Hebrews 7:15-22 – Hallelujah, what a Priest!

In these verses, the author gave another reason why God would replace the old order. The Lord Jesus Christ was a priest not because He met the physical requirement of the Law, for He was not from the tribe of Levi. His qualification was based on the power of His indestructible life. Quoting Psalm 110:4, the author said that God had attested that the Messiah would live forever. And just as Melchizedek who lived forever, Jesus hailed from that order. This was confirmed by His resurrection, and hence, He is a priest who lives forever.

Verses 18-19 tell us that the old system, the Levitical priesthood based on the Mosaic Covenant, was weak and useless. Thus, God had substituted and superseded it with a new one. This new system ushers in a hope, for by it believers could draw near and be ushered into a personal and intimate relationship with God.

In verses 20-21, the author gave another indication of the inferiority of the Levitical priesthood. Quoting Psalm 110:4, verse 21 said that God had made an oath concerning the Messiah’s Priesthood, a privilege that the Levitical priest did not have. Thus, this also showed the superiority of the Messiah’s Priesthood. And due to this promise made in an oath, the Messiah was established as a permanent Priest. Verse 22 then asserted that Jesus had become the believers’ assurance of a better covenant.

Take note that at the core of the Old Covenant was the priesthood. And God had terminated both the Old Covenant and the Levitical priesthood. He had now put in place Christ Jesus, the new Priest that necessitated a New Covenant to supersede the old one. This word “covenant” is mentioned for the first time in this epistle, and the author will be featuring it further in the coming argument.

The ministry of Christ as Priest does not rest on family line. It rests on “the power of an indestructible life”. The Aaronic priesthood was set aside because it could not give us perfect access. And now in Jesus, we have “a better hope … by which we draw near to God”

Into Thy presence we come,

Not by the works we have done.

But by Thy grace and Thy grace alone,

Into Thy presence we come!