Hebrews · chapter 7 of 13
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Hebrews 7 presents Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, who blessed Abraham and received a tenth from him, as a picture of the greater priesthood of Jesus. Because the Levitical priesthood could not bring perfection, God raised up another priest, appointed with an oath, who lives forever, intercedes for his people and offered himself once for all.
Hebrews 5 and 6 prepared for the comparison with Melchizedek, a mysterious figure from Genesis 14 and Psalm 110. Chapter 7 is the central explanation of why the priesthood of Jesus does not depend on Aaron or Levi, and it is the link between his presentation as high priest and the argument about the new covenant.
The author retells the story of Genesis 14. Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, met Abraham as he returned from defeating the kings, blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. His name means king of righteousness, and king of Salem means king of peace. Scripture records for him no father, mother or genealogy, and no beginning or end of days; made like the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.
His greatness is clear: Abraham paid him a tenth, and Levi in a sense paid it through his ancestor. But if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood, what further need would there be for another priest to arise in the order of Melchizedek rather than Aaron? With a change in the priesthood there must be a change in the law. Jesus belongs to the tribe of Judah, from which no one has served at the altar, and has become a priest not by a legal requirement of ancestry but by the power of an indestructible life.
He is also a priest by oath: the Levites became priests without an oath, but Jesus with an oath from the Lord, who will not change his mind: You are a priest forever. This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The Levitical priests were many because death prevented them from continuing; Jesus holds his priesthood permanently, and so he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
The chapter ends with the high priest we needed: holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens. He has no need to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, because he did this once for all when he offered up himself. The law appoints men in weakness as high priests, but the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Jesus became a priest not by a requirement of lineage but by the power of an indestructible life. His priesthood rests on his resurrection.
Jesus is the guarantor of a better covenant. What he secures is firmer than what the Levitical system secured.
Jesus is able to save completely those who draw near to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. His work does not end at the cross: it continues in heaven.
We needed a holy, innocent, unstained high priest who had no need to offer daily sacrifices because he offered himself once. His sacrifice is unique and sufficient.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: King of Salem and priest of God Most High. — Hebrews 7:1
Answer: A tenth of everything. — Hebrews 7:2
Answer: The tribe of Judah. — Hebrews 7:14
Answer: With an oath from God. — Hebrews 7:20-21
Answer: He lives to make intercession for them. — Hebrews 7:25
Answer: Once for all. — Hebrews 7:27
Hebrews 7 gives assurance to anyone who fears that their faith is fragile. Jesus always lives to intercede; the continuance of our salvation does not rest only on our strength but on his permanent intercession. In a small group you can pray giving thanks for this and share a situation for which you need to know that Christ intercedes.
It also frees us from seeking additional mediators. If Jesus can save completely and always, no other go-betweens are needed between us and God. We can draw near without fear.
Hebrews 7 showed that the priesthood of Jesus is superior and eternal. Chapter 8 continues that thought: if the priest is better, so is the covenant he mediates, the one Jeremiah announced.
He was a king and priest of Salem, probably Jerusalem, who blessed Abraham, according to Genesis 14:18-20. The Bible does not tell his origin or death, and so Hebrews sees him as a picture of Christ: like the Son of God, though not identical to him.
The text says he is made like the Son of God, not that he is the Son. Many believers understand him as a real man whose biblical silence serves as an image of Christ; others have thought he was an appearance of the Son. What the author teaches is that Jesus is a priest in the manner of Melchizedek.
Because the law assigned the priesthood to the sons of Levi, and Jesus came from Judah. For his priesthood to be legitimate a new order was needed. With that change, the author shows that the old covenant fulfilled its provisional role and is fulfilled in Christ.