If you turn to the book of Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 5, is the writer of Hebrews is setting forth the qualifications that a man had to meet in order to become the high priest of Israel. And the first qualification that we see right at the very beginning of chapter 5 is the qualification of solidarity in order to represent the people he had obviously to be one of them. And so we read in this opening verse of chapter 5 of Hebrews, verse 1, for every high priest being taken out of men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God in order that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. Now when you read that phrase, gifts and sacrifices, as you recall, gifts would be the more comprehensive sort of term, gifts, and then you would have the concept of sacrifices. But on the way that the writer uses these particular terms, I think it would be right to say that he's using this as a general expression in the sense of basically offerings and a particular kind of offerings because he designates for sins. So when you read this, we're talking about offerings in a particular class of offerings indicated by the word for sins. And again, if you remember in chapter eight. We read that phrase in verse 3 where he mentions gifts and sacrifices in chapter 8, verse 3. But when you come to verse 4, he simply summarizes gifts and sacrifices by the one word, gifts. So it seems as though this is a general expression here in chapter 5, verse 1, but this is what the priest had to do. So when you talk about a priest, first qualification would be solidarity. He has to be of men in order to represent men. So we think of solidarity and we think of representation. Now, the second qualification is found in verse two. If the first is solidarity. The second is sympathy. If the first is representation, the second is identification. So when I move into verse two, I'm thinking of the emotions that the high priest would experience, but they're controlled emotions, but nevertheless, emotions for those that he represented. So we read this in verse two, being able to deal gently with the ones who are being ignorant and are wandering away, or better yet, those who are going astray through ignorance. Because it seems as though he's bringing those two words together because there's one article that modifies both of them. So when you read it, The ones to the ones who are being ignorant and the ones wandering astray. They are going astray from the Mosaic law and they're doing it through ignorance. So they're committing sins accidentally caused by some sort of sudden passion as over against defiant rebellion. And we looked at this last week that when you talk about various sins, There were sins that were committed unintentionally and then sins that were done defiantly. If you talk about sins that were done in ignorance, there were offerings that were to be offered for those sins. But when you talk about sins done in defiance, there were no offerings that one could offer for those kinds of sins. So there was a distinction made. You remember Numbers 15. There's a distinction made between sins done unwittingly and sins done with a high hand. Here he's talking about sins done unwittingly. So I read this David here, we're in Hebrews chapter 5 verse 2, and we're talking about the second qualification for a high priest. being able to deal gently with those who are going astray through ignorance. Now again, I come back to this little word that is used here in verse two, because this verb is only found here in the New Testament. And when you talk about the word that is used here translated to deal gently, you're talking about a word that emphasizes moderation. moderation of passion and emotion, especially, the lexicon will say, between anger and grief. Well, how about this definition? One who is not unduly disturbed by the errors, faults, sins of others, but bears with them gently. That's the way the lexicon defines it. in this particular text. One who is not unduly disturbed by the errors, faults, sins of others, but bears with them gently. So if you talk about the word that is used here, remember there is a difference between being apathetic or indifferent, and then overwhelmed with emotion. This is that in between position. So when we talk about the word that is used, we're talking about a balance, an emotional mental balance between being cold or distant on the one hand, and then being uncontrollably excited on the other. That is what we're talking about. It's a balance between, one writer says, extreme apathy, no suffering, and excessive feeling and excitement. So the translators simply translate it to deal gently with this individual who's going astray from Mosaic Law by sitting in ignorance. So when you talk about this word, this means the individual has the ability to bear with people without becoming angry or irritated. The ability not to lose one's temper when people do foolish things, or when people refuse to learn, or when people do the same thing over and over again. You're still dealing gently with those people because you have emotions, but you're controlling those emotions. I think of Kipling in that little poem, But it's interesting when you think about Kipling and the various things that that man experienced. His first five years in England, he experienced terrible abuse from his foster mother. He only had a break during the holiday month of December when he would go to London and stay with his mother's family. But he experienced all kinds of problems. On one occasion, when the bank where he kept his savings collapsed, it left him penniless. On a trip to America in 1899, his daughter Josephine died of pneumonia. She was seven years old. He was a proponent of Britain's involvement in World War I, so he encouraged his son John to enlist. And when his son failed the physical, he used his connections to get him in, only to watch him die in battle during this first world war. But think about that little point. If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you. If you can trust yourself with all men doubt you, but make allowance for the doubting too. If you can wait and not be tired by waiting or being lied about, don't deal in lies or being hated, don't give way to hating and yet don't look too good nor talk too wise. If you can dream and not make dreams your master, if you can think and not make thoughts your aim, if you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same. If you can bear to hear the truth you spoke and twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, or watch the things you gave your life to broken and stoop and build them up with worn out tools. If you can make a heap of all of your winnings and risk it on one turn of pitch and toss and lose and start again at your beginnings and never breathe a word about your loss. If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn long after they're gone, and so hold on when there is nothing in you except the will which says to them, hold on. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings nor lose the common touch. If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, if all men count with you but none too much. If you can fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run, Yours is the earth and everything that's in it, and which is more, you'll be a man, my son." Incredible emotions, but being able to control them, keeping your head when everything around you is insane. Now, listen to the words of Arthur Conan Dole. And he was a physician, but listen to his words. As a physician, the moral training to keep a confidence invalid, to act promptly on a sudden call, to keep your head in critical moments, to be kind yet strong, Where can you outside medicine get such a training as that? If you're the high priest of Israel, if you're the high priest of Israel, you can have that kind of emotion for someone else and yet be able to control yourself. That's a qualification. So I think about solidarity in the sense of representation. But I think of sympathy in the sense of identification. And you can sense this here in the second verse, when the writer says this about the high priest, he is able to deal gently with individuals like this, since he also is clothed with weakness. And the word that is used there is the word that is used in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1. Compassed about was so cloud of witnesses, compassed about, that's this word. So to be compassed about, to have around one, to be clothed in or with weakness is what causes the high priest to deal gently with someone else. So I'm reading it here, being able, verse 2, to deal gently with the ones being ignorant and wandering away since he also himself is compassed about with weakness and therefore he ought to understand the problem with reference to this other individual. Now listen to just some statements that we read in terms of the writings of Paul. Now listen to this statement in Romans chapter 12 and verse 3. For I'm saying through the grace that was given to me to everyone who is being among you not to think more highly than it is necessary to think, but to think as to think soberly, each one as God measured the measure of faith." Which is an interesting statement. Don't think more highly of yourself than you really should. And there's a play on all of these words, hupefraneo, franeo, franeo, sofraneo. I mean, they're all basically the same word, but different forms of it. Or listen to the statement in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, when Paul says this to the Corinthians after he has set forth these sins that were committed by the nation of Israel. So then, the one who is thinking to stand, watch out, lest he fall. Which means, of course, any of us are capable of doing anything. So we ought not to be haughty and arrogant, looking down upon someone else. 1 Corinthians 10, verse 12. Or how about this statement? Galatians 6, 1. Brothers, if even a man be overtaken in some transgression, You, the spiritual ones, restore such a one with a spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. So you want to help this individual that has fallen down, but you have to come with a certain disposition or attitude because you can fall down just like that person fell down. So when I read the statement here, in terms of the high priest. The high priest can deal gently with someone else because he's compassed about with weakness himself. But there's something else. And he tells us this in verse three. And on account of this, he ought just as concerning the people, so also concerning himself, to constantly offer for sins. So not only is the high priest compassed with weakness, the high priest acknowledges he has a fundamental problem, the problem of sin. He's a sinner. And so because of his weakness and because of his own sinfulness, he ought to deal gently with someone else. Now, when you read this, the writer is acknowledging the sinfulness of the high priest. And the high priest had to offer a sacrifice because of his sins. Now I want you to again notice this statement in Hebrews chapter 7, verse 27. Jesus Christ needs not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifice first for his own sins and then for the people's. So the high priest would offer a sacrifice for his own sins and then he'd offer a sacrifice for the sins of the people. And then if you'll notice chapter 9 and notice again verse 7. into the second into the holy of holies with the high priest alone once every year not without blood the blood of a bullock which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people so he had to offer a sacrifice for himself before he did it in terms of the people now obviously we're talking about the day of atonement now I want you to turn to the book of Leviticus And I want to just point out something in Leviticus chapter 16. This is in Leviticus chapter 16. This is, of course, describing what happened on the Day of Atonement when the priest would offer a bullock for his own sins and the sins of his family. And then it offered that goat as a sin offering for the people. This was seventh month, 10th day. This is the day of atonement. Now in Leviticus chapter 16, I want you to notice what we read. Leviticus chapter 16, verse six. Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself. and make an atonement for himself and for his house. Then come down to verse 11 of Leviticus 16. Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself. He shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small and bring it within the veil. And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony that he die not. He shall take of the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat. He swore that before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Now come down to one more verse, the 17th verse. And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goes in to make an atonement in the holy place until he come out and have made an atonement for himself and for his household and for all the congregation of Israel. So when you talk about what the high priest would do on the Day of Atonement, which is absolutely what the writer of Hebrews is thinking about, he had to offer a bullock for a sin offering for himself and for his household, his family, before he could ever offer the goat as a sin offering for the people. Now that is Leviticus chapter 16, and that is absolutely in the mind of the writer of Hebrews. He's thinking of the high priest and what the high priest would do, but specifically what the high priest would do on the day of atonement. And remember, this is the only time during the course of the year that the high priest could actually enter into the Holy of Holies. And he's the only one who could do it. And in all probability, he entered into the Holy of Holies four times. He went in with the censer and the incense. He went in with the blood of the bullock. He went in with the blood of the goat. He went in to take the censer out and bring it back into the holy place. So this is what the high priest would do. And it was certainly an acknowledgement of the sinfulness of the high priest. He had to do this for himself before he could ever do it with the people. So when I think about qualifications, I understand solidarity in the sense of representation, and I understand sympathy in terms of identification. He can identify with the people in terms of weakness, but also in terms of sin. But then there's a third qualification. And it is selection. Divine selection. We're talking vocation. Now here's the fourth verse of Hebrews chapter 5. And notice the way it reads. This is Hebrews chapter 5 verse 4. And not to himself a certain one receives honor, but the one being called by God, just as also Aaron. Now, when you read this here in the fourth verse, we have to think about what it meant to be in the office of high priest. Josephus tells us that the title of high priest was the most honored of revered names and the office, the highest dignity in Israel. So Josephus tells us that when you talk about high priest, the most honored of revered names and the office, the highest in his words, dignity in Israel. So you can understand why individuals would be canvassing for that particular office because of the honor and the glory and the dignity of being the high priest of Israel. So when you read this in terms of the fourth verse, and because there was so much honor associated with the office, there were two foundational principles that were incorporated in the Mosaic Law. First, negatively, no man can take that honor unto himself. There is no self-appointment here. And second, positively, he had to be called of God. So when I read this fourth verse, we see these two principles enunciated. Verse four, not to himself a certain one receives the honor, but the one being called by God as also Aaron. So we're talking about divine appointment. That is the only way that you could become the high priest. And we know that God appointed Aaron as the first high priest. Now I want you to turn back and let me just read several passages. This is in Levitic. This is an Exodus chapter 28. I just want to read the opening verse. This is an Exodus chapter 28, and you read it all in this chapter, but just notice the beginning of it. Exodus chapter 28, verse one. Take thou unto Aaron thy brother and his sons with him from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to me in the priest office, even Aaron. Then we read of his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar, Aaron's sons. Now turn with me to Leviticus, Leviticus chapter eight. And notice the statement here in Leviticus. Chapter 8, verse 1, And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments. And then we read the instructions when they are brought into the office, all as directed by the Lord. Now, hold your place here, because I'm going to read a statement in numbers, but I want to read a statement in the Psalms. This is taken from Psalm 105, and this is in verse 26. Psalm 105, verse 26. God sent Moses, his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen. So he chose Moses, he chose Aaron to be the high priest. Psalm 105. Verse 26. So Aaron was the first of Israel's high priest. And then we read of his heirs and his successors. Turn with me to the book of numbers, numbers chapter 20. And I want you to notice what happens when Aaron dies. This is in numbers chapter 20. And notice this in verse 23. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the coast of the land of Edom, saying, Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because you rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah. Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up into Mount Hor. and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son. And Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there. And Moses did as the Lord commanded, and they went up into Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son. And Aaron died there. And at the top of the mountain, Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount, And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron 30 days, even all the house of Israel. So you have Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, of course, died, Leviticus chapter 10, because of what they attempted to do, trying to go into the Holy of Holies. Fire came out from the ark and killed them. So Nadab and Abihu, then you have Eleazar and Ithamar. But now it's passed down from Aaron to his son, Eleazar. So you think about the divine appointment, selection. God's the one who selected Aaron to be the first high priest. And when Aaron was challenged, there were some grave consequences. Do you remember after this, and they're in the wilderness, Aaron was questioned. Moses and Aaron leadership was questioned by Korah and Dathan and to Barim. And Korah was a Levite. But they questioned it. You remember what happened? The earth swallowed them up and they all died. You have it recorded in Numbers chapter 16. And then you remember it again in Numbers chapter 17 when Aaron was questioned in terms of his leadership. And you have the 12 rods engraved with the 12 names. And the one that budded was the one that was delegated by the Lord. And it was Aaron's rod that budded. So you read this in Numbers chapter 16. You read this in Numbers chapter 17. And the Lord confirmed Aaron to be the one who was called and the one that was to serve in that capacity. You had individuals that had tried to do various things. You remember King Uzziah? He tried to do priestly things. He was struck down with leprosy and he was a leper until the day he died. So when we read this, We understand the importance of selection, the importance of divine appointment. God is the one who does it. Can't be oneself. It's not self-appointment. God's the one who does it. So I read it here in verse four, not to himself, a certain one receives the honor, but the one being called by God, just as also Aaron. Aaron was called. He was a Versailles priest. So you think about this in terms of the priest. And I think about what was happening prior to the time of the book of Hebrews and what was happening during the time of the book of Hebrews. Do you remember what happens during the intertestamental period between the end of the old Testament and the beginning of the new Testament? When you move out of the old Testament, the Persians are in control. And then the Greeks. conquer the Persians. And then we read about what the Greeks attempted to do in the sense of Hellenizing, causing Jews to become Greeks. And then you had the explosion, you remember, during the time of the Maccabees. That's in the second century BC. Now when you're dealing with that period of time, you're dealing with these Hasmoneans and the Hasmoneans were individuals who took the priesthood and the civil power in Israel and combined it in themselves in one person. So the person was the priest and the person was the ruler. This is what happened during the Hasmonean period of time. And it's interesting because you have all of these pious groups in Israel that never approved of the Hasmoneans. They disapproved of what the Hasmoneans were attempting to do. And you can see this, for example, certainly with what we know as the Pharisees and certainly the sect of Qumran, they absolutely refused to recognize individuals that were in the capacity of the high priest. or involved in the priesthood. So it's interesting when you think of what happens prior to the first century and then you're moving into the first century. If you're dealing with the Hasmonean period of time where you're talking about civil authority and being a high priest, you're dealing with say 103 BC to basically the time of the Romans. And it's interesting what Josephus has to say about how the people responded to this high priest. On one occasion during the Feast of Tabernacles, he tells us that the populace belted this high priest with citrons because he insisted on performing the ceremony of water pouring in a way that did not commend itself to them as proper. So they belted him with all of these things. That's a Jewish high priest. So when you talk about during this period of time and the way that it was considered, when you have the Hasmoneans, and after the Hasmoneans that were not accepted at all, then you move into the time of the Romans, like Herod the Great. and his son Archelaus, and the Roman governors, and members of Herod's family, they were the ones that were appointing these high priests. And they had no connection with Herod at all, and they were not accepted by the people. Listen to the words of one who puts it like this. Now listen to this comment. From the time of Herod, the succession to the high priesthood became irregular and arbitrary and not confined to the line of Aaron. Therefore, the writer of Hebrews goes back to the divine ideal. The notoriousness of the high priestly corruption at the time could not fail to give point to the language of the epistle of Hebrews. Now the last high priest Josephus tells us was Fani. He was appointed by popular ballot during the war against Rome in 67. Fani. He was the last high priest before the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. And remember, Josephus says there was 83 from Aaron to the last one, Fani. There were 83 high priests. So when you read this, we're thinking about the qualifications, solidarity in the sense of representation, sympathy in the sense of identification, divine selection in the terms of a vocation. You had to be not only from the tribe of Levi, you had to be from Aaron, from the family of Aaron in order to be high priest. So I read this in verses 1 through 4. Now notice what the writer then does. He moves from the qualifications and he offers this explanation. It's at the very beginning of verse 5. Source of Christ glorified not himself to be made a high priest. So now he's offering this explanation about Jesus Christ. And He's going to want us to understand that Jesus Christ is qualified because He is able to sympathize and He was divinely appointed by His Father into this office. So that's what He's going to tell us. Beginning in verse 5 all the way down until we reach verse 10. So when I read this I've got to understand he can sympathize and he's been appointed. Now he's going to begin with his divine appointment and then he's going to move to his ability to sympathize. He's going to deal with his divine appointment in verses 5 and 6 and then he's going to deal with his sympathy, the fact he has the ability to do that in verse 7 and all the way down we could say to verse 10. So if you talk about Jesus Christ, he is divinely appointed into the office of high priest. That's what he's going to first deal with. And he has the ability to sympathize, which of course he's going to explain in verses seven and following. Now notice again, this explanation in verse five, source of Christ glorified not himself to be made high priest. So when I think about Jesus Christ, I like the way the NIB, the New English Bible renders this. He did not confer upon himself the glory of becoming high priest. He was appointed by his father. So when you think about what our Lord says as recorded in the gospel accounts, if I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my father who glorifies me. John 8, 54. So His purpose was to bring glory to His Father and His Father is the one who appointed Him and sent Him into the earth to do it. And if you think about what this meant for Him, I mean this meant humiliation. I mean think about what this meant for Him in terms of what He was willing to do. So I have the explanation right here So also Christ glorified not himself to be made high priest, and then I read this, but the one who said to him, and then we have two citations. There's a citation from Psalm 2, and there's a citation from Psalm 110. First citation, you are my son, today I've forgotten you. Verse 5, verse 6, just as also in another place he says, you are a priest forever according to the order, manner of Melchizedek. So you have qualifications, you have the explanation, and you have two citations to buttress what he's saying. Now let's think about these two passages. I want you to go back to Psalm 2. Psalm 2. If you talk about Psalm 2, This has been described as an indirectly messianic psalm. And an indirectly messianic psalm would be a psalm that certainly emphasizes something about the Messiah, but an indirectly messianic psalm would be a psalm that refers to a contemporary king or to royal activities, but the language goes beyond the contemporary king and finds its fulfillment in the ideal king, the Messiah. So Psalm 2 has been described as an indirectly messianic psalm, a psalm that refers to a king, a Davidic king, but the language is not exhausted with that contemporary king. The language is exhausted in the ideal Davidic king, which we have known, of course, known to be Jesus. Now, when we talk about Psalm 2, the rabbis acknowledged Our rabbis expound Psalm 2 as relating to King Messiah. So when you come to Psalm 2, Psalm 2 is absolutely about the Messiah. Now let me just point something out in Psalm 2. In the second verse, we read that this rebellion is against the Lord and against His anointed. And when you read that word anointed, you know what that word literally is? Christ. So in the Greek translation, it is against his Christ. In the Hebrew, it's his Messiah. And it's translated anointed because, of course, the Christ, the Messiah, was to be anointed. So here, against the Lord and against his Christ, verse 2. Then when I come down to verse 6, he's identified as the Lord's king. And then he identifies him in verse 7 as my son and verse 12 as the son. So if there's one thing that's emphasized in Psalm 2, it is the sonship of the Messiah. He is God's son. Now that's emphasized. Now, when we talk about Psalm 2, remember in Hebrews chapter 1, when we read those seven Old Testament citations, The first citation in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 5 is taken from Psalm 2. The first citation in the book is taken from Psalm 2. Verse 7, Thou art my son, this day I have forgotten thee. That is quoted in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 5, You are my son, today I have forgotten you. And that today, according to Acts chapter 13, is the day of his resurrection. And basically we're thinking about when he went back to heaven and he was enthroned. Now that's Psalm 2. Now the second citation is Psalm 110. And I want you to turn over to Psalm 110. Psalm 110 is referred to as a purely prophetic psalm. And if you talk about a purely prophetic psalm, you're saying that everything in Psalm 110 refers to the Messiah. It is purely prophetic. So when we talk about Psalm 110, we are certainly reading about the Messiah. And some would say this is entirely prophetic of the Messiah. All of it is prophetic. Now, when you think about this particular Psalm, he emphasizes the Messiah as King in verses one through three. He emphasizes the Messiah as priest in verse four, and he emphasizes that the Messiah is conqueror in verses five through seven. So he is King, priest, and conqueror. That is Psalm 110. Now when you read Psalm 110, this is an often quoted psalm in the New Testament. Jesus quotes Psalm 110 a number of times. But we're always referring to the opening verse. It's always verse one. The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. That's the verse that's quoted. And obviously you read the psalm, just like Psalm 2, he's the son but he's the king. When you read this psalm, obviously he's God's son, but he's the king, he's the king. But then you come down to the fourth verse of Psalm 110. The Lord has sworn and will not repent, thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Now that is an amazing verse to read. Now it's interesting what the Mormons do. The Mormons claim that their male members are priests after the order of Melchizedek. And that Joseph Smith, their prophet, held both the Aaronic and the Melchizedek priesthoods. That was Joseph Smith. So Mormons are going to weigh in and Mormons are going to say all of our male members are priests after the order of Melchizedek. And our great prophet Joseph Smith held both the Aaronic and the Melchizedek priesthoods. You know what we can say to that? Hogwash, balderdash, that is nothing but an assumption on your part. No way can you read anything in terms of being divinely appointed by God. That's absolutely ridiculous. If you talk about the order or manner of Melchizedek, you're only talking about finding his fulfillment in Jesus himself. Now when I read this, you know what's interesting about it? This is the first time that Jesus is ever identified with the priesthood of Melchizedek. In Hebrews chapter 5, verse 6. It's the first time. This is unprecedented. It's unparalleled. You don't have anything like it. And what's interesting about it is Psalm 110, verse 4 is going to become the writer's proof text. He's going to come back to it in chapters 5, chapter 6, chapter 7. He's going to argue on the basis of Psalm 110, verse 4. So when we think about what the writer is doing, This is unprecedented, you have nothing like this. He's the first one to do it. So I'm reading this and you say, well, what is he emphasizing in terms of this priesthood? Why does he emphasize it and why does he say it's somewhat unique? For two reasons. Number one, when you talk about this priesthood, this priesthood is forever. He's going to emphasize it over and over again, that you're talking about a high priest who is going to live forever. That's one thing. But the second, this is a priesthood that belongs to a different order. This is not the order of Aaron from the tribe of Levi. This is something that's very, very different, because we know that Jesus didn't come from the tribe of Levi. He came from the tribe of Judah, which is very, very odd when you think about priests. And the writer will argue this, as you recall, in Hebrews chapter 7. Let me just point it out. If you notice what he says in Hebrews chapter 7, let me just read it. This is in Hebrews chapter 7. Look at verse 13. For he of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar, for it's evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. So when you talk about this priesthood, you're talking about something that is eternal and you're talking about a very different order than the Old Testament priest who came from the tribe of Levi and from the family of Aaron. Now you know what is also very intriguing about it is that when you look at the Dead Sea sect, the Qumran community, where the Dead Sea Scrolls came from, right there on the west side of the Dead Sea. At this particular time, they had two messianic figures. They talked about two messianic figures. There was a royal personage, and there was a priestly personage. So they believed that there was going to be a royal personage from David, and there was a priestly personage that would come from Aaron. So when you think about the Qumran sect, now remember the Qumran sect is over there in the first century. I mean they're, you remember, I mean they're destroyed by the Romans. And this is written before the Romans, before all of that happens. So when you talk about the Qumran sect, they anticipated a kingly Messiah and they anticipated a priestly Messiah. yet when you read Psalm 110 verse 1 and verse 4 God makes the announcement that when you talk about kingship and priesthood they are both found in the Son. He is both King and Priest. Which of course is what Melchizedek was prior to any kind of Mosaic law. He was a King of Salem and he was Priest of El Elyon, the Priest of the Most High God. So the writer of Hebrews wants us to understand, in contrast to the Qumran community, that they're not two messiahs, there's one, and the one messiah is going to be both king and priest. Now I want you to turn back with me to the book of Zechariah chapter 6, and I want you to notice the statement in Zechariah chapter 6. Notice this, verse 13, he's referring to the Messiah. Even he himself will build the temple of the Lord and he himself will bear the glory. And then you have this phrase, look at this now. He will sit and rule upon his throne, he's king. Now look, he shall be a priest upon his throne. He's a king, but he's a priest. the Council of Peace will be between them both. Probably referring to the two offices of priesthood and kingship. They are both going to be combined in the person. How can a king be a priest and sit upon a throne since the priests came from Levi and the kings came from Judah? And the right of Hebrews will argue this in terms of Melchizedek. in chapter 5 verse 6 is the first time he mentions Melchizedek, but he will mention him eight times. Eight times we'll read about Melchizedek. We read about him in chapter 5, we read about him in chapter 6, and we read about him in chapter 7. Now let me just point out one other thing. The writer of Hebrews wants me to make the connection between sonship and priesthood. that the Messiah is the Son, that's why he quotes Psalm 2, and the Messiah is priest. That's the reason why he quotes Psalm 110. He has already done this at the very beginning of his book. Now go back to Hebrews chapter 1, let me just point it out. If I read verse 2, he mentions his Son. Son. That's Hebrews chapter 1 verse 2. But when you come down to verse 3 and you have the phrase, having made purification for sins, that's what a priest does. He's a priest. So at the very beginning he wants me to understand the Son is the priest. So he's going to take Psalm 2, he's going to combine it with Psalm 110 in order to make the point. Both Messianic Psalms. And by the way, he not only quotes in chapter 1, verse 5, Psalm 2, 7. In chapter 1, verse 13, in the last of the seven citations, he quotes Psalm 110 in verse 1. So in chapter 1, he quotes Psalm 2 and he quotes Psalm 110. The first and the seventh citation. chapter 1. In chapter 5, he brings them together in order to make his point. Sonship, kingship, priesthood, all found in the Messiah. So when I read this, qualifications concerning a high priest of Israel, explanation in terms of how all of this is embodied in Jesus, And then the citations, these two messianic texts will emphasize sonship and priesthood. And we'll see an awful lot about it, and we're going to talk an awful lot about Melchizedek. Not in chapter 5, and not in chapter 6, but in chapter 7, he will give an elaborate description about Melchizedek, which we will talk about. Now, our Lord was divinely appointed. He was set apart by His Father, and He was sent into the world in order to do it. And He came, and on the basis of what He experienced, He can sympathize. And when we come to Hebrews chapter 5, verses 7 through 9, this will help us to understand something of what He was willing to experience. So, Lord willing, we'll deal with that next week. Hebrews chapter 5, verses 7, probably down to verse 10, even though I probably will deal with only verses 7 and 8. I'll lead us in prayer. Our gracious Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the High Priest of Israel that we think about in history, and then we think about how all of this finds fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth. We know that He is Thine only begotten Son. We know he came here, and we know for a priest, a priest has to have an offering, and we know the offering was himself. We know that he was raised from the dead, as this writer tells us. We know he went back to heaven, as this writer tells us. And we know he's seated at thy right hand, as this writer tells us. And we know now he is serving as our high priest. Help us, Lord, to understand something more about him as we read these words from this book of Hebrews. For I pray in Jesus' name, amen.