Letter to the Hebrews Volume 66

 The Absolute Necessity for a New Priesthood Part 5

Hebrews 7:20-22 And inasmuch as not without an oath He was made priest: (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 Melchizedek:) By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. KJV

It was the singular, sincere, and solemn oath of God the Father as declared by King David in Psalms 110:4 (which we detailed in the Volume 65) that made our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ a High Priest forever. The oath of God through King David testifies to the superiority of Christ's Priesthood above all the others, therefore, we find the writer of Hebrews stating this fact with the following words, "And inasmuch as not without an oath He was made priest:" (Hebrews 7:20) (KJV). There was never any oath taken by God the Father to any of the priest who came from the loins of Aaron (Moses's brother), for God the Father never declared to Aaron (or any of his descendents) that his priesthood would continue on the earth indefinately. Here is the way Adam Clarke summed up Hebrews 7:20, "'The Apostle's reasoning here is founded on this, that God never interposed His oath, except to show the certainty and immutability of the thing sworn. Thus He sware to Abraham, Genesis 22:16-18, that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed; and to the rebellious Israelites, Deuteronomy 1:34-35, that they should not enter into His rest; and to Moses, Deuteronomy 4:21, that he should not go into Canaan; and to David, Psalms 89:4, that his seed should endure forever, and his throne unto all generations. Wherefore, since Christ was made a Priest, not without an oath that he should be a Priest forever, after the similitude of Melchizedek, that circumstance showed God's immutable resolution never to change or abolish His Priesthood, nor to change or abolish the covenant which was established on His Priesthood; whereas the Levitical priesthood and the law of Moses, being established without an oath, were thereby declared to be changeable at God's pleasure.' This judicious note is from Dr. Macknight."

The writer of Hebrews goes on further to make the point of distinction between those men of the Levitical priesthood and the Priesthood of the Man Christ Jesus as he continues his thought from verse 20 with these words, "(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 Melchizedek:)" (Hebrews 7:21) (KJV). The Lord God appointed Aaron and his sons after him to the office of priesthood in Exodus Chapter 28, but He never declared that his priesthood would be an everlasting one. The Lord God only declared, detailed, and described the holy garments that Aaron and those after him would wear in order to be acceptable in God's presence, as written with these words, "And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office." (Exodus 28:4) (KJV). When the writer says, 'The Lord sware and will not repent', he simply is saying that God the Father promises solemnly by the oath taken that Jesus Christ is the Eternal High Priest and that He will not change His mind regarding this fact. Here is what Adam Clarke had to say of Hebrews 7:21, "The Levitical priest, were made without an oath, to show that the whole system was changeable, and might be abolished. The Everlasting priesthood of Christ, with an oath, to show that the Gospel dispensation should never change, and never be abolished. God the Father, that said unto Him - the promised Messiah, Psalms 110:4, The Lord sware, to show the immutability of His counsel, and will not repent - can never change His mind nor purpose, Thou art a Priest forever - as long as time shall run, and the generations of men be continued on earth. Till the necessity of the mediatorial kingdom be superseded by the fixed state of eternity, till this kingdom be delivered up unto the Father, and God shall be all in all, shall this priesthood of Christ endure."

The dispensation of the Mosaic law and the Levitical priesthood which is the Old Covenant God the Father made with humanity through the Hebrew Nation is now abolished through the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and the perfect life He lived (satisfying the holiness of God) and the sacrificial death He underwent taking upon Himself the sins of the entire world (satisfying the punishment of God for humanities sin) and a New Covenant (a far better Covenant) has been ushered in as we read with these words from the writer of Hebrews, "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament." (Hebrews 7:22) (KJV). The little English phrase 'a surety' is translated by the Greek word egguos (used this one time only in the New Testament) meaning (a limb); pledged (as if articulated by a member), that is, a bondsman: - surety. In other words, the miraculous birth, the selfless, sinless, and supernatural life of Jesus Christ along with His sacrificial death is the world's limb or pledge or guarantee of this New Covenant with humanity which is a far better Covenant because it is a covenant of grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ alone which gives every single sinner an opportunity to receive the free gift of salvation by doing nothing to earn it or to work for it, but only to accept it. Note: "A Word Picture for You to illustrate; Imagine that there was a giant warehouse that kept or stored a free Christmas gift from a person in a particular town who sent out letters of notification to every single person (man, woman, and child) and offered them their individual gift and all they had to do was say yes and their personal gift would be brought directly to each of them. This is what Jesus Christ has done for every sinner on the planet through His death, burial, and resurrection from the dead and His declaration of His Gospel through the men and women He has sent out into the world. It is just like the free Christmas gift offered, but only those who respond will receive it, that is, the gift of salvation and living eternally with Him in heaven (John 14:6)." Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of Hebrews 7:22, "There is a change in that covenant of which the priesthood was a security and the priest a surety; that is, a change in the dispensation of that covenant. The Gospel dispensation is more full, free, perspicuous, spiritual, and efficacious, than that of the law. Christ is in this Gospel covenant a surety for us to God and for God to us, to see that the articles be performed on both parts He, as surety, has united the divine and human nature together in His own person, and therein given assurance of reconciliation; and He has, as surety, united God and man together in the bond of the everlasting covenant. He pleads with men to keep their covenant with God, and He pleads with God that He will fulfil His promises to men, which He is always ready to do in a way suitable to His majesty and glory, that is, through a Mediator."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…