2.50 Jesus In The Old Testament Pt.3

Hello and welcome to season 2 episode 50 of The Berean Manifesto brought to you by The Ekklesian House.  This is Pastor Bill and over the next 10 minutes or so we are going to wrap up our series looking at Jesus in the Old Testament.  In the last installment we looked at Paul talking about Christ being the spiritual rock that the Israelites drank from when they were in the desert after leaving Egypt and unpacked the story of Moses striking the rock to bring forth water by including a story about Miriam’s well; the rock that Moses struck following the Israelites through the desert to provide water every time they camped.  In part one we looked at Jesus claim in John 8:56 that Abraham had seen his day and rejoiced at it tracking that back to Genesis 22 when Jesus shows up to stop Abraham from sacrificing Isaac.

 

This episode brings us around again to that instance where in verse 17 of Genesis 22 “The Angel of the Lord,” who is Jesus says, “I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore.”  In Hebrews 6:13-14 the author accredits this statement as belonging to God, it says, “13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater to swear by, he swore by himself: 14 I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you.”  More importantly though the author of Hebrews is trying to make a different point here by calling on the relationship between Abraham and Jesus/God, and this is where we find ourselves for this episode.  Continuing in Hebrews 6:15-20 we read, “15 And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and for them a confirming oath ends every dispute. 17 Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. 20 Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because he has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

 

By Melchizedek he is here referring to Genesis 14:17-20, “17 After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High. 19 He blessed him and said:

Abram is blessed by God Most High,

Creator of heaven and earth,

20 and blessed be God Most High

who has handed over your enemies to you.

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”

 

Now, I wanted to read that interaction between Abram and Melchizedek before I finished what Hebrews had to say about it because Hebrews 7 lays it out clearly, and a whole lot more that I didn’t want to break up and interrupt.

 

Hebrews 7:1-28, “7 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, met Abraham and blessed him as he returned from defeating the kings, 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means king of righteousness, then also, king of Salem, meaning king of peace. 3 Without father, mother, or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.  4 Now consider how great this man was: even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the plunder to him. 5 The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their brothers and sisters—though they have also descended from Abraham. 6 But one without this lineage collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. 7 Without a doubt, the inferior is blessed by the superior. 8 In the one case, men who will die receive a tenth, but in the other case, Scripture testifies that he lives. 9 And in a sense Levi himself, who receives a tenth, has paid a tenth through Abraham, 10 for he was still within his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.  11 Now if perfection came through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the law), what further need was there for another priest to appear, said to be according to the order of Melchizedek and not according to the order of Aaron? 12 For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must be a change of law as well. 13 For the one these things are spoken about belonged to a different tribe. No one from it has served at the altar. 14 Now it is evident that our Lord came from Judah, and Moses said nothing about that tribe concerning priests.  15 And this becomes clearer if another priest like Melchizedek appears, 16 who did not become a priest based on a legal regulation about physical descent but based on the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it has been testified:

You are a priest forever

according to the order of Melchizedek.

18 So the previous command is annulled because it was weak and unprofitable 19 (for the law perfected nothing), but a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.  20 None of this happened without an oath. For others became priests without an oath, 21 but he became a priest with an oath made by the one who said to him:

The Lord has sworn

and will not change his mind,

“You are a priest forever.”

22 Because of this oath, Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant.  23 Now many have become Levitical priests, since they are prevented by death from remaining in office. 24 But because he remains forever, he holds his priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.  26 For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do—first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all time when he offered himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promise of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son, who has been perfected forever.”

 

With a new priest comes a new law, the old annulled because it was weak and unprofitable.  Our high priest is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since He lives to intercede for them.  He offered a sacrifice for sin once for all time when He offered himself. The Gospel doesn’t get much sweeter than Hebrews 7.

 

This is Pastor Bill saying, “Until next time…”