6 As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”;
6 As He also says in another place:
The quotation is from Psalm 110:4. The author of Hebrews quoted this verse three times and alluded to it eight times. This quotation establishes the priestly role of Christ. Psalm 110 ties the sonship and priesthood of Christ together (He 4:14). No one other than Christ was both king and priest in this sense.
“You are a priest forever
Christ’s priesthood is forever and not simply for time. This is the main comparison between Melchizedek and Christ. The Levitical priesthood was only for time.
According to the order of Melchizedek”;
The only Old Testament occurrences of the name “Melchizedek” are in Genesis 14:18 and Psalm 110:4. His name also appears several times in Hebrews 7, where we find the significance of his role.
Genesis 14:18 describes Melchizedek as the king of Salem (Jerusalem) and as a priest. In Psalm 110 he is a king-priest. The psalm indicates that Melchizedek would come from David’s lineage, as did Christ. Christ came from an eternal lineage, whereas the Levitical priesthood was temporary.
Melchizedek as a “priest of the most high God” went to congratulate Abraham on his victory over Chedorlaomer and his allies. His nephew Lot was rescued on that occasion (Ge 14:19-20). Melchizedek was also the king of Jerusalem.
We know nothing of Melchizedek’s ancestry except that he was a king-priest who lived during the years of Abraham. He existed centuries before God established the Aaronic priesthood. Melchizedek’s priesthood was unending or eternal (He 7:3).
PRINCIPLE:
Christ’s priesthood was of a special order.
APPLICATION:
Christ holds the dual offices of both priest and king. Christ as the son was eternal, but His role as priest did not begin until His resurrection. He represented a different order than that of Aaron (He 7:14). He came from the tribe of Judah rather than Levi.
There is continuity and discontinuity between the priesthood of Levi and that of Christ. There was continuity in that both roles were intercessory for people. There was discontinuity in that Christ’s priesthood was of an entirely different order; His was both distinct and qualitatively better than the old.
