Hebrews 80 March 1, 2007
NKJ Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with
wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not
faint.
Comments on Texas Independence
We are in Hebrews 7. To understand
what the writer of Hebrews is going to say here at the beginning, we need to go
back a couple of verses to pick up his flow of thought in Hebrews 6:19-20. This
is the conclusion of that exhortation section that began back in chapter 5 and
goes through chapter 6. He concludes by saying…
NKJ Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the
soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the
veil,
NKJ Hebrews 6:20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus,
having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Now if we look at this verse, I want
to point out a couple of things I didn’t cover in quite as much detail as we
were wrapping that up. As the verse begins (and it is a fair translation in the
English) we have that word hope in italics. That means that it is not in the
original. Actually the original begins with a feminine form of the relative
pronoun. The relative pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender.
Antecedent is the word to which it refers. So it doesn’t begin “this”, it
begins with the word “which”. Which being a feminine relative pronoun must
refer back to a feminine noun. The last noun in verse 18 is the noun elpis or
hope. That is a feminine gender noun. So that’s the reference there. That is
why it is legitimate for the translator to bring that over for sake of clarity
of reading. But, it should be translated “which hope”. That is, the hope that
we have just talked about.
An anchor is that which gives
stability and certainty in the midst of storms. It is that which stabilizes us.
It is that future expectation – living in the light of eternity as we have
studied. As we make that future destiny so real to us that it stabilizes us in
this present time. That is the 6th problem solving device that we
talk about – that 6th stress buster – that personal
sense of destiny. That future is so certain that no matter what happens today
we can just relax and move right through it. It is an anchor of the soul, both
sure and steadfast.
The verb there is eiserchomai
which means to go into or to enter. But it is a participial form. It has a
feminine ending which means that it is used as a relative participle to refer
back also to “that hope.” So it would be translated “and which hope enters the
Presence behind the veil.” What the writer is doing here is personifying hope
as if it is a person. It is our hope that goes forward into the veil following
(because that is the focus of the hope) the one who has been our forerunner,
our predecessor, the one who has blazed the trail and entered the Holy of
Holies. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. So the writer is saying that our hope is
focused on Jesus Christ and it goes before us and it gives us certainty and
steadfastness in this life because it is focused on the forerunner Jesus who
has become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
This mention of the order of
Melchizedek picks up the theme that he began to introduce back in verse 10,
talking about Jesus as having been perfected.
NKJ Hebrews 5:9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to
all who obey Him,
NKJ Hebrews 5:10 called by God as High Priest "according to the
order of Melchizedek,"
Now this theme related to the high
priestly ministry of Jesus Christ doesn’t just pop up here in the middle of the
epistle. It has been introduced gradually - step by step by step as you go
through Hebrews. Back in Hebrews 2:17 we have the mention…
NKJ Hebrews 2:17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren,
that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to
God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
If you remember when we studied
Hebrews 2:10-17, the focus there was on the sanctification that had to occur in
the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had to grow and mature. He had to go
through suffering. He had to go through trials. He had to go through testing.
NKJ Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things
and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain
of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
That is in reference to the
Father.
Perfect or mature through suffering.
Now the reason the Lord Jesus Christ
had to go through that process is so that He would be qualified in His humanity
because at the moment of the hypostatic union (at that moment of the
incarnation when the eternal deity of the Second Person of the Trinity took to
Himself the genuine humanity) that was to be the human part of the Lord Jesus
Christ. At the instant that it was joined together, it would never ever
separate. He would be in hypostatic union forever - the joining of perfect
deity of undiminished deity with true genuine humanity forever. A billion years
from now the Second Person of the Trinity is still going to be incarnate in a
resurrection body forever and ever. He is elevated at the ascension above the
angels, above all creatures. He is seated at the right hand of the Father
awaiting the distribution of the kingdom that we studied in Daniel 7. At this
position next to the Father, He is sitting on the Father’s throne Revelation 3
and serving as a faithful High Priest. So this is His role. He began that work
when He made propitiation for the sins of the people on the cross.
Then the next mention of His
priesthood is in Hebrews 4:15-16. There the writer of the epistle to the
Hebrews is reminding his readers as he begins the next section. He is picking
up the theme of high priest and he is weaving that in as a foundation of what
he is going to say from 4:14 to 5:10. He begins with high priest and ends with
Melchizedek and breaks off.
NKJ Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot
sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
A double negative in the English
cancels each other out. What he is saying is that we do have a High Priest who
can sympathize with our weakness. Why? Because, He went through all of those
same tests in His humanity. He suffered. Whatever those adversities are (the
kinds of adversities and temptations and testing that we go through) He went
through as well. The only difference is that He doesn’t have that internal
fallen nature that is giving Him an attraction to the sin. But, He has to go
through those same tests because He is going to show that a man utilizing the
power of the Word of God and the Spirit of God can surmount the testing as Adam
did not. So in His humanity He has to handle this. So He is tempted in all
points as we are. Because of His victory on the cross, because of His ascension
to the right hand of the Father we can therefore come boldly to the throne of
grace.
NKJ Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Now what has happened here? Coming
to the throne of grace is not something that could happen in the Old Testament.
It is entry into the Holy of Holies, the presence of God. That is exactly what
is being described under a different metaphor in 6:20 where the forerunner has
entered for us having become High Priest. Our hope can go in there. Our
confidence can go directly to the Father because of what He has done in His
high priestly ministry. He is a High Priest according to the order of
Melchizedek.
Now why does he have to explain
this? He has to explain it because he is writing to a bunch of Levites,
probably, Levitical priests who were serving or had been serving in the temple
in Jerusalem. They came to understand and accept that Jesus was the Messiah promised
in the Old Testament. They had put their faith alone in Christ alone and they
were saved. But, they were having questions now about the validity of their
salvation and the spiritual life apart from the ritual and the priesthood of
the Old Testament. They need to have that explained to them - how Jesus Christ
can be can the High Priest. The writer is going to explain that this priesthood
comes from this unique priesthood of Melchizedek in the Old Testament. So we
look at verse 1 of chapter 7.
NKJ Hebrews 7:1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who
met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
The first thing we learn about him
is that Melchizedek was a king. This goes back to Genesis 14. Let’s hold our
place here and turn back with me to Genesis 14. There are only 3 verses that
mention Melchizedek in Genesis. Then there is one other verse in Psalm 110:1.
That is it. That is all we know about Melchizedek. But, the writer of the book
of Hebrews is going to take those 4 verses that we have from the Old Testament
and build upon that an argument for the kind of priesthood that Jesus Christ
has. (This is a great lesson on how to do theology and exegesis.)
Then we are told in verse 18
following Abraham’s defeat of the 4 kings under the alliance of Chedorlaomer.
On his way back from victory Abraham took a detour to Salem (which is another
name for Jerusalem) to bring a tribute of 10% of the spoils to the priest-king
of Salem.
NKJ Genesis 14:18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and
wine; he was the
priest of God Most High.
NKJ Genesis 14:19 And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
Notice the emphasis on creation.
NKJ Genesis 14:20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your
hand." And he gave him a tithe of all.
He is Abraham.
Then we are told that there was a
little jealousy going on from the King of Sodom who wanted to have some of that
for himself. This is our only reference, our only information other than Psalm
110 which references the Messiah. The Messiah would be after the order of
Melchizedek. Psalm 110:4.
You see this comes directly out of
Genesis 14.
NKJ Hebrews 7:2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated
"king of righteousness," and then also king of Salem, meaning
"king of peace,"
Melek is king. Melke means my king. Or it could be a construct - My king of
righteousness or king of righteousness.
Shalom is the Hebrew greeting meaning
peace. So Salem is a noun meaning peace. So he has two titles attributed to him
that are similar and analogous to titles given to the Messiah, Jesus who is the
King of Righteousness and the King of Peace as we see in Isaiah 9:6.
NKJ Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government
will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Corrected translation: Father of eternity (meaning that He is
eternal).
So we see a parallel that is
definitely drawn from the Scriptures between Melchizedek the King of Salem and
Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace.
Then verse 3 tells us that
Melchizedek was…
NKJ Hebrews 7:3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither
beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a
priest continually.
That doesn’t mean (as I pointed out
last time) (We will go over this again. Everybody always has to) that he didn’t
have parents. It doesn’t mean that he is the pre-incarnate Christ that he
popped out of nowhere and disappeared. The writer is saying in the Scriptures,
in the revelation of God – nothing is said about his parentage, nothing
is said about his lineage, nothing is said about his genealogy, because those
factors weren’t significant to his priesthood. In a Levitical priesthood you
had to trace your lineage back all the way to Levi. There were those who came
back from the exile who were Levites but could not document their lineage. They
were not allowed to practice serving as priests in the temple. That’s the
writer’s point - the Melchizedekean priesthood is not based on lineage, not
based on relationship to parents, not based on genealogy or any of these
factors. We don’t know when he was born. We don’t know when he died because
that is not relevant. He goes on to say that he did not have beginning of days
or end of life in the revelation. He is not saying that Melchizedek was eternal
because he was not. He was a man. We will look at some reasons why Melchizedek
could not have been the pre-incarnate Christ before we are done. So we will
begin with those first 3 verses and not get much further than that this
evening.
We need to find out who Melchizedek
is. There are six comparisons between Melchizedek and Jesus. The point here is
to show the superiority and uniqueness of Jesus Christ. One of the things that
made Him unique was His resurrection, that the tomb is empty.
Now of course I mentioned this last
Sunday. I am sure some of you have seen some of these reports. There is going
to be a special documentary put out on the Discovery Channel and some of the
other channels this Sunday having to do with the fact that James Cromwell and
another filmmaker Jacobovici who is a Canadian that they claim that they have
found the tomb of Jesus. Let me give you 8 reasons why it is not the tomb of
Jesus. You need to be forearmed in detail when you watch this.
Those four have to do with the
foundation – what the Bible teaches. That is all we need to know. But what about what they say?
He has been excavating in Israel for over 50 years says, “I am not a
Christian. I am not a believer. I don’t have a dog in this fight. I just think
it is a shame the way this story is being hyped and manipulated. He said that
some of the inscriptions on these ossuaries are unclear. It is not easy to
decipher them. There is debate over what the actually say. But all of the names
are extremely common. You will find them in many families.”
In my family it is confusing around
Thanksgiving or Christmas because there were three Betty’s in the family. So
you know that it is no uncommon to keep running into certain names and certain
generations.
Amos Kroner is a famous archeologist who was the original excavator of
the tomb. He along with Joe Zias the former curator at the Israeli Antiquities
Authority have both rejected these claims. Kroner told the Jerusalem Post that
the documentary is just nonsense.
Zias sent an email to the Washington Post and said, “It is a hyped up
film that is intellectually and scientifically dishonest.
Jody Magness an archeologist the University of North Carolina at
Chappell Hill expressed her irritation about these claims at as news conference
saying, “Why are they releasing this to the public in a film like this instead
of the proper procedure of peer-reviewed findings to the scientific
community?”
She said that the filmmakers set it up as if it was a legitimate
academic debate when the vast majority of scholars who specialize in the
archeology of this period have flatly rejected this.
Okay, back to the superiority of
Jesus and Melchizedek. There are 6 comparisons made in this section between
Melchizedek and Jesus.
NKJ Hebrews 7:3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither
beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest
continually..
Who was made like the Son of God? Melchizedek was made like the Son of
God. That is one of the reasons that Melchizedek is not the pre-incarnate
Christ. He is said to have been made like, to resemble the Lord Jesus Christ.
So who is the proto-type? The proto-type is the Lord Jesus Christ. Melchizedek
was just a finite representation that was designed historically and within the
context of revelation to portray and symbolize certain aspects of the
priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, both had a superior priesthood and
authority.
This is the point that the writer of
Hebrews is making in these first three verses. There is a comparison between
the king-priest Melchizedek and the king-priest, the royal High Priest, the
Lord Jesus Christ. It was Melchizedek who is the finite representation of the
priesthood that would be that of the Lord Jesus Christ. So Melchizedek was
designed to give us a finite picture that would represent the kind of
priesthood that Jesus Christ had.
That sets us up for the next verse
which says…
NKJ Hebrews 7:4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a
tenth of the spoils.
The emphasis was on his leadership,
his authority, his superiority even over someone as great as Abraham. We will
pick that up next time when we look at this issue of tithing, giving a tenth of
the spoils.