BACKGROUND
Today we read that Jesus is better than Aaron's priesthood too. Face it, He is just BETTER!
High priests, such as Aaron and his successors, were divinely appointed by God to be a bridge between sinful mankind and a holy, righteous God. They were sinful human beings, so they had to sacrifice for themselves before they could sacrifice for the people they were serving (Leviticus 16). Also, they had to be men of compassion as they were to "deal gently" with sinful mankind.
In comparison, Jesus was fully man, tempted in every way, but He did not respond sinfully to temptation. Since He has lived this sojourn on earth, He can "feel or suffer with" us in our struggle against sin. As a result, we can approach Him boldly because He has passed through the heavens and is seated on the throne of GRACE. Therefore, we can be fully assured that we will receive oodles of kindness and goodwill from Him along with His willingness to help us in our hour of need! WIN-WIN!
Also, Jesus is the GREAT High Priest that has no beginning or end. He was a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek and not of Aaron. So, he was both a King and a Priest (Psalm 2:7; 110:4). We will go into more detail about Melchizedek in Hebrews 7, but here is the Bible Book Club post from Genesis 14 to give you a quick reminder of who he was:
In chapter 14, Abraham had to save Lot who was carried off amid a war. In this process, he had an encounter with Melchizedek (his name means "king of righteousness"). He was king of Jerusalem (although some scholars disagree on that). He was a priest of God most High. This is El Elyon in Hebrew, and this is the first time God is referred to in this way. This name is connected with the sovereignty of God. We see this name of God most often in the book of Daniel. What is so amazing is there was a king in the middle of a country of idol worshipers who worshiped God Most High!
The Scarlet Thread of Redemption: Some scholars believe it was an appearance of Christ (Christology), but it is more widely held that Melchizedek was a "type" of Christ (typology). Regardless, this fits into our Scarlet Thread. Take a look at Hebrews 7:1-3!
REFLECTION/APPLICATION
I find so many people timid in approaching the "throne of grace" with EVERYTHING: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
So, go boldly with . . .
The Good - Worship Him who is worthy of all your praise and thank Him for all that you are grateful for. Why not do that with Interactive Gratitude?
The Bad - Talk to Him about all that is going bad in your life. He is the only One who will never tire of your "dumping"! Why not process your emotions about the bad with Immanuel Journaling?
The Ugly - Are there things that you are trying to hide from Him that You just need to verbalize to Him and get it all out in the open through confession? He knows what is like to be tempted and has ABUNDANT kindness and help available to you if you will confidently come to Him!!!
Get bold and confident and GO!!!!
PRAYER
Boldly we come to Your throne to receive mercy and grace.
Help us to not be afraid to look up and into Your face.
Amen
1 comment:
You are the best priest. :)
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