High Priest After The Order Of Melchizedek(heb. 4:l4-5:ll And 6:13-7:28)

by J.W. Archibald, Wembley | Category: Themes From Hebrews | Apr 1980

The people of God are blessed beyond measure in having a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. Throughout their earthly experience the saints of God are beset by temptation and difficulty and the way is often hard. In heaven there is One who fully understands earthly difficulties and human frailty because He has been here and because He is Man. His ceaseless activity as High Priest before God enables His people to overcome in all circumstances. It is because we have such a High Priest that we are able to draw near with boldness to the throne of grace. What a powerful answer to human need is access to the supreme throne where, because it is the throne of God, there is absolute power and ultimate authority! But to His people it is the throne of grace. For them at the throne there is infinite mercy as well as infinite power and the supreme authority is graciously exercised. And this is so only because of our great High Priest.

It is a blessed fact that Jesus the Son of God has passed through the heavens. He passed through when He emptied Himself and became man, and He passed through when He was highly exalted after the death of the cross (Phil. 2:6-9). He has known utter humiliation and He enjoys supreme triumph. The great High Priest is not One who has never left heaven. He has been taken from among men and appointed for men in things pertaining to God. It is most reassuring for the people of God that though they are of mankind, with all its limitations, there is continually in the presence of God a Man who is Himself the Son of God.

Our great High Priest has His priesthood by divine decree. The writer to the Hebrews quotes from Psalm 110,

"Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."

Here again the throne and the priest are associated. The decree is announced at the heart of a psalm whose subject is messianic rule and kingship. Amid all the honour with which God has delighted to honour His Son He has determined that this precious office and title should belong to the Son, "A priest for ever" and this has all the permanence of the divine oath, "The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent" (Psa. 110:4).

Let us now examine the style of Melchizedek's priesthood. Melchizedek was a king. His name means king of righteousness and he is also described

as king of Salem which is king of peace. During the turbulent history of mankind there have been many kings and rulers in whose hands the divinely constituted authority has been badly abused. Even the king who wrote Psalm 110 said, "I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me" (Psa. 51:3) and although he reigned in Jerusalem he could not be described as a king of peace. There is only One who could ever fulfil the Melchizedek type and in Him we see not only the majesty of the full expression of divine authority but also the exercise of perfect judgement and the benign rule that alone can bring peace to troubled men. Of Him the prophet said, "He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His throne: and He shall be a priest upon His throne and the counsel of peace shall be between them both" (Zech. 6:13).

Melchizedek is designated the priest of God Most High. The title Most High is often used in the Scriptures to emphasize the sovereignty of God in the affairs of men and in particular in His dealings with the opponents of His purposes. David says, "the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the loving kindness of the Most High he shall not be moved. Thine hand shall find out all Thine enemies; Thy right hand shall find out those that hate Thee" (Psa. 21:7,8). Again, the sons of Korah, "0 clap your hands, all ye peoples; ... For the LORD Most High is terrible; He is a great King over all the earth" (Psa. 47:1,2). Nebuchadnezzar was taught that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will (Dan. 4:32). We note in passing that the demons also used this title (see Mark 5:7 and Acts 16:17).

Coming now to Genesis chapter 14, we find the account of Melchizedek's priestly ministry on Abram's behalf. Abram was returning, successful and triumphant from his battle with the four kings. Two men went out to meet him on his return. One was the king of Sodom and the other was the king of Righteousness who was also the priest of God Most High. Melchizedek reached Abram first. Thank God that in the hour of our need, our great Priest can be relied upon to reach us first! He is unfailing in His care and untiring in His watchfulness over His own. To the spiritually unenlightened it would seem to be the time when Abram was least in need, but it is important to recognise that the victorious return provided an opportunity for the Adversary to destroy Abram's separation to God and involve him in the society of Sodom by enriching him at the hand of Sodom's king. Sodom's wealth can only be enjoyed in Sodom's society. Often in our case too we are spiritually most vulnerable when things seem to be going well. Of the seven churches in Asia to whom John wrote, the one in most lamentable case was Laodicea where the saints felt that they were rich and had need of nothing. Self-satisfaction is one of the most crippling and deadly

spiritual diseases. It is very comforting to reflect that our High Priest knows us very well and is never unaware of our danger. The ministry of Melchizedek gave to Abram the perspective he needed to enable him to resist the temptation. "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth" (Gen. 14:19). In the light of the greatness and the sovereignty of God, what was the value of all Sodom's wealth to the man who enjoyed the richest promise that God has ever given to man? (Gen. 12:3).

Another feature of the priesthood of Melchizedek is that in the scriptural presentation of his priestly office he had no predecessor and no successor. It is witnessed of him that he "abideth a priest continually" and in this too he is a type of the Son of God. The Lord Jesus is unique. No other could ever have filled His priestly office and His tenure of it is eternal. Indeed this is one of the striking differences from the Aaronic priesthood. The order of Aaron was supported by a carnal commandment; carnal in the sense that the office of the priest was affected by the fleshy characteristics of the incumbent Eli became an old priest and a blind priest whose priesthood was terminated by the judgement of God (1 Sam. 4:15-18). In contrast to that sad example, the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek is in the power of an indissoluble life. Our High Priest has His priesthood unchangeable because He lives for ever.

As we thus consider the completeness or perfection of our great High Priest we become aware that in His completeness are elements that have been attained at tremendous cost. "Though He was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which He suffered". The Author of our salvation was made complete through sufferings. The One who makes intercession for us has in person plumbed the depths of human pain and anguish. In the glory of heaven His person bears the disfigurement that men inflicted in the day of His greatest suffering and sorrow. As He pleads for those whose iniquity was laid upon Him at Calvary, His wounds render the pleading complete.

The High Priesthood of Christ affords us not only present comfort and sustenance but also future hope. This hope acts as an anchor of the soul because it is "a hope both sure and stedfast and entering into that which is within the veil". There are saints of God whose spiritual lives and witness are firm and strong as a rock. Their faith seems unshakable and their strength is a source of support and encouragement to others. The reason is that they have cast their anchor inside the veil. They have assimilated in a very real way the hope that springs from the recognition that the High Priest is our forerunner in that blessed place. One day soon He will come out from within the veil and, having gathered His own, the dead and the living, He will take us in to stay, and our stay will be for ever. This is a hope that is both sure and steadfast and those who cherish it will inevitably display its steadfastness in their service. If our eye is on our forerunner then some of His glorious qualities will begin to express themselves in our character. In this happy process also our High Priest will come to our aid.

Truly blessed are those who have such a High Priest, holy, guileless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.

J.W. Archibald, Wembley | Apr 1980
Themes From Hebrews