Grace and peace be yours in Christ Jesus.
Welcome back or just to afaithtalk. I’m grateful you have come to study with me. All I do here is try to grow my faith and in the process help you grow yours.
So as promised, we revisit Melchizedek in today’s chapter. There are wonders in this chapter that it’s going to take Jesus’s Grace and his revelation and leadership to see. So before we begin, get a pen or whatever your favorite writing utensil is, and some paper and grab your NIV Bible or find it on biblegateway.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, this chapter feels a bit like an aside in a larger lesson our writer here is sharing. A very helpful one sure, but an aside none-the-less. So help us see what it is we really need to see. It’s You, Lord. All about You, all for You, all with You, all because of You, Lord. May the lesson You write today bring you glory and praise and honor. In Your precious Name I pray. Amen.
The following 28 verses sure don’t feel like 28. It feels short. Stick with it, He’s here, He’s inspiring the writing, He has you here for something. Wait for it. Let’s begin.
Read Hebrews 7:1-3
Melchizedek the Priest
“King of Righteousness”, “King of Peace”, “resembling the Son of God”
Read Hebrews 7:4-5
Just think how great he was!
Read Hebrews 7:6-10
You had to be a descendent of Levi to be a priest under the Jewish Law. That’s why it’s called the Levitical Priesthood. That’s why it is so astonishing to them that Melchizedek was a priest of God most High. Nobody knew his ancestors.
That last verse, amazing to think about really, Levi was a son of Jacob who was a son of Issac who was the ‘promised’ son of Abraham.
Blessed is or rather was the one who had the promises. Think now: in faith, in Jesus, you too are a descendent of Abraham and oh the many promises that still remain to be filled. God is faithful and He will not forget. If He’s promised it, you can count on it.
Read Hebrews 7:11
Jesus Like Melchizedek
Wait for it, our writer is going to answer that question. Why indeed? Lots of Scripture makes that answer clear but we’re going to stick with this writer, wait for it.
Read Hebrews 7:12-14
Not just changing the Law. Fulfilling the Law is what Jesus came and did. The descendent of King David, our forever Priest and King. Jesus.
Read Hebrews 7:15-17
On the basis of the power of an indestructible life. My friend, that’s what He gifts to us too, life everlasting and always with Him.
That regulation was the one saying you had to be descended from Levi to be part of the priesthood.
Read Hebrews 7:18-19
A better hope. Jesus is our better hope. The only Hope that is everything we really do need and all we really want. Put your hope in God. He knows you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you, it’s a promise.
Read Hebrews 7:20-22
Jesus is the guarantor of a better covenant. The one that says we will inherit eternal life through Him. We have passed from death caused by sin into life by faith. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”a Romans 8:1-2
Read Hebrews 7:23-24
Said so simply. ‘But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood.’
Read Hebrews 7:25-26
See, He is the answer to our need. Today, we need to write verse 25. You can skip the therefore if you want to, and include verse 26 too if you’d like. Completely is also worded Forever in some translations. You could use that instead of completely if you’d like to.
Read Hebrews 7:27-28
That sentence: “He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.” Not just all time, all sins, forever. This however is the only life you have to come to Him. Believe and you will live.
The oath came after the law because by the time they heard the oath, Jesus had risen from the dead and the law had been fulfilled. Perfection, my friend, is our future. Hold onto your faith. It is precious in God’s eyes.