Chronological Bible Study – Dec 23

What I Noticed Today (Hebrews 7-10)

Hebrews 7

The author has mentioned the priesthood of Melchizedek but has not explained it. Beginning in Hebrews 7 through Hebrews 10, he explains the relevance of the Melchizedek priesthood.

In verses 1-10, the author describes the Melchizedek priesthood:

• King of Salem (Jerusalem), priest of the Most High God.
• He met Abraham and blessed him.
• Abraham gave him a tenth of everything.
• His name means king of righteousness, king of Salem means king of peace.
• He has no father or mother or genealogy.
• Having no beginning and no end, he resembles the Son of God.
• He remains a priest forever.
• The Levites were to collect a tenth according to the Law because they were descendants of Abraham.
• But Melchizedek collected a tenth from Abraham even though he was not of this lineage.
• The inferior is blessed by the superior (Abraham was blessed by Melchizedek).
• The priesthood of Melchizedek was, therefore, superior to the Levitical priesthood.

In verses 11-19, the author explains the new priesthood replaces the old:

• The author asks a rhetorical question, “If perfection came through the Levitical priesthood, why was there another priest in the order of Melchizedek, and not in the order of Aaron?”
• He argues because the priesthood of Aaron changes (whenever a new high priest is appointed), then the Law also changes.
• Our Lord was a descendant of Judah and not of the tribe of the Levites. Moses never said anything about a priest coming from the tribe of Judah.
• Melchizedek also was a priest who did not come from the tribe of Levi but became a priest based on the power of an indestructible life (Psalm 110:4).
• The previous law is annulled because it is weak and unprofitable (because it perfected nothing), but the better hope is through those who approach God through faith.

In verses 20-28, the author describes the superiority of the new priest:

• Others became a priest without an oath.
• But He became a priest with an oath made by God (Psalm 110:4).
• Through this oath, Jesus became the guarantee of the better covenant.
• Many have been Levitical priests because they replace one another when they die.
• But this high priest remains forever; He holds His priesthood permanently.
• Therefore, He is always able to save those who come to God through Him because He lives to intercede for us.
• This is the kind of High Priest we need. One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sin, and exalted above the heavens.
• He does not need to make sacrifices for his own sins first and then for the sins of the people. He did this once for all when He sacrificed Himself on the cross.
• For the Law appointed priests who were weak but the promise of the oath which came after the Law appoints a Son who has been perfected forever.

Some thoughts for additional consideration:

• The danger of falling away is all too real in today’s society. There is much that can capture our attention and interest; that takes us away from becoming spiritually mature. Are we becoming more and more spiritually mature, or are we stuck still drinking in spiritual milk rather than solid food?
• Jesus, as our high priest, is our mediator before God. He is always available, and because He is always available, we have no need for a flesh and blood intermediary.

Hebrews 8

In Hebrews 8, the author continues (from 7:20) the discussion on the superiority of the new covenant.

In verses 1-2, the author begins by summarizing and reinforcing what has just been said: this High Priest sat down at the right hand of God in heaven, a minister of the sanctuary and tabernacle established by the Lord, not by man.

In verses 3-6, the author describes the priestly service of the new Covenant:

• Every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices.
• If He were on earth, He wouldn’t be a priest since there are already Levitical priests offering gifts prescribed by Law.
• And the earthly tabernacle built by Moses under God’s direction is only a copy of the heavenly tabernacle (Exodus 25:40).
• But Jesus has a superior ministry in that he is the mediator of the New Covenant legally enacted on better promises.

In verses 7-13, the author describes the superiority of the New Covenant:

• If the Old Covenant had been without fault, there would be no need for a New Covenant. The Old Covenant failed because of the fault (sins) of the people. Quoting from Jeremiah 31:31-34:
  • The time is coming when God will make a New Covenant with Israel.
  • Not like the covenant God made when He brought them out of Israel.
  • God rejected them because they rejected Him.
  • But after those days, God will make a New Covenant with Israel and put My laws into their minds and write them into their hearts.
  • I will be their God, and they will be My people.
  • From the least to the greatest, they will all know the Lord.
  • I will be merciful to them, and I will never again remember their sins.
• By saying New Covenant, He has declared the first is old, and what is old is about to disappear.

Hebrews 9

In Hebrews 9, the author makes a comparison between the ministries of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant:

• The Old Covenant had regulations for ministry and an earthly sanctuary (verses 1-10).
  • There was a tabernacle with an inner room called the holy place.
  • Behind a curtain was the most holy place with a gold altar, the ark of the covenant, a jar of mana, Aaron’s staff, and the tablets of the covenant (The Ten Commandments). The cherubim were above the mercy seat.
  • The priests would enter the first room repeatedly to do their ministry work.
  • The high priest would enter the most holy place only once per year and never without a blood sacrifice for himself and the sins of the people.
  • The Holy Spirit showed the true entrance into God’s presence had not yet been disclosed while the first tabernacle was still standing.
  • Gifts and sacrifices cannot perfect a worshipper’s conscience; they are only physical regulations imposed until the restoration.  
• Regarding the ministry of the New Covenant (verses 11-28):
  • The Messiah, the high priest, has come.
  • He came in the tabernacle not made with hands.
  • He entered the most holy place, not based on the blood of goats, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
  • The blood of the Messiah, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without blemish to God to cleanse us.

• • Therefore (because He did this), He is the mediator of the New Covenant so that those who are called will receive the promised eternal life.
  • Because His death redeemed us from sins committed under the first covenant.
  • A will is only valid when a person dies.
  • That is why even the first covenant was established through blood (Exodus 24:8).
  • According to the Old Covenant Law, almost everything is purified by blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.
  • Therefore (because of the need to purify with blood), it was necessary for the heavenly things to be purified with better sacrifices than the blood of goats.
  • The Messiah did not enter a sanctuary made with hands but into the heavenly sanctuary to present Himself to God for us.
  • He did not present himself over and over (like the old high priests did). Otherwise, he would have had to present himself many times since the foundation of the world.
  • But He presented Himself one time for the removal of sin by His own sacrifice.
  • Just as it is appointed for people to die once and after this the judgment, so also the Messiah offered once to bear sin will appear a second time to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.

Hebrews 10

In verses 1-18, the author concludes the section begun in Hebrews 7 regarding the superiority of the new priesthood:

• The Law cannot perfect worshippers through sacrifices made every year.
• If it could, they would have stopped making sacrifices because worshipers, once purified, would not have continued to sin.
• The sacrifices are a reminder of the sin that is still present because it is impossible for the blood of goats to take away sin.
• Therefore, as He (Messiah) was coming, He said (Psalm 40:6-8), “You have prepared a body for Me, You did not delight in sin offerings, I have come to do Your will, God.”
• The author restates Psalm 40:6-8 (verses 5-7) in summary form.
• The first covenant was taken away to establish the second covenant.
• By the will of God, we have been sanctified by the body of Christ once for all.
• Every priest offers the same sacrifices day after day, but they can never take away sins.
• But this man (Messiah), offered Himself one time as a sacrifice for sins and sat at the right hand of God.
• He is now waiting until His enemies are made His footstool.
• For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified.
• The Holy Spirit testifies to this (Jeremiah 31:33-34).
• Where there is forgiveness of sin, there is no longer an offering for sin.

Warning 4. Draw near to God (10:19-31)

In verses 19-25, the author exhorts the Hebrews to draw near to God and be Godly:

• Since we enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, a new way He opened for us, and since we have a new high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with 1) a true heart, 2) in full assurance of faith, 3) our hearts clean from evil conscience, and 4) our bodies washed in pure water.
• Let us hold on to our confession of hope without wavering because He who promised it is faithful.
• Let us be concerned for one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from fellowship as some do, but encourage each other all the more as the end draws near.

In verses 26-39, the author warns against sinning deliberately and offers encouragement:

• If we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth (referring to apostasy), then there remains no sacrifice for sins, but only judgment and destruction.
• If anyone disregards Moses’ Law, he dies based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
• How much worse do you think the punishment will be for someone who rejects the Son of God and considers His shed blood as profane, the blood of the covenant by which He was sanctified?
• For we know, vengeance belongs to the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:35).
• Remember the early days when, after becoming a believer, you suffered persecutions. You sympathized with prisoners and accepted the confiscation of your possessions with joy, knowing that you have a better possession in Christ.
• So don’t throw away your confidence in your great reward.
• You need endurance so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive His promise (Isaiah 26:20).
• But we are not those who draw back but those who have the faith of a certain life.

Some additional thoughts for consideration:

• There are no chairs in the Tabernacle because the priest’s work of offering sacrifices was never done. But our new high priest, Jesus Christ, finished the work of redemption through His sacrifice and sits at the right hand of God!
• In the Old Covenant sacrifices were a reminder of sin. In the New Covenant, Christ’s sacrifice provides for the remission of sin. We rejoice because we have a righteous standing before God through faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross.

What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.

Tomorrow: Hebrews 11-13