Life Project Blog

In our last discussion of the concept of Biblical covenant, we focused on hesed or covenant-keeping.  This time, let’s go a little further into the subject of covenants and take a look at covenant as the central core of our theology…

It is extremely difficult to find a major religious theme in the Bible that is not related to covenant, and thus we say that covenant is the theological core of all Judeo-Christian philosophy and theology.  Consider the following:

God: the term used most often to modify the word “God” in the Old Testament is “covenant keeper. ” (Deut. 7:7-9)

Man:  was made in God’s image and given what no other creature was given, the ability to make moral choices.  Man can follow God or not… a dog has no such choice.  Man can choose to make a moral commitment (covenant) and to find ways to keep it.  Micah asked what God required of man, and the answer was, “To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.” (Micah 6:8) Note that all of these things are empty notions unless they are placed into the context of a previous moral commitment… a Covenant.

Righteousness: is keeping covenant. So it was with Adam, and in the Law (Deut. 6:25) and in the New Covenant (1John 3:7) What is “right” is what is stipulated in covenant.

Justice: in the Bible is deciding rightly (Deut. 33:21) What is right is stipulated in covenant.

Hearing: the Lord was doing what He said to do, and He said it in the covenant. (Deut. 28:2, 13, 15)

Sin: was breach of covenant or disobedience. (Deut. 28:58-61) John also said it was disobedience. Offerings were made for breach of the Law (covenant) whether one knew it or not. (Lev. 4:2, 13, 22, 27)

Sacrifices were made to atone for sins committed. The sins were defined by covenant, and the atonement was prescribed by covenant. When the Old Covenant was done away with, so were the sacrifices. (Heb. 10:1-10)

The Law was the statement of stipulations of the Old Covenant.

The People of God were those who were parties to covenant.

Blessings were stipulated by covenant (Deut. 28:1-14)

Curses were stipulated by covenant (Deut. 28:15ff.)

Prophets were not crazies running around predicting the future. They were lawyers of the covenant sent by God to press His case against a law-breaking nation; to warn the people what will happen if they do not change their ways. They confessed that their teachings were based upon the Law of Moses (Dan. 9:7-19)

The Lord’s Supper is a covenant renewal ceremony, as were the Old Testament sacrifices.

Loving the Lord is used in parallel with covenant-keeping

Called, Elect, Elected, Chosen: All of these are words that trace back to the Abrahamic Covenant.

Determinate, Predetermined, Predestined: All trace back to God’s plan to bless all mankind through Christ, the seed of woman and of Abraham… beginning with the call of Abraham.

Grace: This word deals with God’s forbearance toward mankind. Through His hesed God offers grace to us when we fail. Paul’s approach to grace was as an example of covenant love that breaks down all barriers.

Inheritance traces back to Genesis 12 where God set forth the land promise as an inheritance in the Abrahamic covenant.

Kindness is used 36 times in the Bible as a translation for hesed.

Loving kindness is an English rendering of hesed.

Mercy is shown by God to His children (who are established by covenant) as an example of His covenant keeping.

Obey means to keep the covenant.

Peace is established by a covenant relationship. It is the opposite of rebellion and enmity.

Promise is normally used to refer to covenant promises of God.

Final Thoughts

If the concept of covenant is not the core of Biblical interpretation, then what is?  The Old Testament contains the writings and story of the people of God. Being one of God’s people is determined by being a party to a covenant.  Everyone else is in opposition to God.  This point is made repeatedly in the Bible, thus, how can there be any other central core?

We have the same problem in the New Testament.  What is the church?  The church is the Body of Christ on earth… but how do you get into it?  You get into it by becoming a party to the New Covenant that Christ established by the shedding of His blood.  Therefore, the New Testament also has a covenant as its central core.  There is no other logical possibility.

Sorry that this post is a bit lengthy, next time we’ll take a look at how a person enters into a covenant relationship, a subject that should be a little bit shorter!

Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.

Hebrews 8:1-2

This section is one that is often a surprise to people not familiar with the relationship between Old and New Testaments.  As we go through this chapter, we will be challenged to see things the way God views them, and to be quite candid, things aren’t always what they at first appear to be.  These first two verses give us a bit of that; notice that there is a difference between the tabernacle that Jesus is serving in as high priest, and the earthly one.  For starters, Jesus isn’t in Jerusalem, nor is He serving in a place made by human hands, but by God Himself. Finally, notice that the tabernacle He is in is “true”. If Jesus is in the true sanctuary, what does that say about the one in the Old Testament?

Fasten your seat belts, we are about to find out!

Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.

Hebrews 8:3-4

The offerings and gifts that the earthly priests sacrificed were prescribed by the same Law that established their office and Jesus, because He is from the tribe of Judah, could never have been a priest, and since He is an entirely different kind of priest, He has a different kind of offering. Jesus did not offer sacrifices consisting of animals for atonement to put off the penalty for sins, He offered Himself, and took sin away entirely.

They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

Hebrews 8:5-6

How surprising it would have been for those first recipients of this message to learn that their beloved Temple in their beloved Jerusalem was only a shadow of the real thing.  I am often amazed today when I listen to people discuss the rebuilding of this Temple in the future, as though the Temple were the real thing… but it was never the real thing; it’s but a mere copy or shadow of the reality that is in heaven… and do you know what?  So were the sacrifices, the priests and even the Law itself. Of course, Jesus is superior to the Levites; He is the real thing, while they were shadows of what would come one day.  Of course, Jesus was the superior sacrifice; for His was the one that takes away sin.  Of course, the New Covenant is superior to the Old, for the New Covenant is the real deal and the Old Covenant was but a shadow of the reality that was to come, and it was set to pass away.

None of this should really be a shock to anyone, for the Old Covenant Law was entirely earthly; physical. It never promised to take away our sins, it never promised eternal life.  These things weren’t even ideas that were in play anywhere at that time.  The rules and regulations are but a shadow of the reality of having God’s laws written on our hearts. Most importantly, the Old Covenant and its system of laws and sacrifices and the Temple all speak of Jesus Christ who was to come one day.

And that day came!

Our author will continue to explain all of this from this point through 10:18…

If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests

Hebrews 7:11-14

In the last section, we got into the whole Melchizedek issue, and here, the author is applying it to our present situation in Christ.  A careful reading of this text will begin to reveal an amazing aspect of the relationship between the Old and New Covenants, and we quickly discover why the Old Covenant is no more.  To begin, verse 11 brings us a rhetorical question: If perfection could have been attained through the old priesthood, why do we need another?  Simple enough… Let’s understand “perfection” for a minute here, since I think it might refer to something that many might not be thinking about right off.  By “perfection” the author isn’t asking whether or not the Law could make a man perfect through His obedience to it; I’m sure you can recall Paul asking those kinds of questions.  In this case, perfection is linked to the priesthood itself, and the priesthood represents the entire Old Covenant system of atonement for sins.  Since that system cannot take sin away, it cannot bring about perfection. Jesus not only provided for forgiveness of sins; He took them away entirely.

Verse 12 brings up an interesting point in claiming that if the priesthood is changed, the Law must also be changed.  This is because the Levitical priesthood (Order of Aaron) was created and established by the Law, and a new priesthood can only be established by doing something with the Law first.  In the next verse, the author points out that the new high priest is from the tribe of Judah, and the old priests were from the tribe of Levi. According to the old Law, priests can only come from the tribe of Levi, while kings come from the tribe of Judah. Jesus came from Judah, the tribe of kings, and He was the heir to the throne of David. He is not eligible for priesthood under the Law of Moses… so something must give!

And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.

Hebrews 7:15-16

Enter Melchizedek; he is a priest, but he is not a Levite, so how can he become a priest?  Think carefully now… a Levite is a priest because of a life force, in their case one of genetics and ancestry, but that life force is temporary, because they will die and need to pass the priestly office on to an heir.  Contrast this with the life force by which Melchizedek is made a priest: Indestructible life:  Which is better?

 For it is declared:

“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”

The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

Hebrews 7:17-19

Again, we have the quote from Psalm 110:4. Melchizedek is priest forever; indestructible life. In addition, the old Law was set aside because it was “weak and useless”.  An interesting note here is that the term “set aside” is a legal term.  Even now, when a judge sets something aside, he rules that it is null and void, and has no effect.

When the author says that the “law made nothing perfect” you might well notice that the Law is being spoken of in the past tense because it is entirely over.  Also, notice that “perfect” is being used in a different context than it was several verses back when it was applied only to the priesthood.  Here we are talking about the entire context of the Law, not just atonement.  Not only could the Law not take sin away, it made sin more evident than having no Law at all.  For anyone who cares to notice, the Law makes imperfection obvious, so that we can easily see that Man is quite lost without a direct relationship with God. Melchizedek’s priesthood is a vast improvement over the Law of Moses, for it gives us this direct relationship.

And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him:

“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
‘You are a priest forever.’”

Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant.

Hebrews 7:20-22

Melchizedek became a high priest, not because he inherited it, but because God directly intervened in the process to appoint him… and He swore an oath that it should be so: Powerful stuff. Because of this, Jesus is the guarantor of a better covenant, and that pretty much says it all.

 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

Hebrews 7:23-28

I think these final verses are pretty obvious and no further words are necessary from me.  We have arrived at the point where the superiority of Jesus as our high priest is obvious to all, and the author is moving on to a discussion of the New Covenant. We will join that discussion next time…

This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

Hebrews 7:1-3

The story of Melchizedek and Abraham is found in Genesis 14:17-20, and he isn’t mentioned again, except for an obscure reference in Psalm 110 that is only understood when it is quoted here in Hebrews 7.  He came suddenly out of nowhere, and was gone just as quickly, and many scholars believe that Melchizedek is a pre-incarnation appearance of Christ (called a Christiophony).  Clearly there are similarities between the two, but without more evidence, I’ll only say that he was a “type” of Christ.

Don’t go too fast in this passage; you don’t often come across a guy who is both king and priest, in fact that is not the Jewish model at all; only Jesus Himself comes to mind quickly for these two offices.  Note also the similarity of names. Melchizedek is called “king of righteousness” and “king of peace” while Jesus is called “Righteous King” and “Prince of Peace.”   He has no genealogy, no beginning of days or end of life… Very interesting. Here is a comparison chart for Melchizedek and Jesus:

Isn’t it interesting that the author says that Melchizedek resembles the Son of God? I’m having a hard time thinking of another text that makes this kind of statement…

Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.

Hebrews 7:4-10

Up to this point in Hebrews, we have seen that Jesus is superior to the angels, and we have seen that Jesus is superior to Moses, but now we see that Melchizedek is superior to Abraham; in Jewish tradition, nobody is superior to Abraham! Yet when you consider the author’s evidence, it would seem that he has a valid point. Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek; this can also be rendered “tribute” which is always paid by the lesser to the greater.  Under the Law, a tithe is paid to the Levites, the priests, and yet the father of all the Israelites paid a tithe to this Melchizedek centuries before the Law, and in a sense, Levi himself was involved in the payment, since his ancestor paid it.

The really amazing statement that the author makes in this section is this: In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living (7:8). I don’t mean to be overly simplistic, but you just don’t come across writing like this very often: who is this guy?  It’s becoming easier to understand why many scholars have concluded that he must be Jesus pre-incarnation. Of course, the point was also made in verse 7 that the lesser is blessed by the greater.  Clearly, Melchizedek is superior to Abraham, as mind-boggling as that must have been to a Jewish audience.

Before I wrap this up, I think we need to recognize here and now that this section is entirely intentional in the letter, for our author is building up to a massively important crescendo.  As we continue, we will see that not only was Melchizedek greater than Abraham, but the Jesus is like Melchizedek, and as a result, He is also a high priest superior to the Levites, administering a covenant superior to the Law of Moses, and theologically speaking, that’s the ball game.