Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, November 21st, 2024
the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Bible Commentaries
Concordant Commentary of the New Testament Concordant NT Commentary
Copyright Statement
Concordant Commentary of the New Testament reproduced by permission of Concordant Publishing Concern, Almont, Michigan, USA. All other rights reserved.
Concordant Commentary of the New Testament reproduced by permission of Concordant Publishing Concern, Almont, Michigan, USA. All other rights reserved.
Bibliographical Information
"Commentary on Hebrews 7". Concordant Commentary of the New Testament. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/aek/hebrews-7.html. 1968.
"Commentary on Hebrews 7". Concordant Commentary of the New Testament. https://www.studylight.org/
Whole Bible (51)New Testament (19)Individual Books (14)
Verses 1-10
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.
Verses 11-28
11 It would be very difficult for the Hebrews to acknowledge the failure of the Aaronic priesthood. Yet this is distinctly involved in the announcement of a priest after a different order. Had our Lord come of the family of Aaron, He would have been associated with an order which began in failure and which will never effect the reconciliation between God and His creatures which priesthood is intended to bring about: Hence His genealog1 proclaims Him Israel's King, but He ignores all genealogies in His priestly place. Instead, He has the much higher honor of being qualified for office by the divine oath, including an assurance that, unlike the Aaronic priesthood, there will be no regrets for the failure and insufficiency of His ministry.
23 If the Melchizedek priesthood should last forever (instead of for the eon) then it too, would come under the condemnation of never bringing anything to perfection or finality. Then there would be a temple and priesthood on the new earth; indeed, it would continue beyond the consummation, and form an insurmountable barrier between God and some of His creatures. Priesthood is a sign of estrangement; it vanishes when God is at peace with His people. Hence, though the Lord's life is indissoluble ( Heb_7:16 ) and the priesthood inviolate ( Heb_7:24 ), unbroken by death, it is always limited to one eon, beyond which there call be no priesthood, because there is no estrangement.
26 The glories of this Chief Priest refer to His relation to God, to men, to the law. He is knit to God by loving devotion. He is innocent of any tinge of malice toward men, and He is undefiled by a spot of moral defilement. He is separate from Sinners because of His exaltation to His office.
27 The fact that the sacrificial system under the law demanded sacrifices for the sins of the priests as well as for the people, shows that it was a weak and imperfect and temporary expedient. Add to this the fact that these sacrifices continued to be offered daily, and never brought any permanent relief, and we see clearly that it was never intended to do more than suggest the true Sacrifice, which the Son offered once, which needs no repetition. It is evident, therefore, that He could not have associated Himself with the Aaronic order without degrading His great sacrifice. They served among the shadows of the heavenly tabernacle. He entered the true.
1 The tabernacle and temple furniture did not include a seat. The high priest's work was never completed, hence, he never sat down in the holy places. In striking contrast, the Chief Priest of the new order has finished His work, and sits at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens. The "sum" is that the sanctuary is heaven itself: the Chief Priest is the Son of God. His priestly work began after His ascension (v. Heb_8:4 ). Aaronic priesthood was instituted at Sinai (Ex.24) after Israel had been redeemed; for the purpose of maintaining the people in the blessedness of redemption.
5 The tabernacle and its service were patterned after a heavenly original; It was not an exact copy, however, but an adumbration or shadow, merely giving the main outlines. The heavenly offerings seem to be mainly oblations or gifts, and probably had no sacrificial victims other than the great sacrifice of Christ. The earthly copy was given to teach the great lessons of God's righteousness and holiness, and man's unfitness and distance from Him, as well as the way of approach which is acceptable to Him until the true Sacrifice pours out His soul and makes an end of sins.
6 The heavenly tabernacle is not associated with the covenant and promises which came from Sinai along with the earthly model. Everything connected with the new Mediator is better. This is especially true of the new covenant which He will make when the kingdom commences.