Hebrews 7

Today we are going to take a look at Hebrews 7. You can open your own Bible or read it here.

This chapter talks a lot about Melchizedek. If you are familiar with his name, then you likely know he was a mysterious person in the Bible. We know he was the king of Salem (later called Jerusalem). And he was also a priest. This is a unique role to be both a king and a priest. Aside from the mentions of him in the book of Hebrews, he is only mentioned in four other verses throughout the Bible.

Let’s start in Genesis 14. You can read the whole chapter here. Genesis 14 tells us about the first explicit account of organized warfare in the Bible, featuring a conflict between nine kings—four kings against five. Abram, before God changed his name to Abraham in Genesis 17, had to rescue his nephew Lot after he was taken captive. Following his victory, Abram had an encounter with the mysterious king and priest Melchizedek.

Genesis 14:18-20 says, “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’ And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”

Melchizedek is also mentioned in Psalm 110, which is a Messianic Psalm, pointing to the Messiah. Fun facts – Psalm 110 is the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament, and Jesus Himself quoted this Psalm. You can read the Psalm here. Verse 4 is where we see Melchizedek’s name. This might ring a bell from chapter 5. It says, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

“Melchizedek was an ancient man whom God intended to serve as a picture of Jesus Christ. His life and ministry served as a very limited analogy of what Christ would do much later during His earthly ministry.” [1]

In the first section of Hebrews 7, the author is building his case on how Melchizedek was greater than Abraham, the Levites, and the Jewish priesthood. And since he is a “type” or foreshadowing of Jesus, then Jesus is also greater than Abraham, the Levites, and the Jewish priesthood.

The Blessing – We see in Genesis 14 and in Hebrews 7 that Melchizedek blessed Abraham. Hebrews 7:6 points out that Abraham “had the promises.”

“This again testifies to the greatness of Melchizedek. He is of such importance that he can bless Abraham, even when Abraham appears to be the most blessed human being on the planet.” [2]

As verse 7 points out “It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.”

The Tithe – We also read that Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of what he gained in the battle. (Side note – the word tithe is derived from the number ten in the Hebrew language.) Abraham realized his victory came from God, and therefore he gave this tithe to honor God. And we do the same today. We tithe as a way of worship, giving back to God a portion of what He has given to us. In this letter to the Hebrews, the author points out that Abraham’s giving a tithe to Melchizedek demonstrates that Melchizedek was greater than Abraham.

The writer points out that the law required Levi’s descendants to collect the tithes, but Melchizedek was not a descendent of Levi. “This demonstrates that the priestly order of Melchizedek supersedes the priestly order of Levi because Abraham—the progenitor of the Levitical line—paid the tithe to Melchizedek. Since the Levitical priests descend from Abraham and Melchizedek surpasses Abraham, the Melchizedekian priesthood must be superior to the Levitical priesthood.” [3]

And the writer of Hebrews also argues that since Abraham paid a tithe, in a sense Levi also paid a tithe, as Abraham’s descendant. “It is the same kind of argument Paul employed to demonstrate that when Adam sinned, we all sinned.” [4] (See Romans 5:12)

Verse 2 tells us that Melchizedek means king of righteousness. And he is the king of Salem, which means king of peace. Notice that righteousness comes before peace. Jesus first brings us righteousness and then we receive His peace.

In verse 3 it says, “He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.”

We have no record in Scripture of Melchizedek’s birth, death, or genealogy. The author of Hebrews uses this to compare Melchizedek’s priesthood with the Levitical priesthood. Under the Levitical system, priests had to come from the proper lineage. But Jesus’ priesthood is different. His priesthood does not end because He lives forever. He is continually our High Priest and always lives to intercede for us.

Notice in verse 4 that Abraham is referred to as “the patriarch.” The author of Hebrews used this to show first Abraham’s superiority in their faith. But on top of that, he is making the point again that, even though Abraham is the patriarch, Melchizedek is still superior to Abraham.

We might wonder why the author of Hebrews highlights Melchizedek so much in this passage. “He wants the Hebrews to see that the Old Testament itself showed that the Levitical priesthood was always meant to give way to something greater.” [5]

Verses 11-14 help transition the focus from Melchizedek to Jesus.

The Levitical priesthood had a purpose for a time, but it wasn’t perfect. A change was needed and a new high priest has arose – Jesus.

As Melchizedek was not from the tribe of Levi, Jesus also was not from the tribe of Levi. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, and no other member of the tribe of Judah has served as priest. However this tribe does have a long line of kings, starting with King David. Jesus perfectly fills the roles of both priest and King.

Verse 16 tells us that Jesus became a priest “by the power of an indestructible life.” Each of the Levitical priests died, but Jesus’s priesthood is never ending. In verse 17 the author backs up his point by quoting Psalm 110:4, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”

In verse 18 we see the law had to be set aside. It couldn’t bring salvation. Only Jesus can do that.

And in verse 19 we read these encouraging words: “A better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.” Jesus is our hope. Not only does Jesus bring us hope for our eternal lives, but He brings us hope for our lives here on earth as well. We will have days when we realize Jesus is all we have. But Jesus is enough and He is all we need. His hope brings us peace and provides us with strength. And He allows us to draw near to our Heavenly Father. Let us hold tightly to our hope in Jesus, every day.

In verses 20-22 it says that Aaron and his descendants did not become priests with an oath. But the new and perfect priesthood of Jesus was established with a solemn oath. The author again draws from Psalm 110 to back up his point: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’”

“Jesus Himself guarantees the success of His New Covenant of salvation.” [6]

Jesus is the guarantor of this new and better covenant. He personally stands as the absolute security and pledge that God’s New Covenant and all its promises will be completely fulfilled. What comfort that brings!

Verse 25 tells us, “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

In the Old Testament, the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place once a year on the Day of Atonement and offer sacrifices for his own sins and for the sins of the Israelites.

And by the way, in light of this study, I should have mentioned last week that Jews around the world had just observed Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, from sundown September 20 through nightfall September 21. They no longer perform the animal sacrifices prescribed in the Old Testament. Instead, Yom Kippur is observed through practices such as fasting, prayer, repentance, and seeking forgiveness.

As Christians, though, we know that Jesus atoned for our sins once and for all. Because of Him, we can approach God in prayer at any moment. Thanks to Jesus, we have direct access to the Father! Jesus is now seated at God’s right hand and continually intercedes for us. Only He could completely free us from our sins. We have been forgiven and redeemed. He is worthy of our praise—all day, every day!

The last few verses remind us that not only do we need a high priest, but we need the one and only perfect high priest – Jesus. The former priests had to sacrifice for their own sins, as well as the people’s sins, because they weren’t perfect. But Jesus never sinned and didn’t have to atone for His own sins. Now God’s own Son is our perfect high priest forever.

In this chapter of Hebrews, the author spends time discussing Melchizedek to show that Jesus is a greater High Priest than the earthly Levitical priests. Jesus’s priesthood is superior because it is eternal and does not depend on human lineage. Through Jesus, we have a better hope and can draw near to God. He is our perfect and eternal High Priest, and because He lives forever, He is always interceding for us. His priesthood is greater than the Levitical priesthood, and His sacrifice was sufficient once for all. Let us draw near to Him today and every day, with gratitude for all He means to us.

If you are still reading, thank you for sticking with me. I know this was a lot to unpack! 😅 Next week’s post will be a little lighter. Until then, I hope you have a blessed week.

[1] MacArthur, John. Hebrews: Christ: Perfect Sacrifice, Perfect Priest (MacArthur Bible Studies). Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 2007.

[2] Mohler, R. Albert, Jr. Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017.

[3] Mohler, R. Albert, Jr. Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017.

[4] MacArthur, John. Hebrews: Christ: Perfect Sacrifice, Perfect Priest (MacArthur Bible Studies). Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 2007.

[5] Mohler, R. Albert, Jr. Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017.

[6] MacArthur, John. Hebrews: Christ: Perfect Sacrifice, Perfect Priest (MacArthur Bible Studies). Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 2007.

Unless noted otherwise, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.