The Holy Bible in 1 year - Day 176

     Hello! Today we continue reading the epistle to the Hebrews, chapters 5 to 8. In Hebrews 5 we are shown the significance of Christ being our High Priest in heaven. For unlike an earthly high priest, who must continously bring sacrifices for the sins of his people and for nis own sins, Christ is perfect; and He was made perfect when , afterbeing risen from the dead, He came into His glory, the glory of His kingdom, being made "a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec" as it was written in the Psalms (Psalm 110:4) . So we are now to see the deep things spoken here; but we have grown heavy in heart and thus we have limited our understanding. So through these we see God's covenant to Abraham fulfilled, for we are all blessed in Christ. And this fulfillment of the covenant should come to us a strengthening of our faith and hope. Since Christ is now a High Priest to us we have been shown that our faithfulness is rewarded through the fulfillment of covenants; and we are blessed with everlasting life through Him should we keep an unfaltering hope. We are next shown the difference in the nature of priesthood between Christ and the earthly priests from the family of Levi. First through Melchisedec; he greeted and blessed Abraham, and thus shown himself to be greater then Aaron. Next Aaron gave Melchisedec one tenth of the spoils of war; so again Melchisedec is show. To be greater. Thus there is a great difference between Christ and the earthly priesthood of Levi; for Christ is not merely a perfection of the earthly priest but is a radical new way of priest - a priest not in the matter instituted upon the family of Levi through the law of Moses, but a High Priest who, being before the Law, is eternal. Therefore He is the only one capable of forgiving sins and to reconcile God with man, for He eternally ministers for us in front of the Father so that upon our judgement we may have Him and His sacrifice as an attonement for our sins. And since He is eternal there is no need for another, so His priesthood is not a tradition of time but transcending time, His priesthood ia the very essence of Life, and in it God's love for us shines most brightly. his priesthood and the salvation we are give throough Christ is the new covenant through which God called every sinner to repentance so that they could be cleaned through Christ sacrifice and as such enter His kingdom to be give everlasting life with Him. This new covenant should not be for us an obstacle, not a source of trouble ofr our minds or our hearts. For God Himself, through the prophet Isaiah foretold the new covenant , foretold it with joy because regarding it Hr said that it will be a time when all people will come back to Him, when everyone will know Him ; in this new covenant His Laws will be in our hrpearts and minds , we will be His people and He will be our God. So Christ, who is the embodiment of this new covenant is also the fulfillment of the old one. For the old covenant was not wrong and since it needed to be replaced; it was old because it was fulfilled in Christ. But with this fulfillment comes a new covenant, in which we are given redemption; for the old covenant did not give redemption but it merely promised that one day God will show us His redemption of our sins. And He did : Christ was God's redemption prepared for us from the foundation of the world; through these God fulfilled His part of the covenant, even though we did not fulfill ours by sinning and by distancing ourselves from Him. And now Christ has given us a new covenant - how this redemption, prepared by God for us, can be achieven. How we can come through Christ to God to inherit the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world. But should we understand, when it is written "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second." that the first covenant was a mistake and when realising it God said  - "Oh, a mistake! Let's rectify it!" ? No, itwas not a mistake, it was just limited in time. It didn't have a fault in the sense of something being wrong with it, but a fault in the sense that itonly promised humanity that God will give us a way of redemption through which our sins could be forgiven. But when this salvation was shown to us and was made possible through Christ's sacrifice, the old covenant ended, for what God had promissed, had been fulfilled. And as such salvation was not possible within the first covenant, for it did not give the means for it, it merely promised that those means will be given. So the fault lies within the fact that it was limited at it was made to be as such by God so that through Christ His new covenant, of which He spoke in Isaiah, will come forth, this time offering salvation .

HEBREWS 5

For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

HEBREWS 6

For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

HEBREWS 7

 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.

10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

13 For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.

14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.

15 And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,

16 Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

17 For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

18 For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

19 For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

20 And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:

21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)

22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:

24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;

27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

28 For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.

HEBREWS 8

Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.

4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:

5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.

8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:

9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.