An Eternal Priesthood

From our Sunday service on March 1, 2026, Hebrews 6:19-7:28 and Genesis 14:17-24. This is part 5 of our Hebrews series. Watch the full message: An Eternal Priesthood – Hebrews Series #5 on YouTube.

We’re deep into our Hebrews series. Last week we talked about how Jesus is our great High Priest, and this week we continue that thought. Today we’re getting into one of the deeper sections of the book of Hebrews. Last week I mentioned that Hebrews talks about Melchizedek, but the author said the people weren’t quite ready to hear about it yet. Now that we’re in the next chapter, we’re ready to hear it. Through Melchizedek we’re going to see how Christ’s priesthood is superior to the priesthood of the Old Testament.

Keep the context of the book of Hebrews in mind. Why was it written? Because there were Jews who were tempted to turn back to the Old Testament law and forsake Christ. So today the author of Hebrews tells us why Christ is superior to the priesthoods of the Old Testament, and how we can know that when we go to Christ, we’re not losing out on salvation but actually inheriting it.

God wants you to know that the law is dead, but Jesus is alive forevermore.

An Anchor of the Soul

This is a continuation of the same thought, so let’s review where we left off last week.

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Hebrews 6:19–20

The previous chapter talked about how Jesus Christ is our great High Priest. In English, non-Jewish terms, he is our representative to God. Because he is our representative, that should be an anchor for the soul, an anchor for our faith. We can have confidence that if Jesus is our representative, we can go straight to God the Father with any need we have. The author of Hebrews uses this to say, “Christian, when you struggle with sin and you need strength, go to God the Father, because Jesus is there to support you as your representative.”

He says Jesus is our forerunner. One day we’re going to get to heaven and be able to talk to God one-on-one, but Jesus has entered ahead of time as our forerunner. He’s not someone who has to wait to go to heaven. He’s there, going before us to prepare the way. If we have this forerunner who has gone before us, why do we have doubts? Why would we ever think of giving up the salvation Christ has offered us?

At the very end, the previous passage says Jesus is “made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” Today we’ll talk about what that means to us. So we should probably know who Melchizedek is.

Who Was Melchizedek?

Before we go into today’s passage, let’s go back to Genesis 14 and see who Melchizedek is in the Old Testament, so we can see how he teaches us something about Christ.

And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.
Genesis 14:17

This passage gives us the context. You remember how Abraham and Lot separated when they had the dispute over land, because it wasn’t able to support both of their herds. Lot went to Sodom, and Abraham went the other way. Eventually armies invaded Sodom and the cities of the plain, and they took captives. When Abraham heard that his nephew Lot had been captured by foreign armies, he gathered his own army and went after them. Through the power of God he conquered the four kings who had kidnapped his nephew, and he brought Lot home. Verse 17 shows what happens immediately after “the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him.” He has just won the victory. What happens next?

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Genesis 14:18–20

Here we’re introduced to Melchizedek for the first and only time in the narrative of Scripture. He’s a character found only in these three verses and in the one time in Psalm 110 where it says the Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. That’s all we have to go on. But obviously Melchizedek is important, because Hebrews keeps talking about him over and over again. If Hebrews talks about him over and over again, it’s probably something we should understand. What is it supposed to teach us?

King of Salem, Bringing Bread and Wine

What do we know about Melchizedek? His name is Melchizedek, and he is the king of Salem. We meet him because he comes to give Abraham a gift of bread and wine. If you know anything about bread and wine, you should be noticing a pattern in Scripture. Melchizedek is foreshadowing the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, who in communion is represented by what? We break the bread and drink the cup. Melchizedek comes with bread and wine, a gift for Abraham. It represents the gift of Jesus Christ.

King and Priest

We also find that Melchizedek is not just a king. He’s also a priest of the one true God, “the most high God.” Jesus is not just a king. He’s King of kings and Lord of lords, but he is also a priest after the order of Melchizedek, and Jesus is a prophet as well. Jesus is prophet, priest and king. So in that sense too, Melchizedek foreshadows Christ.

The First Priest

It’s also very important to note the rule of first. Look at when something comes up for the first time in the Bible. Melchizedek is the first time we ever see a priest in the Bible. Sure, families offered sacrifices to God, but never before Melchizedek had somebody done sacrifices on behalf of somebody else. Melchizedek is the first priest in the Scriptures, and that should mean he’s important. What gives him the right to be a priest? Did God tell him? You don’t get a lot of information, but obviously he’s unique in that he is the first priest recorded in Scripture.

King of Righteousness

In the original Hebrew text the name is presented as two words, Melchi Zedek. It’s written with that two-word structure because we’re supposed to learn something from his name. Melchizedek means king of righteousness. Once again, that foreshadows Jesus. Who is Jesus? He’s the righteous King. Who’s Melchizedek? The king of righteousness. It’s in his name, and the Hebrew wording emphasizes it as significant. That’s an interesting comparison, because in a moment we’re going to see the king of Sodom compared with him.

What Not to Believe About Melchizedek

There are a lot of differing opinions about who Melchizedek is, and it’s important that we go over them. I don’t like to spend a lot of time in my messages talking about what not to believe. I think it’s more beneficial to talk about what we should believe. I could spend 20 minutes on all the things we shouldn’t believe about Melchizedek, and what good would that do you? But just so we’re aware of what other people believe, we should cover it.

Some people believe Melchizedek is actually a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, or an appearance of God himself. 11Q13, a document found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, tells us that some Jews understood Melchizedek to be God appearing to Abraham. This was written hundreds of years before Jesus came, and in their text they call Melchizedek Elohim, which is the Hebrew word for the one true God, or for gods in general.

Is that what we’re supposed to take away from this? No. Why did they come to this conclusion? Because Melchizedek is foreshadowing Christ, and the Jews before Christ came understood there was some significance to Melchizedek. There are too many coincidences in the passage to ignore. But they came to the wrong conclusion. When they studied Psalm 110, they said that “your God,” Elohim, is Melchizedek, who will save them from the hands of Belial. They understood Melchizedek as being messianic, but they concluded that Melchizedek must be God himself, and that God himself would be their Savior. The people of the Dead Sea Scrolls were really close, but they were wrong. They recognized Melchizedek as a divine prophecy, but they thought Melchizedek was actually God.

Even after Jesus came, this cult of Melchizedek continued. You may have heard of the Gnostic texts; I’ve mentioned them a few times. In the early years there was a branch of Christianity called the Gnostics, who believed in secret knowledge. Some of them had a cult of Melchizedek that came from the Jewish belief that Melchizedek was God. They believed Melchizedek was a prophet, but even greater than Christ, because Hebrews talks about him as this special figure. “If Jesus is good, Melchizedek should be greater, and we should worship Melchizedek.” No, that’s also the wrong conclusion. Because there are only a few verses about Melchizedek, there are a lot of false beliefs about him.

Some Bible commentaries might tell you that Melchizedek is actually Shem. Shem was Noah’s son, and according to the chronology of the Bible, Shem probably was alive during this time. But Hebrews tells us Melchizedek had no genealogy. Melchizedek can’t be Shem, because we know who Shem’s dad is. It’s Noah.

Just a Righteous King

So who is Melchizedek? He was likely just a righteous king. Really deep, right? Melchizedek was a good man, an honorable, righteous, God-fearing king. When he saw Abraham do something miraculous, he concluded, “Abraham and I must worship the same God, because only the true God could do with Abraham what I just saw.”

How do we know he was just a man? Hebrews tells us Melchizedek was “made like unto the Son of God.” That word in Greek means resembles. If the author wanted to tell us that Melchizedek was Jesus or was God, he wouldn’t say he resembled Jesus. He would say he was Jesus. The Bible’s not afraid to tell us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It doesn’t say “the Word resembled God.” It tells us specifically when these things are God and when they’re not. Here the passage tells us Melchizedek is not God, but he resembled God. Why? Because he followed God. And a Christian should resemble God too, if he’s following God. We too could be a picture like Melchizedek.

The King of Salem and the King of Sodom

Continuing in Genesis 14, we see the contrast we’re supposed to see. First the king of Salem came, but then the king of Sodom came.

And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
Genesis 14:21–24

In the context of Genesis, why is Melchizedek included? Because Melchizedek, king of Salem, is contrasted with the king of Sodom. One king is righteous and one is wicked. Melchizedek comes with blessings, praise and glory to God for Abraham’s victory. The king of Sodom comes to make a business deal and get what belongs to him. Melchizedek represents faith, and the king of Sodom represents worldliness and greed. Melchizedek comes to give credit to God. The king of Sodom comes to take credit for himself. That’s the contrast in Genesis, and that’s where we get the example of Melchizedek.

Made Like unto the Son of God

Going back to Hebrews 7, we’ll see how this plays out and how it foreshadows Jesus.

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
Hebrews 7:1–3

The first thing the author of Hebrews says we know about Melchizedek is that he was from Salem, which is believed to be the name of Jerusalem before it was conquered by the Jebusites. A few fringe people disagree and say Salem was actually Shalom, a city near Shechem, but that’s the minority opinion. Most people believe Melchizedek was the king of what is now known as Jerusalem. What’s important about that is that he was the king of peace. Salem means peace. Not only was he the king of righteousness, he’s also the king of peace.

There are many things we’re supposed to understand about the Messiah through Melchizedek. He represents that the Messiah is the King of righteousness. He represents that the Messiah is the King of peace. He represents the bread and the wine in communion. He’s there to teach us about Jesus.

Without Father, Without Mother

Verse 3 also says he was “without father, without mother.” You can see why people get confused. They take this literally instead of figuratively: “If he didn’t have a father and mother, it must have been a miraculous conception.” Where did people get this? As I said, the Dead Sea Scrolls contain the cult of Melchizedek, where they believed Melchizedek was a divine birth from God and didn’t have a father. And the Gnostics read this passage and said, “Melchizedek must be some kind of angel-human hybrid.” No, that’s not what we’re supposed to take away from it.

What is the author of Hebrews talking about? He’s saying that Melchizedek’s priesthood did not depend on a genealogy. The text doesn’t say “Melchizedek, son of” so-and-so. In the Levitical priesthood, if you could not confirm your genealogy, you had no right to be a priest. We see this in Ezra, as they’re coming out of exile and tracking everybody’s genealogy to prove who had a right to be a priest. If you couldn’t prove your genealogy, I’m sorry. Even if you knew you were a Levite, you couldn’t serve. You had to have the papers to prove it.

Melchizedek wasn’t that way. The text never records his genealogy. He has no father or mother on which his priesthood can be built. It’s built purely on the fact that he has faith in God. The author of Hebrews is saying this foreshadows what Jesus was going to do. We have a great High Priest, and now the priesthood of the believer is a reality. Outside of Israel there can be priests, and we can each be our own priest through the power of Christ as our representative. When we want to go before God, we don’t have to have a genealogy that says we’re from the tribe of Levi. We don’t need a father or mother who was a Christian. We just have to believe ourselves.

There’s no line of succession in Christ’s priesthood. Just as Melchizedek was always a priest and never passed it on to anybody else, Jesus is always a priest and never passes it on to anyone else.

Greater Than Abraham, Greater Than Levi

Verses 4-8 tell us about the superiority of Melchizedek’s priesthood over the Levites.

Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.
Hebrews 7:4–8

Verse 4 tells us that if Abraham was willing to give a portion of his wealth to Melchizedek, Abraham must have considered Melchizedek superior to him. You don’t give a tenth of all you have to somebody who means nothing to you. How many of you would do that? Somebody comes up and gives you some bread and wine, and you say, “Okay, here’s a tenth of my net worth.” If you’re in debt, it doesn’t count. We’re not talking about handing off your debt. We’re talking about giving your wealth.

Though we don’t know much about Melchizedek, Abraham obviously did. When he sees Melchizedek, a priest of the most high God, he says, “This is a man of God. I’m going to tithe to Melchizedek. He’s a representative of God, and he has a relationship with God that I don’t. He is superior to me.” If Abraham did this, Melchizedek’s priesthood must have been something greater.

The author of Hebrews extends that. If the tribe of Levi comes from Abraham’s descendants, the tribe of Levi must also be less than Melchizedek. How can the line that came from Abraham be greater than Melchizedek, if Abraham said he was below Melchizedek?

Additionally, Levi was only allowed to collect tithes from their brethren, the people of Israel. They weren’t allowed to collect tithes from people in Egypt or Persia or anywhere else. But Melchizedek was able to collect tithes from Abraham, someone who wasn’t from his city or under what you would normally consider his local jurisdiction. Melchizedek’s priesthood had authority not just over Israel, but over everyone.

The Less Is Blessed of the Better

Verse 7: “And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.” In other words, the lesser always gives to the greater, and the blessing comes from the greater to the lesser. It wouldn’t make sense for Abraham to receive a blessing from Melchizedek if Melchizedek were less than him. If it were that way, Abraham would have blessed Melchizedek. It would be like going to a priest in Israel and saying, “Priest, let me bless you today.” The priest would say, “What are you talking about? I’m the Levitical priest. That’s my job. You come to me.”

There’s no example anywhere in the Levitical priesthood of something like that happening. The one who is closer to God is the one who gives the blessing. You wouldn’t go to an unsaved person and say, “Bless me. Pray for me.” They don’t believe in God. Here, Melchizedek has the greater faith and the greater priesthood than Abraham, so he’s the one who gives the blessing. If we’re honest with ourselves, we have to admit that Melchizedek’s priesthood must be superior to what is found in the law.

Verse 8 draws it back to Christ: “And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.” In the old Levitical system, dying men received the tithes. But under the new system, Jesus acts as a High Priest who lives forever. Just as Melchizedek’s priesthood never changed, Jesus’s will never change at all.

The Law Was Always Meant to Change

Then he contrasts that with the law in verses 9-12, where he proves that the law was always meant to change and was designed for that purpose.

And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him. 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? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
Hebrews 7:9–12

If Abraham was inferior to Melchizedek, Abraham’s children must have been inferior as well. And if this priesthood was inferior the whole time, and there’s a prophecy in Psalm 110 that says the Messiah would come after the order of Melchizedek, then even David knew the law wasn’t forever. If the law is inferior to Melchizedek and the Messiah is coming in the order of Melchizedek, there’s no way the Levitical priesthood stays relevant once Melchizedek’s priesthood returns.

We’ve known for hundreds of years that Melchizedek was greater than Abraham. We know this as a theological truth. So if David the psalmist, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said that when the Messiah comes, Melchizedek’s order is going to return, then we knew that the Old Testament law was only for a time.

These believers, these people on the edge, were not convinced that Jesus was worth giving up the law for. So the author of Hebrews says, “You don’t understand. It’s always been designed to be temporary. The sacrifices weren’t designed to take away your sins. They were just a temporary representation to point you to the Messiah when he came. If David knew hundreds of years ago that the priesthood was coming and changing, then you should too.”

In verse 12 he says it point-blank: “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.” If the priesthood is different, and the law was given through that priesthood, how would the law apply to Melchizedek’s priesthood, a totally different system? You can’t marry the old with the new. It’s counterintuitive. It’s illogical. And we know better.

Faith Outside Abraham’s Line

Verses 13-17 tell us that salvation by faith existed outside of Abraham’s lineage.

For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Hebrews 7:13–17

Melchizedek proves that faith existed outside the line of Abraham. There was no Israelite connected to Melchizedek. There was no Levite manning Melchizedek’s altar. Yet Scripture verifies that Melchizedek was a true priest when it says he was “the priest of the most high God.”

The Israelites thought salvation was only within Israel, that God only cared about them, even though Scripture said multiple times that God wanted people to go and preach to others, as when he sent Jonah to Nineveh. And Melchizedek was a priest of the most high God, but he was outside of Israel. The author says, “Jews, don’t you understand? We’re not the be-all and end-all of faith. It’s for everyone. Our God is not just the God of Israel. He’s the God of the world.” Melchizedek proved that people were not dependent on Israel for salvation.

He says, “It is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda.” You’ve seen in Isaiah that there would be a branch from the line of Judah. There have been prophecies throughout the whole Bible that the Messiah would come from Judah. But Scripture also said the Messiah would be a priest, and priests can’t come from the tribe of Judah. “Why are you stumbling on this? Why are you losing faith?” Salvation could never have been under the law, because if that’s what salvation came through, it would contradict the law.

A Side Note: Joseph

Here’s one of the great foreshadowings in the line of Judah that I didn’t think about until I was working on this message this week. It’s just a side note, a little tidbit. The picture of salvation and Judah is throughout the whole Old Testament.

Go back to the end of the book of Genesis and look at the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. He has a dream that his family will bow down to him, that he’s the king. Who’s Jesus? Jesus is the King. What happens to Joseph? His family gets mad that he says he’s going to be the king. They want to kill him, but they can’t, so they sell him into slavery. What did the Jews want to do to Jesus when he said he was the King of the Jews? They wanted to kill him, and they did kill him.

There’s foreshadowing in Joseph there. Who sold Joseph into slavery? It was Judah who sold Joseph for silver into slavery. And it was Judas, which is the Greek form of Judah, who sold Jesus. The Old Testament foreshadows Jesus so much. After Joseph was sold into slavery, his father thought he was dead, but suddenly he wasn’t dead. He was alive again, and he saved his people, and not just his people but all the nations around. You have the foreshadowing of Jesus not just in Melchizedek but all through the Old Testament. Even in the story of Joseph it’s foreshadowed that Jesus was going to save his people and all the nations.

So the author of Hebrews, being a scholar of the Old Testament, says, “Look at Melchizedek. The example is there that the law was temporary.” There was this picture of the Messiah in all these Old Testament stories. As God was doing things, he was telling truth about the future he was going to create for us.

The Messiah was prophesied to be prophet, priest and king. Yet the Messiah was said to come from the tribe of Judah. That would be impossible under the law, because priests have to come from Levi. So the priesthood of the Messiah cannot come from Levi. It must come from another lineage, and the only one we have in Scripture is that of Melchizedek. So what’s the point? The law of the Old Testament could never fulfill all the prophecies of Christ. Which means the law is not salvation. The law was temporary.

A Better Hope

He says this in verses 18 and 19, where he says the law is now antiquated.

For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
Hebrews 7:18–19

In verse 18 the author of Hebrews uses some intense words to describe the state of the law: “the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.” In other words, it’s weak and useless. The Old Testament law is weak and useless. There’s no purpose for it anymore. There’s no reason to follow the law, because it can’t save you. There’s no reason to follow the law, because the Bible told us it was temporary. “Jew, do not turn from the Messiah and go to the law, because there is no salvation there.”

Verse 19 says, “the law made nothing perfect.” Look at the Old Testament. How much did the law change the hearts of the people of Israel? Time and time again they failed and fell into sin. Though the law could temporarily restore communion with God, it could never fix the root problem of man’s sin.

But that’s not the end of the story. Even though the law couldn’t fix it, “the bringing in of a better hope did.” What’s the better hope? He told us: “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul.” He’s talking about that anchor again: Jesus, our representative, sitting at the right hand of the throne of God, ready to make intercession for us. Our better hope, our anchor, has changed things. It’s transformed everything. We don’t need to worry about the law. We have Christ to help us, and now we can approach God through Christ.

Made with an Oath

In verses 20-22 he tells us how this priesthood is more secure.

And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
Hebrews 7:20–22

He reminds the Jews about the oath God made in Psalm 110: “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” God swore it. Remember, in the last chapter he talked about how God’s promises are doubly secure: first, because God can’t lie, and second, because he swears by himself, and there’s no higher authority. So we should trust God when he makes a promise.

Now he brings it back around, saying that the Levitical priests don’t swear oaths. You’re a priest if you come from a genetic line. That’s it. There’s no swearing-in ceremony. They don’t hold a Bible and say, “I swear to do justly and righteously in the priesthood, or God strike me down.” They don’t make an oath. They’re just there, serving. But we know the priesthood of Jesus is superior once again, because it’s made with an oath, and not just any oath, but an oath from God, who cannot lie and always keeps his promises. In other words, if Jesus is our priest, what other worries should we ever have?

An Eternal and Perfect Priesthood

Then he draws it all together, talking about an eternal priesthood and a perfected priesthood.

And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 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. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.
Hebrews 7:23–28

Here he sums it all up. We don’t have a temporary priesthood anymore. We have an eternal one, and it’s a perfect one.

Verse 23 tells us there were thousands and thousands of priests over the centuries, because eventually a priest would die and another would have to take his place. Every generation there was a whole new set of priests. Sometimes the priests were good, and sometimes they were bad. You never had a guarantee that when you grew up, the priests of the temple were really going to be doing what God wanted. There was no quality control. Whoever was born into the role was there.

Remember when Hannah went to pray because she was barren. She was weeping there at the temple, and Eli sat there judging her, thinking she was drunk. Sometimes the priests weren’t good. Too bad, Hannah, you’ve got to deal with it. They’re the ones who run the show. The author of Hebrews asks, “Is that really the priesthood you want?” Just anybody is born into it. Sometimes they’re going to judge you. They’re not going to do things right. They’re going to be sinful like us.

He brings that up again. These priests are sinners just like you. Before they offer sacrifices, they have to offer a sacrifice for themselves, because they sin today just like you sin today. Is that really the priesthood you want to hold on to so deeply?

But Jesus isn’t like that priesthood. Verse 24: “But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.” On top of that, verse 25: “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost.” That word in the Greek means completely and perfectly. He’s able to finish what he started. The priest could offer a sacrifice and cover you for a day or two, but Jesus offered a sacrifice and finished the job. Why would you ever want the old system, based on flawed, broken people?

Verse 26: “For such an high priest became us.” This High Priest who is perfect, who lives forever, who could have stayed in heaven and never had to deal with any of the hardship on earth, became one of us. He came to us, holy, innocent and separate from sinners by nature, yet he came down and ate with them. This same God, who is made higher than the heavens, came to us to become our great High Priest.

He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day to stay in the priesthood, because he never sinned. Instead of sacrificing for his own sins, he sacrificed himself for sins: “for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” Jesus’s sacrifice was once and for all. He sacrificed himself and solved the sin problem in one sacrifice.

Verse 28 tells us, “For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law,” the oath we received after the law, “maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” We have the Son of God now. We have a priest who is here now, and he’s not going to make a mistake. When you go to pray to him, he’s not going to be like Eli to Hannah, saying, “You’re a drunk. You’re a loser. Get out of the temple, you drunk.” Jesus sees your heart. He knows exactly where you are. He’s been on earth, and he knows exactly what it feels like to deal with it. He’s never going to be late to show up at the temple one day. He’s always available. He’s always ready. He always understands, and he’s always ready to help.

That’s why we have an anchor for the soul. That’s why we can have confidence to go to God: our ability to have a relationship with God is now complete. It’s not partially done. It was finished once and for all when Jesus died on the cross for us. Here’s the summary: the law makes broken priests, but the oath of God that came after the law gave us the perfect Son of God to serve us.

Conclusion

Let’s wrap this all together. Hebrews 7 isn’t just an account of the priesthood changing. It’s an important reminder that our entire basis for approaching God has been transformed for the better. The law, with its endless temporary sacrifices offered by flawed and dying priests, could never remove people’s sin. But Jesus did what the law could never do.

Our hope is not anchored in commandments written on stone or rituals performed by fragile men. Our hope is anchored beyond the veil, where Jesus himself stands as our forerunner, our representative, our High Priest like Melchizedek, a righteous priest who never loses his office. Because Jesus lives forever, we will always have a representative. Because Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament law, salvation is no longer dependent on us. And because Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, our salvation is secure and complete. Jesus, who is the King of righteousness and the King of peace, has already gone before us to prepare the way.

So stop trying to live as though your acceptance depends on keeping a law that could never save you. Stop standing far from God when Christ has opened the way straight to him. And stop looking to earthly systems for solutions when heaven’s High Priest is calling your name to a higher purpose.

God wants you to know that the law is dead, but Jesus is alive forevermore. So remember: the law cannot save you, but with Jesus, sin cannot condemn you and death cannot claim you. Why? Because your High Priest lives forever. And if Jesus lives forever, then your hope does too.