Hebrews 7: 1-28

(Hebrews 7: 1-28)

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;  To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;  Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.  And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.  For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him. If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?  For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.  For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,  Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.  For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.  For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.  And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:  But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.  Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.  For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

 

The story of Melchizedek is recorded twice, once in Genesis 14, once in Psalm 110, except in Hebrews. In general, when introducing a person in the Bible, there is much to be explained along with the names of the ancestors. However, when the story of Melchizedek appeared in Genesis 14, there was no mention of parents. In verse 3, Melchizedek has no parents, no genealogy, and no explanation for his birth. This is because Melchizedek appears only as a symbolic being that predicts Jesus Christ.

 

Abraham is the father of the Jewish faith and the ancestor of the nation. However, Melchizedek blessed Abraham. In the Old Testament times, the upper one always blessed the lower one. The father blessed the children, and the priest blessed the people. The appearance of Melchizedek who blessed Abraham as a higher man than Abraham can also be seen as a symbol of Jesus Christ.

 

In Genesis 13, Abraham handed over all the good things to his nephew Lot. Lot chooses an area with Sodom and Gomorrah. In verse 11, 『Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 』 However, Abraham made all the concessions to Lot, and eventually he reached the land of Canaan. Lot chose a good place with his physical eyes, but eventually he became the only one who escaped from Sodom and Gomorrah, judged by God.

 

In Genesis 13:18, 『Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD. The tabernacle of Abraham on the tree of Mamre is where God meets. In Genesis 14, a war broke out and Abraham saved his nephew Lot. In verse 14, “And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. So, Abraham saves Lot and meets Melchizedek.

 

In Genesis 14:18-20, Melchizedek king of Salem blessed Abram with bread and wine. It is said that Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of what he had obtained. It was obtained in Hebrews 7:4, 『Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. It is one-tenth of the plunder. This work extends not only to Abraham, but to all Israel. One tenth represents the whole.

 

In 7:5-6, although Levi's sons were commanded to take tithes by priesthood, Melchizedek took a tenth from Abraham even though he was not included in the Leviticus. However, in 7:9-10, it is said that not only Abraham was dedicated, but also Abraham's descendant Levi. Because Levi is at the waist of Abraham. What the writer of the Hebrews is saying is that Israel is blessed only by the blessings given from heaven. This is the meaning of tithing. It is to confess that Abraham, Levi, and Israel all live by the blessings given from heaven.

The Levites are those who pay tithing, not those who pay tithing. The tithe in Hebrews is not about money, but to be grateful that your victory in war has been blessed by God. That is why the best is given. On the way back from the end of the war, Abraham met Melchizedek, drank the bread and wine, and Abraham paid tithing. When it is applied in the church today, it is not a matter of the world but a story of spiritual battle. What do you think is the “Tithing of Capture” today?

 

In Chapter 7:8, “And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth. 』Tithing means that there are tithes and spiritual tithes according to the law. The tithes according to the law had already been abolished, but the tithes offered by Abraham must be accepted in a spiritual sense. It is God's blessing to live victoriously through spiritual warfare today. That is why Saints reciprocate as the most precious. It is not a tithe that we think of as the provisions of the law, but what is best given in a spiritual sense. The important thing is not to follow the legal regulations, but to emphasize the spiritual things that come from the heart.

 

The tribe of Israel's priests was the Levites. When Abraham met Melchizedek, however, the tribe of Levi was born. The fact that the Melchizedeks were priests older than the tribe of Levi, means that the Levites who were still in their ancestors' bodies paid tithes to the Melchizedeks through Abraham. That is, Melchizedek is much higher than the Levitical priests. The priests of the Old Testament era were elected on the basis of their ancestors. In other words, only those born in a particular family could become priests. But the priesthood of Jesus Christ is not based on ancestors, but testifies that it was determined by the power of immortal life.

 

The Levitical priests were finite and all were killed to death. But Jesus Christ is eternally a priest for the saints. So Jesus Christ, who conquered sin and death, is our eternal priest. He alone is always connecting God with the Saints. The reason Jesus Christ alone can connect the Saints and God is that only Jesus is completely holy, pure, and distinct from sinners. The Old Testament priests were sinners who could not escape from their sins. However, Jesus Christ has completely overcome sin.

 

The Old Testament sacrifice required one sacrifice for a person's sin. The high priest also had to offer atonement for his sins on the Day of Atonement. He was also an unstable human being and was forced to commit sins. But the innocent Jesus Christ became the only sacrifice for the sins of all.『 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.』 The sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who died once, has already taken responsibility for the sins of the past, present, and future of all who come and go. It is not for one specific person, but for all who repent and come to Jesus Christ. It is for everyone who realizes that he has left God and repents and enters into Jesus Christ.Repentance is the death of an old man.

The law is not intended to solve the problem of human sin. The law is a means to remind the important fact that man needs a savior. The Levitical priests belonging to the Old Covenant inherited the priesthood on the basis of the law. However, Jesus Christ achieved eternal salvation by fulfilling the promise of God's faithful oath as an eternal priest based on the promises made by God. The ancient covenant priests had no choice but to perform imperfect ministry because of their weaknesses, but Jesus Christ became the basis for the salvation of all believers through complete obedience to suffering. Nothing is more precious and important than what Jesus Christ is intercessing for the saints.

 

『 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore. 』Here, the words of the oath are mentioned in Deuteronomy 29:1. 『These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb. And in verses 13-14『 That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath;』 The covenant commanded the old man through Moses on Mount Sinai (Horeb), and the new covenant commanded the new man through Moses in the land of Moab. But this oath was made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore, the oath becomes the order given before the covenant and the new covenant. After all, the new covenant made in the land of Moab is fundamentally based on this oath.

In Deuteronomy 30:14, "But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it." The covenant Moses received from Mount Sinai is "I cannot keep the law."The new covenant based on the words of the oath is "I can do it."

In Hebrews 6:13-17『 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:』 Here, when the oath of what was promised by the oath was brought up by Abraham, in Genesis 22:16-17,『 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies』

The law is a conditional promise. The oath is a promise made regardless of any future conditions, because Abraham became worthy of God's will by offering Isaac. These are the words of Romans 6:7 (For he that is dead is freed from sin.) This appears as Romans 8:1 (There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.). In Hebrews 6:20 『Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.』 God's words of oath become words to those who have faith in Canaan.

In Hebrews 8:6, 『But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.』
Here, "better mediation of the better covenant" is the word of the oath (new covenant). At the last supper with the disciples before dying on the cross, Jesus gave bread and wine to the disciples like Melchizedek, and in Luke 22:20, 『Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood. , which is shed for you.』
The new born will hold onto the new covenant. The New Testament is for the regenerated. The regenerated person is a person with a spiritual body, is a person who is raptured, and will be a person who will come with Jesus in the future.