A Greater Priesthood – Hebrews 7:1-10

1. Pray & Intro:
   1. Some of my favorite English classes in college were the ones where the professor would use sort of a Socratic method to lead us in discussion about the literature we were reading together. I liked it because it put a lot on me to understand and interpret what we read, to try to understand where the author was coming from and where he wanted to take us, and then (especially for me) to filter that through a Christian biblical worldview. – But that method in those classes was also enlightening—to hear the perspectives of fellow classmates; entertaining—due to the creative interpretation sometimes; and occasionally irritating—for the same reason.
   2. The problem lies in ‘interpretation by free association’ – reader response method (painting, sculpture, piece of music) – Interpretation and knowledge and truth from a postmodern mindset (Whatever you believe is true… that’s what matters. Just be faithful to yourself.) – However, truth is truth no matter what you think about it. And the Bible (God’s revelation of himself and His will for mankind) aims to reveal truth in a way that you can grasp it and obey it… in order to know God—to fear Him, to trust Him, to love Him, and to obey Him. (Knowing God on his terms—not yours… Also allows you to rightly know yourself)
      1. Jesus prays to the Father in John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
      2. So we approach God’s word with seriousness and care, investing both our heads and our hearts into it: 2 Tim. 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
   3. See, the author of Hebrews here does some rigorous and interesting interpretation with Old Testament texts. But don’t confuse this with being free and loose with God’s word. He is far from flippant in his exposition of scripture.
   4. Read 6:19-7:10
2. Melchizedek Primer (vv. 1-10)
   1. The author of Hebrews…
      1. Interprets scripture with scripture – using Psalm 110:4 to understand the scenario in Gen. 14
      2. Explains key words and concepts and even what the text does NOT say – what we would call now an ‘argument from silence’
      3. Sets the stage explaining Melchizedek as a foreshadowed TYPE of Christ – “The word “typology” comes from the Greek term typos, which can mean “pattern, prefiguration, model, impression, foreshadowing.” Typological interpretation involves identifying preordained connections between events, persons, things, or institutions in the span of salvation history.” (George Guthrie)
         1. The concept of foreshadowing helps us understands types, although a type is more than foreshadowing * [printout] + the existence of a type means that the anti-type is actually the focal point – Col. 2:17 These [rules and regulations from OT law] are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. – and Heb. 10:1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. [shade tree illustration]
         2. With typology we are careful of an interpretive pitfall – We need to reflect on typological interpretation in the NT and our ability or inability to practice the same. (Klyne Snodgrass) “We must resist super-imposing Christian theology on Old Testament texts and should feel no compulsion to give every Old Testament text, or even most of them, a christological conclusion. But we will have failed if we do not ask how Old Testament texts function in the whole context of Scripture.”
      4. How does this ‘Melchizedek Primer’ fit with where the author is going? He’s trying to make a point about a greater priesthood. The priesthood of Jesus is better… it’s of the Melchizedekan order, which is greater than the Levitical order. And he’ll continue to explain why that’s important – because Christ is a perfect priest and a forever priest. And that becomes oh so important to the foundation of your faith. The hope and security that you have is firmly anchored in the fact that Jesus is a perfect priest forever! (There’s a lot more on that next time in Hebrews 7… in two weeks.)
      5. “For this Melchizedek” – In vv. 1-2a, we get a very abbreviated version of the important facts of a narrative account in Gen. 14. – Here’s the story.
         1. Some five kings in ancient Palestine had banded together to form an alliance, and they started running around taking over the rest by force. Now this was shortly after Abraham and Lot had parted ways, and Lot took up his residence in Sodom. The kings in and around Sodom and Gomorrah met these Chedorlaomer axis powers in battle and were badly beaten, so badly that the axis powers made off with their stuff and people in their cities. Guess who was among the captives? Yes, his nephew Lot. When a survivor brings news of it to Abraham, Abe and the trained men in his house, numbering 318, go and obliterate the forces of these axis kings, bringing back all the people and spoils. And that brings us to Gen. 14:17-20.
         2. The author of Hebrews reviews this narrative Christologically because there is another messianic text (Ps. 110:4), which makes the comparison. (see v. 17 in Heb 7, & back in ch. 5, v. 6)
      6. He’ll come back to the blessing and tithe thing more extensively in 4-10, but first draws two other brief Christological parallels, the first dealing with names, and the second regarding eternality. – These two points become extremely significant in the exposition in vv. 11ff. [so for now we’ll just keep it brief like the author does]
         1. He alludes to the fact that this King and priest’s name is like a combination of the Hebrew words melek (meaning king) and sedeq (righteousness). It will be again made clear (as it was earlier in Hebrews) that Jesus is not only King but that he is a perfectly righteous priest and king. – Also revealed is that this king is from Salem, which we believe to be at or near what would eventually become Jeru-salem, but much later, when David would conquer it from the Jebusites. Salem sounds like Hebrew shalom, meaning peace. – Jesus makes peace with God on our behalf and grants us access to draw near to God in peace. Rom. 5:1-2 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and werejoice in hope of the glory of God.
         2. Our Hebrews author then argues that the silence about the beginning and end of Melchizedek further bears resemblance to the deeper more literal truth that the Son of God is actually eternal and continues as priest forever. (notice that Christ doesn’t resemble him, but rather the reverse is true – for this one is only without genealogy or beginning and end in a literary sense, whereas Christ is priest for all time in a literal sense. (The Bible is more than mere literature, but it is not less.)
      7. “See how great this man was…” – showing the superiority of Melchizedek in comparing his priesthood to the Levitical priesthood with an argument regarding the blessing and tithing referenced in the narrative.
         1. [Use giant note pad to display the comparison between priesthoods in vv. 4-10.] *
         2. The conclusion is clear: “The author of Hebrews is making the point that Jesus is our high priest. But He is not just the fulfillment of the Levitical priesthood. He is something more, a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. To view Him on a par with the Levitical priests would be to make a spiritually fatal mistake. That entire old system was designed to point ahead to Jesus Christ, who superceded and fulfilled it.” (Steve Cole)

• What can we learn? – The importance of biblical truth. – [aside] It may also be helpful at this point to understand that interpretation and application are not the same thing. One is based upon the other, and can have a much greater variety of possible outlets, but it really should come from the same stream of truth rightly interpreted. – Like the varied colors and shapes of the fall leaves (in terms of application), but the basic understanding of why the leaves are falling and colorful is the same (it’s autumn – the trees are preparing for winter dormancy) – that should be the consistent interpretation à So the following are some applications that I suggest for you regarding our study of Heb. 7:1-10
  1. There are so many jokes (and not jokes) these days about fake news. But God’s word is truth. You can take it to the bank and trust it and rest in it, securely knowing that what backs up that currency is the very character of God.  More specifically, your hope of salvation is anchored securely in God by the perfect and eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ.
  2. (We can also make further application now at the point where we started today.) If Jesus prays to the Father in John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth,” should we play fast and free with our interpretation of scripture? Or ought we to carefully and soberly pour over God’s word to seek understanding of what he intends for us? – see again 2 Tim. 2:14-18
     1. That means we need discernment with the interpretive method of other things we hear and read… (Such as all the preachers we have access to on tv and even radio, some best-selling Christian books like “Jesus Calling” or “The Circle Maker”)
     2. In much the same way, we need discernment in understanding the underlying cultural worldview behind the things that we watch and read from secular media, and to know when and how to live our lives in contrast to that falsehood.
  3. How do we treat the OT scripture? – OT value in our understanding and application of new covenant living (a couple examples):
     1. “The author of Hebrews was trying to convince people that a religious system of sacrifices, rituals, and rules that had been in place for over 1,400 years had now been replaced by a better way. He focuses on the supremacy of Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of all that was written by Moses and the Jewish prophets. He introduces a theme that is only treated in the Book of Hebrews, that Jesus Christ is our high priest.” (Steve Cole)
     2. “We will only appreciate our need for a high priest to the degree that we realize how holy and unapproachable God is and how sinful and defiled we are.” (Cole)
  4. Finally, our text today is another great reminder that “The solution to every problem that you face is to know Jesus Christ more accurately and intimately.” (Steve Cole) – Col. 2:3, speaking of “all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” [Hilton building windows illustration]