The Promise of a New Priesthood!
Don't Stop Now!
A study of the NT book of Hebrews
by Pastor Frank Rice
Hebrews 7:11-19
How many things have you replaced in the last year? Things become old and worn out, fall into disrepair, become outdated or ineffective. We’re forced to replace the old with something new, the things with which we’re familiar and have grown comfortable with the unfamiliar and possibly uncomfortable. Vehicles & tools, appliances & furniture must be replaced. None of these are indestructible. The author of Hebrews moves his readers into the realm of NT perspectives! A major replacement has occurred! Embrace it! Change is unlikely to occur unless we recognize the deficiency of the old and the superiority of the new.
I. Recognize the Deficiencies of the Old Priesthood (Vv. 11-14)!
v The author emphasizes the necessity of a new priesthood (v. 11)!
1. It is understood that God’s people received the law under the old priesthood of Levi. The priesthood was necessary and provided the basis for the law.
2. Some in the OT longed for a close relationship with God, and they to some extent, had it in spite of the Law and the priesthood (Ps. 42:1; 61:1-2; 62:1; 84).
3. But perfection (equipping the worshipper to approach God) was not possible through the old priesthood. (The rhetorical question “makes a strong assertion concerning the need for a new order of priesthood!”)
4. If the old system could fully equip a person to stand before God, then there was no need for a new priesthood!
5. But it could not, therefore making a new priesthood of a different nature (order) absolutely essential and declaring the old one obsolete!
v The author explains the far-reaching repercussions of this new priesthood (vv. 12-14).
1. When there is a change in the priesthood, there is of necessity a change in the law (v. 12). [Those clinging to the Law for their relationship with God are left “high and dry.”]
2. Evidence indicates that God never intended the Levitical priesthood and Law to be permanent.
(a) God had initiated the priesthood of Melchizedek before the Levitical priesthood existed (Gen 14).
(b) God had “sworn in” His Son as Priest after the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4). “God’s promise of a new priest has exposed the insufficiency of the old.” (Cockerill)
(c) God had prepared for His Son, who was of the tribe of Judah which was totally disconnected from the sacrificial system, to assume the Priesthood.
3. The priesthood of Levi was woefully inadequate (vv. 13-14). There had to be One qualified but from another distinct tribe. The old system was fraught with shortcomings (see below)!
“It was inevitable that the old Law should be abrogated sooner or later. For all the impressive solemnity of the sacrificial ritual and the sacerdotal ministry, no real peace of conscience was procured thereby, no immediate access to God… The whole apparatus of worship associated with the Levitical ritual or the Aaronic priesthood was calculated to keep man at a distance from God and not to bring them near.”
II. Recognize the Superiority of the New Priesthood (Vv. 15-19).
v The new order is announced and a new Priest arises (vv. 15-17)!
1. It is obvious that a new Priest has arisen of the order of Melchizedek, whose order is eternal (v. 15; 7:3). The term “arises” refers to Messiah, a branch of David!
2. It is obvious that this Priest has superior qualities! An OT priest’s qualifications were primarily external and corporeal. This Priest’s were internal, based on the power/authority of an indestructible life (v. 16)!
3. It is obvious this Priest had been divinely appointed long before He showed up on the stage of human history (v. 17)!
v The old order, priesthood and law are annulled (vv. 18-19)!
1. Recognize that something is dreadfully wrong with the former commandment (on the one hand).
(a) It was weak; it could not assist, enable, or help those who sought to keep it.
(b) It was unprofitable; it could not remove sin, clear the conscience, make atonement, or provide access to God.
(c) It was ineffective (useless); it could not equip its adherents to stand before a holy God. (It made nothing perfect!) .
2. Recognize that something is wonderfully right with this new order (on the other hand).
(a) This new order introduces a better hope. (Hope can be understood as confidence.) “The former priesthood had been ‘abolished’ as a means of approaching God and replaced by a priesthood capable of providing such access.” (Cockerill)
(b) This new order provided unlimited access, the privilege of drawing near to God through Christ!
You have unlimited access to God through Christ! Don’t neglect it!