Hebrews 7:1–21

He was a real person, not an imaginary one — a man like any one of us, but king and priest at the same time. In the Levitical service and in Israel's history these two offices were quite distinct. The high priest was of the tribe of Levi. The king was of the tribe of Judah... Melchizedek, however, was priest of the Most High God, and both Testaments describe him that way. God owned him as a priest. He was also King of Salem, the city we believe later became Jerusalem. So he held both offices in one person. That is true of no one else but the Lord Jesus Christ.

Melchizedek was king of Salem, that is, king of peace, and his own name means king of righteousness. Righteousness and peace mark his reign. But above all he was priest of the Most High God. This is the name of God as supreme Ruler of all things — and Genesis adds, Possessor of heaven and earth... For Abraham's walk of faith, the name of God was "The Almighty." Here Abraham has beaten the kings of the earth. Melchizedek, the king of righteousness, blesses him, and that blessing comes in connection with God as Possessor of heaven and earth, the Most High. This looks on to the royal rule of Christ, a Priest upon His throne, when by the will and the power of God He has triumphed over all His enemies... His royalty was not all. Psalm 110 describes Melchizedek as a priest with a lasting, unbroken priesthood. Unlike the sons of Aaron, he had no priestly genealogy, and his term of service had no fixed end.

This man is deliberately wrapped in mystery. In certain ways he is "made like to the Son of God", so that he can serve as a fitting picture of our great High Priest, the Son of God. The enemy kings had carried off the people of God as captives. Only after their defeat does Melchizedek come out to meet Abraham. He was also the "priest of the Most High God". By that defeat of the kings, God had shown that He can deliver His people from their enemies and overthrow every rival power.

In his priesthood Melchizedek stood between Abraham and God. As the representative of God before man, he blessed Abraham on behalf of God; as the representative of man before God, he blessed the Most High God on behalf of Abraham. He brings blessing from God to man, and leads the praise from man to God.

The all-important truth to grasp is this: the Epistle argues only from "the order" of Melchizedek, in contrast with the order of Aaron. When it speaks of priesthood in action, Aaron is the type, not Melchizedek. Then we hear of sacrifice and intercession, of blood shed and a sanctuary, and of Israel's priestly ritual. Clearly none of that belongs to Melchizedek. It belongs to Aaron, who pictures what the Lord is doing now above, on the ground of His atoning work for sin.

Abram the Hebrew — the name means "pilgrim" — is coming back from his fight with the kings of the East. At the king's valley Melchizedek brings out the "bread and wine". They speak to us so clearly of our Royal Priest's provision for us, and they carry the memorial of a sacrifice offered once for all... Abraham's faith counts God to be "Possessor of heaven and earth". Faith now receives that very same ministry from the true Melchizedek, and owns God as Possessor in the place where He looks most displaced.

We look at Him next as Melchizedek (Heb. 7:1-3), both King and Priest. As King He displaces Moses, Joshua, David and all the kings who had gone before Him. He is King of "righteousness." His kingship rests on two things: His own righteousness, and the way He has magnified the righteousness of God. He is also "King of peace." That is, He has brought about eternal peace, and on that ground God can be the God of peace for us.

First, his name is Melchizedek, that is, "King of righteousness," then "King of Salem," that is, "King of Peace." That is always a principle in the divine ways. In the coming kingdom righteousness must first have its way before peace can come in. As the prophet says, "The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever" (Isa. 32:17). This is of course as true for the present as for the future, and fulfilled in the gospel in a far more wonderful way. As the effect of righteousness by the Cross, peace has come to us, and our Melchizedek has indeed made good His name.

Notice too the emphasis on the order. He is first "King of righteousness"; after that, "King of peace." Until righteousness has every demand met, there can be no true reign and no peace at all.

Salem is probably the title of Melchizedek as king of peace (Gen. 14:18; Heb. 7:1-2). Various cities, however, have been suggested. Some think the name points to Jerusalem. Jerome was sure the true place was a town named Salem, near Scythopolis. Others judge it to be a title.

The apostle says: think how great this man is. Even Abraham, the head of the Hebrew race, gave him the tenth of the spoil. The giving of the tenth was the acknowledgment of superiority. Tithes are given to a superior. So if there was One above the head of the whole Jewish race, how important for the Hebrews to dwell not on the greatness of Abraham, but on the One greater, even Christ Himself!

The writer brings forward Melchizedek and his connection with Abraham for one chief purpose. It is to show that Melchizedek was greater than Levi, and that his priesthood was better and higher than the Levitical priesthood. Abraham gave him the tenth part of all the spoil. The whole Levitical priesthood did not yet exist. Levi was not yet born; he was still in the body of Abraham, his ancestor. So in Abraham, Levi gave tithes to Melchizedek.

Even in the Lord Jesus we find the same order, as in Hebrews 7:2: "He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace." Such is the application of Melchizedek, king-priest of Salem. It is a picture already more than fulfilled in the order of Christ's priesthood now. Its exercise waits for the end of the age, after the victory over the Beast and the kings of the earth and their armies.

In the Old Testament story Melchizedek appears suddenly. Genesis gives no genealogy. It says nothing of his birth, his death, or the number of his years. It gives no hint of anyone else rising to take over his priestly office. That is all the more striking, since Genesis is the very book that does give us those details about the other notable people who pass across its pages. Why then were these details left out for Melchizedek? Just so that he might be a more accurate type of the Son of God. We believe this is the meaning of the third verse — not, as some have imagined, that he was a supernatural being.

As far as Scripture tells us about him, he has "neither beginning of days nor end of life." This does not mean he was never born, or that he never died. It means Scripture says not a word about either. It never mentions children, any more than his father or mother. As far as the history goes, there is a blank about all this. Scripture keeps complete silence about it, to make him a type of the One who, as Son of God, had no father or mother.

Let us not explain away the mystery that surrounds this exalted person. He was made "like to the Son of God." If that is the case, then the Son of God was "without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life." Only a Divine Person can fit that description in an absolute sense. Melchizedek was "made like" — he was the type, the figure, the shadow. But the Son of God was the Antitype, the Substance, the Reality.

The statement that Melchizedek "was made like unto the Son of God" does not refer to the birth of our Lord into this world. It shows the Lord to be eternal in His Person. As to the Manhood of our Lord, Scripture records all these things in various places — father, mother, descent, beginning of days and end of life. But the Person who came into Manhood, and of whom these facts are true, is eternally the Son. Of whom but the Son of God could these things be true?

In his outstanding features Melchizedek pictured the abiding Priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was without father or mother and he had no priestly genealogy. He simply served the will of God in the way he appeared. A priestly pedigree was essential for priests in the order of Aaron (Numbers 3:5-8; Ezra 2:62). We are not told of any set limits to the service of Melchizedek, such as were later set for the sons of Levi — thirty years old to fifty. But we are told the priests of Aaron's order were "men that die."

And Christ abides a priest "continually." It is important to notice that word all through the letter; it means uninterruptedly — for a continuance.

The many priests under the law passed away by death. But here is One who lives forever, and so has an unchangeable priesthood. Out of that grows the blessed fact that He is able to save to perpetuity. This does not mean "to the uttermost" in the sense of saving the worst sinner alive, true and glorious as that is. It means He is able to save to the uttermost length of time. Look at the journey we are on. See what we have already been through; what still lies ahead we do not know. How can we be sure we will be brought through, and presented faultless before the presence of God's glory? We know it because our Melchizedek-Priest is on high.

The English word "consider" occurs four times in the letter to the Hebrews, but it stands for three different Greek words. In Hebrews 7:4 we read, "Consider how great this man was." Here the word is theoreite. It occurs in its various forms about 56 times in the Greek Testament. But only in this one place is it translated by the word "consider." Its simple and general meaning is to "see" and to "perceive."

His greatness is seen in the fact that Abraham gave him a tenth of the spoils, and "the less is blessed of the better". Abraham was blessed by him, so Melchizedek was greater than Abraham, and Abraham admits this when he gives him the tenth of the spoils. I have thought of Melchizedek as the greatest man in the Old Testament. Of no one else is it said, "consider how great this man was". We are not told to consider his history, for he had none, but we are told to consider the way he was made like the Son of God.

What profound significance this should have for an Israelite! Abraham was the highest and most honoured of all Israel's ancestors. Yet he himself fully acknowledged another as greater than himself!

The apostle says, Dwell on the greatness of this man, to whom even the patriarch Abraham, the head of the Hebrew race, gave the tenth of the spoil. The giving of the tenth was the acknowledgment of superiority. Tithes are given to a superior. So if there was one above the head of the whole Jewish race, how important this was for the Hebrews! They were not to dwell on the greatness of Abraham, but on the One greater, even Christ Himself!

The tenth is God's right. He has a right to the tenth. The tenth was called the best of the spoil. What Abraham gave to Melchizedek he was entitled to as conqueror. This is how tithes came in. The royal priest received the tithes.

Three proofs of inferiority in the Levitical priesthood appear. Melchizedek received tithes from the one whom all Israel acknowledged as their father and chief. Abraham was the first to hold the promises, and he was heir of the world. Yet this same great person blessed him, and beyond dispute the greater blesses the lesser. Again, every Levitical priest, right up to Aaron, is a dying man. But we hear only of Melchizedek living, and not one word of his death. And no one can deny this. The head of the tribe that boasted of the priestly family receives tithes from the people. Yet he paid tithes in Abraham to Melchizedek, and God's word marks that superiority permanently.

In Hebrews 7:4 we read, "Consider how great this man was". If that could be said of one who was a picture of Him, how much more of His Person, of whom the types are speaking!

While Abraham had given tithes, the law commanded the Levites, who were descended from Abraham, to take tithes from their Hebrew brothers. In Abraham they were subordinate to Melchizedek; under law their brothers were subordinate to them. How clearly this shows that law was lower than the Melchizedek priesthood, and so was only meant to last a while.

Consider the greatness of this man to whom even the patriarch Abraham, the head of the Hebrew race, gave the tenth of the spoil. The giving of the tenth was the acknowledgment of superiority. Tithes are given to a superior. So if there was one above the head of the whole Jewish race, think how important that was for the Hebrews. They were not to dwell on the greatness of Abraham, but on the One greater, even Christ Himself!

He adds that the sons of Levi who served as priests had a command to receive tithes from their brothers. That was because they held the higher position. They were brothers by birth, yet the Levites stood nearer to God. The priests had access to God and stood in His place. So their brothers had to treat them as their spiritual superiors. I need not say how men carry this out today. They have pushed themselves in between the people and God. They have made anyone who wants to draw near to God come through the priest, as they think. And the result is that people have had to hand over very large tithes.

Their brothers honour the priests of Levi's family in their place, as the law commands — although those brothers are children of Abraham just as the priests are. So the priesthood of Levi is a high office, and here is the proof: it takes tithes from the descendants of Abraham. Now the father comes before the children, and the possessor is greater than the heir. But Abraham himself gave tithes to a man who was a priest of God without any descent from Levi. Israel claimed the promises as their inheritance because the nation came from Abraham. Yet Abraham, who held those promises, had accepted blessing from another priest.

The other descendants of Abraham honoured the house of Aaron as priests of Levi. But Abraham himself honoured Melchizedek — and so did Levi, and of course Aaron, since both were still unborn within him. So the father of the faithful clearly acknowledged another and higher priesthood.

In our present day of grace no law is given as to tithing. Instead the measure of our giving is "as he may prosper" (1 Cor. 16:2) or "as he purposes in his heart" (2 Cor. 9:7). Each believer weighs the amount before God. God's people may give to the needs of the Lord's servants, as giving to the Lord.

In this description of Melchisedec there is no record of an ancestor and no record of an heir. He did not receive his priesthood from anyone, and he did not pass it on to anyone — but the record is "that he lives" (v. 8). He was a priest in his own right.

But compare him with the priests of the tribe of Levi. Here is one who is not of that tribe at all, so he had no such official right to receive tithes. He is not counted as one of their line. And he received tithes not just from the children of Israel — not from the people, or "laity," as the word really means — but from Abraham himself.

Melchisedec did not only receive tithes from Abraham. He also blesses the man who received the promises. This is the man who was told he would be a blessing, and through whose seed all the nations of the earth are to be blessed — and he himself is blessed.

God's promises might seem to exempt from the blessing of any man the one who held those promises more distinctly than any other man. But it was not so. This royal priest, who had no family connection with Aaron and his sons, blessed Abraham openly and in the most special way. He blessed Abraham on behalf of God Most High, and blessed God Most High on behalf of Abraham.

Remember what the point is here. It is not that Melchizedec was a greater man than Abraham in his character, or that he knew more of God — about that we have no information either way. The point is simply that we must acknowledge him as holding a higher position from God. And in that higher position, or order, he was a picture of Christ.

Beyond all dispute, the inferior is blessed by the superior. So in Luke 2 Simeon blessed Joseph and Mary, but he did not dare to bless the Child, even though in another sense he blessed God, or gave thanks to Him. In that Child his eyes had seen God's salvation.

Nothing is said of any sacrifice being offered by Melchisedec to God. Rather, he brought out from God what symbolises life and joy, and blessed the man who had the promises. So when Christ comes it will not be to put away sin by sacrifice, but to refresh and bless His people. Blessing characterises the Melchisedec priesthood of Christ.

Every detail in this whole story fits us well. We may be confident that our Melchizedek exists for us today. He is not One who will only be that in the millennium, though then He will be openly recognised as such. Meanwhile we have this ministry of bread and wine. We have One with us who blesses us from the Most High God, and who, on our part, blesses the Most High God.

Abram did more than pay tithes to Melchizedek. Melchizedek also blessed him, and, as we are told, "It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior." The person who gives a blessing is greater than the person who receives it. So Abram did not presume to bless Melchizedek. Abram's act showed that he stood under Melchizedek. Melchizedek's act showed that he stood above Abram. Together they give a double picture and proof of that greater dignity.

God said Abraham would be a blessing, and that through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Yet here Abraham himself is the one who is blessed, and beyond dispute "the inferior is blessed by the superior."

Remember what the point here is. It is not that Melchizedek was a greater man than Abraham in character, or that he knew more of God — about that we have no information, one way or the other. The point is simply that God gave him a higher position, and that has to be admitted. In that higher position, or order, he was a picture of Christ.

So, in the person of their father Abraham, the priests of Aaron's order paid tithes and received the blessing, instead of receiving tithes and giving out blessing. What is more, they were dying men, and they paid tithes to one who, Scripture testifies, lives. Clearly, then, the rank of the Melchizedek priesthood is far above that of Aaron.

At that moment Jacob was only a displaced person, a refugee standing in front of the great king. Yet he knew he was the greater man, because he knew the true God. He knew enough of Him to be sure that God's pledged presence and guidance was worth more than all the glory Egypt had to offer. He had the better, and Pharaoh, for all his outward majesty, had the less... Are we always alive to the favour we stand in, and so lifted above the favours and attractions of the world?

Blessing always starts with the greater one. It is just so for those who belong to God's "spiritual house" today — all their blessing came from God. Our response is of such a kind that God accepts it through Jesus Christ, in the Spirit's grace and power. We may reverently say that blessing God in that sense ministers to His happiness! What an honour given to the redeemed today!

Melchizedek lived long before Levi. He received tithes from Levi's great ancestor Abraham, and blessed him as the greater man. Lovely picture of the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ bestowed on the man of faith!

The honour of the priest is as the dignity of the worshipper. On this principle the pre-eminence of Melchizedek has already been shown. But (verse 8) the priests are now compared in another balance. Dying men take tithes from Israel. But the receiver of Abraham's offering knows no end of life. It is witnessed that he lives. Life is better than mortality, and continuing is greater than dying. By that much Melchizedek is greater than the anointed ministers of Levi's house.

The mystery is not in the person, but in the way the Spirit of God records his appearance and action in the scene, so as to make him a fitting type of the Lord Jesus. Scripture says not a word about his birth or his death. It is completely silent about his ancestors. It gives no hint of the ending of his office, or of any successor... For instance, verse 8 refers to Melchizedek. All that is meant of him is that Scripture testifies to his life, not his death. But Scripture often speaks of the death of Aaron and his sons.

The record about Melchizedek is "he lives" (v. 8). Some have thought that Melchizedek was an angel, but we are left in no doubt that he was a man (v. 4). Others have said it was the Son of God Himself, but again we read, "made like the Son of God" (v. 3). Melchizedek was neither the Son of God nor an angel; he was a man with a priesthood that was entirely his own.

He received tithes from Abraham, and he blessed Abraham. This showed the high and outstanding dignity of this otherwise unknown and mysterious person. The only thing testified of him — no father or mother named, no beginning of life, no death that may have taken place — is that he lived.

There is no thought of weakness or of illness. The outstanding feature — and perhaps the only thing really said of Melchizedek — is that he LIVED. This at once gives to the priesthood of Jesus a dignity and glory which are unique.

The Levites also received tithes until they died, at which point this dignity ceased. Death kept interrupting this order of things. How then could the order itself be permanent? But now, the true Receiver of tithes, the true Blesser, is the One of whom it is truly witnessed that He lives. Melchizedek is a type of this only because Scripture gives no record of his death. Christ's priesthood is permanent, because He lives.

We get the present gain of His ministry, for our Priest now lives in the power of an endless life!... We are told the priests of Aaron's order were "mortal men" (Hebrews 7:8, 23), and that "the former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office." But our Priest belongs to an order to which death did not apply. There he received tithes, as the one "of whom it is testified that he lives."

The very sign that proves Levi's rank as priest is the receiving of tithes. That same sign makes him a witness to the greater honour of the earlier priest. For Abraham carried all his unborn descendants within him when he met Melchizedek. Levi did homage when his father bowed. And so the very man who takes his brothers' tithes had earlier paid tribute to one greater than himself.

The whole Levitical priesthood did not yet exist. Levi was unborn, still inside Abraham. So in Abraham, Levi gave tithes to Melchizedek... The priesthood of Melchizedek was therefore above that of the sons of Levi, the priesthood of Aaron.

After all, one telling fact stood in front of them. Whoever wrote the letter to the Hebrews, it was not a Christian who wrote the book of Genesis, but Moses. And Moses testifies to the honour Abram paid to Melchizedek by giving him tithes... No argument could be more clear or conclusive. The other descendants of Abraham honoured the house of Aaron as Levitical priests. But Abraham himself honoured Melchizedek — and so Levi himself, and of course Aaron, who were still inside him.

All this argument is most effective with a Jew. Great as Aaron was, Melchizedek was greater. And Levi paid tithes in Abram. What the writer wants to show is that the whole Jewish system must go. It is set aside, so there must be another priest. There would have been no cancelling of the old thing if it were to continue. But the priesthood being changed, you must have the whole system changed.

Now that line of reasoning would be conclusive to a Jewish mind. The argument was faultless, and the development complete. But what an astounding conclusion! He had always looked up to the chief priests and all the leaders of the people as standing in the very place of God Himself. Now Another is presented to him. He knows who it is — Jesus, the Son of God. He has professed to believe in Him. This One sets aside all these priests.

"In Adam" speaks of representation, as the apostle argues about Levi and Abraham (Heb. 7:9-10)... In the same way we were still inside Adam when he fell and the sentence of death came on him. Thank God, we have heard the voice of Another — Head and Representative too of His race — who says, "Because I live, you also will live" (John 14:19).

The loins are the part of a man that pictures the seat of strength. Descendants are pictured as coming out of the loins of a man. Genesis 35:11; Hebrews 7:10.

So, to put it this way, the same law testifies that Levi too — who receives tithes — paid tithes in principle, through Abraham as the go-between. This is because he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him and received the tenth of the spoils. Had Levi been born earlier, he might have claimed independence and exemption. As it was, Israel, Aaron, and all of them were joined together in the homage of that one man, the father of the chosen people.

Nor is this all (verses 9, 10). The receiving of tithes is the very sign that proves his priestly dignity. By that sign, Levi is himself a witness to the greater honour of that earlier priest. For Abraham carried all his unborn descendants within him when he met Melchizedek. Levi did homage when his father bowed. And so the very man who takes his brothers' tithes had earlier paid tribute to one greater than himself.

"In Adam" speaks of place — of one man representing others. The apostle argues in the same way about Levi and Abraham (Hebrews 7:9-10)... We too were in the loins of Adam when he fell and the sentence of death was passed on him; and in him we die. Thank God, we have heard the voice of Another, Head and Representative of His race too, who says, "Because I live, you also will live" (John 14:19). In Adam we die: in Christ we live.

The Spirit of God says of Levi, "He was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him" (Hebrews 7:10). In the same way, every one of us was represented in Adam when the old creation was on trial.

This whole argument is very effective with a Jew. Great as Aaron was, Melchizedek was greater. And Levi paid tithes in Abraham. What he is seeking to show is that the entire Jewish system must go; it is set aside, so that there must be another priest. There would have been no cancelling of the old thing if it were to continue. But since the priesthood is changed, you must have the whole system changed.

The entire legal system is therefore seen to be inferior to the blessed Person whom Melchizedek pictures, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The apostle says: dwell on the greatness of this man. Even the patriarch Abraham, the head of the Hebrew race, gave him a tenth of the spoil. The giving of the tenth was an acknowledgment of superiority. Tithes are given to a superior. So if there was One above the head of the whole Jewish race, think how much it mattered for the Hebrews. They were not to dwell on the greatness of Abraham, but on the One greater — Christ Himself!

If the Melchizedek priesthood stands above the Aaronic, that is clear proof that the Aaronic priesthood was imperfect. It was temporary in character and imperfect in its work. Later in the letter we learn that it gave no lasting relief to the conscience. It did not let the one who brought the offering draw near to God. This very imperfection proved the need of another Priest to rise after the order of Melchizedek. This Priest is found in Christ, in whom alone is perfection.

Was perfection found in the law? Impossible! For if so, why did the law bear witness that another priest should rise of an order not known under the law? The law shut everyone out of the priesthood except the line of Aaron. Yet it prophesied a completely different order.

Suppose this Levitical priesthood had brought in perfection — a satisfactory relationship between man and God. What need would there then have been to speak of any further priest, one not of the family of Aaron but of a completely different order? In this letter to the Hebrews especially, "perfection" does not mean personal perfection. It means the perfection of relationship with God — a perfect conscience. That is a conscience which God has enlightened and satisfied by the finished work of Christ.

How plain that in every way perfection was not in, or by, the Levitical priesthood. God gave it as a temporary provision for an earthly people — a dying priesthood for a dying people.

The change was not just about the special law of the priesthood, as some would put it. As we see on the Day of Atonement, Israel's whole relationship to God under that arrangement hung upon the priesthood. Year by year the high priest put blood on the mercy seat. That alone made it possible for God to dwell among them. And only a man of the family of Aaron could do it.

Israel received the law on the condition of the Levitical priesthood, and it could rest on no other footing. A faulty people could not draw near to God as things then were. They had no more than a symbolic redemption and symbolic sacrifices. A failing priesthood had to step in, trembling, with strict rites and ceremonies. Break them and the penalty was death. That system held no "perfection" anywhere. Yet perfection there must be to meet the mind, love, and holiness of God.

Christ is a priest of a different order, and came of a different tribe from Levi.

Notice, it is here a question of order, not of exercise. There was one undying Priest, not a succession.

The law and its priesthood could not bring the worshipper into the presence of God. It fell short of this; it could not finish or perfect it. But we — that is, all believers — have boldness to enter into the holiest "by the blood of Jesus." Now this is perfection. … There are no distinctions of priests and people, clergy and laity in the holiest. How can there be, since all alike are brought there as purged worshippers?

What an astounding thought! That very Word showed him a priesthood foretold by God Himself, at the very time when the other priesthood was still going on. This new priesthood was to displace and completely change the very thing he had been taught to revere as God's permanent arrangement. No wonder there was a temptation to hold on to the Jewish forms and rituals.

The change of the priest makes a change of law necessary too. That is what Scripture says here. It does not say "the law," as one lively but often unreliable commentator claimed, but "of law." From now on the principle is completely different. Only grace can save a sinner. The law cannot, and neither can a mixture of law and grace. Such a mixture only condemns the guilty more, since they have even less excuse.

As we see in the Day of Atonement, all the relation of Israel to God hung upon the priesthood. Year by year the high priest put the blood on the mercy seat. That alone made it possible for God to dwell among them, and only a man of Aaron's family could do it. The law allowed for no one else. Yet Christ came from Judah, and the law said nothing about priesthood in that tribe.

Perfection is a vital subject in Hebrews, and one the Jewish reader would fully agree with. But was it found in the law? Impossible! If it were, why did the law itself testify that another priest would rise, of an order the law did not know? And if the priesthood changed to a completely different order, then the law had to change. God's way of dealing would match the character of the priesthood He set up.

Therefore that priesthood displaces entirely the priesthood of Aaron and his descendants. Since that is so, the law under which the priesthood was set up changed as well. So the Hebrew believer had to face this astounding fact. Christ, whom he knew to be the Son of God, glorified God in dealing with sin and then took His place on high. Such a Priest completely displaces every form of the order that came before, even though God Himself had ordained it.

All that the saints are hangs upon what He is and what He has done. "For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well." It would be impossible to tack a legal system onto a risen Christ.

Scripture tells us plainly that the priesthood is changed. It is so changed that even if Christ "were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law" (Heb. 8:4). So Aaron's order of priesthood was connected with the law, a shadow of heavenly things.

Under the law the effect of the priesthood was to put the people at a distance from God. The priest received the offering, sprinkled the blood, went into the sanctuary, and came out again. The people stayed far off. But here is "a better hope" by which we draw near to God. By faith we enter the sanctuary where our Priest is, and worship happily in His very presence. Here was the astounding fact for an Israelite, that his law was set aside as well as his priesthood. What had he left? He that believed had Jesus, the Son of God.

The next fact shows the change even more clearly. The One these things are said of belonged to a different tribe, not Levi but Judah. No one from that tribe ever held an official place at the altar. Everyone could see it, as the text adds: "our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests." The break was as clear as it was decisive.

The word heteros expresses "a different kind." … Christ is a priest of a different order, and came from a different tribe than Levi. Heb. 7:11, 13, 15.

King Uzziah came from the tribe of Judah. He dared to enter the temple and act as a priest, and God struck him at once with leprosy (2 Chron. 26:16-21). And the Lord Jesus, while on earth, sought no place at all in the official priesthood. He never suggested taking the place or the duties of a priest in the temple.

The apostle argues that the change of the priesthood sets aside the law itself. We only have to think for a moment to see how complete a change this involved. As we see in the Day of Atonement, all the relation of Israel to God hung upon the priesthood. The blood put on the mercy seat by the high priest, year by year, alone enabled God to dwell among them. And this could only be done by one of the family of Aaron. The law provided for no other. Yet Christ had sprung from Judah, and the law said nothing of priesthood in connection with that tribe.

Now the change of the priest requires a change of law as well. That is what the inspired text says here: not a change of "the law," as some have claimed, but "of law." From now on there is a completely different principle. Grace alone can save a sinner — not law, and not a mixture of law and grace. That mixture only condemns the guilty all the more, since it leaves them with even less excuse.

His coming, then, has taken the honour away from the tribe of Levi and set aside their priesthood. He came from Judah, and He is the priest like Melchizedek, joining priesthood and kingship. God made Him priest, not by a law about bodily descent, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. … He has passed through death, and now He is the Melchizedek priest in heaven, not on earth. He has no end of days. He lives forever.

The One these things are said about belonged to a different tribe. Not Levi but Judah — and no one from that tribe had ever served at the altar as a priest. It was plain to everyone, as the writer adds, that our Lord "was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests." The break was as clear as it was decisive. Prophecy had declared it: the Messiah would be born in David's line, to a virgin engaged to a man from Solomon's branch of that family.

The apostle argues that the change of the priesthood sets aside the law itself. It only takes a moment's thought to see how complete that change was. As we see on the day of atonement, Israel's whole relationship with God hung on the priesthood. Only the blood that the high priest put on the mercy seat year by year made it possible for God to live among them. And only a man from Aaron's family could do that: the law had no one else in view. Yet Christ had come from Judah, and the law said nothing about priesthood in connection with that tribe.

King Uzziah came from the tribe of Judah. He dared to enter the temple to act as a priest, and God struck him at once with leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:16-21). And while He was on earth, the Lord Jesus sought no place at all in the official priesthood. He never suggested taking up the place or duties of a priest in the temple.

In verse 14 we read that our Lord "was descended from Judah" — the kingly line, not the priestly line of Levi. This shows the need for a king to be priest, as we have at the beginning of this chapter. Only a king could fill that order of priesthood. So God brought in Melchizedek before He brought in kingship, knowing that the Son would be King and Priest.

And He who came from Judah is the priest like Melchizedek, combining priesthood and royalty. He was made priest not by a law about bodily descent, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. His priesthood is not a thing of time and change, a priesthood of flesh like Aaron's. It is a priesthood in the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. He has passed through death. Now He is the Melchizedek priest in heaven, not on earth — the priest who has no end of days, who lives for ever.

Genesis 38 shows one of those remarkable moments where God's grace triumphs gloriously over man's sin. "It is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah." But how? "Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar." This is especially striking. God, in His great grace, rises above the sin and folly of man in order to bring about His own purposes of love and mercy... The Spirit of God is leading us along the family line through which Christ came as a man. And in doing so, He gives us Tamar and Bathsheba as links in that chain! How clear it is that there is nothing of man in this!

One could imagine that God, by His sovereign will, might have given Aaron's priesthood to a more exalted being. Such a person would shed new glory on it, matching His own greater dignity. But the Holy Spirit here leads the writer to press more than the change already argued. He presses a still more striking distinction: a different priest (heteros, not merely allos) arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek. This leaves Aaron, or any successor of his, and the law they were bound up with, completely aside.

The word heteros expresses "a different kind." Christ is a priest of a different order, and came of a different tribe from Levi, Hebrews 7:11, 13, 15.

The apostle adds that it is not only evident that our Lord sprang from Judah. It "becomes even more evident" that another priest was to arise. See how the apostle now turns the question of likeness to the priest. Melchizedek was made like the Son of God as to His Person, but now the Son of God is made like Melchizedek as to His priesthood. It is remarkable how carefully these matters are stated to guard the Person of our Lord and yet to show His office.

They believed that Jesus was the Messiah. But according to the Jewish Scriptures, the Messiah was just as He is presented here. In that case the priesthood was changed, and with it the whole system. And this was not only a conclusion to draw from the Messiah being of the tribe of Judah although a Priest. It was also necessary that a priest other than the priest of Aaron's family should arise, one after the likeness of Melchizedek.

The type is the more complete when we consider that Melchizedek was both king and priest. Aaron's priesthood could never fill the first of these, for the king could not rise out of Levi. But this lone, striking statement in Psalm 110:4 opens out wonderfully the truth of the necessary change in the order of priesthood.

He is a priest after the likeness of Melchizedek, but not by any commandment concerning the flesh. Such a commandment treats the priest as being in the flesh, and therefore subject to death. That is why a succession of priests provided for it. In contrast, the priesthood of Christ stands alone in all its solitary dignity, for it is after the power of an endless life. The Lord is called to be a Priest as risen, in the power of a life beyond death. So He is a Priest not for a lifetime, but "for ever".

But while He waits on high, He is active as a priest in sustaining His own suffering ones, tried as they are on earth. And the order of His priesthood is not after the likeness of Aaron but of Melchizedek.

The apostle is now dealing with priesthood. He shows how much better the Melchisedec priesthood of Christ is. He uses it to draw these Hebrews away from what was after the "carnal commandment" to what is "after the power of an endless life."

Aaron was a man in the flesh, and there was provision, in case of his death, for his son to minister in his place... This was the "carnal commandment" that kept the priesthood of the Aaronic order going. Succession is the only way man knows to keep anything going. It can only be human order. The king cannot die, we are told — why? Because his last breath places his successor on the throne, so the work of royalty never stops for a moment.

The law is called here "the law of a carnal commandment." Its commands were all aimed either at holding down the evil tendencies of the flesh, or at drawing out of it the good that pleases God. But the letter to the Romans tells us that the flesh is not subject to the law of God, and no good lives in it.

This new priest must be made a priest, not by the law of a carnal commandment. That was a law governing the flesh, which is subject to decay and death. He is made a priest "after the power of an endless life." He must be One who in His own person is above death. In willing grace He did pass through death for our sakes, and He triumphed over it in the power of an endless life — a life the law could never have, nor give.

I may add that the power of endless life is not only resurrection. It is what is true of Him in His own being. It was because of what He was in Himself that He came forth in resurrection.

A human priesthood on earth for Christian people is a falling away from the truth of the Son. He is perfected for ever, and He serves on high in the power of a life that cannot be dissolved. Such a priesthood revives the dead Aaronic order, which was set aside as weak and useless. In effect it denies the very gospel of salvation, which tells all who believe that the blood of Jesus blots out their sins at once and brings them near to God in a constant nearness — far beyond what the sons of Aaron and Aaron himself ever enjoyed.

It was not a carnal command which made Him Priest. His priesthood is not tied to what vanishes away. It is His eternal existence as Son of God which is the witness of His priesthood. And is it not true, in a very precious sense, that He exercises that priesthood in connection with that same life, which is given to us all? We share in life for evermore. So we are not under a carnal commandment. We have a life which now displays the eternal character of our relationship.

The change to a different priest of unique and surpassing glory is the teaching of the Old Testament, which every true Jew accepts as divine. This shows the weakness of the Levitical priesthood. Christ alone matches the pattern of Melchizedek. Beyond dispute, He is the other and different priest who arises... Even the royal priest who blessed Abraham was only a picture and a shadow. The substance belongs to Christ... It is as risen and in heaven that He is Melchizedek Priest.

Psalm 110 speaks of David's son, whom David still calls Lord, and He is acknowledged as priest — a priest like Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron... In Aaron's case there was a succession, for his was a priesthood of dying men following one after another. Melchizedek is the clean opposite. Scripture says of him that "he lives," and Genesis says not one word about his death, and neither does any other book. The apostle uses this as a picture of One who lives for ever in the fullest sense... Christ stands alone as an undying Melchizedek, and so He needs no successor. He is the one priest, and He is enough, as the Christian knows.

This new priest must be made so, not by the law of a physical commandment — that is, a law that governs the flesh in its state of decay and death — "but after the power of an endless life." He must be One who is above death in His own person. He did indeed pass through death in willing grace, for our sakes, and He triumphed over it in the power of an endless life. Law could never have that life, nor give it.

This is not an outward appointment, as Aaron's was. God did not simply pick Him out by an act of sovereign will. God did mark Him out and appoint Him, to be sure. But God declares Him the Priest of God because of what He is: the Son of God... He can never cease to be a priest, because He can never cease to be the Son of God. He is priest because of what He is.

A human priesthood on earth for Christian people is a falling away from the truth. That truth is the Son, perfected for ever, serving on high by the power of a life that cannot be dissolved. Such a priesthood rebuilds the dead Aaronic order, which was set aside because it was weak and useless. In effect it denies the gospel of salvation itself. That gospel tells all who believe that the blood of Jesus blots out their sins at once. It brings them near to God and keeps them near, far beyond anything the sons of Aaron, or Aaron himself, ever enjoyed.

Perhaps the two outstanding things connected with these two orders of priesthood are: in Aaron — intercession; and in Melchizedek — blessing. Melchizedek came to light after the battle in which Abraham was the victor. And it will be after the last great battle, in which Israel will triumph, that Christ will come forth in the Melchizedek priesthood. That is why we said that at present, though established as Melchizedek, He is acting after the pattern of Aaron. As long as we are in the wilderness we shall need Him like that. Whatever this word "for ever" means, whether in character or in length of time, we can take courage: as long as a priest is needed, there will be one.

The commandment of Moses about priesthood is therefore set aside because of its weakness and uselessness. It was weak because the priest, being subject to death, could not continue. It was useless because it could not bring the worshipper into God's presence with a conscience free from the fear of judgment. The law points to better things, but in itself made nothing perfect.

The Lord Jesus Christ is stated to be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. In that fact there is "a setting aside of the commandment going before (the law and its ordinances) because of weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect), and the bringing in of a better hope through which we draw near to God." … All the priestly ordinances and services could not make atonement, nor could they bring people near to God. It was all imperfection.

And so the law is set aside. It made nothing perfect. It was weak and unprofitable. The reason is not that the law was faulty. As we read in the letter to the Romans, the law is "holy and righteous and good." The reason is that it appealed to the natural man, and in him there was nothing that could answer to the law. There was something the law could not do, because it was "weakened by the flesh." It is the weakness of the flesh that makes the law unprofitable, and therefore it is annulled, set aside.

While it was perfectly just and holy, hard and inflexible, it had no strength to bring in righteousness among men. True, it condemned unrighteousness. But it was weak when it came to providing any remedy. It could expose the terrible loss that man had incurred by sin, but could provide no trace of profit. It could change nothing. It made nothing perfect. Instead it confirmed how hopeless the real condition was.

What the apostle shows is that the Levitical priesthood is superseded, or set aside, by the Melchizedek priesthood of our blessed Lord, and that "the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law." Then, in verse 18, we are told why "the commandment going before" has been annulled, namely, because of its weakness and unprofitableness, "for," he adds, as a parenthesis, "the law made nothing perfect," and then, besides the annulling of the commandment going before, there is also, in connection with the Melchizedek priesthood, the introduction of a better hope, by which we draw near to God.

Now the essence of Christianity lies in this, that as the fruit of accomplished redemption we are brought near to God. The apostle contrasts this with the powerlessness of the law of Moses, and that is why the law was set aside… Judaism was wholly unable to perfect the conscience so that a person could stand in the presence of a holy God. The veil in front of the holiest place bore constant witness to this. The work by which alone the conscience could be set at rest was not yet done. But it is now done.

Christ's one offering has changed everything. Worshippers who have once been cleansed no longer have any consciousness of sins. When there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well… Judaism is wholly gone. It did not end at Christ's birth, which would have been its crown if the Jews had received Him. It ended by His death, the grave of all its hopes and pride and religion, but the basis of Christianity.

In one respect therefore the arrangement of law was weak and unprofitable. It was perfectly just and holy, hard and inflexible. Yet it had no strength to bring righteousness in among men. True, it condemned unrighteousness, but it was utterly weak at providing any remedy. It could expose the terrible loss that man had suffered through sin, but it could provide no hint of profit. It could change nothing. It made nothing perfect. Instead it confirmed how hopeless the real condition was.

And so the law is set aside. It made nothing perfect. It was weak and unprofitable. This is not because the law was not "holy, just, and good," as we read in the letter to the Romans. It is because the law made its appeal to the natural man, and there was nothing in him that could answer to the law: "What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh." The weakness of the flesh is what makes the law unprofitable, and so it is annulled and set aside.

As it stands it reads that while the law perfected nothing, "the bringing in of a better hope did." But this is not at all the sense… In verse 18, we are told why "the commandment going before" has been annulled: because of its weakness and unprofitableness. "For," he adds, in a parenthesis, "the law made nothing perfect." Then, besides the annulling of the commandment going before, there is also the introduction of a better hope, tied to the Melchizedek priesthood, by which we draw near to God.

Now why is the better thing spoken of as a hope? Our reply would be that ours is a "heavenly calling," and we will not enjoy it in full until we reach heaven itself. So a large element of hope enters into the Christian calling. That hope is of a higher character than any hope connected with the calling of Israel. But though this is the case, its present effect is to bring us near to God.

Perfection is God's end. But the Law made nothing perfect. It was weak and unprofitable for the final purposes of God. Yet as a minister of holiness it was mighty. It crushed all human hope and drove the sinner far away from peace. But God had desired to bring His children near. The Law could not do this. It made the enjoyment of His presence an impossible thing, because it only dealt with what is in itself unfit for God.

Precious difference! A commandment given to man, sinful and far from God, is replaced by a hope, a confidence. That hope rests on grace and on divine promise, and through it we can come even into God's presence.

Perfection is in Christ alone, and comes by Him alone. It comes by grace, and so fully that it glorifies God and meets the believer's need in everything — even the body, at His coming again.

God made Aaron and his sons priests by command. God made the Lord Jesus Christ Priest with an oath. "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever'" (7:21). No appointment could be more solemn than this. And God used this form for His appointment alone. It shows that when the time the Psalmist looked forward to arrives, the One the world rejected is the One through whom God will be approached, as the Representative of His redeemed people.

Hebrews 7 teaches that this order of priesthood belonged to the law. It was made "on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent," and it "could not continue because of death." Its priests were weak. So it could not give perfection, and we have to bless God that it was set up "without an oath." The oath of God could only stand connected with what was to last forever. That means the perfect, deathless priesthood of our great and glorious Melchizedek, which can never pass to anyone else.

Israel's priests were called of God, but they were not priests by a divine oath. If they had been, they could not be set aside. Christ is Priest by the swearing of an oath, as it is written, "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever.'"

Another proof that Christ's priesthood is greater than Aaron's is the oath which Scripture declares the Lord swore... Here it is even more solemn. It is His appreciation of Christ's priesthood, which is final and forever. That priesthood perfectly satisfies His nature, love, and glory. It satisfies Him in His Son, and also in the Man who alone had glorified Him even in the matter of sin — equally able as God and as man in one person, and perfect in all His work.

We have already seen that God's oath marks what He declares as unchangeable. When God established Aaron as priest, He did not swear that he should have a lasting priesthood. It was a temporary thing. Being weak and imperfect, it could not last. So another priesthood comes in, and it comes in with an oath. Its stability is tied to the truth of God Himself.

In verses 20 to 22 we go a step further... God spoke no such impressive and solemn word when He installed Aaron in the priest's office. This shows that there is a better testament, or covenant, connected with Jesus. He also stands related to that covenant in a way that neither Moses nor Aaron ever stood to the old covenant. He has become the Surety of it. That is, He has accepted full responsibility for it, and has become bail for it, so that should anything go wrong the cost would fall on Him. This is of course full guarantee that nothing will go wrong with it for all eternity.

This fact is full of consolation to the believer: God Himself appointed our Priest, the One through whom we come to Him. He is therefore acceptable — infinitely acceptable. This is one of the credentials of His office, and it destroys forever the claims of any human priesthood. True, all God's people are priests — they are a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5). But if anyone claims to act as a priest on behalf of other believers, he must be able to prove that he received his office from God Himself. The blessed Lord Jesus did, and under circumstances of the greatest solemnity.

Hebrews 7 teaches us that this order of priesthood belonged to the law. It rested on a legal requirement about physical descent. Death stopped it from continuing. Its priests were weak men. So it could not make anyone perfect, and we can thank God that He set it up without an oath. God's oath could only attach to what lasts for ever — the perfect, undying priesthood of our great and glorious Melchizedek, a priesthood that can never pass to anyone else.

Only twice does the New Testament speak of repentance in connection with God, and both times it says that what He has done cannot change. "The gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Rom. 11:29). "The Lord swore and will not repent, You are a priest for ever" (Heb. 7:21).

Here again God bears witness to Him, and here indeed all the fullness of the divine heart comes out. He knows the importance of this for us; He knows, too, how slow and unbelieving we are in receiving His grace. So He does not only speak — He swears: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.'"

He Himself never needed an oath. The question here is His official position. Everything that keeps the redeemed in life and blessing depends on that position. Here an oath fits perfectly. "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind."

There the writer of Hebrews stopped his quotation. He wanted to stress the special way God appointed the Lord to His office. He was not dealing here with the order of His priesthood, so he does not repeat the psalm's words "after the order of Melchizedek." At this point he would keep his readers' attention on the Lord's oath. Made Priest by oath, He has become "the Surety of a better covenant." That is a new title for the Lord, one found nowhere else in the New Testament, and it opens a new subject for the letter: a better covenant.

Some speak of Christ's work of intercession in heaven as if it were needed to calm God's anger before it breaks out on us. Some who take up this error even ask the Lord Jesus to pray for them. Such people have badly mistaken God's mind on the matter. The truth is this: the same grace that moved God's heart to give His only Son, and to hand Him over to the death of the cross for our offences, also appointed Him to the work of priesthood.

God called Israel's priests, but no divine oath made them priests. That is why they could be set aside. Christ is Priest by the swearing of an oath... So Christ's priesthood can never be revoked, because of the oath that makes Him the guarantor of a better covenant. Death stopped Aaron's priests from staying in office. Christ lives for ever, and His priesthood can never pass to anyone else. Therefore He can save right through to the end of the wilderness all who come to God through Him.