Charpter 7
7 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;
Nothing is recorded as to the beginning or end of Melchisedec’s life, so we can pretend he had no beginning and will have no end, one huge priestly presence dominating the landscape always. Just like Jesus, but way back in the Old Testament so even the Jews should take this seriously. Every part of Scripture honors the great King of Righteousness and Peace (which is what Melchisedec means in Jewish), our glorious High Priest and Savior (I’m talking about Jesus now, but see how easy it is to interchange them?), and the more we look at it this way, the more it makes sense (Hebrews 7:2-4).
4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
Remember when God offered Abraham a bunch of land from a lot of Semitic ingrates who settled and lived on that land and built up their civilizations over the previous centuries? Well, Abraham successfully slaughtered all the kings there squatting on his new land. When Melchisedec came through, Abraham gave him a tenth of his spoils and Melchisedec blessed Abraham. Later in the Old Testament, God would tell Moses to instruct the Levites to take a tenth of everything, but today we give it to the church, not the Jews. If you do that right, God will bless you like He blessed Abraham (Hebrews 7:4-10).
11 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?
The Jews couldn’t figure out how to be perfect even though Moses was personally given all of God’s instructions. That’s because it’s impossible. God wanted to the Jews to figure it out by experiencing failure again and again. God didn’t share this with Moses even though they spoke like friends for many years (Exodus 33:11), but no matter (Hebrew 7:12-25).
26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
27 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.
28 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.
Every priest every Jewess mother ever whelped out was imperfect, so they had to atone for their own sins before atoning for the peoples’. Jesus doesn’t have to atone for anything because He is perfect and does not sin. This is why we don’t slaughter cattle, goats or doves, splash blood around the church or start a BBQ for God before church service (details found in Leviticus 16). We don’t need to because God miraculously changed the supernatural physics of blood to atone for sin only through Jesus and not farm animals any more. Either that, or animals still have miraculous sin-atonement qualities in their blood but God isn’t interested any more. In any case, we thank you Jesus.
Chapter 8
1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
God took upon Himself human nature (as Jesus), appeared on earth, and there gave Himself over as a sacrifice to Himself (as God) for the sins of his people so they could be accepted by Him. He did this as a High Priest so the Jews would understand (Hebrews 8:2-5)
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.
Jesus did it better. Perfect in fact. This time He didn’t write His law on stone, but in our hearts, and we’ll have a new and improved covenant and He’ll forget our sins when we properly accept His conditions (Hebrews 8:7-1).
Chapter 9
1Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
Remember how God told Moses to set up the place of worship with the tent and the table and the curtain and the other tent and the “Holy of Holies,” and the ark of the covenant? Remember how that ark had the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy-seat? Remember how everyone had their duties and only the high priest could go into the inner tent? If you don’t remember, you can find it all in Exodus 25 by the way (Hebrews 9:2-10).
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
That whole tent business was really a visual parable that the Jews were never going to understand because the real High Priest (Jesus) hadn’t manifest Himself yet. But the takeaway message is, while we don't know the mechanics of sanctification and purification, we can rest assured Christ's blood is more powerful than any calf's.
16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
Sometimes God uses the word covenant, here he uses the word testament because a will and testament goes into effect only after a person dies. Only at the time of death is the legacy bestowed on those chosen to be recipients of the conditions. Blood is proof that someone died, which is why it was splashed around so generously by the Jews, and why Jesus had to shed His (Hebrews 9:17-23).
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Jesus didn’t enter the figurative Holy of Holies on earth in a tent once a year like the Jewish high priest, He entered the real deal in Heaven. He doesn’t do this every year (Hebrews 9:26).
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Life is a one time deal. After you die you are held accountable for the consequences of inevitable sinfulness and offensiveness to God. People who believe in Christ, however, will be spared eternal damnation as a just and righteous punishment because God said so.
7 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;
Nothing is recorded as to the beginning or end of Melchisedec’s life, so we can pretend he had no beginning and will have no end, one huge priestly presence dominating the landscape always. Just like Jesus, but way back in the Old Testament so even the Jews should take this seriously. Every part of Scripture honors the great King of Righteousness and Peace (which is what Melchisedec means in Jewish), our glorious High Priest and Savior (I’m talking about Jesus now, but see how easy it is to interchange them?), and the more we look at it this way, the more it makes sense (Hebrews 7:2-4).
4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
Remember when God offered Abraham a bunch of land from a lot of Semitic ingrates who settled and lived on that land and built up their civilizations over the previous centuries? Well, Abraham successfully slaughtered all the kings there squatting on his new land. When Melchisedec came through, Abraham gave him a tenth of his spoils and Melchisedec blessed Abraham. Later in the Old Testament, God would tell Moses to instruct the Levites to take a tenth of everything, but today we give it to the church, not the Jews. If you do that right, God will bless you like He blessed Abraham (Hebrews 7:4-10).
11 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?
The Jews couldn’t figure out how to be perfect even though Moses was personally given all of God’s instructions. That’s because it’s impossible. God wanted to the Jews to figure it out by experiencing failure again and again. God didn’t share this with Moses even though they spoke like friends for many years (Exodus 33:11), but no matter (Hebrew 7:12-25).
26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
27 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.
28 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.
Every priest every Jewess mother ever whelped out was imperfect, so they had to atone for their own sins before atoning for the peoples’. Jesus doesn’t have to atone for anything because He is perfect and does not sin. This is why we don’t slaughter cattle, goats or doves, splash blood around the church or start a BBQ for God before church service (details found in Leviticus 16). We don’t need to because God miraculously changed the supernatural physics of blood to atone for sin only through Jesus and not farm animals any more. Either that, or animals still have miraculous sin-atonement qualities in their blood but God isn’t interested any more. In any case, we thank you Jesus.
Chapter 8
1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
God took upon Himself human nature (as Jesus), appeared on earth, and there gave Himself over as a sacrifice to Himself (as God) for the sins of his people so they could be accepted by Him. He did this as a High Priest so the Jews would understand (Hebrews 8:2-5)
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.
Jesus did it better. Perfect in fact. This time He didn’t write His law on stone, but in our hearts, and we’ll have a new and improved covenant and He’ll forget our sins when we properly accept His conditions (Hebrews 8:7-1).
Chapter 9
1Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
Remember how God told Moses to set up the place of worship with the tent and the table and the curtain and the other tent and the “Holy of Holies,” and the ark of the covenant? Remember how that ark had the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy-seat? Remember how everyone had their duties and only the high priest could go into the inner tent? If you don’t remember, you can find it all in Exodus 25 by the way (Hebrews 9:2-10).
11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
That whole tent business was really a visual parable that the Jews were never going to understand because the real High Priest (Jesus) hadn’t manifest Himself yet. But the takeaway message is, while we don't know the mechanics of sanctification and purification, we can rest assured Christ's blood is more powerful than any calf's.
16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
Sometimes God uses the word covenant, here he uses the word testament because a will and testament goes into effect only after a person dies. Only at the time of death is the legacy bestowed on those chosen to be recipients of the conditions. Blood is proof that someone died, which is why it was splashed around so generously by the Jews, and why Jesus had to shed His (Hebrews 9:17-23).
24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
Jesus didn’t enter the figurative Holy of Holies on earth in a tent once a year like the Jewish high priest, He entered the real deal in Heaven. He doesn’t do this every year (Hebrews 9:26).
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Life is a one time deal. After you die you are held accountable for the consequences of inevitable sinfulness and offensiveness to God. People who believe in Christ, however, will be spared eternal damnation as a just and righteous punishment because God said so.