the rules and the laws that go with that are different. They're not the same. And here's what the writer of Hebrews has to say: "For when there's a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe from which no one has ever served at the altar."
Okay? And he's talking about Jesus. Verse 14 of chapter 7: "For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe, Moses said nothing about priests." Okay? If you descended from Judah, you could be the king, but you couldn't be the priests because the, the Levites, the priests came from the tribe of Levi. But the writer is telling us is that Jesus is a priest. He is a priest that has gone behind the veil, and he is going to intercede for us. So what kind of a priest is he? Obviously, he's not a Levitical priest. Different priestly administrations actually have different laws and regulations. The laws that applied to the Levites under the law of Moses do not apply to the royal priesthood. And according to the Mosaic law, no one descended from Judah was authorized to serve at the altar, whether it's the sacrificial altar or it's the altar of incense inside the, the temple. The kings of Israel came from the tribe of Judah, and the priests came from the tribe of Levi. But God said he wanted to revert back to a different kind of priest. Verse 15: "This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent but by the power of an indestructible life."
Jesus holds his priesthood not because he's from the tribe of Levi. It's not based on that. He is arising because he, like Melchizedek, like Melchizedek, in symbolically and typologically, is representing this priest who has no record of death. He has basically an indestructible life. Okay? So it's not about what tribe you came from. This priest is a priest because he lives forever. So the author is speaking of Jesus, who rose from the dead. Verse 17: "For it is witnessed of him, that is of Jesus, 'You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.'"
Okay? And that actually is a quote of a psalm, Psalm 110. We're going to take a look at this. We're going to sort of, um, expand on this passage and on other places where this passage is quoted because this is like one of the most important Messianic passages in the Old Testament, and it's quoted very, very often in the New Testament because the emphasis here is on a royal priesthood, a king and a priest. So long before the coming of Christ, David actually described the ministry and the character of the coming Messiah. Psalm 110 is a Messianic psalm. And David was a prophet. And Jesus quoted Psalm 110 several times in the Gospels. And so let's just check out what we can learn about the Messiah from this psalm. Here it is. Psalm 110, a psalm of David. "The Lord, that is Yahweh, says to my Lord, Adonai, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.'"
Now, this should sound kind of familiar because this was also quoted in Hebrews 1:13. So, basically, the writer of Hebrews is weaving these passages in. So, in Hebrews chapter 1, this is what it says: "And to which of the angels has he ever said, 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?'" Jesus also quoted this passage to the Pharisees. And he, he mentioned it to them sometime near the end of his earthly ministry. So we can find this in Matthew 22:41-44. This is so interesting. "Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, 'What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?' And they said to him, 'The son of David.' And he said to them, 'So how is it then that David in the spirit calls him Lord, saying, "The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet?"' If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?' And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare ask him any more questions."
So I just want to sort of flesh this out a little bit. So when Jesus quoted this passage from Psalm 110 to the Pharisees, he's using it to defend the fact that not only is the Messiah David's descendant, but he is at the same time David's Lord and God. So I'm going to just read a, a brief quote here from, uh, Barnes' Notes on the Bible. This is, um, a commentary that you can find on Bible Hub, and I think he did just a brilliant job of summarizing a very esoteric, um, passage of scripture. "If he, that is Jesus or the Messiah, was David's Lord, we know that he was his superior. And if he had an existence at that time, how could he be descended from him?" So at the time David, and this is me talking now, now to quote from Barnes, if David was saying that the Messiah is his Lord at that time, and he's calling him Lord, and David at another time was told that his son would be a descendant, how can both be true? Back to Barnes: "They couldn't answer him, and nor is there any way of answering the question but by the admission that the Messiah was divine as well as human, and that he had an existence at the time of David, and was his Lord and Master, his God and King, and that as man he was descended from him."
Psalm 110 is a Messianic psalm which speaks of the coming of the Messiah. And David was a king. He was also a prophet. And in this passage, David prophesied that the Messiah was even at the moment he was prophesying, his Lord. Jesus used this psalm to say that he was God's son as well as David's son. But he was God's son, an eternal being. All right, let's continue on in the Psalm of David. Psalm 110, verse 2: "The Lord, that is Yahweh, sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies." This is still talking about the Messiah. He's going to be given a scepter, and he's going to rule in the midst of his enemies. Verse 3: "Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power in holy garments. From the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours." Okay, when it says "your people will offer themselves freely," what it means is, um, that he has an army that's all volunteer. There are no conscripts. They offer themselves freely saying, "I'm going to go into battle with you," and they are wearing holy garments. This sort of reminds me of, uh, Revelation 17, where it talks about how Jesus is going to conquer, uh, the beast and the 10 kings, and those that are with him are called chosen and faithful. Verse 4 of Psalm 110: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.'"
So in this psalm, we see that not only does the Messiah have a scepter, and that he's the king, and that he is the general of an army, an all-volunteer army, but he is also a priest forever, a royal priest after the order of Melchizedek. David's Lord would have a scepter. This speaks of his kingly nature. He would also be a priest forever, a king and a priest like Melchizedek. And we've heard about kings and priests before. We know from Revelation chapter 1 that as believers, we've been made into a kingdom of priests. And we're going to look at some passages in a later Bible study where Peter tells us that we are a royal priesthood.
So according to Psalm 110 and other Old Testament prophecies, the coming Messiah would have some of these characteristics. Number one, he would be David's son. This was promised to David in other passages of scripture. That is, the Messiah would be a descendant of David, coming through the tribe of Judah. The second thing we know is that he is David's Lord and Master. The third thing is the Messiah is David's God. Number four, he is a conquering king with an all-volunteer army. And fifth, he is a priest forever after the priestly order of Melchizedek.
So this is where we read about God swearing the oath: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." So according to Psalm 110, we learn that the priesthood would one day transfer back from the Levitical line to the priesthood that was first mentioned in the Bible, the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. And why is this? It's because the Levitical priesthood was weak and ineffectual. So let's take a look at Hebrews 7:18: "For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness." And we're going to talk about the commands that have to do with, um, the commandments that went along with the Levitical priesthood. Verse 19: "For the law made nothing perfect. But on the other hand, a better hope is introduced through which we draw near to God."
So God's goal was to establish his son as the new high priest, and that his son's priesthood would last forever. God never intended for the Levitical priesthood and the law of Moses to continue on and on and on and on. It has a role to play, but it isn't an eternal, forever role. Hebrews 7:20: "And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath." So there was no oath that the descendants of Aaron and Levi would be priests forever. There was no oath that said that this was going to continue on and on and on and on. Verse 21: "But this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him, 'The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. You are a priest forever.'"
This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. Okay, this is the new covenant. It's a better covenant. The former priests were many in number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office. But he, that is Jesus, holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. Consequently, he's able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
So, this is where we're introduced to the idea of a better covenant. And this is again, it's a theme that's going to be further developed in the book. So Jesus will one day rule on earth as the king, but at this very moment, while he is not actually the king on earth, he is our eternal priest. He is serving as our high priest in the heavenly temple, and he is making intercession for us. Here's what it says. Verse 26 of Hebrews 7: "For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens."
So Jesus, by virtue of his perfect life, he's innocent and unstained. He is not a sinner. He is better than any Levitical priest. They had to offer sacrifices for their own sins, and then he could, they could offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. Here it says Jesus is perfect. He's innocent. He's unstained. He is eternal. He is alive, and he is in the real temple. The earthly temples, the earthly tabernacles, tabernacle of Moses and so on, they were only representations of the heavenly temple. And Jesus is right now in the heavenly temple. Hebrews 7:27: "He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily. First for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself."
There is only one sacrifice. That was the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. That was the sacrifice, the once-for-all sacrifice for the people. And he didn't need to make a sacrifice for himself because he never sinned. Verse 28: "For the law appoints men in their weaknesses as high priests. But the word of the oath which came later than the law appoints a son who has been made perfect forever."
Okay, remember, this kind of perfection isn't talking about moral perfection. It's talking about the ability to take something and bring it to fullness or completion and full maturity. So, not only was Jesus made a high priest with an oath, he was also the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice. And Jesus was made perfect. Remember, we talked about that, um, in other places in this Bible study in Hebrews. He was made perfect through temptations, through trials, and laying aside his own will so that he could please the Father. When we talk about Jesus being made perfect, again, we're not talking about moral perfection. We're talking about someone coming to the full, mature standing, to completion. Jesus fulfilled the ministry that he came for, not only to be our perfect sacrifice, but to be our faithful, merciful, and sympathetic high priest. And in order to do that, he had to be tempted just like we were. He had to go through trials, and he had to learn obedience through the things that he suffered. Perfection, that is the, the priestly perfection that God was wanting. The perfection that would, that would be attained through a better priesthood came through the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek.
So we have one king, that is King Jesus. There is one priest, that is Jesus. There is a single sacrifice, that is the Lamb of God who was slain on the cross. There is a better covenant, that is the new covenant. And all of these will last forever.
So, I hope you've enjoyed this Bible study. We're going to continue on in Hebrews chapter 8 and in another upcoming Bible study. I hope you'll be watching for that. Uh, I hope you'll also leave a comment in the comments section or a question if you have one and let me know what you think about what you heard today. So, we'll see you on another video. Till then, have a blessed day.