Priesthood in Hebrews

Hebrews 5, 6.

We will read now to Hebrews 5: 10; and from there until the close of Hebrews 6 we may observe that the apostle turns aside to a parenthetic warning. He is full of that style; and our style with one another is full of it. Such little breaks and interruptions in a discourse are always grateful to us.

In the first ten verses of chapter 5 a most weighty matter is introduced to our thoughts. In the first verse we get a general abstract thought of priesthood. It is that thing which serves men in their relationships to God. Then the character of service is presented to us — "That he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins"; that is, that He may conduct both eucharistic services and penitential or expiatory services before God. He stands to conduct our interest with God in whatever form. He is "taken from among men" that He, may have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way. He is not, taken from among angels, therefore we read in Timothy, "the man Christ Jesus." God in ordaining a Priest for us has chosen One who can have compassion. We find at the close of Hebrews 7 that the Lord Jesus was separate from infirmity. But the priest here was one who by reason of infirmity could sympathise. The Lord Jesus had to learn how to sympathise, as well as to learn obedience by the things which He suffered.

Under the Old Testament scriptures two persons are distinctly set in the office of the priesthood — Aaron in Leviticus 8 and 9, and Phinehas in Numbers 25. The difference between them was this: Aaron was simply called into the priesthood; Phinehas acquired a title to it.

When we come to the Lord Jesus we find that both these, Aaron and Phinehas, are seen in Him. He was "called of God, as was Aaron." Aaron was a mere called priest. The priesthood of Numbers 25. stands in contrast with Aaron's. Phinehas was not called, as was Aaron, but he acquired his title. How did he do this? He made an atonement for Israel in the day of their great breach, touching the daughters of Baal-Peor and enabled the Lord to look with satisfaction again at His erring camp. Phinehas stood forward to avenge the quarrel of righteousness and to make atonement for the sin of the people. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Phinehas ... hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel ...

Wherefore say, Behold I give unto him my covenant of peace ... even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood." Nothing can be finer than this. You could not have a more magnificent light in which to read the Christ of God than in that act of Phinehas. Aaron was never in this way entitled to a covenant of peace. So you have these two Old Testament lights in which to read the priesthood of the Lord Jesus.* He was the true Aaron and the true Phinehas.

*Melchisedec was a third. (Heb. 7)