Thursday, May 14

THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015

1 Samuel 15:1–16:23

John 8:1–20

Psalm 110:1–7

Proverbs 15:8–10

 

 

“The Lord has sworn

                and will not change his mind:

‘You are a priest forever,

                in the order of Melchizedek.’” (Psalm 110:4)

 

 

Today’s Psalm 110 speaks clearly of the coming Messiah and discusses His reign and eternal Priesthood.  To understand these truths better, we may look to a key passage from Hebrews to glean what this reference to Melchizedek implies for us.

 

Echoing Psalm 110:4, in Hebrews 7, the author explains that Jesus serves as the Great High Priest, interceding for those who have trusted in Him.  In this manner, He fulfills the “mediator” role that Paul discusses in 1 Timothy 2:5.  For those clothed with Christ’s righteousness, God no longer holds their sin against them, fulfilling the promise of Isaiah 1:18:  “Though your sins are like scarlet,/ they shall be as white as snow;/ though they are red as crimson,/ they shall be like wool.”  Only in Christ may we find this transformation.  Praise God for His indescribable gift!

 

What makes Jesus’s Priesthood worthy and legitimate to bring about this great salvation?  The author of Hebrews points to two key factors:  its permanence and the Priest’s perfection. 

 

He carries on this discussion with reference to Melchizedek, who, like Jesus, served both in the king and priest roles.  Melchizedek served as king over Salem, which would later become Jerusalem, and provided priestly duties upon meeting Abraham and his men.  Melchizedek receives an offering from Abraham, which signified that the father of the Israelites owed no debt to any king but the Lord.  This Melchizedek serves as a type or prefiguration for the Lord Jesus Christ, as the author of Hebrews explains.

 

The author of Hebrews views Jesus’s permanent priesthood as setting aside the old covenant, which “made nothing perfect.”  The “better hope,” in the Personhood of Christ, allows His followers to “draw near to God.”  This change in the priesthood required a change in the law.

 

Jesus serves forever according to the oath sworn to Him by God the Father:  “You are a priest forever.”  This permanence allows Jesus to “become the guarantor of a better covenant.”  Because He has risen from the dead, He remains the living God – “the same yesterday, today, and forever” – and therefore His priesthood continues through all eternity.  By His blood, He may intercede for anyone at any time.  This readiness allows Him to “save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”  What an awesome promise!  Our salvation rests on promises and guarantees, sealed with the sturdy, solid trustworthiness of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus’s priesthood also rested on His perfection, “the power of an indestructible life.”  His worthiness to serve as priest did not rest on His ancestry; in fact, Jesus descended from Judah:  “in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.”

 

The author of Hebrews talks about this “indestructible life” as being “holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.”  God desires holiness in His people (1 Peter 1:15,16), but we consistently fall short.  Prior to Jesus’s coming, God instituted the Levitical priests to “offer sacrifices day after day, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people.”  This priesthood required consistent application and pointed directly toward the promise of a new Priest.  The Levitical priesthood also established the means of salvation:  “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22)

 

This perfect Priest therefore supersedes the human priesthood:  “For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.”  Through our knowledge and trust in this Priest, we may “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence.”  What a joy to be able to approach the One Who has created us!

 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your permanent and perfect Priesthood.  Thank You for interceding on our behalf through shedding Your precious blood and providing a secure means of becoming children of God.  Deepen our trust in You, and help us to grow in our grateful celebration of Your provision.  Give us opportunities to share this amazing news with our loved ones and neighbors.  To You be all praise, honor, and glory forever and ever!  Amen.

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