Hebrews 7:7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.
8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.
9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.
10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.
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?
12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.
14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
In verse 7 we see that it is quite common for the better to bless the lesser. Melchisedec had the power to bless Abraham. Again God is showing us that Jesus Christ, is the eternal priest after the order of Melchisedec.
In verse 8 God acknowledged that men that die received tithes. The Levites received tithes under God’s direction. They were to use those tithes for their own sustenance as well as for the service of the Temple. The word “here” refers to the Levitical priesthood. The word “there” refers to the order of Melchisedec. As noted in verse 3, Melchisedec had no recorded beginning and no end of life. As God continues to point out here, Melchisedec was unique. That of course is a picture of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Again in verse 9 God reminds us that Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. This was through the tithes paid by Abraham to Melchisedec.
Verse 10 reminds us of how this was possible. Abraham was the father of the nation of Israel. Levi would not be born yet for many years as a son of Jacob. We see here as well that God knew who the descendants of Abraham would be.
In verse 11 God pointed out the imperfection of the Levitical priesthood. It was not that God made a mistake. It was that God was revealing His plan as time unfolded. It was through the Levites that God gave the law. God pointed out that the Levitical priesthood was deficient. Levi was not without sin. Aaron, the first appointed priest was not without sin. God chose the priesthood. He knew those who filled the priesthood were sinners. They could have been better men than they were, but that is what they were.
God showed, before Levi was even born, that there was a need for a better priesthood. Of course God knew that from eternity past and began to reveal that in Genesis 3:15. A mere human priesthood would never satisfy God’s demands. We as people are just not that dependable. God does not overlook that problem. He provided for a flawless priesthood.
In verse 12 we see that with the priesthood being changed, there was also a need to change the law. Under the Levitical priesthood, God required the blood of bulls and of goats. He knew they would not take away sin. God replaced that law with the law of His Son, Whose blood takes away sin.
In verse 13 God reminded the readers that the permanent priesthood was of a different tribe from which there had not been any man who served as priest. God, Who originally established the priesthood, had the authority to change the priesthood according to His plan. He did not make the changes because He planned things wrong earlier. The Levitical priesthood had run its course and needed to be replaced.
In verse 14 God continued to show how He changed the order. He had never revealed this change to Moses. Moses was a servant of the Lord. The Lord did not need Moses’ permission to change the priesthood. When the time was right, Jesus Christ took upon Himself the form of a man, even that of a servant obedient unto death. Jesus Christ was without sin and thus He could take the place of a great high priest and He could lay down His life for man and He could take it up again.
Pastor Bartel
