THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK. Hebrews 7:11-17 A change in the priesthood was made in Christ. Some blessings came through the Levitical priesthood, but Christ's priesthood is perfect because He is a perfect Priest. There was a legal, structural change. The Lord Jesus belonged to the tribe of Judah, so there was a tribal change. Jesus is a priest because the law has changed. He has fulfilled all the requirements of the law, and we live in the blessings of righteousness credited to us through the righteousness of Christ. The qualifications for the priesthood have changed because the priesthood of our Lord extends to all who "come unto God by Him."
He is a priest forever because His life is eternal. His ministry as a priest will never cease because His life will never end. The law is nullified because it was weak and unprofitable, partial, and temporary. Nothing was ever made perfect by the law. Our Great High Priest has a permanently established priesthood, giving us a better and more certain hope. God's oath is the means by which the new priesthood is introduced. The Aaronic priesthood had no oath. Our Lord Jesus is the guarantee of the new covenant of grace. There were 84 high priests in Israel, and interruptions caused it to fail. The priesthood of Christ is eternal, and there will be no interruptions in His priesthood.
The law of Moses and the priesthood were connected. Neither could bring perfection, and everyone, including the priests, was a sinner under the condemnation of the law. That is why a priestly system was necessary to mediate between God and us. Aaron’s priesthood was imperfect. The priesthood of Melchizedek represents the perfect priesthood of our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. There needed to be “one to come” who would be a perfect priest forever. This was written about halfway through the history of the Levitical priesthood in Psalm 110:4. This prophecy is believed to refer to something better than the current priesthood. The order of the priesthood of Aaron symbolized the work of our Lord Jesus Christ during His time on earth, where sacrifices and bloodshed were necessary for atonement and reconciliation with God. Aaron was allowed to go behind the veil briefly once a year but had to exit quickly afterward. The way into the Holiest was not yet open because even Aaron was imperfect. When the Lord Jesus Christ made one sacrifice for sins forever, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. There, He makes unceasing intercession for us and ministers to us in the power of endless life. The veil is torn in two; the way into God's presence is open for us to enter, and it will remain open. When Christ offered Himself to cleanse us from our sins, He did so in accordance with the order of the priesthood of Aaron. Now, He is seated at God's right hand following the order of Melchizedek in an ongoing ministry on our behalf.
For Christians who only see the fulfillment of the law through the death and shed blood of our Lord Jesus, they find a person and work to base their faith on. However, they have a very limited amount of peace and joy, power, and purity that we can experience. When we understand the value of the present work of our Savior and Lord, who mediates and intercedes for us in our daily lives, then we can live the “life more abundant.”
Our Lord is constantly working on our behalf through the power of heavenly life and provides us with His all-sufficient supply. Those who fail to understand His priestly ministry for us miss out on the blessings of living and walking in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. It is pointless for a Christian to seek satisfaction in their success or in the pleasures of the world.
The priesthood has changed. Christ has come from the tribe of Judah. The order of Melchizedek has replaced the order of Aaron, and our Great High Priest, who is also the King of kings, is the supreme authority over all things. He is not from a fleshly, carnal commandment like the Levitical priesthood was for the Jews in the past, but His authority comes from the power of an endless (indissoluble) life. This is not only about the length of His priesthood but also its character. It is incapable of being dissolved; it is permanent and unchangeable.
In the Levitical priesthood, there were many priests; the present priesthood has one Great High Priest, who remains forever. The past priesthood had yearly and daily sacrifices that had to be made for themselves and for the people. Christ made Himself an offering for sin once and for all, accomplishing eternal redemption for us. Merely human priests sinned, failed, and died. Christ is “perfected” forever. In the power of resurrection life, He fulfilled what all types and shadows combined could only faintly illustrate. In His majestic glory, our Great High Priest is always there for us, and God accepts us in His holiness because of Him.
Because of His life, our death is abolished, and we are raised with Him and seated with Him in the heavenlies. We are partakers of Him who lives in us, and our lives here are eternal. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Even physical death is just a step into the heavenly realms in which we can live now by faith.