The
writer of Hebrews shared how Abraham gave “a tenth of the
spoils” to “Melchisedec”
when he defeated the foes of Sodom and Gomorrah. In chapter
seven and verse five of Hebrews the writer shared how, “the sons
of Levi” “take tithes of the people” where we read:
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:
The
verse begins, “And verily they that
are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the
priesthood,...”. The
writer began with the words, “And
verily”
which means “truly, certainly, surely and indeed”, “they
that are of”
or “those who are out of, by and away from” “the
sons”
which means “the offspring, descendants and posterity” “of
Levi”
which means “joined” and refers to “the third son of the
patriarch Jacob by his wife Leah who was the founder of the tribe of
Israelites which bears his name”, “who
receive” which
means “take with the hand, lay hold of and carry”
“the office of the priesthood” which
is all one Greek word, “hierateia”
and
means
“the office of a priest or the sacerdotal function”. The
“priests”
were from the Israeli tribe of “Levi”
who were commissioned by God to hold that office.
The
verse goes on to say, “...have a commandment to take
tithes of the people according to the law,...”. The
writer continued, “have a commandment” or
“hold, own and possess a command, charge, precept or injunction”
“to take tithes”
which means “to receive a tenth” “of the people”
which refers to “a people
group, tribe, nation and all those who are of the same stock and
language” “according to”
or “down from, through out, toward and along” “the
law” which means “the rule
producing a state approved of God”. These “Levitical
priests” were commanded to
receive “tithes”
from the other tribes of Israel according to God.
Finally
the verse says, “...that is, of their brethren, though
they come out of the loins of Abraham:” The
writer finished this verse with the words, “that is of
their brethren” which means
“the Levites took tithes from their own people and family”,
“though they come out”
or “even, yet and notwithstanding that they come out of, depart
from and go forth” “of the loins”
which means “the place where the Hebrews thought the generative
power resided” “of Abraham”
whose name means “father of a multitude” “and was “the son of
Terah and the founder of the Jewish nation”. The other tribes of
Israel “tithed” to
the “priests” of
“Levi” even though
they were brothers who descended from their same “father”
“Abraham”,
When
we think through these words in Hebrews, we see the comparison the
writer is making to “Melchisedec” with the tribe of
“Levi”. “Abraham” paid “tithes” or
“ten percent of his spoils” to “Melchisedec”,
and the tribe of “Levi” was the posterity of Abraham.
Therefore, all the “priests of Levi” actually paid
“tithes” to “Melchisedec” as well. Though they
were not born yet, they in effect were paying “ten percent”
through “Abraham”. This demonstrates the superiority of
Jesus Christ to all the “priests of Levi” who preceded
Him. Jesus is our “great high priest”, and as we believe
in, trust in, rely upon and cling to Him, we have given honor and
homage to the greatest “priest” of all.
Next
time the writer shares more about how “Melchisedec”,
“whose descent is not
counted from them, received tithes of Abraham”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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