high priest – Page 2

Hebrews 7:15-28 – Perfect Forever

Read Hebrews 7:15-28

With these words, the Preacher would have rocked the world of those trying so hard to be true to God’s law, given by Moses. “For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” The people had to know the old system was flawed, and that’s why our hope is now in Jesus. He came to be our perfect sacrifice, acting as our high priest forever. As the Preacher concludes this thought, “But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.”

There’s a lot packed into this passage. The references to Melchizedek have foreshadowed Jesus, anticipating that he will be the perfect high priest who will reign forever. The righteousness, peace, and timelessness we see in Melchizedek point directly to Jesus. It is Jesus’s role as high priest that grants us access to God.

Hebrews 7:1-14 – Let’s Talk About Melchizedek

Read Hebrews 7:1-14

The Preacher introduces us to Melchizedek in this reading comparing him to Abraham, who was still named Abram at the time he encountered Melchizedek. I had an “a-ha moment today” while reading this text and I just wanted to share this with you.

You’ll recall we first heard about Melchizedek back in Chapter 5 when the Preacher was rebuking his readers for not digging deeper. They were stuck in a place of complacency in their faith where it was “comfortable” and surface level. To see some of the rich connections involving Melchizedek, those hearing the Preacher’s sermon would need to be open to deep truth and significance. It appears the time has come to share a deeper revelation about the individuals God has used.

Hebrews 6:13-20 – Rely on God’s Promises

Read Hebrews 6:13-20

It might help to recall verse 12 from our last reading to “follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.” Now it makes sense why the Preacher called out Abraham. You’ll recall Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years from the time God promised to multiply his descendants to the birth of Isaac. That was obedience we can learn from, too!

God is in the business of keeping his promises. We can be sure of that. The Preacher reminds us God sealed his promise to Abraham with an oath. In ancient times, when people wanted to guarantee their promise or give value to their word, they might swear by the divine name. Putting God’s name on your promise was intended to give it more authority. To break an oath would be extremely dishonoring to God. God cannot lie!

Hebrews 4:14-5:10 – Our High Priest

Read Hebrews 4:14-5:10

The idea of having a High Priest is a bit foreign to most of us because of what Jesus did for us. But the Preacher’s audience of Jews would have encountered a high priest regularly at festivals and animal sacrifices. A high priest was needed to cleanse their sins, up until 70 AD when animal sacrifice stopped. This reading does a good job of explaining the importance of what a high priest does for the people.

To be a high priest was a great honor given only by God. Even Jesus didn’t assume that would be his role despite fitting the criteria perfectly. It seems having the awareness of human weakness was important for the high priest. Until Jesus, even the high priests fell prey to sin and would have to cleanse themselves.

Hebrews 4:14-5:10 – Our High Priest

Read Hebrews 4:14-5:10

The verse that spoke loudest to me today was v. 16, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” I have read that over and over several times. What an honor! We can come boldly before God. Jesus has made that possible. Before Jesus, our access to God was limited by communication through another human, a high priest.

Only those chosen by God could serve as a high priest. What a great honor. With this great privilege came quite a responsibility to the people. High priests were to go before God with the prayers and sacrifices of the people, only to turn around and go to the people with a blessing from God. It all changed when God appointed his Son, Jesus, to be our high priest. We now have access to God and can come boldly. Continue reading “Hebrews 4:14-5:10 – Our High Priest”