Hebrews 7:12 – A Change in the Law - 119 Ministries

[Music] [Music] hello and welcome to another teaching from 119 ministries our ministry believes that the whole Bible is true and directly applicable to our lives today if you would like to know more about what we believe in teach please visit us at test everything dotnet we hope that you enjoy studying and testing the following teaching have you ever been told that the law of God has changed maybe you've heard that a greater law has replaced the law given through Moses in light of the new covenant that was established in Jesus or Yeshua in Hebrew if you've ever studied what role God's law his Torah has in the lives of Christians today you've likely heard something like this before the majority of Christian theologians and pastors believe that certain Commandments from God's Torah don't apply to us anymore at least not in a literal sense take the Sabbath for example the literal command is to cease from our regular work and rest every seventh day but in light of the New Covenant and Yeshua's heavenly priesthood many Christians believe that this command has taken on a different meaning which negates the literal application of the law so no longer are we to literally rest every seventh day now we quote rest in Jesus or something along those lines while we would agree that we find rest for our souls in the Messiah we don't think that the New Covenant and the Messiah's heavenly priesthood somehow make literal Commandments inapplicable we don't think that a greater law has replaced the way God originally said to keep the law or anything like that but where do people get the idea that certain laws like a literal Sabbath day have changed and therefore don't apply to us anymore well one passage often cited in support of this position is Hebrews 7 11 through 12 here's what it says now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood for under it the people received the law what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek rather than one named after the order of Aaron for when there is a change in the priesthood there is necessarily a change in the law as well is the author of Hebrews saying here that our relationship to certain Commandments in the Torah has changed that certain laws have been removed Christian theologian F F Bruce's interpretation is perhaps reflective of how many Christians view this passage here's what he says a change in the priesthood carries with it inevitably a change in the law if the ironic priesthood was instituted for a temporary purpose to be brought to an end when the age of fulfillment dawned the same must be true of the law under which that priesthood was introduced indeed on the basis of this passage many Christians believe that God's law has been replaced with a new law and that means that certain Commandments like the Sabbath dietary instructions and festivals they no longer apply to us as Christians but is this the right interpretation well one immediate problem with the traditional interpretation is that it forces the author of Hebrews to contradict you schewe for instance in Matthew 5:17 through 20 Yeshua affirmed the ongoing authority of the law and the lives of his followers he said that he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it that is to fully embody the law in his life and teachings he said that his followers will be careful to do and teach even the least of the commandments of the law and that members of the kingdom of heaven will surpass the scribes and Pharisees in righteousness with regard to the law are we to believe that this teaching from our Messiah during his Sermon on the Mount applied only to his direct audience and only for a short time before his resurrection well that's the logical implication if we accept FF Bruce's interpretation of Hebrews 712 which again asserts that the law was just temporary and has been brought to an end in light of the Messiah's heavenly we stood but clearly that can't be the case why would Messiah encourage his followers to do and teach the least of the commandments if they were going to be done away with in a relatively short while after his sermon it just doesn't make any sense so what then is this passage from Hebrews teaching us well before we unpack Hebrews 712 let's establish some context in this chapter the goal of the author of Hebrews is to explain to his readers how Yeshua is able to be a legitimate priest according to Scripture the Torah requires priests to be sons of Aaron so Yeshua doesn't qualify as a priest on the basis of his physical lineage because he's not of the line of Aaron so the author of Hebrews finds a basis for Yeshua's priesthood outside of the Levitical line in the person of Melchizedek throughout his epistle the author of Hebrews uses midrashic methods of interpretation which can often be confusing to modern readers who are unfamiliar with rabbinic logic and reasoning for instance the author argues from silence to support his conclusions that is to say if the Scriptures don't specifically say something about a person or event certain determinations could be made based on the Silence of Scripture this is very common in Jewish literature and it can sometimes be difficult to wrap one's mind around but here's a very simple breakdown of the author of Hebrews argument number one Yeshua cannot be a priest according to the Torah since the Torah requires priests to be from the line of Aaron number two issue is not a priest with analytical system in an earthly tabernacle he is a priest of a heavenly tabernacle number three there are specific Levitical laws that pertain to the earthly tabernacle that do not apply to the heavenly tabernacle number four therefore the Torah does not restrict Yeshua from being a priest number five in fact there is biblical precedent for this as evidence the author of Hebrews offers Melchizedek a priest who is also beyond the Torah's restrictions pertaining to the Levitical system number six we're told that Melchizedek was a king and a priest just like Yeshua since scripture says nothing about his genealogy or death the author of Hebrews then infers that his priesthood continues to this day in the ongoing priestly work of Yeshua the Messiah number seven Melchizedek was not a son of Aaron his priesthood existed before Aaron in fact his priesthood is greater than that of Aaron's since our father Abraham from whom Levi is descended gave a tithe to him see Hebrews 7 4 through 10 remember collecting the tithe is a responsibility of the priesthood number 8 Yeshua is a priest in the order of Melchizedek he doesn't need to be from the Levitical line to be a priest in fact his priesthood was before Levi and greater than Levi so with that framework in mind let's again look at these critical passages as it relates to the Torah Hebrews 7 11 through 12 now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood for under it the people received the law what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek rather than one named after the order of Aaron for when there is a change in the priesthood there is necessarily a change in the law as well when believers read in the book of Hebrews that Yeshua is a heavenly high priest after the order of Melchizedek many of them automatically assume that the earthly priesthood has been replaced but that's not what the author of Hebrews is saying he can't be saying that otherwise he'd be contradicting Scripture in other places he would even be contradicting himself as we'll see in a moment as we read in the New Testament the authors continued to participate in the Levitical services long after issue is resurrection here are just a few examples acts 2:46 and day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes they received their food with glad and generous hearts acts 3:1 now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer the knife hour acts 21 26 then Paul took the men and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them and of course let's not forget the author of Hebrews himself who recognized the ongoing service of the Levitical priesthood in Jerusalem here is a 4 through 5 now if he that'sa schewe were on earth he would not be a priest at all since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law they serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things 4 when Moses was about to erect the tent he was instructed by God saying see that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain but wait there's more both Ezekiel and Zechariah acknowledged the reality of a future earthly priesthood Temple Levites and animal sacrifices after you shoe a second coming so surely the author of Hebrews is not saying that the Levitical priesthood and the earthly tabernacle have been replaced in light of issue as priesthood the Levitical priesthood served a valid ongoing purpose and it will serve that purpose again in the future millennial reign of Messiah in addition to conducting the earthly Tabernacle services the Levitical priesthood paints a picture of the gospel and messiahs priestly work in the heavenly tabernacle so then what is the author's point in Hebrews 7 11 through 12 basically as he says the Levitical priesthood cannot attain perfection well what does that mean as scholar JK McKee explains the source text employs the term tele osis meaning a completing perfecting fulfillment accomplishment the event which verifies a promise the perfection that our author is speaking about is the state of people being totally and completely reconciled to their creator this was a state that was simply unattainable in the Levitical system because sacrifices had to be continually offered before the Lord for the perpetuation of sins this does not necessarily make the the vertical priesthood bad or even and perfect because the Levitical priesthood was surely given and established by a God who is perfect it does rather make the Levitical priesthood incomplete and unable to bring about the complete perfection that is to be established in the lives of God's people the sons of Aaron are human therefore they have weaknesses they sin they grow old and eventually they die which means they cannot continue in their duties the earthly priestly system is made up of sinful humans whose sacrifices which are made a year after year cannot fully reconcile mankind to God only a sinless and immortal heavenly high priest can accomplish this Yeshua is that heavenly high priest of a greater and perfect priesthood and he's the only one who can truly make atonement and reconcile us to God the Levitical priesthood is the shadow that points to that reality it's a symbol as everyone acknowledges but the fact that it serves as a symbol does not take away from its value and purpose to make a comparison the same could be said about things like baptism baptism is merely symbolic of deeper spiritual truths about the gospel but no Christian believes that the symbol is worthless or should be discarded the bottom line is this the idea that parts of the Torah have been replaced is impossible why because the author twice appeals to the prophecy about the New Covenant which writes the Torah on the hearts of God's people if the Torah is now replaced why then does the author affirm the prophecies about it being written on our hearts moreover even if we assume that this passage is saying that the sacrificial system has been replaced is still wouldn't follow that commands like the Sabbath feasts and dietary instructions have also been replaced that would be an overstatement since the context is dealing only with the priesthood not the rest of the law evangelical Old Testament theologian Walter Kaiser agrees it would be wrong to think that just because the sacrificial system had been replaced therefore the whole law including the moral law of the Decalogue in the holiness code had likewise been superseded and replaced so even if we grant the premise that the Levitical priesthood has been replaced the conclusion of many that literal commands like the Sabbath have been replaced with a different application it simply doesn't follow but again there's no reason we should even grant that premise since the author of Hebrews doesn't say that the Levitical priesthood has been replaced think about it the very fact that the author of Hebrews makes it a point to explain how the Messiah could be a legitimate priest makes sense only if he considers the Torah to still be applicable to all in the faith in summary the author's argument in Hebrews is that the Levitical laws do not restrict Yeshua from being a priest since Yeshua is not a priest on earth because he is not a priest on earth the laws governing the earthly priesthood do not apply to issue as priesthood in the heavenlies remember there's a difference between the earthly and heavenly Tabernacles their earthly tabernacle functions as a symbol pointing to the heavenly tabernacle issue is priestly work within the heavenly tabernacle works within a different system than the Levitical system being from the tribe of Levi is a requirement to serve in the earthly tabernacle but it is not a requirement to serve in the heavenly tabernacle the primary qualification to serve in the heavenly tabernacle according to the author of Hebrews is the quote power of an indestructible life and of course Yeshua following his resurrection now meets that qualification thus the author of Hebrews explains to his audience that Yeshua can be our great high priest despite not being descended from Levi why because he's a priest of a different priesthood and therefore there is a different law or a change of the law as the author puts it governing the heavenly tabernacle when compared to the law that governs the earthly tabernacle but the law governing the earthly tabernacle is still in force on earth that's why the author of Hebrews this here is a four through five now if he were on earth he would not be a priest at all since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law just to drive this point home here's an analogy that might help us better understand what Hebrews 7 12 is saying there are different laws governing civil leadership depending on the country for instance if someone living in the United States were an immigrant from Canada they would not be allowed to become the president of the United States why because the law governing the office of president of the United States requires you to be a natural-born citizen but if that same person moved back to Canada they would not need to be a natural-born citizen of the United States to enter into the office of the Prime Minister it's a different office of civil leadership in a different location Canada's requirements are different than America's requirements thus in this case when there is a change being referred to in the office of civil leadership there is a change in the law governing civil leadership note the parallel of the wording of Hebrews 7 12 pertaining to a different priesthood in a different location what does that mean if the Canadian citizen is in the USA the law applies to them and is what prevents them from being president of the United States if they return to Canada the existing Canadian laws do not prevent them from being the Prime Minister of Canada US laws do not apply in Canada for the office of the Prime Minister and Canadian laws do not apply in the USA for the Office of the President of the United States it just means that the law of America as it pertains to the presidency does not restrict a citizen of Canada as it pertains to the office of the Prime Minister in the same way there are different priesthoods and thus different criteria for being a priest depending on which priesthood you're part of if you sure were on earths he would not be allowed to be a priest without being a son of Aaron but if he ascended into heaven to represent the heavenly tabernacle he not need to be a son of Aaron to be a priest it's a different priesthood in a different location therefore when there is a change in the priesthood there is a change in the law which is governing the priestly office from the earthly to the heavenly why because the priesthood locations are different what does that mean the earthly priesthoods laws don't apply to a priest in the heavenly tabernacle however Yeshua's position as priests in the heavenly tabernacle of course does not change the law of the earthly Tabernacle it just means that as a priest in the heavenly tabernacle Yeshua is not restricted by the laws of the earthly Tabernacle obviously with the destruction of the temple in 70 AD there is no way for the earthly priesthood to properly function in Jerusalem right now but according to biblical prophecy after yeshua returns that priesthood on earth will be reestablished as we explained earlier both priesthoods the heavenly and the Levitical are valid and can even function simultaneously since each applies to different office parameters the author of Hebrews makes that very point by stressing the fact that there are already priests on earth who function according to the Torah this interpretation is much more consistent with Hebrews and the rest of Scripture the author of Hebrews clearly affirms the ongoing authority of the law has been written on our hearts through the New Covenant and he affirms the ongoing service of the Levitical priesthood alongside Messiah's heavenly priesthood one does not replace the other the earthly served and will serve again as a symbolic shadow of the heavenly reality but wait you might say later in the same chapter the author of Hebrews clearly says that God's law has been set aside because of its weakness and uselessness well let's take a look at the passage Hebrews 7 18 through 19 says this for on the one hand a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness for the law made nothing perfect but on the other hand a better hope is introduced through which we draw near to God so what is the former commandment that is set aside is that the law of Moses no remember the context what is set aside for Yeshua are the requirements of being a priest in the earthly priesthood when it comes to the heavenly priesthood of Yeshua those requirements in the law are set aside because Yeshua's priesthood doesn't function on earth but in the heavenlies and as we've explained physical lineage from Aaron is not what qualifies a person to serve in the heavenly priesthood the author's point in these verses is that the laws qualifications for serving in the earthly priesthood are insufficient in establishing a priesthood that can bring about perfection again the earthly priesthood and animal sacrifices cannot fully reconcile mankind to God it was never designed to do that it only points to that which does so in that sense the earthly priesthood is quote weak and useless for it cannot make a person quote perfect so that they could be reconciled to God to be clear the author is not saying that the parts of God's law concerning the earthly priesthood are weak and useless in general they're only weak and useless in the sense of accomplishing something they were never intended to accomplish it would be kind of like saying when it comes to changing a car tire a cooking stove is useless but obviously a cooking stove is not useless in general in the same way the earthly priesthood is certainly not useless as it pertains to serving in the earthly tabernacle the bottom line in this passage as well as in Hebrews 712 as we explained is that the earthly priesthood could not attain perfection it's made up of weak sinful humans who grow old and die animal sacrifices can never fully make atonement for the people otherwise there would be no need to offer them over and over again the earthly priesthood could not write the Torah on the hearts of the people therefore since the earthly priesthood cannot accomplish those things there is a need for a priesthood that can Yeshua is the high priest of that priesthood in heaven but this heavenly priesthood does not replace the earthly priesthood as Hebrews 8 4 through 5 makes clear the earthly priesthood continues to serve a valid and ongoing role on earth it's a shadow a symbol that points to the heavenly reality we pray that you have been blessed by this teaching remember continue to test everything Shalom [Music] it is because of you our generous supporters who make it possible to offer these high-quality teachings completely free of charge if you feel led to support 119 ministries so that we can continue this effort please visit to test everything dotnet and click on the support 119 tab learn how you can partner with us to take the 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Channel: 119Ministries

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Keywords: 119Ministries, torah, bible, hebrew roots, hebrew roots teaching, messianic, hebrews, levites, heavenly priesthood, melchizedek, yeshua, high priest, sons of aaron, tabernacle, temple, god's law, new covenant, change of law, law abolished, grace, change in the law, new testament, old testament, bible study

Id: iQrjd8YhV4c

Length: 23min 43sec (1423 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 28 2019