Bible Commentaries
Hebrews 6

Verses 1-10

1 The chief priest in Israel was able to sympathize with the human frailties of the people because he himself had the same, and sinned, like the rest. But Christ's sufferings, unspeakably more trying than any priest's, never led Him into sin. The priest could offer a sacrifice for himself. Christ could not, for He was the Sacrifice, which must be without blemish. Yet, though He had no sin and did no sin, His close contact with sin and its sufferings enables Him to enter into perfect sympathy with those thus placed.

4 The honors of the priesthood have been coveted or usurped only at awful cost. Korah, Dathan and Abiram claimed the priesthood and were swallowed up by the earth (Nu.16). The censers of those with them were made into broad plates to cover the altar as a memorial that no stranger, not of the seed of Aaron, may come near to offer incense before the Lord ( Num_16:40 ). King Uzziah also transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. In consequence, the leprosy rose up in his forehead before the priests, and he was thrust out, and was a leper to the day of his death ( 2Ch_26:16-21 ). Hence it would appear a most serious matter for anyone outside the line of Aaron to set himself up as a priest. Only one called by God dare aspire to the honor. It is necessary, therefore that Christ Himself, Who was not of the tribe of Levi, much less a son of Aaron, should have a definite call. Not by personal ambition, but by the call of God which involved such suffering as is most repugnant to flesh and blood, did Christ obtain His priesthood. God did save Him out of death, but not from the "cup".

11 The Jews were blind to the failures and disabilities connected with the Aaronic priesthood, hence could not appreciate the necessity of a new order for the Messiah. This made the whole subject a difficult one to unfold to them. The principal lessons are drawn from the inspired omissions in the record, which require a measure of spiritual apprehension which they did not possess.

1 The six rudiments which form the foundation which the Hebrews are exhorted to leave for more mature teaching are closely connected with the proclamation of the kingdom, and are not the substructure of present truth. Repentance and baptism are the keys to the kingdom, and are not for the body of Christ. Peter, at Pentecost, proclaims repentance and baptism to the Jews-perhaps to some who later received this epistle. Faith is the basis on which the present administration of grace is built. The Jews were zealous religionists. Their ritual was the dead works of which they repented when they turned to Messiah. "Faith on God" is probably the equivalent of our "belief in God", that is believing that He is, rather than what He has said. Believing God, as in Abraham's case, leads to justification, a grace entirely absent from this list.

2 Paul did not put baptism in the foundation of his evangel. He insisted that Christ had not sent him to baptize, but to evangelize ( 1Co_1:17 ). Now there is only one baptism-that in spirit, which unites us into one body ( Eph_4:5 ). In the kingdom proclamation, however, baptism in water was essential. The imposition of hands for the conveyance of spiritual benefits especially through the apostles is also a characteristic of the kingdom economy. There seems to be no reference here to the "resurrection from among the dead", but rather to resurrection in general, apart from which the kingdom cannot be set up. At that time will the saints in Israel awake and possess the kingdom promised to them in the prophets. Eonian judgment characterizes the inception and progress of Messiah's reign. It begins with the severest judgments this earth has known. These are the six foundation stones cast down by those who fell away among the Hebrews.

They should have left them for maturity. Instead, they forsake them for apostasy. Instead of going back to Judaism, they would crucify again for themselves the Son of God.

4 This description applies only to those who participated in the Pentecostal blessings. They were enlightened, they' tasted the celestial gratuity, they became partakers of holy spirit, and God's declaration, and they only experienced the powers of the kingdom eon, and many of them fell aside. These blessings were based on their repentance, or change of mind, which was induced largely by the miracles which they saw. When the kingdom failed to appear, and its powers vanished, their repentance went also. Hence the impossibility of renewing it, for the means which produced it were no longer in evidence. Such a course is not possible in a day of grace, such as we live in. In place of repentance and pardon, we have faith and justification, which know no falling away, being entirely of grace,

from first to last.

Verses 11-20

11 Brotherly kindness manifested in the service of the saints is several times commended in t his epistle ( Heb_10:34 , Heb_13:1 ), and will be rewarded in accord with the promise of Mat_10:40-42 .

12 "Through faith and patience" the promises may be enjoyed even by those who are actually strangers and expatriates on the earth.

13 That all are not to apostatize is evident from God's oath to Abraham. This truth is offered as an incentive to those who still remain faithful, to persevere to the consummation. It is only thus that the salvation of the Pentecostal saint was assured. The general fulfilment of God's oath to Abraham was beyond question, for God swore by the highest possible power to fulfil it, yet the special blessing of each one of his physical descendants depends, in some degree, not merely on their faith, but their faithfulness. This is the great distinguishing feature, which sinks it far below the grace which is lavished on us, sinners of the nations. We do not need this anchor of the soul, hence it is extended only to those who belong to Abraham by ties of flesh.

1 Melchizedek is notable chiefly for what is not recorded of him. There is no reason to believe that he was, personally, the mystical and miraculous character which is his as a picture of the priesthood of Christ. He doubtless was a man like other men, for God had some among the nations who had been brought to a close acquaintance with their Creator. The Melchizedek priesthood should be studied in its contrasts with the Aaronic priesthood. Its greatest difference lies in the fact that it combines the office of king with that of priest. This is the ideal way. It was only because of the failure of Moses that Aaron was given a share in his mediatorial office. It is God's purpose that the nation of Israel shall be a kingdom of priests ( Exo_19:6 ), a royal priesthood ( 1Pe_2:8 ). They will rule the nations for God and bring the nations' offerings to God. So it behooves their Head to be both Priest and King. The other great point of dissimilarity lies in the matter of succession. The continuance of the Aaronic priesthood was made a matter of descent, and nothing was so vital to a priest as his genealogy. He must be able to tell his father and his mother and trace his lineage clear back to Aaron or he could not even be a priest. And he must provide for this succession by marrying within the priestly caste. In notable contrast to this we have no recorded genealogy of Melchizedek whatever, no mention of father or mother, and no succession, for his death is carefully excluded from the fleeting glimpse we get of him on the pages of inspiration. These omissions are intentional, for only thus can his priesthood picture the priesthood of Christ, Who does not require a genealogy or a successor.

2 The writer fixes our attention on the significance and sequence of these titles. Righteousness must underlie peace in Christ's priestly work as elsewhere ( Psa_72:3 ; Psa_85:10 ; Isa_32:17 ; Isa_9:4 ). So also justification is the ground of the infinitely greater favor of peace ( Rom_5:1 ).

3 The Aaronic priesthood was a treadmill which never accomplished its object. The Melchizedek priesthood of Christ lasts during the millennium, and accomplishes its purpose, for no priest is found necessary in the new creation ( Rev_22:22 ), when God dwells with mankind ( Rev_21:3 ).

4 As further evidence of the superiority of the Melchizedek priesthood, our attention is directed to the tithe, which, in Israel, was the special portion of the Levites. Abraham, himself, the progenitor of the nation, actually paid tithes to this priest, and in him, the whole Levitical priesthood paid tithes to another and higher order. Nor is this all, for Melchizedek blessed Abraham, and so bestowed his benediction on the Levitic succession. This alone shows that his order is distinctly superior to that of Aaron.