Chapter 1: Who was Melchizedek and why is he significant?
Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap.
Today we drop back in on the book of Hebrews and its rich descriptions of Jesus and his supremacy over all things. Chapter 7 opens by continuing to compare him to the Old Testament priest Melchizedek. Some scholars believe he was a Christ type, while others believe he was God the Son, making a special appearance on earth before he was born as Jesus. They certainly have a lot in common.
For instance, Melchizedek's name means righteousness, and he was the king of a place called peace. And when he showed up in Genesis 14, he brought out bread and wine. And the author of Hebrews makes a case for Melchizedek being greater than Abraham because he bestowed a blessing to Abraham. The idea of someone being greater than Abraham was probably shocking to Jewish readers.
It's a pretty great story. Check it out if you have time. And if you want more information on the mysterious Melchizedek, we've linked to a video and an article again in today's show notes. Another interesting thing about Melchizedek is that he wasn't a descendant of the line of Levi, and all the priests during the Old Covenant were supposed to be descended from Levi.
But there's a good reason he wasn't a descendant of Levi, because he lived about 500 years before Levi was born. As a non-Levitical priest, one not descended from Levi, Melchizedek kind of sets a precedent for Jesus as priest, because Jesus was also not a descendant of Levi. But Jesus, who is from the line of Judah, gets his priestly authority based on the fact that he is eternal. That'll do it.
If you joined us in the New Testament, it's possible that some of this may be lost on you, but I hope you'll stick around and join us when we start in Genesis 1 again, because it will help you see some of the really rich textures in this story. One of the things it points to is this.
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Chapter 2: How does Melchizedek's priesthood compare to the Levitical priesthood?
The old law that the priests upheld was great for when they were under the old priestly system, but we have a new system in place now because the priest has changed. It's kind of like how our laws change when we get new leaders in office. Now that Jesus is our high priest, we operate under a new covenant. And verse 27 points out why this is infinitely better.
It says, He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. Jesus offered the final sacrifice for our sins. There's no need for a sacrificial system anymore. He finished it.
Chapter 8 reminds us that after he finished paying for our sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Priests don't sit. There's too much work to do. So the fact that he's sitting, it's because the work is done, finished. The author references this again later in 10.12 when he says, Another reason why this new covenant is superior is because the old one had some major limitations.
Namely, it couldn't change hearts. It could reveal sin, but it couldn't make a person not love sin. But the new covenant is written on our hearts. It reaches us on every level. The author says this new covenant makes the old one obsolete. You don't need to have laws telling you to do something if your heart wants to do it. You do it anyway because you're motivated by love, not by law.
The author references this again in 10.9 when he says, he does away with the first in order to establish the second. You can see how this probably hits the Jewish Christians where they live. It has to be a real challenge to shift the frame of mind they've been living in for 2,000 years. For them, the law isn't just a preference or a habit or even a belief. It's their entire culture and identity.
Chapter 9 describes the interior of the temple and how priests of the old covenant had to make mediation. Verse 15 says, Christ is the mediator, or the high priest, of the new covenant. But this new covenant doesn't do away with blood. It's still required. Sin still has to be atoned for. Verse 22 says that if blood isn't shed, sins aren't forgiven.
But in this new covenant, we have the blood of a perfect sacrifice, the blood of Christ. And because he is the perfect sacrifice, he only has to be sacrificed once. That's why the author keeps driving home the phrase, "'Once for all time.'" The deal is done.
Verse 28 says, "'So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.'" So yeah, he'll be back, but not to die again, not to be sacrificed again, but to be celebrated. Chapter 10 revisits some of the other limitations of the law.
For instance, if sacrificing an animal could pay for sin, then why did they have to keep doing it year after year? The author tells us in verse 4, "...it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin." And several times in the Old Testament, God told his people this. He said, "...I don't want your sacrifices. That's not what I'm after. I'm after your hearts."
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