Hebrews 7: A High Priest After the Order of Melchizedek

Melchizedek the Priest

7 This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, ² and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” ³ Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

⁴ Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! ⁵ Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. ⁶ This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. ⁷ And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. ⁸ In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. ⁹ One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, ¹⁰ because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.

Jesus Like Melchizedek

¹¹ If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? ¹² For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. ¹³ He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. ¹⁴ For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. ¹⁵ And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, ¹⁶ one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. ¹⁷ For it is declared:

“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”^[a]

¹⁸ The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless ¹⁹ (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

²⁰ And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, ²¹ but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:

“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
‘You are a priest forever.’”^[b]

²² Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

²³ Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; ²⁴ but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore he is able to save completely^[c] those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

²⁶ Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. ²⁷ Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. ²⁸ For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

1. Melchizedek is the first priest mentioned in the Bible.
2. Melchizedek (“king of righteousness”) – cf. Jeremiah 23:5
3. King of Salem (“king of peace”) – cf. Isaiah 9:6-7
4. Salem = Jerusalem – Psalm 76:2; Judges 1:21; 19:10; 2 Samuel 5:6-9
   B. Melchizedek stands alone in his office.- verse 3
   II. Christ is a better High Priest because:
   A. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek. – verses 4-6; cf. Matthew 22:41-46
   B. Melchizedek blessed Abraham. – verses 6-7
   C. Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek in Abraham.- verses 9-10; Genesis 12:2; Numbers 18:21-
   28
   D. Perfection is through the priesthood of Christ. – verses 11-19
5. If God’s purpose could have been accomplished by the law, it would have remained. –
   verse 11; cf. Galatians 2:21; 3:21
   a. “perfection”- “completeness of operation and effect” (Mounce. 1289)
   b. The purpose of the Law for Israel was to make Israel holy to the Lord. – Exodus 19:6;
   Leviticus 19:2
   c. This was accomplished through atonement of blood by the high priest. – Leviticus
   16:30-34; 17:11
   d. But the sacrifices of the law could not cleanse the conscience of sin. – Hebrews 9:9;
   10:1,4
   e. The high priesthood belonged to Aaron and his descendants. – Exodus 28:1; 29:9;
   Numbers 3:10; Ezra 2:62
   f. Thus, the Aaronic priesthood is the foundation of the law of Moses – No priesthood of
   the lineage of Aaron, no law of Moses.
6. But, since Jesus is a priest of the tribe of Judah, there had to be a change of the 1aw.-
   verses 12-14
7. But, Christ is a priest by divine decree.- verses 15-17; cf. Psalm 110:4 (This passage is
   the basis of the argument of Hebrews chapter 7.)
8. Therefore, the law was annulled. – verses 18-19
   a. “weakness”
   b. “unprofitableness” – “uselessness” (NASB, ESV)
   E. Christ was made high priest by an oath. – verse 20-22; cf. , Exodus 28:1; 29:1-37; Psalm
   110:4; Hebrews 6:17-18
   F. The high priesthood of Christ is unchangeable. – Hebrews 7:23-25
9. “Josephus provides us with the detail that eighty-three high priests served … from the
   time of Aaron to the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70 (Antiquities of the Jews
   20.227 [x.1])” (Daniel H. King, The Book of Hebrews. 231). – cf. verse 23; Exodus
   29:29-30; Numbers 20:23-28
10. The perpetual high priesthood of Christ is the ground of our hope. – verses 24-25
    a. So long as Christ intercedes for us, we can never be lost.- verse 25; cf. John 17:24;
    Romans 8:34
    b. But his intercession is conditional. – 1 John 1:7 – 2:2
    G. Christ is a perfect high priest. – Hebrews 7:26-28
11. They had sins, but he has none. – verse 26; cf. Leviticus 16:11; Hebrews 9:7; 4:15
12. They offered daily, but his one offering is good for ever.- verse 27; cf. Leviticus 4:3-21;
    Hebrews 8:3; 9:12
13. Thus, He is a perfect high priest. – Hebrews 7:28
    a. by suffering – 2:10
    b. by obedience – 5:8-9