Hebrews 7

Grace and peace in the Lord,

Well, we've made it half way through Hebrews and it has been every bit as challenging and enriching as promised.  Hebrews 7 is the longest chapter in the letter so far. It contains more detailed exposition of the differences between the priesthood established by the Law following the line of Aaron and the priesthood established by God's promise following the line of Melchizedek.

The outline theme (remember, I changed the acronym from 'SON IS SUPERIOR' to 'SON IS MEDIATOR') is based on the 'E' of Mediator:

• Example of Melchizedek (1-10)
  
• Excellence of Jesus (11-28)
  

The Memory passages from each section are

• Example of Melchizedek
  Hebrews 7:1
  
  
  
  ¹For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
  
  
• Excellence of Jesus
  Hebrews 7:22,25
  
  
  
  ²²This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
  ²⁵Consequently, 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.
  
  

In discussing the Example of Melchizedek in verses 1-10, the writer tackles two main issues; who is Melchizedek (1-3) and why is he important (4-10).  But even though the writer spends a few verses describing Melchizedek, his identity has still been much debated.  We know that his name means 'king of righteousness, that he was a king of Salem (or Jerusalem; means 'king of peace') and that he was a priest appointed by God.  We know that he went out to meet Abraham in order to bless him, and Abraham tithed the bounty they received to Melchizedek.

But verse 3 casts some mystery over his nature.  What did the writer intend by describing Melchizedek as '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'?  On first read one might be tempted to think that Melchizedek was something besides a human being; perhaps an angel or even Christ in a preincarnate state. 

Many intelligent, godly people have scrutinized this passage and have come to varying conclusions.  Here is my humble attempt (grated, highly informed by all of those intelligent, godly people).  Since the writer has already established that Jesus is a fully qualified high priest after the order of Melchizedek (5:6, 10, 6:20), we can naturally view Melchizedek and his king/priesthood as a 'type', or example of the ultimate king/priesthood of Christ.  Because we don't have a record of Melchizedek's birth, death or end of reign, he in many ways does resemble Christ who is eternal (though he became incarnate) and who reigns forever.  Also keep in mind that the writer is contrasting the priesthood of Melchizedek against the priesthood of Aaron (of the Levitical line)....which is a perfect segue to the second part of section 1.

Verse 4 titles the 'why is Melchizedek important' theme perfectly; 'see how great this man was'.  The writer then proves this by showing that he was even greater than Abraham in that 1) it was Abraham who gave a tithe to Melchizedek (an action of a lesser to a greater) and 2) that Melchizedek blessed Abraham (an action of a greater to a lesser).  3) Tithes under the Mosaic Law were received by mortal men, but this tithe was received by 'on who...lives'; whose priesthood has no end.   And 4) even Levi, the father of the priestly line under the law 'gave tithes' to Melchizedek because Levi was still 'in the loins' of Abraham at this time (Abraham being Levi's great-grandfather).

To summarize vv1-10, Melchizedek's priesthood is an example of Christ's and is superior to Aaron's. 

The second thematic section begins in verse 11 and is titles Excellence of Christ.  After proving that Melchizedek's priesthood is superior to Aaron's, the writer now illustrates that Christ's priesthood is greatest of all.

The writer reminds us that perfection was not attainable through the Law that was attended to by the Levite priests in the line of Aaron.  If it was attainable, why was there a need for another priest from another line?  Jesus was descended from Judah, not Levi, and became high priest not by 'bodily descent' but by the direct appointing of God by 'the power of an indestructible life'.  The writer quotes again Ps 110:4 with a specific emphasis; 'You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek' (17). 


(by the way, I'm getting really good at typing Melchizedek, but I had to add it to my dictionary because I was tired of seeing the squiggly red line under it)

Then the writer pulls the old 'I've got some bad news and some good news' line in vv18-19.  'The bad news is that the Law is useless and weak and can make nothing perfect.  But the good news is that we now have a better hope in which we can actually draw near to God!'

Some more good news is that this hope is based on an oath from God (who fulfills His promises); Christ is a Priest forever and the Guarantor of this better covenant.  The priests of the Law could not continue their duties forever because they died, but Christ's priesthood is permanent because He lives forever.  Verse 25 then speaks for itself:

²⁵Consequently, 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.

Then verses 26-28 review the qualifications of Christ's priesthood.  He is holy, innocent, unstained by sin, separate from sinners, exalted above the heavens, and does not need to offer sacrifices for His own sin (because He had none).  He, Christ the Lamb of God, offered Himself as the once for all sacrifice for the atonement of the sins of all who believe in Him, and by the promise of God He will remain our High Priest forever.

How does this impact my worship?
How is it that I can forget the privilege I have to draw near to God?  I can draw near to God.  He wants me to.  I can.  And it is all because Christ has 'saved me to the uttermost'.  But how do I balance familiarity and closeness against flippancy and irreverence?  If I walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8, 1 Pet 5:6) with the attitude of a beloved son....I think that honors him.  It's amazing that I even have to remind myself to walk humbly with Him.  But it just goes to show the state of my 'human-ness';  if unchecked, there is no limit to my pride and arrogance.

How does this impact my discipleship?
This chapter was a tremendous lesson in logical progression.  The writer lays out the objective and then hammers away with argument after argument.  I really enjoy reading the flow of thought in Hebrews.  It reminds me that thoroughness and summary are helpful tools when dealing with difficult issues.

Lord, Jesus, my High Priest, Advocate, and Intercessor, please help me discern my own heart's approach to You.  Please don't let me stray so far to reverence that I forget you are my brother and friend, but also not so far to familiarity that I forget you are God.  Thank You for leading me.  I choose today to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow You.  

epj

Hebrews 5

Grace and peace in the Lord!

This week we continue with the Chapter Memory Study through Hebrews with chapter 5.  This chapter is an interesting transition between chapter 4 and chapter 6.  The first part of Hebrews 5 picks up where ch4 leaves off.  Then the second theme of ch5 continues into ch6.  But for the purposes of this study (the Chapter Memory Study) I will stay with the established chapter demarcations. 

So, the thematic section of Hebrews 5 (built on the 'S' of Son i(S) Superior) are:

• Source of eternal salvation (1-10)
• Solid Food (11-14)
  

The memory passaged from each section are;

• Source of eternal salvation
  Hebrews 5:8-10
  
  ⁸Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. ⁹And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, ¹⁰being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
   
• Solid Food
  Hebrews 5:14
  
  ¹⁴But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
  
  

Within the first thematic passage of this chapter (vv1-10), the writer continues the ongoing description of Jesus as High Priest.  But now, the discussion centers around Jesus being the One and Only Source of eternal salvation. His Priesthood was not appointed by men (5) nor descended from men (implied in vv 6,10) but was appointed by God as a special Son-King-Priest.  Only Christ is qualified to hold such a position.  The writer goes out of his way again to say that Jesus, while He was in the flesh, became our perfect High Priest through obedience, suffering, submission to the Father's will, and reverence.  He is the Son of God by nature (1:3), the King of all by position (1:3), and Priest of God for all men by His complete identification with men (4:15). 

The 'perfection' talked about here and elsewhere concerning Christ is more about the completion or fulfillment of His mission than a perfecting of His person (He was and always has been holy). 

To say that Jesus was perfect does not suggest that he was imperfect before he suffered. During his human life Jesus’ perfection endured severe testing. None of this testing blackened a single feature of his perfection. Jesus’ perfection was the completion of someone who had faced trials, endured them, and learned to trust God through them. Jesus’ perfection developed in an atmosphere in which he had his obedience tested and strengthened by the trials he faced.

Lea, T. D. (1999). Vol. 10: Hebrews, James. Holman New Testament Commentary; Holman Reference (94). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

The writer will continue to expound on the issue of 'the order of Melchizedek' in contrast to the order of Aaron later in the book, but since he mentions it here, I will include a brief introduction.

Several features of this order differed from the order of Aaron. First, the order of Melchizedek had no hereditary succession. This feature stood in contrast to the Aaronic order, which saw wave after wave of priests succeeding one another.

Second, it was a unique order because only Christ belonged to it. It was an order which was fit for Christ because it placed him in an entirely different order from that of Aaron.

Lea, T. D. (1999). Vol. 10: Hebrews, James. Holman New Testament Commentary; Holman Reference (94). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

The second main theme of Hebrews 5 addresses the issue of maturity among the readers.  The writer chastises and then exhorts the readers using the metaphor of food.  So we call this section Solid food (remember, the thematic titles do two things; 1) starts with the corresponding letter from the chapter outline, and 2) serves to remind us of what the thematic content is in the section). 

The writer wishes to say more on this issue, but criticizes the readers for being 'dull of hearing' and in need of remedial training.  By this time, these believers should have been teaching these principles, but for some reason they still needed the 'milk' of basic training instead of the 'solid food' of mature teaching.  He actually calls them unskilled and children.  Their goal should be to mature in Christ so that they can process the 'solid food' of His truth.  A sign of this growth is the maturing of their powers of discernment; distinguishing between good and evil.  There will be more on this issue as the writer continues in Chapter 6. 


How does this affect my worship?
Verse 7 is difficult for me.  Jesus offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to God, and He was heard 'because of His reverence'.  He fully submitted Himself to God in His prayer.  He approached His Father with reverence.  In my casual, conversational relationship with God (which I think He encourages), I sometimes find myself stepping out of reverence.  We can confidently draw near to the throne of God because of the work of Christ, but He's still God and I'm still not.  You can swing too far either direction.  Christ's example here reminds me to approach God, while confident, in humility. 

How does this affect my discipleship?
The whole milk vs solid food thing speaks to me about my own disciple-becoming and my disciple-making.  While I think grace and patience are absolutely critical in the discipleship process, there does seem to come a time for some exhortation toward maturity.  I don't know how I could know this unless I actually have a relationship with the person I'm discipling.  If they are being diligent in their study and I see the transformation in their walk with God I have a pretty good idea that they are on the right track.  But when you see them 'stuck' in certain elementary patterns or thoughts for a long time without a real zeal for growth, I could feel the need to 'nudge' them a bit.  I want them to grow.  Just like I want my kids to grow.  I don't want those who walk with me in discipleship to continue to need (or desire) the 'milk'.  Although, as a caveat, there has been tremendous value and growth in my life during times when I 'review' a basic truth that the Lord reminds me of.  I guess, nothing goes better with steak than a big glass of milk. 

Thank You, gracious Heavenly Father, for being my Bread of Life.  Thank You for growing me up on milk, and letting me begin to chew on steak.  Grow me and train me in discernment so that I can feast on Your solid food; for Your glory and for Your kingdom.  

Ethan