BIBLE EXPOSITION OUTLINE Tuesday 26th March 2019

DIOCESAN THEME:     “GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH” –    PSALM 46:1a

Theme: THE EXCELLENCY OF THE PRIESTLY OFFICE OF CHRIST

TEXT:         HEBREWS CHAPTER 7

Introduction

The doctrine of the priestly office of Christ is so excellent in itself, and so essential a part of the Christian faith, that the apostle loves to dwell upon it. Nothing made the Jews so fond of the levitical dispensation as the high esteem they had of their priesthood, and it was doubtless a sacred and most excellent institution; it was a very severe threatening denounced against the Jews (Hos. 3:4 ), that the children of Israel should abide many days without a prince or priest, and without a sacrifice. Now the apostle assures them that by receiving the Lord Jesus they would have a much better high priest, a priesthood of a higher order, and consequently a better dispensation or covenant, a better law and testament.

Who was Melchizedek?

The foregoing chapter ended with a repetition of what had been cited once and again before out of ps. 110:4,- Jesus, a high priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. Now this chapter is as a sermon upon that text; here the apostle sets before them some of the strong meat he had spoken of before, hoping they would by greater diligence be better prepared to digest it.

Biblical reference to him

All the accounts we have of him in the Old Testament are in Gen. 14:18, and in Ps. 110:4. Indeed we are much in the dark about him; God has thought fit to leave us so, that this Melchizedek might be a more lively type of him whose generation none can declare.

Opinions about him

(1.) Therabbin and most of the Jewish writers, think he was Shem the son of Noah who was king and priest to their ancestors, after the manner of the other patriarchs; but it is not probable that he should thus change his name. Besides, we have no account of his settling in the land of Canaan. (2.) Many Christian writers have thought him to be Jesus Christ himself, appearing by a special dispensation and privilege to Abraham in the flesh, and who was known to Abraham by the name Melchizedek, which agrees very well to Christ, and to what is said, Jhn. 8:56 , ‘Abraham saw his day and rejoiced’; but then, it seems strange to make Christ a type of himself. (3.) The most general opinion is that he was a Canaanite king, who reigned in Salem, and kept up religion and the worship of the true God; that he was raised to be a type of Christ, and was honored by Abraham as such.

Melchizedek made like unto the Son of God. Heb.7: 1-3

(1.) Melchizedek was a king, and so is the Lord Jesus—a king of God’s anointing; the government is laid upon his shoulders, and he rules over all for the good of his people.

(2.) That he was king of righteousness: his name signifies the righteous king. Jesus Christ is a rightful and a righteous king—rightful in his title, righteous in his government. He is the Lord, our righteousness; he has fulfilled all righteousness, and brought in an everlasting righteousness, and he loves righteousness and righteous persons, and hates iniquity.

(3.) He was king of Salem, that is, king of peace; first, king of righteousness, and after that, king of peace. So is our Lord Jesus; he, by his righteousness, made peace; the fruit of righteousness is peace. Christ speaks peace, creates peace, and is our peace-maker.

(4.) He was priest of the highest God, qualified and anointed in an extraordinary manner to be His priest among the gentiles. So is the Lord Jesus; he is the priest of the Most High God, and the gentiles must come to God by him; it is only through his priesthood that we can obtain reconciliation and remission of sin.

(5.) He was without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, v. 3. This must not be understood according to the letter; but the scripture has chosen to set him forth as an extraordinary person, without giving us his genealogy, that he might be a fitter type of Christ, who as man was without father, as God without mother; whose priesthood is without descent, did not descend to him from another, nor from him to another, but is personal and perpetual.

(6.) That he met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him. The incident is recorded in Gen. 14:18, etc. He brought forth bread and wine to refresh Abraham and his servants when they were weary; he gave as a king, and blessed as a priest. Thus our Lord Jesus meets his people in their spiritual conflicts, refreshes them, renews their strength, and blesses them.

(7.) That this Melchizedek was made like unto the son of god, and abideth a priest continually. He bore the image of God in his piety and authority, and stands upon record as an immortal high priest; the ancient type of him who is the eternal and only-begotten of the father, who abideth a priest forever.

(8.) That Abraham gave him a tenth part of all (v. 2), that is, as the apostle explains it, of all the spoils; and this Abraham did as an expression of his gratitude for what Melchizedek had done for him, or as a testimony of his homage and subjection to him as a king, or as an offering vowed and dedicated to God, to be presented by his priest. And thus are we obliged to make all possible returns of love and gratitude to the Lord Jesus for all the rich and royal favours we receive from him, to pay our homage and subjection to him as our king, and to put all our offerings into his hands, to be presented by him to the father in the incense of his own sacrifice.

From what we have above, let us look at tithing and attitude to it today vs.4-10

Tithing

Tithe is the tenth of the produce of the earth consecrated and set apart for special purposes. The dedication of a tenth to God was recognized as a duty before the time of Moses. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek (Genesis 14:20 ; Hebrews 7:6 ); and Jacob vowed unto the Lord and said, “of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.” This is an act of gratitude and appreciation to God. Tithing is one way to worship God—to honor him as your provider and remind yourself that all of your resources belong to him and are provided through his grace. As you give away that first 10% of your income, you set your course to honor God in the way you handle the rest of your finances.

Note these on tithing

The paying of the tithes was an important part of the Jewish religious worship. In the days of

Hezekiah, one of the first results of the reformation of religion was the eagerness with which the

people brought in their tithes ( 2Chronicles 31:5; 2Chronicles 31:6 ). The neglect of this duty

was sternly rebuked by the prophets ( Amos 4:4 ; Malachi 3:8-10 ). Abraham paid tithe to

Melchizedek in appreciation of what he did for him.

Do Christians need to pay tithe today? Note that Abraham was special to the Jews.  He was the Patriarch—literally, the “first father.”  Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, was blessed by Melchizedek and responded to that blessing by giving to him a tithe of all of the spoils.

. It cannot be affirmed that the old testament law of tithes is binding on the Christian church, nevertheless the principle of this law remains, and is incorporated in the gospel (Mathew 23:23; 1 Corinthians 9:13 1 Corinthians 9:14 ); and if, as is the case, the motive that ought to prompt to liberality in the cause of religion and of the service of God be greater now than in old testament times, then Christians ought to go beyond the ancient Hebrew in consecrating both themselves and their substance to God.

NOTE:

1. Both Melchizedek and the Aaronic priesthood are legitimate priests of God.

What would you think your attitude to the Priests should be? Heb. 13:17; 7; Gal.6:6; 1Thess.             5:12,13.

The significance of Jesus’ Melchizedekan Priesthood verses 11-28

The levitical priesthood brought nothing to perfection: it could not justify men from guilt; it could not sanctify them from inward pollution; it could not cleanse the consciences of the worshippers from dead works; all it could do was to lead them to the antitype. But the priesthood of Christ carries in it, and brings along with it, a better hope; it shows us the true foundation of all the hope we have towards God for pardon and salvation; it more clearly discovers the great objects of our hope; and so it tends to work in us a more strong and lively hope of acceptance with God. By this hope we are encouraged to draw nigh unto God, to enter into a covenant-union with him, to live a life of converse and communion with him. We may now draw near with a true heart, and with the full assurance of faith, having our minds sprinkled from an evil conscience. The former priesthood rather kept men at a distance and under a spirit of bondage; but we have our freedom and salvation in accepting the priesthood of Christ.