JUDAH AND LEVI TOGETHER

Hebrews 7:17

"You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek."

In the Book of Hebrews Yeshua is spoken of as ushering a new priesthood; it even seems speaks of a change of Torah. It says, For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the Torah as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe … altar (Hebrews 7:12-13). This poses a problem because the Aaronic priesthood stems from an eternal covenant (Exodus 29:9), the Torah is established through an eternal covenant (Exodus 24:8), and God Himself doesn’t change (Malachi 3:6); how then could the levitical priesthood and the Torah be terminated?.  Here is more: For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (Hebrews 7:18). What?! The Torah?! Weak and useless?! Context, context, context.

The writer of Hebrews uttered these words, the Messianic Jews of Israel had just witnessed the assassination of James, Yeshua’s brother who was also their leader, by a wicked Rome-appointed High-Priest. As Yeshua had forewarned them (John 16:2), the disciples were now being evicted from the synagogues where they had continued worshiping. The congregations were at a loss so the author of Hebrews tries to comfort the Israeli believers telling them to now look up to the Temple and priesthood which are upward. He tells them: ‘Don’t worry; for the Torah appoints men in their weakness (weak because they had to make yearly offerings for their own atonement) as high priests, but the word of the oath (Psalms 110:4) … appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever (Hebrews 7:28). Yeshua is not an Aaronic priest (not a Levite; He was from the tribe of Judah), and as such not fit to serve in the Temple which is  below (Hebrews 8:4) but He is a priest according to the order of Melchizedec who serves in the Temple which is above. The text then explains to us that the Aaronic priesthood being efficacious solely for the ritual purifying of the flesh, the priesthood of Yeshua serves to clean the conscience (Hebrews 9:8-14). The Levitical service is not therefore to be replaced by another; it is simply completed. The Aaronic priesthood was weak in that it could not save (Salvation was never the goal of the Torah), Yeshua, the priest according to the order of Melchizedec, holds his priesthood permanently (He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices for Himself every year as levitical priests do), because he continues forever consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:24-25). Now the equation is solved.

The problem is that whereas people do read the Word, they read it with the glasses of a theology already established for them, so they read into the Text instead of letting the Text instruct them.

Jeremiah the prophet tells us of the Messianic age when a third Temple with the two priesthoods serving together (Jeremiah 33:22). May that time come Adonai, even in our days! In the mean time, may we like our brethren from the Book of Hebrews find comfort in lifting our eyes upwards, towards He who is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).