We're returning to Hebrews chapter 7. So in our series through the book of Hebrews, this is now message number 21, entitled, Change in Priesthood. We'll be looking at verses 11 to 19. 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 arise after the order of Melchizedek 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. 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 Judah, of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. And it is yet far more evident for that after the similitude of Melchizedek 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 forever after the order of Melchizedek. 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." So Melchizedek, mentioned here a few times, is barely in the Bible. His name appears two times in the Old Testament, once in Genesis 14, once in Psalm 110. But His name appears nine times in the letter to the Hebrews. Now, as a person, He hardly seems significant. In other words, just given the amount of space that is devoted to Him in the Old Testament, He hardly seems significant. The writer of Hebrews, after mentioning him in chapters 5 and 6, opens up here now in chapter 7 with the superiority of Melchizedek to Abraham. And then, by extension, all of those descended from Abraham, like Levi and like Aaron himself. Melchizedek, we learn in Genesis 14, was the king of Salem, which was later called Jerusalem and was the capital city of the Jebusite kingdom. He was a part of an historic Jebusite dynasty that was still ruling the Jebusites 600 years after Melchizedek met Abraham in Genesis 14. In fact, Joshua fought against the king of Salem who was then Adonizedek, there in Joshua chapter 10, him and the coalition of five kings at Gibeon, and he defeated them. That was when the sun stood still, and most of you probably remember that reference. But after the battle was over, Joshua executed all of those kings, including Adonizedek and the other kings, there in Joshua chapter number 10. Now, the Jebusites, in fact, maintained possession of Salem, which was also Jerusalem, for around another 400 years until it was captured by David in 2 Samuel chapter 5 and then made the capital of the kingdom of Israel. Now, not only was Melchizedek a king, but he was a priest of the Most High God. In fact, he was a priest that was outside of Abraham, outside of Abraham's descendants, and before the Old Covenant Levitical priesthood was ever even given or established. And Abraham, there in Genesis 14, submitted as the lesser to the greater and paid tithes to Melchizedek of the spoils. Now, most importantly, The writer states that Melchizedek, as obscure of a figure as he is in the Old Testament, was a type of Christ. He states this in chapter 7 and verse number 3. He prefigured Jesus Christ. This, of course, is confirmed by the Old Testament reference that comes outside of Genesis 14 in Psalm 110 and verse number 4. So the writer picks up on Melchizedek as a deliberate type of Christ in the way that he is presented in Genesis. So when he refers to him being without father and mother and beginning and end of days and all that sort of thing, He's referring to the fact that this is omitted from the Genesis record for him. Every person of any significance in Genesis is given a genealogy that traces them all the way back to Adam. But yet for this Melchizedek, that was not that was not given. And so the writer of Hebrews is picking up on the significance of that, that it was not given, and the way that Melchizedek was presented. So Melchizedek was a man, he was born, he lived, and he died. But we're only given one incident in one day of his life in Genesis 14. Well, we do know, at least as Melchizedek being of the Jebusites, he was a part of the Canaanite people that were descended from Noah's son, Ham. Abraham, of course, being descended from Shem. And beyond this, we know nothing of his lineage. But the writer establishes the greatness, the superiority of Melchizedek, and particularly in his priesthood. And the priesthood of the order of Melchizedek, he shows in the first part of chapter 7 to be directly appointed by God, to be royal because Melchizedek was also a king, and to be everlasting, unending. In other words, it's a permanent priesthood. So as chapter 7 proceeds, and we're looking at verses 11 to 19, here in Hebrews 7, the writer contrasts the Old Covenant Levitical priesthood and its inferiority with the superiority of the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. Well, the Old Covenant priesthood was dependent on the lineage, the line from Levi. It was according to Old Covenant law, and it was separated from the office of king, and it was also temporary. So even though Aaron was directly appointed by God into that office, Aaron died, and he was superseded by another priest, and then another priest, and then another priest, and on and on and on and on for centuries. Well, chapter 7 to 10 in Hebrews, focus on the priesthood of Jesus and the necessary contrast between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. And as we're going particularly in this section we're starting to see that transition as Melchizedek is going to start to sort of fade from what the writer has to say and the New Covenant and the Old Covenant are going to become more prominent in reference to their respective priesthood. So the New Covenant is superior And the old covenant is fulfilled and done away to give way to the everlasting new covenant. So we're going to look at these verses, verses 11 to 19, where the writer shows that a change was needed. was necessary. So let's start here again with verse number 11. So having just written of the superiority of the Melchizedekian priesthood in verses 1-10. The writer proceeds here to draw some necessary conclusions. Now, the word for perfection, it means completion. And by this he means the completion or the accomplishing of the purpose of priesthood. Well, the purpose of priesthood is the reconciliation of men and women to God. And you go all the way back to the Garden of Eden, before Adam sinned, and Adam had direct access and direct communion with God, walking with the Lord in the Garden, in the cool of the evening, and communicating with Him. But sin disrupted that. Now we come to Genesis 3 and we have the account of the fall and sin disrupted that communication. Adam and Eve were barred entrance to the garden and thereby access to God. And the promise of Genesis 3.15 that comes in the midst of all that cursing about the seed of the woman that were crushed ahead of the serpent, it hints at the role of an intercessor, of a mediator, of someone that would be a Savior who would crush the head of the serpent, essentially overcoming sin and death for those who believe, as we learn as we continue studying. You go to Genesis 4 and you have the sacrifices of Cain and Abel, and just the very fact of sacrifices and an altar anticipates or speaks to the need of some sort of appeasement, some sort of approach to God, whether for communion or whatever that it might be, by way of sacrifice and offering, anticipating again this priesthood that reconciles men to God. So what I'm saying is that very early In the Bible, after we see sin and fall and the disruption of access to God on the part of man, we see the need for some sort of priest, some sort of mediator, some sort of intercessor to be able to go between man and God and to reconcile them back together. So ultimately, that's the purpose of priesthood that we see from very early on. And of course, the Old Covenant gave a priesthood. But it was an inferior priesthood. And he's stating this right at the very start. If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, if the Levitical priesthood could have actually accomplished the purpose of priesthood. That's what he's saying. Now what he will bring out as we go on here is that the Old Covenant, by its very design, could not accomplish this purpose. And that shows the need for a better covenant and a better priesthood. But if it were possible for the Old Covenant priesthood to succeed, the writer says, why would there be any need or any reason for another priesthood after the order of Melchizedek outside of Aaron and the Old Covenant? You have to recall that Psalm 110 and verse 4, which he does quote here in chapter 7 a couple of times, Psalm 110 and verse 4 states explicitly that the Lord sitting at the right hand of God in heaven is made, sworn in fact, by an oath to be a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. So the writer is picking up on the fact that it's very plain from the Bible there is another priesthood. And that's what Melchizedek makes clear when he shows up on the scene there. He's outside of Abraham, he's outside of the Old Covenant, he's outside of the tribe of Levi and any of that, and yet here is a priesthood and that is different from the priesthood instituted by the Old Covenant. Now in a way, as he asks this question, He's making an argument that's somewhat similar to what we saw in chapter 4. Now you remember in chapter 4 he was talking about the promise of rest, the promise of inheritance. He said that remains and he quotes from Psalm 95 and that while it is still today makes a big point out of that. And so he goes on to say, well, if that rest, if that promised rest, was fulfilled in Joshua's day. He says, why did the Spirit speak of it still being today in David's day and that that promise remained? So here he's saying something very similar to that. He's saying, if the Old Covenant priesthood was sufficient, why did the Spirit speak of another priesthood after the order of Melchizedek in Psalm 110? Much, much later than the Old Covenant. Now, obviously, it's profound to think that there is another priesthood, one that's separate from the Old Covenant, one that's not regulated by the Old Covenant or mandated by the Old Covenant, one that is separate from Aaron and the tabernacle and the temple and the blood of bulls and goats and all of these sort of things. That's quite a profound thought and would have been something quite shocking, no doubt, to those Jews of the first century and particularly, but he's telling us by Melchizedek that this is shown clearly to be the case. Verse number 12, Not only is there another priesthood, But the change of priesthood inescapably means a change of the law. Now reference to the law here is reference to the old covenant. They are inseparable. And it becomes clear actually as he transitions from using sort of the shorthand reference of law as he does refer to covenant more as this letter unfolds. Ultimately, he's building up to the new and better covenant that replaced the old covenant. Ultimately, that's what he's building up to in this section that is being brought out through this thorough, extensive discussion of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Now, he's going to quote from Psalm 110 forward down in verse 17, but Melchizedek as a type of Jesus Christ and looking at Psalm 110 and verse number 4 as a future prophecy shows the establishment of another priesthood that's after the order of Melchizedek and the New Covenant of which we'll see more about that later and not after the order of Aaron and the Old Covenant. So what the writer says here is that this is a change of priesthood. By making that declaration in Psalm 110.4, God has changed the priesthood. So a changing of the priesthood then necessarily means a changing of the covenant. Now the word for necessity. Here is sometimes translated, like in Matthew 18, 7, and in the King James, must needs be. It is something that has to happen. It has to be the case, meaning that it's not possible to be otherwise. Verse 13. For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe of which no man gave attendance at the altar." These things are spoken of Jesus in the Old Testament. The writers made that very clear. The Old Covenant strictly limited the priesthood to the tribe of Levi and forbid any other from serving in that function and you go as far back as Genesis chapter 49 verses 8 to 12 and the Messiah was prophesied to come of the tribe of Judah and kingship was conferred on this tribe which was also made significantly before the Old Covenant and not dependent on it. The promise of a king in the tribe of Judah was made by Jacob through his prophecy through the Spirit all the way back in Genesis 49. And that promise culminates in God's covenant with David, which like the covenant with Abraham is unconditional and everlasting. Verse 14, "'For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning the priesthood.'" Notice that word, evident, that he uses. He's going to use it again. He's saying it's clear, it's openly obvious that the Messiah was to come from the tribe of Judah. And just as obvious we could say that Jesus did come from the tribe of Judah as we are given his genealogy that traces that descent. Now the reference to Moses here. Moses he said spake nothing. Now this is again a reference to the Old Covenant. sometimes referred to as the Law of Moses. And the point is that there is no commandment in the Old Covenant allowing for a priest from Judah. That's the point that he's making. Now it's worth noting that within Judaism the expectation of the Messiah was as a king and a priest. Now it seems like that sometimes there was maybe some division within certain sects of Judaism as to whether this would all be in one person or if it's actually two different people. But there was this expectation of a king and priest. And Psalm 110, which is written by David, joins the two together in David's Lord. Prophecies like the prophecy of the branch in Zechariah 6, verses 12 to 13, where the branch bearing the glory of the Lord sits on the throne to rule and is a priest on the throne. These Old Testament passages clearly indicate the Messiah to be king and priest. So notice he said this is evident. My point is that these things were known. And these things were known to the readers, to those he was writing to in the first century. They knew them, but they had not properly put them together. If there is a king and a priest, which king was clearly to come from Judah, how could that be possible without violating the Old Covenant? That's something they should have understood. In other words, you can't have the two together. You can't have a king from Judah and priest after the order of Melchizedek together with the Old Covenant and the Levitical priesthood. There must necessarily be a change of priesthood, meaning a change of covenant. And the writer's point is this is evident. This is clear. This is clearly revealed in the Bible. It's something they should have understood, something they should have put together. Psalm 110, as well as Genesis 14 shows there is another priesthood and so therefore there must be another covenant as well. Verse 15, and it is yet far more evident for that after the similitude of Melchizedek there ariseth another priest. He says it's clear, in fact he adds extra language here to say, and it's abundantly clear. He already said it's clear. Now he's saying it's abundantly clear that the Messiah would come from Judah. It's clear that he would come from Judah. It's abundantly clear that there is another priest prophesied after the order of Melchizedek. Now the word for similitude here means likeness or resemblance. So what is he saying by this? He's saying that Jesus was the antitype. Jesus was the fulfillment of the type in Melchizedek. That's referred to back in chapter 7 and verse number 3. So we see type and we see antitype. We see fulfillment. of the type. It's clear that there arises another priest after the type, according to the type of Melchizedek and referring to Psalm 110 verse 16. Who is made, talking about this priest that arises after the similitude of Melchizedek, who is made not after the law of a carnal commandment but after the power of an endless life. The word for is made means to become. There is one who becomes priest after the order of Melchizedek in the previous verse and not after the word of a carnal commandment. Now that word for carnal, we probably would most likely associate that with sinful and that's not necessarily the intention. The word itself actually just means fleshly or of the flesh and that's what he's talking about when he's saying of the flesh. He's referring to the old covenant line of priesthood. It was according to the flesh. In other words, it was after the tribe of Levi. It was after the order of Aaron. And that genealogical descent was absolutely necessary in order to serve in that office. That's what he's talking about. But this priesthood, this one that arises after the type of Melchizedek as the fulfillment of that type, is made, not after that, but after the power of an endless life. Now look at the explanation in verse 17. For he testifieth thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. So he explains him being made a priest by the power of an endless life here by quoting Psalm 110 and verse 4. Now that whole verse reads, the Lord has sworn and will not repent thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Now here he just quotes the last part Later on down he'll refer to the earlier part. But he's picking up on this declaration of the Messiah as everlasting priest. Not after Levi, not after Aaron, but after the order of Melchizedek. And he's emphasizing here that word forever. In other words, the unending nature. He was made a priest forever, without end. He was made a priest without end. Another way to put that is simply, he was made a permanent priest who will never cease to be priest. He's going to go on later to talk about those of the Old Covenant. Aaron died, and after he died, he was no longer priest. And then he succeeded by one and he succeeded by one. And all of them died. And after they died, their priesthood was over. It ended. But the power of an indestructible life and this declaration of his being a priest after the order of Melchizedek means it never ends. Verse 18, So the writer is continuing here with some direct and necessary consequences of another priesthood. What does God changing priesthood mean? Well, it means this priesthood, this priesthood of the Old Covenant, which was inseparable from the Old Covenant, that the writer's already shown a change in priesthood necessarily means a change in covenant. The word for disannulling, it means abolishing. It means putting a way, putting to an end. Because, he says, of the weakness and the inability of the Old Covenant to fulfill the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant concerning that nation promised to him." Now when we were studying the covenants we looked at Exodus chapter 19 verses 5 to 6 and how that is a clear purpose statement of the Old Covenant to fulfill the promises to Abraham. And of course the writer will go on to show that the Old Covenant couldn't accomplish that. The Old Covenant was conditional, and it was temporary, and it was repeatedly broken by Israel, and it was ultimately abolished and done away when it was fulfilled and done away in Christ, in His death. Verse 19, For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by the which we draw nigh unto God. The Old Covenant made nothing perfect, he said. In other words, it was unable to complete the reconciliation of men with God. It had a priesthood, it had an altar, it had sacrifices, but it was unable to actually redeem sinners and reconcile them to God. Now, the writer will elaborate later on what the Old Covenant did accomplish. The Old Covenant, though, was replaced with a better hope, a superior expectation, and access to God. Now, the writer's already referred to this back in chapter four, verses 14 to 16, talking about the priesthood of Jesus Christ. And he's going to elaborate on this more as he proceeds. So one thing that we see in this passage which might be something of a subtle point, but when we read Hebrews together, we're reading it in its context, we're reading it as the writer gives it to us, this passage actually demonstrates that concern that the writer had back in chapter 5 beginning at verse 11 going down to the end of chapter 6 and verse 20. He said that he had some very important things to say to them concerning Melchizedek and the priesthood of Jesus Christ. But he also said that he was concerned. He was concerned of whether they would be able to understand it. He was concerned about their maturity. The writer used the term here, evident. in reference to something that is abundantly clear. And again, it's something they should know, and no doubt they did know, but apparently had not put together and drawn the necessary conclusions from it. They knew these things. What did they know? Well, they knew the Messiah would come from Judah. It wasn't a shocking statement that the Messiah would come from Judah. Well, that was well known. That the Messiah would be a king and priest. Again, that's not a shocking statement. That was well known from the Old Testament. But the fact that this could not come about under the old covenant because it would actually violate the commandments of the covenant. Those things cannot all coexist. And even though they knew the one and they knew the other, They seem like they had not yet put that together as the necessary consequence that if the Messiah is from Judah and he is a king-priest, then that must mean there's a change in the priesthood, which means there must be a change in covenant. Now Psalm 110 and verse 4 is even more clear that there is another priesthood that is not after the Old Covenant. It is specifically stated to be after the order of Melchizedek. So again, another priesthood means doing away with the priesthood of the Old Covenant. And doing away with the Old Covenant priesthood means a doing away with the Old Covenant. There must be another covenant, which is the new, and he will get to that. So the writer stressed that they knew these obvious things. These things are clear from the Bible, but they hadn't put them together to understand those necessary consequences. Of course, the good news of this is that though the Old Covenant failed to accomplish redemption and reconciliation, the better hope of the new covenant actually accomplished them and accomplished them once and for all as he will go on to say. So again as we read this we start out in chapter 7 and with the person of Melchizedek and his superiority and the superiority of his priesthood And then we're seeing in this passage the inferiority of the Old Covenant, particularly of the Levitical priesthood that was part of the Old Covenant. And then it's going to more transition to a focus on the New Covenant priesthood of Jesus Christ as we continue on through this passage. And again, Melchizedek sort of fades to the background in this discussion because his importance is seen in being a type of Jesus Christ. And this passage says very plainly that Jesus was the resemblance. In other words, he's the counterpart, he is the antitype, he's the fulfillment of that type of Melchizedek. And so we're not going to focus then on Melchizedek, we're focusing on Jesus.