Recap

So far in Hebrews, we've read through the comparison between Jesus and the angels, the Torah, Moses, the promised land, and the priesthood. Likely written in the 60s CE to Jewish Christians, the letter demonstrates how everything in the Old Testament pointed to Jesus. The letter opened establishing the supremacy of Jesus in all things. Where previously God spoke to his people through his prophets, he now speaks through Jesus.

The author compared Jesus to angels, highlighting that while angels served as messengers, Jesus is the Son of God. He is the exact imprint of God’s being, who created and sustains all things. Angels serve, but Jesus rules as king.

The author warned that if the Torah, delivered by angels, brought judgment to those who rejected it, how much greater are the consequences of rejecting Jesus’ salvation. Unlike the Torah, which emphasised law and judgment, Jesus brought freedom and redemption.

By taking on humanity, Jesus fulfilled humanity’s role to rule over creation. Temporarily lower than angels, he suffered, died, and rose again. He defeated death and the devil, and leading believers into glory as his brothers and sisters.

The author compared Jesus to Moses, noting that while Moses faithfully served as a prophet and priest, Jesus is greater. Moses was a servant in the tabernacle, but Jesus is the Son over God’s house He is the ultimate temple where believers meet God. Those who trust in Jesus become part of God’s household and share in his greater promise.

The author warned against hardening hearts like the Israelites in the wilderness. Their lack of faith kept them from the promised land’s rest. Believers now have hope in a greater rest through Jesus. One that begins now and will be fully realised in God’s eternal kingdom. They called to remain faithful, encourage one another, and trust in Jesus’ promise of eternal rest.

The author highlighted Jesus as the perfect high priest. Appointed by God, he offers eternal salvation through his obedience and suffering. Unlike human priests who must atone for their own sins, Jesus’ perfection empowers believers to overcome sin.

The readers were rebuked for spiritual immaturity and urged to grow beyond basic teachings like repentance and faith. A warning was given against those who repeatedly reject transformation and risk becoming hardened against the gospel. Despite this, the author expressed hope in their readers' growth. They encouraged trust in God’s promises and holding fast to the hope provided through Jesus, the eternal high priest.

Hebrews 7-8

Having just encouraged the readers of the importance of getting into deeper teaching, the author now goes on to explain what is meant by a priest in the order of Melchizedek.

We read about Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18-20. There he was described as a king and a priest of the most high God. He met with Abraham and gave him a blessing.

If you break down his name, it means king of righteousness, and in Genesis 14:18 he is described as the king of Salem, which can be translated as king of peace.

In Genesis 14, we get very little information about Melchizedek. For fans of Lord of the Rings, he’s like the Tom Bombadil of the Bible. He shows up, does his thing and then leaves with us wondering who is this man? We get no description of who his parents are, of when he was born or when he died.

So based on Genesis 14, we have this man, who is a priest and a king of righteousness and peace, who seemingly has no start and no end. It’s not surprising then that he gets picked up as an idea to be played with by later writers. We read in Psalm 110:4, where the king is described as a priest in the order of Melchizedek.

In the time between the Old Testament and the New Testament, many writers pick up the idea of a future Melchizedek who will be a priest and king who will bring freedom and defeat evil.

It’s this category and idea that the author of Hebrews is picking up and pointing to Jesus. The point being, a priest in the order of Melchizedek is greater than any Levite priest that we see in the Old Testament. Levi was the tribe that all the priests came from.

So for example, Melchizedek blessed Abraham and Abraham gave him a tithe. The Levite priests give blessings and receive tithes, but they’re also descendants of Abraham.

Just as ordinary people would give tithes to the priest who were more holy than they were to receive a blessing through them, it can be argued that through Abraham the Levite priests gave a tithe to Melchizedek who is more holy than they are to receive a blessing through him.

We also know that if the Levite priesthood was enough, then everything would be fine and there wouldn’t have been a need for Jesus to be a new priest. Instead, Jesus came from the line of Judah that had no priests, not from the line of Levi.

But while Jesus is not a Levite, he does look similar to Melchizedek, this greater priest king. The author argues that’s why the Psalm 110:4 calls the king a priest in the order of Melchizedek, because they could see the current priests were not enough. They would need a future priest king to come and do a better job.

So in Jesus we see the annulment of the old priesthood, and the introduction of his new role as priest that gives us a better hope. The old priesthood had priests who would die. Jesus serves as a priest forever. The old priesthood had lots of priests. Jesus is the one priest who will last forever.

Jesus is actually able to save his people. He is holy and blameless, not needing to make sacrifices for himself. The law brought a priesthood of sinful priests. The promise has brought a priest who is perfect.

So Jesus is a priest. He’s not part of the Levite priesthood that was flawed and unable to save anyone. Instead, he’s part of a priesthood that existed before the Levites, that isn’t dependent on them, and that unites the role of priest and king.

The author then steps back to look not just Jesus as high priest, but also to the covenant that Jesus carries as high priest. He sits at the right hand of God at the very meeting place that the old tabernacle and temples tried to replicate.

Priests give gifts and offerings to God. The Old Testament priest would enter a tabernacle of temple that is just a shadow of the meeting place where God actually sits and they would make offerings according to the law.

Jesus is better, and so the offerings he makes are not according to the law but a new covenant. The author then quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34 to show that it was always understood the old covenant was not enough.

God has said to Jeremiah that he will one day establish a new covenant that was different to the old one. His people did not hold to the old covenant. The new covenant won’t be about modifying outward behaviour. It will be written in hearts and minds to change people from the inside out.

This new covenant will be so great that eventually there will be no need to teach one another about God because everyone will know him personally. This new covenant has come to replace the old one.

Psalm 26

This psalm is attributed to king David, and some might describe it as a psalm of lament. The issue with that is the complaint or struggle that is brought to God isn’t the focus of this psalm. Instead, the main focus is the psalmist’s innocence. A similar psalm might be Psalm 5. 

It is likely that Psalm 26 was used as a liturgy, where an individual would declare their innocence before entering God’s presence. It is structured in a chiasm where the passage mirrors itself.

a) Psalm 26:1-3 - Test me Lord

b) Psalm 26:4-5 - I have avoided wickedness

c) Psalm 26:6-8 - I love being in your presence

b) Psalm 26:9-10 - Do not count me with the wicked

a) Psalm 26:11-12 - Redeem me Lord

The psalm opens with a request to be tested. The psalmist has walked with integrity and trusted in God, so he asks that God test both his heart and mind to prove his faithfulness.

He points out how he has kept away from those who do wickedness. He does not want anything to do with them. Instead, he pursues innocence and praised God for all he has done. The psalmist enjoys the presence of God and wants to live in a way that makes him acceptable before God.

He then closes, asking God not to remove that access from him. Don’t count him along with the wicked people who do evil things. Instead, he asks God to continue to redeem so that he may remain in God’s presence. 

As many of the psalms before it, Psalm 26 is an important reminder of the magnitude of God’s presence. As an individual would recite these words before entering God’s presence, they would be a simple litmus test. If at any point these words felt hollow, then something was wrong.

If I have allowed myself to take part in wickedness, or if I no longer hold God’s greatness with reverence, then I need to repent and change.