For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.

See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him,

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

            For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him:

“The Lord has sworn
            and will not change his mind,
‘You are a priest forever.’”

This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, 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 7:1-25 ESV

Back in the first ten verses of chapter 5, the author of Hebrews began the central point of his sermon: the superior priesthood of Jesus. As we noted, through the linking of Psalm 2 and Psalm 110, the author transitioned from speaking primarily of Jesus’ Sonship to Jesus’ priesthood. Indeed, after quoting Psalm 110’s declaration from the Father to the Son, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek,” the author indicted his intention to explain the significance of that declaration in 5:10.

However, he suddenly broke away from this explanation to give an extended exhortation to his beloved readers. First, he rebuked them for being dull of hearing and falling backward into spiritual immaturity. Then he gave them a stern and fearful warning of falling away from the faith into apostasy. Finally, he changed his tone and encouraged them to remain steadfast in the promises of God, just like Abraham did so long ago.

After that extended exhortation from 5:11-6:20, the author skillfully set us back upon his original point with 6:19-20:

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

It is Melchizedek’s connection to Christ that is now unfolded for us in our present text.

A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD // VERSES 1-3

As we noted previously, the identity and purpose of Melchizedek was surely one of the most perplexing pieces of the Old Testament. He appears abruptly and briefly in Genesis 14 and is then mentioned in connection with the Messiah, David’s Lord, in Psalm 110. Nothing else is said about this ancient priest-king, leaving him long shrouded in mystery. Verse 1 and the first part of verse 2 gives a succinct description of Melchizedek’s appearance in Genesis 14:

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything.

Of course, the actual text of Genesis 14:17-20 is not much longer:

After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said,

            “Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
                        Possessor of heaven and earth;
            and blessed be God Most High,
                        who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

            And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Nothing else is said about Melchizedek. He brings Abraham (Abram at that time) bread and wine, blessed him, and received a tithe from the patriarch. Although that information is sparse, the author of Hebrews goes on to explain how each detail is significant.

First, he points out that Melchizedek’s name means king of righteousness, and he is the king of Salem, which means peace. Furthermore, he simply appears in the text without introduction or genealogy, which is particularly striking within Genesis, which is literally structured around genealogies. Finally, although he is a Gentile (Abraham being the first Hebrew), Melchizedek was a priest of the Most High God, which means that he worshiped the Yahweh, the Creator of heaven and earth, in midst of the world’s collapse into paganism.

The key phrase in these first three verses, indeed of this entire chapter, is: resembling the Son of God. Although many have speculated whether or not Melchizedek was a preincarnate appearance of Jesus, this phrase seems to give us a clear answer. Melchizedek was not an appearance of Jesus; instead, he was a real, godly king who resembles Jesus. Melchizedek was a type of Jesus, a prefiguring of the Christ.

He resembles Jesus in his name and title. Like Jesus, Melchizedek is both a priest and a king, which were offices that were rarely together in the same person. Although Melchizedek’s name means king of righteousness, Jesus is the actual king of righteousness. Being the eternal Son of God, Jesus is the King of kings, and He alone is perfectly and wholly righteousness. Also, although Melchizedek was the king of Salem (that is, peace), Jesus is the true King of peace or, as Isaiah calls Him, the Prince of Peace, for He came to make peace between God and man through the sacrifice of Himself. For yet another connection, many scholars believe Salem to be the former name of Jerusalem, which would later become the city of David and of God’s temple.

He resembles Jesus in His having neither beginning of days nor end of life. Of course, the author of Hebrews is not suggesting that Melchizedek was actually immortal; rather, he is pointing to his written appearance in the text. As Richard Phillips notes,

This statement leads many to suppose Melchizedek to be some sort of celestial being, or even the preincarnate Christ. But what is in view here is not Melchizedek himself being without beginning or end, but Melchizedek as presented in Scripture. Quite in contrast to nearly everybody else of consequence in the book of Genesis, Melchizedek is not accompanied by a genealogy, but appears without any introduction or conclusion. He has no mother or father. The writer of Hebrews, following a long rabbinic tradition of interpreting passages like this, sees as much significance in what the text omits as in what it says. A. W. Pink explains: “The silence of the Old Testament Scriptures concerning his parentage has a designed significance. The entire omission was ordered by the Holy Spirit… in order to present a perfect type of the Lord Jesus.” F. F. Bruce notes this about the biblical portrayal: “In the only record which Scripture provides of Melchizedek… he appears as a living man, king of Salem, priest of God Most High; and as such he disappears. In all this—in the silences as well as in the statements—he is a fitting type of Christ…Melchizedek remains a priest continually for the duration of his appearance in the biblical narrative.”[1]

Indeed, because we are not told any of these things about Melchizedek, his priesthood appears to be perpetual, remaining a priest forever. It is to that priesthood, which is the third resemblance that Melchizedek bears to Christ, that the remainder of the chapter focuses upon.

A SUPERIOR PRIESTHOOD // VERSES 4-18

Just as the author of Hebrews has previously established Jesus’ revelation as being superior to the prophets, the angels, or even Moses, now he seeks to establish Jesus’ priesthood as being superior to the Levitical priests, who were presumably still serving in the temple this sermon-letter was originally written. He begins his argument by presenting the greatness of Melchizedek in verses 4-10:

See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.

Here the author of Hebrews notes the short exchange between Abraham and Melchizedek in Genesis 14. Abraham, who was the first Hebrew and the ancestor of God’s holy people, gave a tenth of his possessions to Melchizedek as a tithe. In doing so, the patriarch was acknowledging the greatness of Melchizedek a priest, as a representative of God Himself. Furthermore, as a representative of God, Melchizedek received the tithe and blessed Abraham. Verse 7 is then the key to the author’s point: It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. Of course, we find that to be the case throughout Scripture. The deathbed blessings that Isaac and Jacob give to their children are a great example. Perhaps even more relevant is the blessing that God instructed Aaron and his sons to pronounce upon the people of Israel:

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

            The LORD bless you and keep you;

            the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

            the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Numbers 6:22–27

Melchizedek essentially blessed Abraham in the same manner, only he did not invoke God’s holy name, Yahweh, since God would make it known later to Moses. Thus, Melchizedek was the superior of even Abraham, the man of faith.

But that is only the preliminary point to author’s argument. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. Here is the logic of the argument: if Melchizedek was greater than Abraham, then he was certainly greater than Abraham’s great-grandson Levi, which would also make Melchizedek’s priesthood greater than Levi’s priesthood.

Verse 11 reveals the need for a superior priesthood because of the imperfection of the Levitical priesthood. Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but unfortunately, the Levitical priesthood was broken and required much more than a simple repair. A replacement was needed.

Verse 12 is tied to the parenthetical statement of from verse 11 that under the Levitical priesthood God’s people received the law: For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. The priesthood and the law are bound together.

Then in verses 13-14, the author presents us with what might seem to be one of the most glaring problems with Jesus’ priesthood:

For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

Jesus descended from the tribe of Judah, meaning that He could not belong to the Levitical priesthood. Thankfully, this is not a problem; it is God’s divine plan. Or, as we might say today, it is a feature, not a bug, which is what verses 15-18 make clear:

This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him,

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

For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

Like Melchizedek, Jesus’ priesthood is not dependent upon His lineage but upon the power of an indestructible life. Of course, Melchizedek’s unending life is only literary, while Jesus’ is actual eternality. Thus, the Holy Spirit rightly declared of Jesus through David, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” Desmond Alexander offers a helpful clarification here:

Since Jesus Christ cannot be a high priest in the order of Aaron, God appoints him to a different type of priesthood, “the order of Melchizedek.” The Greek term, translated “order” in Hebrews 6:20 is taxin, from which we derive the first part of the noun taxonomy. The noun taxis denotes a particular “kind” or “type.” The original Hebrew text of Psalm 110:4 has the expression ‘al-dibrati malki-sedeq, which could be translated “according to the manner of Melchizedek.” None of the Hebrew or Greek expressions implies that Melchizedek himself created an order or class of priesthood to which others belonged. On the contrary, the author of Hebrews contends that unlike the Aaronic priests, Melchizedek did not come from a priestly lineage, nor did he establish one. Within the Old Testament he is unique as a priest. Consequently, when God swears that David’s lord will be a priest after the order of Melchizedek, this implies, as Gaffin notes, that “as a priest he is in a class by himself.” As the Christ/Messiah/Anointed One, the origin of Jesus’ priesthood resembles best that of Melchizedek, not that of Aaron.[2]

Thus, it is not as though Christ were continuing on the priestly order of Melchizedek, as we might have understood Psalm 110:4; instead, Melchizedek’s unique priesthood served as a prefiguring of Jesus’ ultimately priesthood, which is able to offer a better hope to God’s people than the Levitical ever could. He is not the ultimate Levitical priest; He is a complete change in the priesthood, which necessarily requires a change in the law and covenant as well. Since the law could not make anyone perfect (10:1), Christ indeed offers a better hope.

A PERMANENT PRIESTHOOD // VERSES 19-24

Continuing to show the superiority of Christ’s priesthood over the Levitical priesthood, the author now adds another reason: Christ’s is a permanent priesthood. He gives a twofold reasoning, and the author’s first argument in verses 20-21 should ring familiarly in our ears:

And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him:

“The Lord has sworn
           and will not change his mind,
‘You are a priest forever.’”

Just as God doubly secured His promise to Abraham by making an oath upon Himself, so has God sworn an oath regarding the priesthood of Christ. Indeed, the Levitical priests were inaugurated into their office without an oath, but they were not viewed with any less authority without it. How much more ought we to consider the reliability of Christ’s priesthood, since it was established by an oath from God!

We will come back to the beauty of verse 22 in a moment, for now let us briefly consider verses 23-24:

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.

The permanence of Christ’s priesthood is first displayed in the security of God’s oath but also, as verse 16 said, by the power of an indestructible life. There were countless priests who served in the tabernacle or temple from the time of Moses to the temple’s destruction in AD 70, and each and every one of them died and, therefore, ceased to be a priest any longer. Jesus, however, lives forever, which is certainly a necessary qualification for being a priest forever, as Psalm 110 foretold.

A SUFFICIENT PRIESTHOOD // VERSES 22, 25

From Christ’s royal, superior, and permanent priesthood that resembles the priesthood of Melchizedek so long ago, we ought also to rejoice that Jesus’ priesthood is sufficient, which is clearly the glorious conclusion that the author wants us to behold: 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.

If, in our brisk journey through this chapter, you have found yourself wondering why all of this matters, verse 25 is the answer. Many Christians today might say that they only want to love Jesus and do not need to know anything about the resemblance of the priesthoods of Jesus and Melchizedek. Yet this is not ivory tower theology that has no relevance to the real world. Instead, the author of Hebrews is teaching us this so that we may have confidence that Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him. I can boast of running a marathon all day long, but boasting is not proof. In the same way, we should rightly boast that our salvation is only in Christ; however, our boasting should be rooted in the proof that He actually is able to save us.

And Jesus is indeed able to save, even to the uttermost. Indeed, the author alluded to this in verse 22, where he noted of the establishment of Christ’s priesthood via an oath, saying, This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. Of the word guarantor, Dennis Johnson writes:

Neither this term nor its cognates appear elsewhere in the NT. In the LXX this word group describes a third party who accepts responsibility to secure another person’s contractual or covenantal commitment, even at risk to his own property or life (Prov. 6: 1; 17: 18; 22: 26). Later Christ will be described as “mediator” (mesitēs) of the new covenant (Heb. 8: 6; 9: 15; 12: 24). But Moses also was a covenant mediator (Gal. 3: 19– 20), and his experience sadly showed that a mere mediator of even so solemn a bond as a divine-human covenant could not guarantee that both parties would fulfill their commitments (Heb. 8: 7– 9). Jesus is the new covenant’s mediator, but he is more: through his perpetual priesthood, secured by God’s oath, he guarantees that the new covenant’s blessings will reach their intended recipients.[3]

Jesus is not only able to offer salvation to His people; He is able to guarantee it. He saves to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him by actually drawing us to God in Himself. As the chapter 8 will show, the better covenant that Christ has inaugurated writes God’s law not upon tablets of stone but upon our hearts and ensures that all of God’s people shall know Him. Thus, under the new covenant, Jesus does not simply give us the ability to be draw near to God but also the very desire to do so! That is how He can guarantee salvation to the uttermost, which is a better hope by far than the old covenant offered.

We would also do well to consider the final clause of verse 25: since he always lives to make intercession for them.

In other words, he would not be able to save us forever if he did not go on interceding for us forever.

This means our salvation is as secure as Christ’s priesthood is indestructible. This is why we needed a priest so much greater than any human. Christ’s deity secures his indestructible priesthood for us.

This means we should not talk about our salvation in static terms the way we often do—as if I did something once in an act of decision, and Christ did something once when he died and rose again, and that’s all there is to it. That’s not all there is to it. This very day I am being saved by the eternal intercession of Jesus in heaven. Jesus is praying for us and that is our salvation… We are saved eternally by the eternal prayers (Romans 8:34) and advocacy (1 John 2:1) of Jesus in heaven as our high priest. He prays for us and his prayers are answered because he prays perfectly on the basis of his perfect sacrifice.[4]

His perpetual and continuous intercession, again, not only ensures the salvation of those who draw near to God but also ensures the desire and ability of us to draw near to God in the first place. It is upon the basis of Christ’s sympathetic priestly intercession that the author of Hebrews was able exhort us to “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need” (4:16).

Thus, how do you know that you are among those who draw near to God and are saved to the uttermost? Draw near to God in Christ. Come to Him and keep coming to Him. Those who fall away seem to come to God for a time but prove themselves to have never truly known Him. Those who are in Christ will draw near and do so until the end.

Therefore, let us repeat again the past warning: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Draw near to the throne of grace, where there is plentiful mercy and grace to satisfy our eternal need of redemption. Come to Jesus today, for He says in John 6:37, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

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[1] Richard Phillips, Hebrews, 225.

[2] T. Desmond Alexander, Face to Face with God: A Biblical Theology of Christ as Priest and Mediator, 99.

[3] ESV Expository Commentary Vol 12 (Hebrews-Revelation), 105.

[4] https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/jesus-from-melchizedek-to-eternal-savior