Explore the Bible Series for October 15: The promises of God offer hope

Posted: 10/04/06

Explore the Bible Series for October 15

The promises of God offer hope

• Hebrews 6:13-7:28

By Howard Anderson

Diversified Spiritual Associates, San Antonio

Christians do not have to live with addictions, in struggles and without hope. Our hope is in the promises of God. We have an assured hope in our relationship with Jesus Christ and our future. It is God’s desire for believers to live in hope utilizing our relationship with him in the here-and-now, and in eternity.

Promises of God (Hebrews 6:13-20)

Hope is a critical element for Christians to stay loyal to Jesus Christ in days of persecution. The winds of diabolical temptation are increasing in their force, tending to blow Christians off their course and against the rocky shores of apostasy where they will be dashed to pieces and destroyed.

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What can hold us on course? An unwavering hope and confidence in the person of the Priest and his perfect sacrifice that opens to us a way into the presence of God at all times.

To encourage the Hebrews to rely upon faith as opposed to holding on to the Levitical system of worship, the writer cited the example of Abraham as an outstanding example of faith (Romans 4) that should be imitated (Hebrews 6:12). God promised unilaterally to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 22:15-19).

Verse 14 is quoted from Genesis 22:17, and summarizes the essence of God’s promise. The fact that God had said it assured its fulfillment. It is significant that the quote is in the context of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, who was the immediate fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. The ultimate fulfillment would take place through Isaac and his descendants. Abraham did not live to see all the promises fulfilled (Hebrews 11:13).

“Two immutable things” are God’s promise and his oath. Neither can be changed by anyone but God, the maker of the will. The Christian’s hope is embodied in Jesus Christ who has entered into God’s presence in the heavenly Holy of Holies on our behalf (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)

Priesthood of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:1-10)

The Levitical priesthood was hereditary, but Melchizedek’s was not. His parentage and origin are unknown because they were irrelevant to his priesthood. “Made like” implies the resemblance to Jesus Christ rests upon the way Melchizedek’s history is reported in the Old Testament and not upon Melchizedek himself. Melchizedek was an earthly king-priest and not the pre-incarnate Christ, but he was similar to Christ in that his priesthood was universal, royal, righteous, peaceful and unending (vv.1-3).

In ancient times, it was common for people to give a tithe to a god or his representative. Abraham, the father of the Hebrew faith, gave a tithe to Melchizedick proving Melchizedek was superior to Abraham. Under the Mosaic Law, the Levitical priests collected tithes from their fellow Israelites. The submission of the Israelites was not to honor the priests but to honor the law of God.

Melchizedek not only received a tithe from Abraham, he also blessed him. The lesser person tithes to the greater (v. 7).

The Levitical priesthood changed as each priest died until it passed away altogether. As there is no record of Melchizedek’s death or end of his priesthood, Melchizedek in Scripture record is an illustration of perpetuity of life, a type of Christ who is eternal (Isaiah 9:6; Revelation 1:8-11).

Priesthood of Jesus (Hebrews 7:11-28)

Jesus’ priesthood is better than Aaron because he has an unchangeable law and priesthood. Aaron’s priesthood was changeable. The Levitical priesthood was faulty and was merely a shadow, and not the substance and reality of the eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ. It represented a perfect system but was imperfect itself. It pointed to a perfect sacrifice that would take away sin, but was helpless to cleanse from sin (v. 11).

The author speaks with all confidence that Jesus Christ came from Judah, according to the official Jewish genealogies. The genealogies of both Matthew and Luke establish this fact. There were no difficulties for them in that way, or the enemies of the gospel would have used them as proof against Christ being the Messiah. Jesus Christ is raised out of Judah as the sun in all its strength to bring light to Israel and knowledge to his people (Isaiah 9:1-2).

Whenever the Levitical High Priest sinned, he was required to offer sacrifices for himself (Leviticus 4:3). Whenever the people sinned, he also had to offer a sacrifice for them (Leviticus 4:13). These occasions could be daily. Then, annually, on the Day of Atonement, he had to again offer sacrifices for himself and for the people (Leviticus 16:6, 11, 15). Jesus had no sin and needed no sacrifice for himself. Only one sacrifice (by Jesus) was needed—one time only, for all humanity, for all time. The sacrificial work of Jesus never needed to be repeated unlike the Old Testament priestly sacrifices (1 Peter 3:18).

For the Christian, Jesus is our High Priest and our leader. He is a merciful and sensitive High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, having more than fulfilled all the necessary qualifications of a high priest. Jesus was one of the people, thoroughly identified with us in our humanity. Jesus was faithful to God in the fulfillment of his task. God appointed Jesus with an oath for the task of High Priest.

Discussion questions

• What problems face people that causes them to turn to God for hope?

• Where else do people turn for hope and find it lacking?

• How does Jesus’ role as High Priest offer hope?