Epistle to Hebrews #10
CHAPTER SEVEN
The priest Melchisedec is claimed by some to have been an
ordinary human man, just like a priest today in the Roman
Catholic church, only this Melchisedec was a priest of the Most
High God.
This teaching claims that the phrase "without father,
without mother" is just simply stating that his physical pedigree
was lost or unknown, that there is no "record" of it found
anywhere.
This to me seems a little far-out when you consider other
pedigrees recorded and preserved in and among the people of God.
And if this Melchisedec was so famous and so great a priest of
the Most high God, then surely some record of from who he was
would have been preserved, even if only a few generations of his
pedigree before or after.
This famous priest of old also had "neither beginning of
days nor end of life." I guess those who believe this priest was
from no divine Godhead, who probably argue that this phrase is
repeating the previous idea of the previous phrase - physical
pedigree records were lost or not recorded or handed down to
anyone.
Once more I contend that happening would have been VERY
UNLIKELY considering the importance that Paul gives to this man
in connection with Jesus the Christ, and the connection given in
a prophecy of the OT that connects this Melchisedec with Christ
(Psalm 110:4).
Then I maintain that reading the Bible with the mind of a
child (remember Jesus saying that unless you become like a child
you will not enter the Kingdom of God), the phrase "neither
beginning of days nor end of life" is pretty simple to
understand. It does not take a degree in theology, or some fancy
PhD interpretation - the words in English or Greek, are very
clear - no beginning of days nor end of life, is telling you that
this man, this priest of the Most High God, was ETERNAL!!
Now, there were ALL KINDS of words in the Greek language,
the language was not reduced to just a mere few - limited - or
lacking vocabulary. If Paul was wanting us to understand that
this priest Melchisedec was merely like any other human priest of
the past thousands of years, then he could have very easily have
written with words "his pedigree is lost or not recorded" or "the
record of who his mother and father were have not been handed
down to us."
I maintain the very words and phrases used by Paul are a
clear instruction to us that Paul was meaning to inform us that
this Melchisedec was NOT from any human flesh and blood mother
and father, but that this priest of the Most High God was himself
ETERNAL, from the very Godhead of eternity.
The ancient Priest was KING of RIGHTEOUSNESS and KING of
PEACE! Can any mere human priest of human parents, be qualified
to carry such titles. You read about the perfect Job, and all his
righteousness, yet he is never given the title "King of
Righteousness" by God. The Almighty does speak very well indeed
of him, the first few chapters of Job, make this clear, yet no
title of "King of Righteousness" is granted to perfect Job.
Then we need to put together two phrases - one in verse one
and the other in verse three. "For this Melchisedec, king of
peace, priest of the Most High God....made like until the Son of
God, abideth a priest continually."
Notice Daniel 7:13. "I saw in the night vision, and, behold,
one like unto the Son of man came with clouds of heaven, and came
to the Ancient of Days..."
Like unto the Son of man ... Like unto the Son of God. The
next verse in Daniel makes it clear that this "like unto the Son
of man" is none other than the Christ who will rule all nations.
The one who Daniel saw coming to the Ancient of Days was and is
Jesus the Christ. The Melchisedec of old, whom Abraham met and
gave a tithe to, was made like unto the Son of God. In other
words this SAME person LATER became the one whom we call Jesus
Christ.
Paul is telling us that this great priest of Salem - King of
Peace, this King of righteousness - who had no mother or father,
who had no beginning of days nor end of life, this eternal one,
WAS LATER MADE LIKE UNTO THE SON OF GOD, who now lives as High
Priest in heaven above, sitting on the right hand of the Most
High God, the Father.
Abraham, whom the Hebrews looked upon as one of their great
fathers of old, was NOTHING in comparison to this Melchisedec
priest of the Most High God. So there was no need to boast about
or get all vain in mind, towards being some physical person
descended from a physical man called Abraham, when Abraham, was
MUCH less than Melchisedec, and to whom Abraham gave honor and
homage and a tithe. Then this Melchisedec who was eternal, a part
of the very eternal Godhead, later became the very Jesus the
Christ, the Savior of the world, the REALLY great one, whom the
Hebrews needed to give first place in their lives, give their
lives, mind, and heart, to Him, who STILL lives (as he always
did) and is today the Priest above priests, who is the High
Priest of all and any high priest.
If this Melchisedec was only a mere human priest just as
Aaron was, and any priest in Israel since Aaron, and just one
priest of a line of physical human priests that lived before and
after Melchisedec, WHY connect Melchisedec? Why not connect
Aaron? Or some other priest of the Most High God. Why connect
this Melchisedec, unless it is simply to show Abraham giving a
tithe to him, which Paul does connect later with Aaron and a
change in the priesthood and the law.
I contend the very words used by Paul in connecting
Melchisedec with the Son of God, is to show the Hebrews that ONE
much greater than Abraham existed in Abraham's day, and that that
greater one was eternal, and later that one became the very
person of Jesus Christ, who now lives and is a Priest forever for
us humans interceding for us, between us and the Father. I
believe this is Paul's argument to the Hebrews. His thought to
them is - get your minds off any physical high priest and
physical Aaron priesthood, and get it on the ONE who was THE
GREAT Priest of the Most High in Abraham's day and is STILL the
High Priest for us humans today - Jesus the Christ. For
Melchisedec and Christ were and are the ONE SAME PERSON!
The question has arisen, "Why did an eternal being, a member
of the Godhead, come to earth in Abraham's day (who knows
possibly before and after Abraham) and live on earth as Priest to
the Most High God?
The answer is not given in Scripture in any clear precise
way. One thing we can know though is, God can do whatever He
desires to do, for whatever reasons He knows. Some times He tells
us the reasons, sometimes He tells us not. Some things are hidden
from us, some things are revealed to us. There are mysteries of
God hidden from our eyes and understanding, and there are
mysteries of God revealed to us. The apostle Paul makes this
clear in many passages in his epistles. Then he adds in one that
even today in the Gospel age (where so much has been revealed to
us) we often look through a glass darkly. But one day we shall
know even as we are known.
We shall continue with the thoughts and teachings of Paul on
the old Israel priesthood and the commandment to take tithes, as
it was connected to Abraham and Melchisedec, and as it is still
connected to the priesthood of Christ who was made after the
order of Melchisedec. We shall continue with all that in the next
chapter of this New Testament Bible Story.
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Written January 200
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  Chapter One-hundred-four:Epistle to Hebrews #11
Epistle to Hebrews #11
Chapter 7 continued
THE LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD
AND TITHING
Paul has spoken about the great man Abraham, yet great as he
was to the Hebrews, he was not as great as the King of
Righteousness - the eternal Priest of the Most High God -
Melchisedec. Abraham gave this Priest a tithe - a tenth of the
spoils he had taken as he freed Lot from captivity.
Then we come to the time of Levi - a tribe of Israel. Two of
the very greatest institutions in ancient Israel was the
LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD and TITHING to that priesthood. Paul is
arguing that there was a GREATER Priest BEFORE Levi - and that
TITHING was also before Levi. He proves his point by showing the
Hebrews the fact of Abraham tithing to Melchisedec, way before
the days of Moses and the tribes of Israel.
As the days were fast approaching when the Temple in
Jerusalem would be destroyed, when the Levitical Priesthood would
come to an end, when all the rituals in the Temple system would
stop, when tithing to that Levi priesthood would stop per se; the
question needed to be asked and answered: "When the Levi
Priesthood and tithing to them would come to a stop, did that
mean there was NO more Priesthood and no more Tithing?"
Paul argues that such being the case of no more Levi
Priesthood and tithing to them, does NOT automatically mean NO
MORE Priesthood and NO MORE tithing.
Tithing Paul argues was way before Levi, in fact Levi
through the loins of Abraham, payed tithes, by tithing to
Melchisedec. And this Priest Paul has demonstrated was ETERNAL -
a member of the eternal GODHEAD, and that individual eventually
became the Jesus Christ of the New Testament, as was foretold in
the prophecy of Psalm 110.
Paul argues that IF perfection should have come about
through Levi and that Priesthood, then why was there a prophecy
that ANOTHER would arise AFTER the order of Melchisedec, and not
after the order of Aaron and Levi? Here he proves that the Levi
Priesthood was INFERIOR to the GREAT Melchisedec Priesthood, and
that it was prophesied that there would come a CHANGE of
Priesthood - from Levi to Melchisedec.
And so BEING A CHANGE in the PRIESTHOOD, there is a change
in the LAW also!
What law is Paul in the context of his argument, talking
about? Why the LAW of TITHING! And also the law of High Priest
and the NT Priesthood.
Whom it was prophesied about, was NOT FROM Levi, but from
JUDAH, which tribe never under the Old Covenant served at the
altar in the Tabernacle or Temple.
The LORD who was to take the order of Melchisedec was from
Judah! And the order that the Lord Jesus would take was not an
order of carnal physical corrupt man, but the order of the power
of an endless life (verse 16).
Yes, the Priest Melchisedec was ETERNAL - an order of no
physical human life. That same individual who was functioning for
a time on this earth as the Priest of the Most High God, was to
become the Godhead being who was to be made flesh and blood, die
for the sins of the world, be the Savior of mankind, be raised
from the dead, and be given the eternal Priesthood of the order
of Melchisedec.
There was to be a disannulling of the WEAK commandment of
the Levi Priesthood, which in reality could save no one to
eternal life through its carnal ordinances and physical
institutions of animal sacrifices. The Old Covenant per se did
not have eternal life promised in its laws. There was always to
be a BETTER WAY, a better HOPE, by which we draw nigh to God, by
which we can be reconciled and justified, be forgiven sins and be
saved.
Throughout the New Testament and the writings of Paul, we
are told over and over again, what that NEW HOPE WAS - it was
justification and salvation through the blood of Jesus the Christ
- the High Priest after the order of Melchisedec.
There was ALWAYS to be a CHANGE of Priesthood and tithing -
it was ALWAYS prophesied - the entire Old Testament FORETOLD IT!
The Old Covenant with the tribe of Levi as Priesthood and tithing
to that system, was NEVER the way to perfection or eternal life.
Jesus the Christ was to take control of the New Testament,
the New Covenant PRIESTHOOD, there was to be a CHANGE IN THE LAW
of priesthood and tithing!
Neither the Priesthood or Tithing was EVER to be "abolished"
or "done away with" - it was to be CHANGED - from Levi to Judah,
and more specific to Jesus Christ - His Priesthood.
As the old Priesthood was instituted by an oath, so God
Himself swore by Himself that Jesus would receive the order of
Priesthood from that of Melchisedec (verse 21).
Jesus was to be made the security of a BETTER TESTAMENT! The
old human Priests DIED, they could not continue because death
would remove them. But Jesus LIVES FOREVER, and hence His
Priesthood does not pass from one human person to another, but
continues forever more.
And so Paul exclaims, because Christ has an eternal
Priesthood He is able to save those who come to God through Him,
for He can INTERCEDE for them, plead their cause, obtain mercy
and forgiveness from the Father, and save them to the uttermost.
That High Priest on High became one of us, came as human flesh
and blood, went through life knowing what it was like to be
human, to be tempted in all points as we are, yet remain sinless.
This GREATEST High Priest does not have to offer up daily
sacrifices as the Priests of Levi did, first for themselves and
then for others. Jesus after the order of the Melchisedec
Priesthood, offered Himself ONCE for sins.
The Old Covenant law made imperfect men as Priests, but the
word of the promise and oath of the Most High God, made the Son
of God, THE High Priest forever (verse 28).
The Priesthood and Tithing to that Priesthood has NOT been
abolished, it has been CHANGED - from Levi to Judah - from the
line of Aaron to the line of Christ, and His Priesthood.
As long as the Temple stood in Jerusalem, as long as the
Levitical Priesthood stood, then tithing to that Priesthood was
in effect, and people then had the right, even NT Christians, to
tithe to that Levi Priesthood. But Paul is arguing that there is
anotherBETTER Priesthood in force - the eternal Melchisedec
Priest - the one Jesus Christ was made after the order of.
Tithing to that Priesthood was also in effect, if Christians
wanted to tithe to that Priesthood.
Paul's argument is that WHEN the Levi Priesthood and the
Temple would come to an end, tithing to the eternal Melchisedec/
Christ Priesthood would NOT END!
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Written January 2007
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