By Faith, from the Flood to the Law - Hebrews 11:8-22

We began a three part study of Hebrews 11 – “The Faith Chapter” – in the last section. In it, we considered the stories of creation, Abel, Enoch, and Noah. The stories all testified to the importance of our first key point… Faith is the reality of our hope even when it’s unseen.

In this section, we’ll study the lives of five more people. Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph all lived in the time period between the flood and the giving of the Law. Even more, these five heroes of the faith teach us our second key point on faith… Faith is the reality of the promise in a future promised land.

I encourage you to start by reading Hebrews 11:8-22.

Click picture for a printable handout for this section

Faith is the Reality of the Promise (11:13-16)

I’ve often wondered about the encounter between God and Abraham that prompted Abraham to live such an outstanding life of faith. Yes, he blew it sometimes, but overall, he was faithful at an incredible level. Regarding that encounter, was it a burning bush like Moses? Or was it a dream like Joseph? Did they wrestle as God did with Jacob? We don’t know the details but something significant must have happened because Abraham’s encounters with God transformed him for life.

The reality of a future city
Regardless of how the encounters between God and Abraham played out, Abraham knew that the promised land for which he waited wasn’t of this world. I believe he could have conquered the land and established a kingdom; we studied that here and here. But, Abraham wasn’t content with a kingdom of this world. He “was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10).

The reality of a future homeland
A friend of mine is from Togo, Africa but he lives here in the United States. He may have a place to stay here but Togo is his homeland. Togo is his culture, his heritage, his family, and his language. Our homeland is where we come from. Remember, however, that faith sees things differently. Faith sees with spiritual eyes rather than physical ones; usually, the results are opposite of each other. For us, our homeland is where we come from. When we see with spiritual eyes of faith, however, our homeland is where we’re going. It’s the reality of a promised eternity in heaven. Our future home defines our culture, our heritage, our family, and our language. Think about that. “Those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland” (Hebrews 11:14).

The reality of a future promise
All of these people died without having seen the future promise – not just Abraham, but all of them (Hebrews 11:13). Faith faces death knowing the Promised Land which awaits is our reality. The author of Hebrews has taught us about this promise for several chapters now. We’ve learned the promise is…

• To enter His rest. Even more, it remains open to us even after we've wandered in our desert (4:1).
• For “those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance” (6:12).
• Confirmed with an oath by an unchangeable God (6:17).
• Passed down through Abraham (7:6).
• That on which Jesus Christ founded and mediated a new covenant (8:6).
• An eternal inheritance made possible by Jesus’ spilled blood and sacrificial death (9:15).
• For those who persevere in doing the will of God until the end (10:36-37).
• Passed down through Isaac and Jacob (11:9).
• Of a city built by God, of a country in heaven (11:10, 13-16).
• Of countless descendants through a sacrificed son (11:17).
• Not yet received by anyone. All recipients await the future inheritance (11:39-40).

Click here to read even more about that foundational promise made to Abraham.

By Faith, from the Flood to the Law

By Faith, Abraham (11:8-10, 17-19)
We’ve already discussed Abraham so much in this section. The section I referenced in the last paragraph goes into even more detail about his faith in the promise. He is the one who “believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3). Let’s consider a few more details here, though.

Because of faith, Abraham was able to go when God said go and wait when God said wait. God told him “Go out from your land… to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). Like I said, that encounter must have been pretty significant because it was enough to prompt Abraham to go. How confusing… difficult… frustrating… it might have been, then, when Abraham got there and God said “Wait.” He didn’t give the Promised Land into Abraham’s hands; he allowed Abraham to die as a foreigner in the land (Genesis 23:4).

Faith helped Abraham to find victory in the hardest test of his life – God’s call to sacrifice the son of promise, Isaac. Again, I don’t know how Abraham knew what he knew, but he had some pretty difficult concepts figured out. In this case, he knew Isaac was the son of promise but he also knew that if God asked him to take Isaac’s life, then God would make a way for the promise to still be fulfilled. He realized, by faith, God had the power to give Isaac back to him again by raising him from the dead.

By Faith, Sarah (11:11-12)
By faith, Sarah conceived and gave birth to Isaac even though she had been barren for decades and was long past the age to bear children. In their story, we see a reminder of our first key point – faith is the reality of our hope even when it is unseen. In a moment of intimacy between Abraham and Sarah – a man almost dead and a barren woman – God took what had been unseen until that moment and created something seen. He created the child of the future promise – Isaac.

By Faith, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph (11:20-22)
Joel Rosenberg is one of my favorite authors. On September 11, 2001 – as Islamic radicals attacked our nation – he was already completing his first fictional novel which included an attack on our nation by Islamic radicals who flew an airplane into a building. He wrote in his subsequent books about America’s invasion of Iraq and the death of PLO Leader Yasser Arafat; in both cases, he predicted the events before they happened. This string of events led people to call him a prophet or a modern-day Nostradamus. In actuality though, Joel’s stories weren’t due to some type of prophetic vision. He looked at the geopolitical state of affairs prophesied by Scripture and compared it to the current geopolitical situation at the turn of the millennium. By faith, Joel knew the end events would occur; all he had to do was analyze what events would be required to bring the world from it’s then current situation to the situation necessary to usher in the end times. We were in point A; what would it take to get to point B? Faith helped him connect the dots.

I tell you this story because Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph’s faith stories are a similar situation. All three of them gave blessings over their children by faith in future events. They knew the words God had spoken and the promises God had made. They lived by faith that those words would come to pass. They were all in their own respective point A and they figured out how to get to point B.

By Faith, for Us

God gave us the stories of these five people to inspire us to live a life by faith as well. Our circumstances may look different but we can still learn from them what it means to live by faith.

By faith, we can go when God says go, even if He wants us to wait once we get there. We want to believe that a call to go somewhere means that grand and glorious work awaits us. Sometimes, however, the grand and glorious outcome isn’t seen on this side of eternity.

By faith, we follow when God calls us out of the place we've been and asks us to live set apart as a stranger in a hostile world. We follow because He's transformed us; we realize our new home is an eternal one in heaven - not that from which we came.

By faith, we find victory in the most difficult of tests. We realize we are totally dependent upon God, muster all of our courage because of His work in us, and struggle through the test. In the end, we look back and realize victory came because of our faith.

By faith, we realize God will make a way to accomplish His plan even when the way seems impossible to us. We don’t have to know all the details; He doesn’t have to follow our logic and work the way we think is right. We can let go of our urge to control and trust Him for the results.

By faith, we recognize God can take what we can’t see and create what we can see. I don’t know how it works – it’s beyond me. But that’s part of living by faith, as well.

By faith, we know the future God has prophesied and discern how we should live until we get there. The Promised Land isn’t here and now; faith realizes it’s then and there. It’s a future reality that will become sight when Christ returns. We’re in our point A; faith guides us until we reach our future point B.

← Previous Section: By Faith, from Creation to the Flood    

Next Section: By Faith, from the Law to the Promised Land→

Experience the Better Covenant - Hebrews 8:7-13

A better promise has given us a better hope of a better covenant. The old promise given to Abraham gave us a hope of mercy through the old covenant and the Law. The new promise given to David gives us a hope of grace through the new covenant and Jesus. That was the last section.

Click picture for a printable handout for this section.

We live under a better covenant - our next section will help us recognize five of its life-changing qualities. I encourage you to start by reading Hebrews 8:7-13. Before we go there, however, let’s consider a little context.

Why was the new covenant necessary? (8:7-8)

We needed the new covenant because the first one, the one based on the Law, had a fault. The old covenant consisted of three parts – God, the people, and the Law. The fault wasn’t with God. He’s perfect. The fault wasn’t even with the Law despite its length and complexity. The Law was complete. The problem came when God looked at us and found “fault with His people… because they didn’t continue in [His] covenant” (Hebrews 8:8-9). The fault with the old covenant was that we couldn’t keep it; when we don’t keep the Law, we sin. We mess up every time no matter how hard we try to live a sinless life.

The new covenant shouldn’t have been a surprise just like a priest from Melchizedek’s order shouldn’t have been a surprise. Consider a brief timeline of the Old Testament… Abraham and Melchizedek had their exchange we discussed in depth over the last several sections. Soon thereafter, God cut covenant with Abraham. Hundreds of years passed before God gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. After God established all of that and while it was still fully active, God made these two significant promises. Take note of that – God made promises of a priest of Melchizedek’s order and of a new covenant several centuries after God gave the Law. The people should have been ready; they should have been watching and waiting for a better priesthood and a better covenant. God had told them it was coming.

Where did God make those promises? (8:9)

God prophesied through David that a priest would come in the order of Melchizedek in Psalm 110:4. We’ve already studied through that whole thing in previous sections so we won’t review it here.

God prophesied through Jeremiah that He would make a new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34. In fact, this section’s Scripture passage is almost a word for word quote of that prophetic passage. The only difference is a change in an explanation of the cause and effect for the new covenant. Jeremiah described the fault as “a covenant they broke even though I had married them” (Jeremiah 31:32). The author of Hebrews described the fault a little differently although the implications are the same. He wrote, “I disregarded them because they did not continue in My covenant” (Hebrews 8:9).

What are the qualities of the new covenant? (8:10-13)

Both Scripture passages – Jeremiah and Hebrews – are consistent in their description of the new covenant. They both list five qualities which is a number symbolic of the grace inherent in the new covenant. And consistent with Hebrew poetry, the middle one stands alone as different from the other four. Let’s consider each one…

I will put My laws into their minds and write them on their hearts.
The old covenant required regulation based on the Law. God gave the Law; we had to live up to it. Of course, as noted earlier, the people failed. We still fail to this day. The new covenant was different because God now wrote His law on our hearts and minds, not on tablets of stone. We have the law within teaching us right from wrong. The Spirit dwells within each believer and guides us to the truth (John 16:13). God can transform our minds to discern His will (Romans 12:2).

I see something significant here that we may skim over and miss at first reading. God doesn’t only put His law in our minds nor does He just write it on our hearts. He does both. Why is this significant? We are made of three parts; soul or spirit, mind or heart, and body. The mind and heart refer to the part of our triune self that relates with others. They are our emotions, understanding, feelings, thoughts, etc. If mind and heart refer to the same part of each of us, then why include both? I don’t think the repetition is merely poetic imagery. I think God wants us to know His law is within our mind – guiding us as we make logical, rational thought processes. He’s with us as we try to understand and think our way through a situation. That’s not all, though. His law is also within our heart – guiding us as we feel emotional tugs in certain ways. Our emotions don’t control us; rather, His law controls our emotions. We don’t kill our ability to feel but rather, our feelings submit to the direction of His law.

I will be their God, and they will be My people
Simple words but they have become so powerful to me lately. Scripture repeats them at least 20 times throughout its pages starting with a powerful series of promises made to Moses in Exodus 6:6-7. The four cups of Passover remember that series of promises; this promise in particular is the fourth of that series. It’s the cup of which Jesus said He will not drink it again until He drinks it with all of us in His Father’s kingdom (Matthew 26:29). The final repetition is in the very last chapter in a description of eternity, “Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). A promise first made 4,000 years ago, made possible by a sacrifice made 2,000 years ago, honored in celebration still today, will reach completion sometime in the future. Another example of a promise made, a time as we live in hope, and a future completion of the promise! Like I said, that’s some powerful words even if they are so simple.

Each person will not teach his fellow citizen, and each his brother, saying ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them
Prophets aren’t part of the new covenant because the Word of God is complete and the Spirit guides us in understanding it. We no longer need prophets to bring God’s Word to us, help us understand it, or apply it to our lives. We are all capable on our own if the Spirit fills us and we submit to His leading. Isaiah, just like Jeremiah, prophesied this day would come when he wrote, “Then all your children will be taught by the Lord” (Isaiah 54:13). Jesus confirmed His ministry was that of which Isaiah prophesied when He said, “It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father comes to Me” (John 6:45).

I will be merciful to their wrongdoing
We pervert and twist the Law into some distortion of what God intended. And in the consequence for our perversion and twisting of the truth, we become like Cain who said, “My punishment is too great to bear!” (Genesis 4:13). Under the new covenant, God knows we can’t bear the weight of our punishment and so He grants us mercy for each and every sin. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Mercy.

I will never again remember their sins
The Law gave us a list of regulations to define sin; we could never achieve its complex requirements. Good grief, we couldn’t even obey the simple ones like “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12). It’s too hard because, like Cain, we “do not do what is right” and “sin is crouching at the door” (Genesis 4:7). Our sinful nature desires to make us miss the mark and mess up every time. And yet, under the new covenant, God forgets all of it. “It is I who sweep away your transgressions for My own sake and remember your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25). Grace.

The new covenant for us

The law is still our definition of sin. Out of love for God who loved us and gave Himself for us, we still try to live according to His standard. But that covenant is old, aging, and about to disappear. The very meaning of the particular word used for new indicates that God meant for the new covenant to take the place of what used to be. With Jesus, a new covenant came and God declared what had been to be old.

We live under that new covenant. We live in a time when we can know Jesus, the priest of Melchizedek’s order, promised through King David. We can experience the new covenant promised through Jeremiah.

We can experience inward transformation in our heart and mind through the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of God’s Word written within us.

We can experience the hope of a coming fourth cup of the Passover when God will dwell among us; He will be our God and we will be His people for eternity.

We can experience the ability to know and understand the Word of God through the direct instruction of the Spirit within us. We can experience a relationship with Him as He calls to each of us as His own.

We can experience mercy when the punishment for our wrongdoing is more than we can bear.

We can experience grace when God forgets our sin so it no longer separates us from Him.

Are you willing to go there?

← Previous Section: Jesus: Something Better    

Next Section: Our Old Covenant Purpose →

Jesus: Something Better - Hebrews 8:1-6

The Law gave us continuous sacrifice; Jesus gave us a completed sacrifice.

The Law gave us mercy; Jesus gave us grace.

Abraham’s covenant gave us a good hope; Jesus’ covenant gave us a better hope.

The oath made through King David introduced a better hope (Psalm 110:4). The oath – given even after the giving of the Law – promised that one of King David’s descendants would be a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. Jesus is the guarantee of that better covenant – the New Covenant.

We didn’t need a priesthood that was weak and unprofitable as was Aaron’s priesthood. We discussed the end goal of the perfection or completion of our hope in the last section. God’s plan all along had been to restore the relationship lost by Adam and Eve in the garden. In order to restore it, or reach completion, we needed a priesthood that is “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26).

Click picture for a printable handout for this section

Our church is excitedly working toward this summer’s Vacation Bible School. Jungle Jim recently visited during a children’s event to invite all the kids to come. His visit started building the excitement and intensity of the promised week. Ok, really it was my husband in a costume but the kids know that once he announces VBS that they have a week of fun and excitement in their future. One little boy asks his mom every time they come to church, “Is today VBS day?” No, not yet, little guy. I overheard some other kids after Sunday morning worship, “Dad…daaaaad, you have to sign us up for VBS! We don’t want to miss it!” You see, Jungle Jim made those kids a promise that VBS is coming; the kids are living in hope of the coming event. Their hope will come to perfection or completion when they come later this summer and enjoy all their jungle expeditions.

This is the same process we studied in the last section of our Hebrews study and we’ll continue it in this one. God made us promises through Abraham and David; through the Law and through the New Covenant. We now live in the hope of those promises. We’re the little kids who wake up each morning hoping that today is the day. We’re the ones who can’t wait to sign up because we don’t want to miss out. We live in eager excitement of the realization of our hope – a completed and perfected relationship in God’s presence for all eternity.

We’ve recapped a little from Hebrews 7:26-28. I encourage you to look over it again and then continue by reading the passage for this section, Hebrews 8:1-6. Psalm 110 is also critical reading to fully understand this section.

It was good; Now it’s better

A promise is given; hope is lived until completion comes.

A better promise gives us a better covenant.
“But Jesus has now obtained a superior ministry, and to that degree He is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been legally enacted on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). God made a promise to Abraham which was a good promise. Later, He made a promise to King David which was a better promise. That better promise is the legal foundation for the better covenant – the New Covenant.

A better hope gives us a better covenant.
“A better hope is introduced through which we draw near to God… [verses containing an explanation of the promise] …So Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:19, 22). God gave us hope through Abraham which was a good hope. Later, though, He gave us hope through King David which was a better hope. That hope guarantees that one day we will draw near to God, into His very presence, through the better covenant – the New Covenant.

Three parts of a better covenant

The Old Testament priesthood which was based on the Law contained three parts: the who, the where, and the what. The priesthood of the New Covenant must contain these three parts as well. That’s not all, though. It must contain them in a better, more superior way. Otherwise, the New Covenant wouldn’t be better.

Who? (8:1-2)
We needed a priest like Melchizedek, not like Aaron. We needed a priest who was “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26), not one who was “weak and unprofitable” (Hebrews 7:18). Chapter eight starts out by telling us that we have what we need! We have in Jesus the high priest that we need sitting at the right hand of God the Father.

A priest of Levi and Aaron’s line never sat down while performing his duties. Their actual job description even indicates they were “to stand before Yahweh to serve Him” (Deuteronomy 10:8). And yet, twelve times in the New Testament we read that our High Priest Jesus sits at the right hand of God. He sits because He completed His work. His intercession is complete; His atonement for sin has been made. The priests of Levi and Aaron could never say this of their own work; intercession and atonement were never complete. Only through Jesus is the work of the high priest complete; therefore, He sat down at God’s right hand.

Where? (8:2-5)
The priests of Levi and Aaron served in the moveable tabernacle and later in the Jerusalem temple. The tabernacle and even the temple in all its glory, however, were only copies of the real thing. They were “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things” built “according to a pattern that was shown to [Moses] on the mountain” (Hebrews 8:5).

Our High Priest Jesus, however, doesn’t serve in the copy. His location isn’t merely a shadow of what’s real. Jesus’ intercession and atonement took place in the real thing, in “the true tabernacle that was set up by the Lord and not man” (Hebrews 8:2). He’s not on earth and neither is the sanctuary in which He ministers; the real thing is in heaven. (Hebrews 8:4-5).

What? (8:3)
Here we get down to the heart of the matter. The key point on which all else hinges. Jesus is the holy, undefiled priest whom we all need so desperately. But that’s not all. He serves in the real, heavenly sanctuary, not the earthly copy. But that’s not all. He completed the third part of the priesthood – the sacrifice – with a superior sacrifice. He didn’t lay a goat, bull, or lamb on the altar, though. He laid Himself upon it. “He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. … He has appeared one time, at the end of the ages, for the removal of sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:12, 26 emphasis mine). But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Chapter nine will come soon enough.

Why do we care?

We care because we can never sacrifice enough. Our sacrifices don't look like goats and calves anymore but we still lay all kinds of things on the altar... chocolate, coffee, time, relationships, wants, needs. We sacrifice them as we try to restore our relationship on our own merit. None of those sacrifices offer the atonement found only in Jesus' complete sacrifice.

We care because we have a great and unrestrained need – the forgiveness of our sin. Our sin knows no bounds and no end. We have no limit to the depth of our depravity. The sacrifices made by the old priesthood in the earthly shadow of heaven were insufficient. They would never complete the task of our eternal forgiveness and allow us to reach the completion of our hope – eternity in heaven with God.

We needed something better. We needed Someone better.

And that’s what we have in Jesus the Messiah. “We do have such a high priest” (Hebrews 8:1).

← Previous Section - Perfection: A Better Hope    

Next Section: Experience the Better Covenant →

Perfection: A Better Hope - Hebrews 7:11-28

We’ll wrap up our focus on Melchizedek with this section. It’s been intense, hasn’t it? Here’s where we’ve been…

•  Jesus’ eternal priesthood aligns with Melchizedek’s ancient priesthood, not Aaron’s priesthood under the Law. (Click here for more.)
• Melchizedek’s priesthood was superior to Aaron’s as a descendant of Levi. (Click here for more.)

We’ve considered significant and specific details of his life in the last two sections but really, we have to go through the last eight lessons to really comprehend his importance to the book of Hebrews and even more, his importance to God’s plan for all of us. The book of Hebrews gives Melchizedek as an example for us to understand Jesus’ priesthood, and therefore His position to atone for sin and offer salvation to all people.

I encourage you to start this section by reading Hebrews 7:11-28. It’s a long passage; we’ll jump around in it as we work through it. One of my favorite Bible study methods – especially with a long or complex text – is to ask questions of the passage. In those moments, I sit at the feet of Jesus as I ask Him questions about our topic. And in those moments, the Word made flesh never fails to answer through the wholeness of His Scripture. We’ll use this method to work through this section.

Click picture for a printable handout for this section

Why was Aaron’s priestly order insufficient for the Messianic priesthood?

It didn’t offer perfection; it didn’t bring to completion (Hebrews 7:11, 19).

Perfection is a triangular mountain focused within this long passage. Verse 11 begins the ascent with the Levitical priesthood’s insufficiency to bring perfection. Peaked right in the middle, verse 19 climaxes the insufficiency of the Law for perfection but makes the promise of a better hope. The last verse, verse 28, ends the descent with the culmination of that better hope in eternal perfection.

What is perfection? It seems like an unattainable goal.

Perfection – sometimes translated as completion – is a fulfillment or consummation. It is an “event which verifies the promise” (Strong’s). A promise or oath has to be given and then that promise has to be fully realized. In this case, God makes an oath; we live in hope until that oath is fully realized or consummated.

Aaron’s priestly order was insufficient because it couldn’t bring us to perfection or completion. It was inadequate because it required a mortal man to serve as high priest. This was weak, unprofitable, and perfected nothing (Hebrews 7:18-19).

Why didn’t God stick with Melchizedek’s priestly order?

It’s a complicated question. If Aaron’s order didn’t bring perfection and Jesus is a priest of Melchizedek’s order, then why didn’t God stick with that original order of Melchizedek and bring the Messiah through it? Why did He give the Law and institute a new priestly order through Levi and Aaron?

On its own, Melchizedek’s priesthood was also insufficient because the Law hadn’t yet come. God had to give the Law so we would know what sin is. Without a definition of sin, we would never be able to recognize our own sin which is a critical step in the whole redemption process (Romans 3:20, 7:7-8).

Jesus fulfilled the duties of a priest of Aaron’s order and Melchizedek’s order. However, that is where the similarity stops. A priest of Aaron’s order had to be a descendant of Aaron whereas a priest of Melchizedek’s order had to be a son of him who was righteous and be called on the basis of an indestructible life. That’s why Jesus is a priest of Melchizedek’s order rather than Aaron’s.

How can Jesus be our high priest?

I don’t have to be too smart to know that God can’t break the Law. He is absolutely sinless; the Law defines sin. I know He can’t go against what it says. So, if the Law says a priest must be a descendant of Aaron, then I have to ask, “How can Jesus be our high priest?”

I think this must be the issue with which the first-century Jews struggled. They knew Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, not Levi. The author of Hebrews will answer it for us.

“When there is a change of the priesthood, there must be a change of law as well” (Hebrews 7:12). Priesthood changed from Melchizedek to Levi and the law changed to the Old Testament Law from whatever was prior. A few millennia later, the priesthood changed from Levi to Jesus. With that change comes a change in the Law as well; God made that change.

God didn’t throw away the whole Law – He only annulled one specific command within that Law (Hebrews 7:18). The Law – made up of many commands – still remains as our definition of sin. Love your neighbor as yourself – this command still stands. Do not steal – still valid. Honor your father and your mother – still need to do that. The priest must come from Aaron’s priestly line – God says we’re done with this one. He has the authority to do that; we don’t.

What’s the point of all this? Why two complicated priesthoods?

We reach the pinnacle – the summit of the mountain to which we referred earlier. The Law was necessary but “the law perfected nothing.” Instead, “a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God” (Hebrews 7:19). Remember our focus? Perfection – a restoration and completion of our relationship with Holy God.

The better hope is given by promise of an oath (Hebrews 7:20). An oath gives hope of a promised event; the hope is realized when brought to perfection and completion.

God made an oath to Abraham which we discussed in a previous section. The oath confirmed three prior promises which consisted of blessing, numerous descendants, possession of the land, and blessing for the whole earth through his descendants. That oath given to Abraham gives us “strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18).

Even more, God made an oath to Melchizedek hundreds of years later – even after Abraham, Levi, and Aaron had long since passed away. Through King David, “The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back: ‘Forever, you are a priest like Melchizedek’” (Psalm 110:4). It is through this oath that “a better hope is introduced through which we draw near to God” (Hebrews 7:19).

What’s better about the hope through Jesus’ priesthood?

A Better Hope – Mercy versus Grace
Mercy and grace aren’t synonyms. Mercy is when we don’t receive punishment due us. Grace is a gift given above and beyond. Mercy doesn’t send us to hell as the punishment our sin deserves. Grace gives us the blessing of eternity in heaven with God.

Aaron’s priesthood offered mercy. Through it, the Law showed us our sin and gave us the hope to seize what was before us – an opportunity to be saved from the consequences of our sin. It set a standard and revealed we are inadequate on our own to live up to that standard. It established the necessity of sacrifice to atone for sin. Through the Law, the priesthood, and the sacrifices, we received mercy. We were saved from the punishment due us.

Jesus’ priesthood – in the order of Melchizedek – offers grace. Jesus’ final sacrifice on the cross gave us mercy under the Law to save us from hell. His resurrection – the power of His indestructible life as the Son of Righteousness – gave us grace to enter into eternity in the presence of Holy God as eternal and righteous persons ourselves.

A Better Covenant – Law versus New Covenant
The Law couldn’t get the job done. It could save from hell but it couldn’t bring us to perfection in eternal righteousness. Its sacrifices could give mercy but it couldn’t bring us to perfection, completion, or consummation in the presence of God.

The New Covenant combined the eternal righteousness of Melchizedek’s order with the spotless sacrificial Lamb required by the Law and Aaron’s order. That’s why Jesus lives forever as a our High Priest who…

• Is always able to save (Hebrews 7:25).
• Is always available for intercession (Hebrews 7:25).
• Is holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted (Hebrews 7:26).
• Is a completed sacrifice once and for all (Hebrews 7:27).

It’s all complete in Jesus. He alone is the completion of the promise of the oath. He alone is the appointed Son. He alone has been brought into the presence of God so we might enter His presence as well. And amen, because that’s always been the goal since the time of Adam – to restore our relationship in His holy presence.

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Melchizedek Superior to Abraham - Hebrews 7:4-10

We learned in the last section that Melchizedek’s priesthood is as complicated as his name. However, we also learned that some of the more complex nuggets of his life shine light on some of the greatest truths in Jesus’ priesthood.

In the last section we considered six correlations between Jesus’ priesthood and Melchizedek’s. This wasn’t an exhaustive list; we actually could add more.

In this section we’ll shift our focus a little. Last time we studied how Jesus and Melchizedek are the same; this time we’ll consider why Melchizedek is superior to Abraham and even Levi. I encourage you to begin by reading Hebrews 7:4-10.



Click picture for a printable handout for this section.

Melchizedek Superior to Abraham

I also encourage you to review the story of Abraham and Melchizedek from Genesis 14. We studied it in the last section so I’m not going to review it here.

Abraham gave a tenth of the plunder to Melchizedek
“Now consider how great this man was – even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the plunder to him!” (Hebrews 7:4).

When we give an offering at church, we do so voluntarily. No one requires us to place some money in the offering plate or setup a deduction from our checking account. We give for many reasons; one of them is because we recognize God’s superiority in our life. We recognize He is the giver of all we have, so, as an act of love and humility, we return a portion of it to His work in the kingdom.

Abraham, likewise, recognized Melchizedek was his superior. In response, he gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the plunder from his defeat of the eastern kings. Remembering from the last section, Abraham had defeated nine kings of that region. He probably possessed a lot of regional power at that moment. However, we see humility – not pride – in the recognition of his victory.

Melchizedek blessed Abraham
“Without a doubt, the inferior is blessed by the superior” (Hebrews 7:7).

Melchizedek’s blessing is a sign that he understood his superior position. James MacKnight wrote, “The blessing here spoken of… is not the simple wishing of good to others, which may be done by inferiors to superiors; but it is the action of a person authorized to declare God’s intention to bestow good things on another” (Guzik).

It’s also a sign that he served humbly rather than arrogantly. Melchizedek knew God was about to work a new plan. Only a few verses later, God cut covenant with Abraham thus ending the days of Noah’s covenant. Melchizedek humbly blessed the man who was to come after him.

Western culture tends to view those who come after us as superior to us. We exalt upcoming generations. However, a different mindset prevailed during Abraham’s time and even still today in the Middle and Far East. They viewed their ancestors – those who came before them – as superior to themselves. It was in this mindset that both Melchizedek and Abraham humbly recognized Melchizedek’s position of superiority.

Melchizedek Superior to Levi

The lineage of the priesthood was important within Jewish traditions. It keeps coming up as we continue to study Melchizedek. “But one without this lineage collected tenths from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises” (Hebrews 7:6). So here we go again…

The Levitical priesthood refers to the line of priests who descended from Levi, Abraham’s great-grandson. Remember – the eastern mindset honors those who come before, not the generations yet to be born.

Levi is in that still unborn category when this event took place. He was still within the seed of Abraham as even Isaac hadn’t yet been born. So, metaphorically speaking, even Levi paid a tenth to Melchizedek through the actions of his great-grandfather Abraham.

Why do we care today?

A lot of this seems pretty irrelevant for us today – especially those of us who aren’t Jewish. Yet, God gave His Word to all of us of all time. What can we learn from it for life in the 21st century?

First, the original Jewish recipients of this letter had a hard time letting go of their Jewish traditions and worship. They couldn’t see the whole picture – that God had a greater plan for the redemption of all humanity.

I wonder how often we do the same thing as Christians – especially American Christians. We focus so intently on our traditions, styles of worship, and minor differences that we can’t see God’s greater plan for reaching the world. We don’t recognize that other places and cultures do church differently. Sometimes we need to let go of how we think it looks when God works among us and recognize He may do a new work.

Second, Melchizedek gave a blessing and Abraham gave a tithe. Both of their actions recognized the superiority of the former priesthood as each humbly acknowledged his personal place in the greater plan.

Do our actions reveal our recognition of God’s superiority? Are we giving God a tenth of our plunder? If so, are we doing it humbly as we recognize all we have was from Him originally? That might be an old topic but here’s the next part - are we receiving the blessing? Abraham’s humility came not only in his tithe but also in his acceptance of the blessing. God wants to bless those who give to the work of the kingdom; are you willing to receive it? “’Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way,’ says the Lord of Hosts. ‘See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure’” (Malachi 3:10).

Third, God can do what He wants to do. God decreed that the Levitical priesthood required lineage from Levi; God worked within that framework during that time period. However, God has the freedom, power, and authority to work in a different way before and after the days of the Levitical priesthood. He made Melchizedek the priest of Noah’s covenant; He can make Jesus priest of the New Covenant.

We can’t always assume that we know how God will work among us. He may have done a great and powerful work in the past but that doesn’t mean He’ll do the same thing in the future. Our job isn’t to tell Him what to do; our job is to serve willingly in the work to which He calls us.

What else do you see in this profound exchange between Melchizedek and Abraham? How else does their exchange show Melchizedek’s superiority? Even more, what can we learn from this event all these thousands of years later?

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Who is Melchizedek - Hebrews 7:1-3

Melchizedek.

I don’t think any other topic of Bible study makes us cringe as much as this one. After all, his name is really hard to say; what if we have to read it out loud in front of a class? Plus, the Bible says some really weird, hard to understand stuff about him.

It’s easier if we just don’t go there.

Except, I have a couple problems with that.

First, earlier, the author of Hebrews accused the recipients of his letter as being “too lazy to understand” because they weren’t ready to dig through the hard stuff of Melchizedek’s priesthood (Hebrews 5:11). I don’t know about you, but I’m not a lazy person. I have to prove the author of Hebrews wrong; I don’t want him to find me too lazy to understand God’s Word.

Second, I’ve learned something about Bible study – sometimes the good stuff is hardest to get. Some passages are simple… and beautiful… and amazing… right on the surface. Others, though, require some digging and meditating and questioning and searching before we see their beauty. However, our investment of some extra effort often reveals an even more brilliant nugget of truth.

So, we’re not going to skip over Melchizedek. We’re going to dig in to his story and ask God to shine the brilliance and depth of His Word into our lives, even when it’s hard. We’re even going to learn how to say his name – Mel-khee-se’-dek ☺

Click picture for a printable handout for this section

Melchizedek – Who is he? (7:1)

Let’s start by reading the verses for this section – Hebrews 7:1-3.

King of Salem
OK, this isn’t too hard yet. Melchizedek is a king; specifically, the king of Salem. Salem is an ancient name for the city that later became known as Jerusalem. God had His man in place over that holy region even before He called Abraham.

Priest of the Most High God
This may seem pretty simple on the surface but Melchizedek’s priesthood raises some questions we must consider. How could he be priest of the Most High God if God hadn’t even given the Law yet? How could he be both priest and king?

The author of Hebrews first mentioned Melchizedek in Hebrews 5:5-9. We studied that passage in Jesus, Our Priest. That section introduced a comparison between the priesthoods’ of Aaron and Melchizedek; it also revealed that Melchizedek’s was superior. The author of Hebrews also showed us more specifically what it meant that Jesus was a priest in the order of Melchizedek rather than the order of Aaron.

The Old Testament priesthood primarily refers to priests from the tribe of Levi, the great-grandson of Abraham (Numbers 1:47-54). If we stop to think about it, it’s a little confusing to read Melchizedek was a priest of the Most High God. After all, only Yahweh is God Most High and He didn’t establish the Levitical priesthood until many years later.

A key theme of Hebrews is a call to see the whole picture. The first-century Jews who received the letter focused on their Jewish traditions, history, and faith – and understandably so. However, the first century was a time of transition from Old Covenant Law to New Covenant grace. The author of Hebrews wanted them to look past their strictly Jewish Law sacrificial system and begin to see the whole picture of God’s plan for the redemption of humanity. God had a new plan to reach humanity after the Law, just as He had a different plan before the Law. As we struggle to see the whole picture ourselves, we must remember God has a plan to reach all people in all times – not just us in our time.

Before God cut covenant with Abraham and gave the Law to Moses, He had a covenant with Noah (Genesis 9:8-17). We know a lot about how the Law later impacted the people in their daily lives; we don’t know nearly as much about Noah’s covenant. We do know, however, that Melchizedek was a priest under that covenant. Since Scripture repeatedly refers to Melchizedek as a priest of the Most High God, we can safely assume that he operated under God’s plan for that time period which was the covenant with Noah.

Under Jewish Law, one man couldn’t serve as both priest and king. This is our first connection of Jesus with the superior priesthood of Melchizedek wherein one man served as both priest and king.

Melchizedek – What did he do? (7:1-2)

Let me set a little context for this situation. Abraham and Lot, his nephew, had come together from Ur but had since part ways. Lot settled in one region to the east while Abraham settled further west. In time, a group of kings from further east came over to defeat the kings in Lot’s region. In today’s geographical names, the kings of the east were from Iraq and Lot’s region was southern Israel and Jordan, specifically around the Dead Sea. The kings from the east defeated the kings of the west, plundered them, and took them back to their eastern kingdom.

However, someone escaped and let Abraham know what happened. Maybe they went to Abraham because they knew of Abraham’s devotion to Lot. Maybe they went because Abraham was from that eastern region originally. Remember, God had called him out of Ur of the Chaldees, which was in modern-day Iraq. Regardless of the reason, Abraham set out to defeat the kings of the east and was successful. Read the full story in Genesis 14.

Before we move on, let’s think about this story in the context of a male ego. Abraham was now what we might call “top man on the totem pole.” He had defeated the 5 kings of the east who had in turn defeated the 4 from the west. He was in control over all that area and people, should he have chosen to exert his power and position. I think that’s important to remember as we look at the actions of the two men.

Melchizedek blessed Abraham
Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God, acknowledged God’s blessing on Abraham. Maybe Melchizedek knew God had already spoken words of blessing over Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3) and that God was about to cut a new covenant with him (Genesis 15). Either way, Melchizedek seemed to know Abraham was a man of God. Melchizedek could have clung tight to his position but instead he obediently blessed Abraham and allowed God to continue His plan for the redemption of all mankind. His was a blessing humbly given.

Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of the plunder
A look at the physical happenings shows Abraham to be a man in control of the whole volatile region. Abraham, however, was learning to look at the spiritual, not the physical. His would become a life of faith in the unseen God, not in his own power. Through spiritual eyes, Abraham saw Melchizedek’s superiority. He humbly acknowledged as much by giving Melchizedek a tenth of all the plunder as an offering.

To emphasize Abraham’s submission to and trust in God, he didn’t even keep the remaining 90% of the plunder. He could have; the king of Sodom even thought he would. However, Abraham gave it all back and declared, “I have raised my hand in an oath to Yahweh, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you, so you can never say, ‘I made Abram rich’” (Genesis 14:22-23).

Humility and submission marked this moment of transition from Noah’s covenant to Abraham’s covenant. As such, we see another connection between Melchizedek’s priesthood and that of Jesus. Both priesthood’s marked a time of transition from one covenant to the next – Melchizedek marked the change from Noah to Abraham while Jesus marked the change from the Law to the New Covenant. Both transitions were moments of humility (Philippians 2:5-8), rather than prideful human conquest.

Melchizedek – What was he like? (7:2-3)

Wow – so much to understand when we look at the whole picture! Who knew these brief verses of introduction would include so much?

Things are about to get a little more complicated in our quest to understand Melchizedek. Five phrases in these verses can cause a lot of confusion but we’ll break them down, one by one.

King of righteousness
Melchizedek may have been a title rather than a name since it means “king of righteousness.” I tend to agree but whether it’s a title or a name isn’t the key point. The focus is people called him that. Noah’s covenant, under which Melchizedek served, was a covenant distinguished by righteousness. It was because of Noah’s own righteousness that God rescued him and his family from the worldwide flood (Genesis 6:8-9).

Here we see another connection between Melchizedek and Jesus - both were known for righteousness (Isaiah 53:11, 1 John 2:1, Revelation 15:3).

King of peace
Salem isn’t only an early name for Jerusalem; it’s also a form of the word shalom which means peace. Melchizedek was also the king of peace. Peace didn’t reign during Noah’s time as the world experienced global upheaval. However, it did come through his descendant Melchizedek.

Here we see a fourth connection between Melchizedek and Jesus. Jesus is the “Prince of peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Even more, Melchizedek’s priesthood came after a time of worldwide upheaval to usher in a time of peace. Likewise, Jesus’ first coming didn’t bring worldwide peace. Instead, His second coming will bring in peace after a devastating period of worldwide destruction known as the tribulation.

Without father, mother, or genealogy
We must view these remaining descriptions in the context of Melchizedek’s priesthood, not his humanity. The remaining three qualities describe him as a priest, not as a person. The Complete Jewish Bible communicates this more clearly in its translation. It says, “There is no record of his father, mother, ancestry, birth, or death; rather, like the Son of God, he continues as a cohen [priest] for all time” (Hebrews 7:3 CJB).

Except Jesus, everyone since Adam and Eve has a mom and dad. It’s the biological process God created – it’s just the way it works. Melchizedek had a mom and dad. The significance is we don’t know who they were.

Genealogy and lineage were crucial in the Levitical priesthood. No man could serve as priest unless he could prove his ancestry within the tribe of Levi. Therefore, the priests kept very meticulous records of the priestly line. However, with Melchizedek, we have no records of his lineage. We are unable to trace his ancestry. Even more, he had no lineage to Aaron or Levi as they hadn’t even been born!

Here we see the fourth connection between Jesus and Melchizedek’s priesthood – both were based on a calling by God rather than a lineage through the tribe of Levi.

Neither beginning of days nor end of life
Melchizedek isn’t hanging out in a cave in the Middle East somewhere having never died. His priesthood continues forever, not his actual life. This isn’t that odd if you also consider that we as believers in the New Covenant will also reign with Jesus as priests forever (Revelation 1:5-6) and therein lies our fifth connection.

Resembles the Son of God
Melchizedek isn’t the Son of God; he resembles Him. Big difference. Also, Jesus doesn’t resemble Melchizedek; Melchizedek resembles Jesus. Simply put, Melchizedek is a type – or an Old Testament picture – of the Messiah to come. Looking at the life of Melchizedek tells us something of what to look for in the fulfillment of the Messianic priesthood.

Why do I care?

As I began, Melchizedek isn’t a favorite topic for Bible study. His existence is even harder than his name. Yet, understanding his story is part of understanding God’s plan to redeem all of humanity.

Part of growing up is when we realize not everything revolves around us. I think this is just as true spiritually as it is mentally. God has reached out to all people at all times but it looked a little different in the past than it does now. Like the Jews of the first-century, it’s important to not think our covenant is the only covenant. Seeing how God’s plan flowed from one era to the next helps us see His awesomeness but even more, see how great His desire to restore our relationship with Him.

We also can learn from the humility of all the men involved in this story. Sometimes God brings us to a place of transition. He calls us away from one area and brings in someone new. That’s OK; Melchizedek is our example to bow out gracefully and humbly as God begins a new work in the life of someone else. Or, we may be the one God brings in to a transition as was Abraham. Again, we come in to a time of transition with humility.

The final reason we care about Melchizedek today is that God gave us his story to teach us about the Messiah. All of Scripture points to Jesus as the Messiah; our intimacy with Him grows as we find Him hidden in the difficult passages.

Maybe you can think of more… why else might we care to study someone as complex and overwhelming as Melchizedek today?

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Certainty of Hope, Part 2 - Hebrews 6:12-20

God calls us to be fully clothed in hope – a possibility only available when we know Him and His Word, allow them to transform our thoughts, and then live out that transformation. This is the plan God left for us. It’s the method He chose for salvation to go to all the world. He chose us to step up into a relationship with Him and then share it with those we know.

That’s where we left off in part one of this section on hope. Today, we’ll consider Hebrews 6:12-20; I encourage you to go ahead and read it. The author of Hebrews offers us an example of someone from the Bible who lived out his hope, the changes in his life because of it, and what it means for us today. Let’s jump in!

The Certainty of Hope, Part 2

Click picture for a printable handout for this section

Imitate Abraham (6:12-15)
Do you remember the story of my Royals’ fan friend from the last section? He attended the home opener covered completely in Royals’ attire; we compared his look to the idea of being completely clothed in hope. My husband is a pretty loyal Royals’ fan in his own right; however, he dresses a lot more conservatively at a game. If he decided he wants everyone to know about his love and dedication for the team, though, he could imitate our friend who goes fully decked out in royal blue and white. Our friend is an example of what it looks like to be a Royals’ fan.

The author of Hebrews gave us an example of hope as well. If we want to know what it looks like to live completely covered in hope, Abraham is the man for us to imitate. He's our example.

When we imitate him, we recognize the whole system hinges on faith. After all, before the Law was given and before Aaron was ordained as high priest, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” (Romans 10:3, also Genesis 15:6). That’s why we read in Hebrews that Abraham was one “who inherit[ed] the promises through faith” (Hebrews 6:12).

That verse continues by saying Abraham was also one who inherited the promises of hope through perseverance. Permit me a brief summary of Abraham’s life so we might see how his ability to persevere played out. Hebrews 6:14 quotes Genesis 22:17-18, “I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gates of their enemies. And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed My command.” This may sound like a great offer but Abraham's life was a difficult journey before he reached this point of abundant blessing from God.

God called Abraham to separate from so much – his father, his home, his extended family, the desires of the world, the pride of self-sufficiency, and the misplaced hope he put in his son Ishmael. Even all of this wasn’t enough, though. In the hardest test of his life, God asked Abraham to separate from the son of promise, Isaac. God asked Abraham to sacrifice him on an altar.

We may be familiar with this story from Genesis 22. In that moment, God stopped Abraham from killing Isaac. Only then did God make the final oath to confirm the hope and promise. By faith, Abraham persevered through some of the hardest trials God has placed upon any man. His perseverance is our example to imitate.

Abraham’s faith and perseverance realized his hope (6:15-18)
The darkest hour of Abraham’s life led to the fullest realization of his hope. He never would have arrived at that place if he had not persevered by faith. Long before Paul ever wrote it, Abraham knew this to be true – “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

Hope may be hard to see in that dark hour. As Abraham raised the blade above Isaac’s young body, faith and hope were all that remained for Abraham. He had nothing else to cling to.

But it was in that darkest moment that God provided salvation. It was in that moment that God Himself provided a ram. Only then was Abraham able to declare, “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain” (Genesis 22:14).

For Abraham, that moment became his hope because he knew he now had the son of promise. He had separated from his own plan for his life and trusted fully in God’s plan. Now, for the rest of his life, every time his eyes rested on Isaac, he knew God had provided an heir through whom the blessing would come. He had hope because he knew that through Isaac the promise would come.

For all of us, that moment foreshadows an even greater hope. Centuries later, on that same mountain, the Lord did provide in a great and powerful way. God sacrificed His only Son, Jesus – Abraham’s descendant through Isaac – to bring salvation and hope to the world.

Abraham’s example is our encouragement (6:18)
Those dark hours thrust into our lives just as they did into Abraham’s. Hope may be hard to find at those times. God only needed to speak once to make His promise true but He offered the promise to Abraham in increasing measure three times – He brought it to a point of spiritual perfection. God didn’t speak once and leave Abraham to figure out the rest on his own. He allowed Abraham to go through some stuff so that God could do the work in him that He needed to do. When that growth process was complete, God sealed those promises with an oath – a final confirmation of His call, promise, and faithfulness to accomplish all that He said. Again, Abraham knew long before Paul that “He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

God’s trio of promises followed by an oath of confirmation led to the full realization of Abraham’s hope. They do likewise for us, so that “we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18).

Seize the hope. Don’t admire it from afar or tiptoe around it. Don’t pick at it in tidbits. Seize it. Grab onto that thing and wrap it around yourself over and over until you have completely covered yourself in the hope that only God offers.

This hope is our anchor (6:19-20)
Do you see that little word “this?” This hope isn’t just any hope. This hope is the one for which Abraham separated himself from all he knew. This hope is the one promised by God and sealed with an oath in which He cannot lie. This hope is the one that brought life to Isaac and through him life to the whole world. This hope is the hope which can completely cover us. This is the hope we have.

This hope is the anchor for our soul. Our soul is the very part of us that is able to connect with God. It is the part that can be taken from eternal darkness and death into eternal light and life. Hope latches on to our soul and says, “You cannot be shaken. You won’t be moved. I will hold you safe and secure while life’s darkest hour tries to buffet and toss you like a stick on a violent sea.”

This hope takes us behind the curtain into the inner sanctuary of the Most Holy Place where Jesus has already gone. This hope takes us into the very presence of God.

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