Jesus – A Priest For Ever Hebrews 7:21

Jesus was “made priest” with “an oath” according to the writer of Hebrews, and in chapter seven and verse twenty-one of Hebrews the writer tells how Jesus is “a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec” where we read:

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

The verse begins, “(For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him,...”. The writer began with the word, “For” which means “even as, indeed, no doubt, seeing then, verily and therefore”, “those priests” which refers to “the ones who offers sacrifices and in general is busied with sacred rites” “were made” which means “came to pass, became, arose and fulfilled” “without an oath” which means “not having an affirmation made or taken”; “but” which is a disassociation conjunction that means what is about to be written takes precedence over what was just stated “this with an oath” or “the present priest of whom the writer referred with an affirmation made or taken” “by him that said” or “the one who spoke, called and told” “unto him” which refers to “toward the same and himself”. The Levitical “priests” were made “priests” without an “affirmation made or taken” about them, but the “priest” of whom the writer is sharing, did receive “an affirmation made or taken”.

The verse continues, “The Lord swore and will not repent, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)”. The writer added, “The Lord” or “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God, the Messiah” “swore” which means “affirmed, gave promise and invoked with an oath” “and will not repent” or “will not regret or care to one afterwards” “You are a priest” which means “Jesus is one who offers sacrifices and in general is busied with sacred rites” and “for ever” or “evermore, eternally, to perpetuity of time and unbroken age” “after the order” which means “according to, toward and along the arrangement, post, rank or position which one holds in civic or other affairs” “of Melchisedec” whose name means “king of righteousness” and was “the king of Salem and priest of the most high God, who lived in the days of Abraham”. The “oath” given by the “The Lord” was that Jesus would be “a priest” that was eternally after the order of “Melchisedec”, and He would not “repent” or alter this decision concerning this in any manner.

When we think through these words in Hebrews, we see how Jesus was to come from the “special order of priest”, “Melchisedec”, and even as we have seen that “Melchisedec” was an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ, we know this was indeed an exclusive priestly order. Our “great high priest” Jesus, not only assumed this special position, but had an “oath” or “promise” of God that He would makes His appearance in this manner. This is because it had to be a “perfect order” of “priesthood” from which Jesus came that we might have opportunity to salvation. Let us rejoice in God's great provision of a “priest” who is superior to all other “priests” and is able to bring us into the very presence of the One with whom we have to do.

Next time the writer shares how “Jesus made a surety of a better testament.”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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