One Story That Leads to Jesus, Day 338
Hebrews 7
7This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him.G1063G3778G3198G935G4532G2409G5310G2316G3588G4876G11G5290G575G2871G935G2532G2127G8462Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means "king of justice," and king of Salem means "king of peace."G3739G2532G11G3307G1181G575G3956G4412G3303G2059G935G1343G1161G1899G2532G935G4532G3603G935G15153There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors—no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God.G540G282G35G2192G3383G746G2250G3383G5056G2222G1161G871G5207G2316G3306G2409G1519G13364Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle.G1161G2334G4080G3778G3739G2532G3966G11G1325G1181G1537G2055Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham.G2532G3303G1537G5207G3017G3588G2983G2405G2192G1785G586G2992G2596G3551G5123G846G80G2539G1831G1537G3751G116But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God.G1161G1075G3361G1075G1537G846G1183G11G2532G2127G2192G18607And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.G1161G5565G3956G485G1640G2127G5259G29098The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on.G2532G5602G3303G444G599G2983G1181G1161G1563G3140G3754G21989In addition, we might even say that these Levites—the ones who collect the tithe—paid a tithe to Melchizedek when their ancestor Abraham paid a tithe to him.G2532G5613G2031G2036G3017G2532G3588G2983G1181G1183G1223G1110For although Levi wasn't born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham's body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him.G1063G2258G2089G1722G3751G3962G3753G3198G4876G84611So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron?G1487G3303G3767G5050G2258G1223G3020G2420G1063G1909G846G2992G3549G5101G2089G5532G2087G2409G450G2596G5010G3198G2532G3756G3004G2596G5010G212And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it.G1063G2420G3346G1096G1537G318G3331G2532G355113For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests.G1063G1909G3739G5023G3004G3348G2087G5443G575G3739G3762G4337G237914What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe.G1063G4271G3754G2257G2962G393G1537G2455G1519G3739G5443G3475G2980G3762G4012G242015This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared.G2532G2076G2089G4054G2612G1487G2596G3665G3198G450G2087G240916Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed.G3739G1096G3756G2596G3551G4559G1785G235G2596G1411G179G222217And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek."G1063G3140G3754G4771G2409G1519G165G2596G5010G319818Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless.G1063G1096G3303G115G1785G4254G1223G772G2532G512G84619For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.G1063G3551G5048G3762G5048G1161G1898G2909G1680G1223G3739G1448G231620This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron's descendants became priests without such an oath,G2532G2596G3745G3756G5565G372821but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him, "The LORD has taken an oath and will not break his vow: 'You are a priest forever.'"G1063G2409G3303G1526G1096G5565G3728G1161G3326G3728G1223G3004G4314G846G2962G3660G2532G3338G3756G3338G4771G2409G1519G165G2596G5010G319822Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God.G2596G5118G1096G2424G1096G1450G2909G124223There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office.G2532G1526G3303G1526G1096G4119G2409G2967G3887G1223G228824But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever.G1161G1223G846G3306G1519G165G2192G531G242025Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.G3606G1410G2532G4982G1519G3838G4334G2316G1223G846G3842G2198G1519G1793G5228G84626He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven.G1063G5108G749G4241G2254G3741G172G283G5563G575G268G2532G1096G5308G377227Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people's sins.G3739G2192G318G3756G2596G2250G5618G749G399G2378G4386G5228G2398G266G1899G2992G1063G5124G4160G2178G399G143828The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.G1063G3551G2525G444G749G2192G769G1161G3056G3728G3588G3326G3551G5207G5048G1519G165
Hebrews 8
8Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven.G1161G1909G3004G2774G2192G5108G749G3739G2523G1722G1188G2362G3172G1722G37722There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands.G3011G39G2532G228G4633G3739G2962G4078G2532G3756G4443And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too.G1063G3956G749G2525G1519G4374G1435G5037G2532G2378G3606G316G5126G2192G5100G2532G3739G43744If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests who offer the gifts required by the law.G1063G1487G3303G2258G1909G1093G302G3761G2258G2409G5607G2409G4374G1435G2596G35515They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: "Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain."G3748G3000G5262G2532G4639G2032G2531G3475G5537G3195G2005G4633G1063G3708G5346G4160G3956G2596G5179G1166G4671G1722G37356But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.G1161G3570G5177G1313G3009G3745G2532G2076G3316G2909G1242G3748G3549G1909G2909G18607If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it.G1063G1487G1565G4413G2258G273G302G3756G5117G2212G12088But when God found fault with the people, he said: "The day is coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.G1063G3201G846G3004G2400G2250G2064G3004G2962G2532G4931G2537G1242G1909G3624G2474G2532G1909G3624G24559This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. They did not remain faithful to my covenant, so I turned my back on them, says the LORD.G3756G2596G1242G3739G4160G846G3962G1722G2250G1949G846G3450G5495G1806G846G1537G1093G125G3754G846G1696G3756G1722G3450G1242G2504G272G846G272G3004G296210But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.G3754G3778G1242G3739G1303G3624G2474G3326G1565G2250G3004G2962G1325G3450G3551G1519G846G1271G2532G1924G846G1909G846G2588G2532G2071G1519G846G2316G2532G846G2071G1519G3427G299211And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, 'You should know the LORD.' For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already.G2532G1321G3364G1321G1538G846G4139G2532G1538G846G80G3004G1097G2962G3754G3956G1492G3165G575G3398G846G2193G3173G84612And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins."G3754G2071G2436G846G93G2532G846G266G2532G846G458G3415G3364G208913When God speaks of a "new" covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.G1722G3004G2537G3822G4413G3822G1161G3822G2532G1095G1451G854
Psalm 28
28[A psalm of David.] I pray to you, O LORD, my rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die.H1732H7121H3068H6697H2814H2790H4911H3381H9532Listen to my prayer for mercy as I cry out to you for help, as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.H8085H6963H8469H7768H5375H3027H6944H16873Do not drag me away with the wicked—with those who do evil—those who speak friendly words to their neighbors while planning evil in their hearts.H4900H7563H6466H205H1696H7965H7453H7451H38244Give them the punishment they so richly deserve! Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness. Pay them back for all their evil deeds! Give them a taste of what they have done to others.H5414H6467H7455H4611H5414H4639H3027H7725H15765They care nothing for what the LORD has done or for what his hands have made. So he will tear them down, and they will never be rebuilt!H995H6468H3068H4639H3027H2040H11296Praise the LORD! For he has heard my cry for mercy.H1288H3068H8085H6963H84697The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.H3068H5797H4043H3820H982H5826H3820H5937H7892H30348The LORD gives his people strength. He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.H3068H5797H3444H4581H48999Save your people! Bless Israel, your special possession. Lead them like a shepherd, and carry them in your arms forever.H3467H5971H1288H5159H7462H5375H5769
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, who are also descendants of Abraham.G2532
