A New and Glorious Covenant

Presented by Murray McLellan, an unworthy sinner upon whom has been bestowed the mighty grace of God. “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God---and righteousness and sanctification and redemption---that as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.’” (1Cor. 1:30-31 NKJV)

This article is a result of hearing a great message on "A Priest According to the Order of Melchizedek" by John Reisinger. I do not claim to be, nor seek to be original in the following manuscript. I seek to magnify and exalt the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Unto him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The Old Testament Scriptures spoke of the last days when Messiah would come. There would be a New Covenant. The epistle to the Hebrews revels in the fact that the promises are fulfilled in an incredible way in Jesus Christ. Writing by means of the Holy Spirit, the apostles of Christ rejoice that "all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen" (2 Cor. 1:20).

"But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has fulfilled" (Acts 3:18). "For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.' Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities." (Acts 3:22-26)

God fulfilled the promises that He made through the prophets in the Old Testament Scriptures in a marvelous way in His Son who now, having accomplished what was promised through His death, reigns on high as Lord and the Mediator of the new and everlasting covenant. The elect have obtained the promised blessing (see Rom. 11:7)!

Speaking of the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, the writer to the Hebrews states:

But now He [Jesus] has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: [in Jer. 31:31-34] "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - not according to the covenant 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 did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, none his brother, saying , 'Know the Lord,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete." (Heb. 8:6-13a)

NEW COVENANT

"In these last days"

(Read Heb. 1:1-2)

PROMISED

(in the days gone by)

[incomplete and anticipatory]

--------------------------->

FULFILLED

(in Christ )

[complete; fulfillment; better!]

Christ is the everlasting covenant! (Isa. 42:6; 49:8) Thus, the old natural pictures and foreshadowings have served their purpose. The fulfillment of the promises has come, and the New Covenant sets forth the Preeminence of Christ. This is clearly a theme of the book of Hebrews. Not only is Christ better, but He supercedes the types!

I would greatly encourage you to read the entire epistle to the Hebrews. I will just highlight a few points.

In chapter 1 we hear God's testimony that Jesus is better than the angels. In fact, they worship Him whose throne is forever! God's plan is to exalt His Son over all (David's son and David's Lord - - - Messiah and Lord bound up in one final Word - Jesus!)

In chapter 2 we are given the news that man once again will be crowned with honor, through Christ the Lord

Chapter 3 opens by calling us to "consider" (i.e. set your mind on; give thought to) Jesus. And the writer to the Hebrews is going to give us much to ponder and think about!

The Old mediator was faithful (Moses, as a type of Christ) but the New Mediator is superior. The Builder is greater than any of His tools. (Read Heb. 3:5-6 - Moses was a faithful servant; Jesus a faithful Son - the Heir of all things! And the servant does not remain in the house forever, the Son does remain forever," Jesus said in John 8:35!)

At the end of chapter 3 and on through chapter 4, we read that Jesus gives a superior rest!

We are reminded that though Jesus is sinless, yet He is not an unsympathetic High Priest in chapter 4: 15-16.

When we reach Heb. 5: 6 we are reminded of a past promise recorded in Psalm 110 that the Messiah King - the Son of David of the tribe of Judah - would also be a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Having been reminded of this promise, the writer to the Hebrews goes on to show how this promise is fulfilled in Christ. In Heb. 6:19-20, we are told plainly that this promise has been fulfilled - - - the Old veil is torn in two from top to bottom. Our place in the presence of God is assured - where there is fullness of joy!

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." (Heb. 6:19-20)

Melchizedek is one of the strangest characters in the Scripture. He comes from nowhere and makes on brief appearance on the scene and then he totally disappears and leaves no forwarding address.

"Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.' And he gave him a tithe of all."

That's the entire record of Melchizedek, and yet the writer of Hebrews builds almost half his book in reference to this person.

The only other place he is mentioned in the Old Testament Scriptures is in Psalm 110: 4 where it speaks prophetically that the Messiah - the Lord will be a Great Priest.

Melchizedek is even elevated above Abraham - for Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek and Melchizedek blessed Abraham and, beyond all contradiction, the lesser is blessed by the better (Heb. 8:4-7).

Christ is a fulfillment of Melchizedek. Melchizedek is a biblical type of Christ.

A type, like Melchizedek, is not a prediction. It is an historical event or person. The antitype (Christ) is not the fulfillment of a prediction, rather it is a re-emergence - in a different and more glorious form of the same principle (i.e. the Passover would be another example of a type of Christ and His atoning work).

Genesis has the type (which is a God-intended "picture" or "illustration") and Psalm 110 is an actual prediction.

In the book of Hebrews, the writer shows very clearly that Aaron is inferior as a high priest - inferior to this priest Melchizedek - and to any priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Some commentators believe Melchizedek was an angel; some believe he was a pre-incarnate revelation of Christ; and some believe he was a real historical person who is a type of Christ.

This eliminates the angel idea and in addition, at the time of the historical Melchizedek as mentioned in Genesis 14, Jesus did not have humanity - not until that day when the virgin conceived.

What about verse 3 of Heb. 7? Surely that can't be a human being. After all it says "…without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually." I would suggest to you that the writer is not comparing two men - Melchizedek and Jesus - but rather he is comparing two priesthoods. He is comparing the priesthood of Melchizedek with the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Melchizedek was made - in the providence of God - to have a priesthood that would foreshadow (by being made in the likeness) the priesthood of Jesus.

This cannot be comparing the two men, for v. 3 says "without father, without mother" --- Jesus had a mother - Mary. And Jesus the son of man had a beginning in Bethlehem. Obviously the man Melchizedek had a father and mother. His priesthood, however, was not based upon a father or mother.

Melchizedek was a priest "without genealogy." Genealogy meant everything in the Levitical priesthood. That determined who was a priest. You didn’t get elected to be a priest in the O.C., nor did you buy that office. You were born into the right tribe. Everything depended on who your father was.

Genealogy was crucial in the Old Covenant. In the book of Matthew you can follow all the "begats", but all the "begats" end in Matt. 1:16. No more genealogies are needed after Christ. There are no more begats.

In the Old Covenant one became a priest by being born as a son of Aaron in the tribe of Levi. A priest was a Levite, but a Levite was not necessarily a priest - it depended upon who your father and mother were.

In Ezra 2:62 we see an example of men excluded from the priesthood because their genealogy could not be traced to Aaron.

So, Jesus, as a son of Judah, could never have a priestly function - if that old priesthood remained - that old covenant. But the New Covenant provides a better priesthood (old things have passed away, behold all things have become new!) Jesus did not have the right genealogy. For Jesus to be our High Priest, the Old Covenant had to have been put away.

So v. 3 is not saying that Melchizedek was never born (we just don't have a record of it). No record or genealogy is necessary - for his priesthood is unique - not like the Old Covenant priesthood. He was constituted a priest by God, and he had a ministry totally different than that of Aaron… for Aaron's priesthood did have a beginning and an end.

From Numbers 4:3 we learn that a priest did not begin to function until he was 30 and when he was 50 he retired. His priesthood had a beginning and an end.

But Melchizedek's priesthood had nothing to do with genealogy or age. It was based on a unique appointment of God Himself. In the Melchizedek priesthood, a priest ministers as long as he lives …. Read Heb. 7:13-17! Like Melchizedek, as far as his priesthood was concerned, Jesus had no priestly genealogy and He needed none. Jesus Christ was chosen by God as a priest because of His personal worth - because of who He was.

Thus the Melchizedek priesthood shows that Judaism has come to an end, just as the Jewish Scriptures foretold in saying that another priest was going to come and take Aaron's place because Aaron's ministry was not effective (much of Hebrews ch. 9and 10 show that clearly). Read Heb. 7:11-12!

According to Heb. 7:4, Melchizedek was so great, he was greater than Abraham. Of Jesus it was demanded, "What? Are You greater than our father Abraham? Who do you make yourself out to be?" The answer of Hebrews is that Jesus is the Son of God who is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. Indeed He is greater than Abraham!

We, the New Covenant people of God, have a priest - and He is better than those that the Old Covenant people of God had. We have a sacrifice - and it is better than theirs. We have a lawgiver - who is better than theirs, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. We have a Joshua who is better than theirs.

The New Covenant is a better covenant - established on better promises; secured on a better sacrifice, by a better Mediator.

Hebrews is not comparing immature Christians with mature Christians. It is contrasting Judaism with Christianity. Don't go back to Judaism is the message. There is nothing there!

Don't go back to the law - to Aaron - or Moses - or Joshua. When you came to Jesus Christ, you came to:

In days gone by, God spoke by prophets - now His final Word is Jesus (Heb. 1:1-4). Jesus is the final message. He is complete. He is better.

It seems by this letter that some of these first believing Jews, who had been called to leave that which is seen (that which they could see and touch and taste) and cling to that which is invisible (to live by faith in the unseen), were now being tempted to return to the Old Covenant.

The Old Testament pointed to Christ. Leave the pictures because we have the fulfillment!!! We have the reality. Don't go back to the shadows! The shadow tells you someone is coming! Some were turning back to the Old because of touch, taste, and sight.

If the whole purpose and function of the Aaronic priesthood and the priestly systems and holy days etc. was to make an atonement for sin - and if all the efforts of that priesthood and all their sacrifices couldn't make true atonement for sin, and couldn't bring one sinner into the presence of God - it is obvious it had to be replaced, or else no one would ever be brought into the presence of God. In over 1500 years of sacrifices and sin offerings, how many sheep, and bulls and goats and doves etc. were slaughtered? How many gallons of blood were spilt? And none of it could bring one sinner into the presence of God.

In Ps. 51:1-4, David, guilty of adultery and murder, prays, "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight - that You may be found just when you speak, and blameless when you judge." Then in verse 16 he says, "For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering."

Now when we read this, a question comes to mind. David lived under a system of sacrifices or offerings, so why does he say what he does in verse 16? How does he know the desire of God? The written Word of God reveals God's will! What sacrifice was he to bring to cover for the sin of murder or adultery, under the Old Covenant? There wasn't any!!! What sacrifice was there for deliberately breaking the covenant? There wasn't any. He who despised Moses' law died without mercy. There wasn't anything that the priesthood of Aaron could do to help a man who committed murder and adultery.

So David by-passed Aaron and Moses - and he fled into the presence of God that he knew as a shepherd boy in the hills, and he pleaded nothing but mercy for his forgiveness. But how possibly could a holy and righteous God show forbearance in passing over these sins previously committed? On the basis of the work of a greater Priest to come according to the promise! In the fullness of time, the offering and sacrifice made by this Great High Priest, demonstrated God's righteousness, that He might be just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus! All boasting is now excluded.

When we read Heb. 9:1-3 and v. 8, we see that in the Old, there was no access into the presence of God until the terms of that covenant had been met. Man couldn't bring the obedience that covenant deserved and demanded and once man broke that covenant, he fell under the curse it demanded and he deserved. So there needed to be a new and living way - and one was needed who could meet the terms of the covenant and silence its condemnation - and One did just that!

He was born under that covenant, and He lived under that covenant, and then He died under its curse, and what happened?

That old veil was rent in two from top to bottom. 'Come boldly in' - beckons our High Priest -'the old things have passed away, behold, My hands and My feet - all things have become new!' (See Jer. 31:22!)

We do something even holy Aaron couldn't do. Only once a year he went into the presence of God - but he couldn't stay there and he couldn’t bring anyone with him!

Oh, but the Greater than Aaron - that great New Covenant High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek - He has entered in and can bring others in with Him. What a hope we have set before us!

Through Him, we can cry out, "Abba, Father." We've been brought into fellowship with God!

In Heb. 9:4-5, we read of the golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of stone - all symbols of rebellion - yet the cherubim did not strike out in judgment. Why? There was a mercy seat that covered them - as a reminder, there is One coming who will be the mercy seat - the propitiation - to satisfy justice. There is a righteous basis upon which our salvation is founded!

Let us obey the call of Heb. 3:1 and consider Him; let us fix our thoughts and affections on Him.

Oh feast on the truths of the book of Hebrews. It unfolds a glorious portrait of our Lord Jesus Christ - the Greatest High Priest, according to the order of Melchizedek and thus, a Priest forever.