Today is the day, Father, when many things must get done. I give myself over to You. Help me to focus on the task at hand. Help me to be sensitive to Your leading. May this vessel be deemed worthy to bear Your Word. Amen.
Hebrews 7:1-14 (<<click here)
As the book of Isaiah tells us “… my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than Your thoughts.” 55:9 Lord, this is surely true of You. This passage from Hebrews 7 is shrouded in mystery and in the middle of it all is the priest/king Melchizedek. He is first mentioned in Genesis 14 in an encounter with Abram and his name pops up again in Psalm 110. The number of verses with which he is associated in the Old Testament are few but obviously in light of his impact on the writer of Hebrews he plays a substantial role in the mindset of first century Judaism.
I don’t pretend to understand everything in regards to the character of Melchizedek but I do realize that he was a precursor of Christ. God Almighty laid things out for the nation of Israel to give them guidance in following him – the Law, the tabernacle/temple and all their multifaceted directives. It was what they needed at that time but in a lot of ways it was only a shadow or maybe a reflection of what was reality in view of eternity.
Christ, the ultimate, priest/king, brought everything together. He completed it. He showed the reality of what the Law and the Temple only reflected. In his life, death and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled it all!
Lord Jesus, thank You for all You did. Oh my, it was not a simple matter to do so – but You took something of great complexity – something that we were absolutely incapable of solving – and with great sacrifice on so many fronts You provided the answer. And that answer was You!
All the requirements have been met. All the penalties have been paid. Every “i” has been dotted; every “t” has been crossed. Life is so complicated and messy. Many spend their lives searching for answers and it is futile if the only place we look is this world. Only when we look to You does it fall into place – holes are filled, rough places are made smooth (Isaiah 40:4, Luke 3:5) Thank You, Lord, for being the answer for which we long have searched!
Mar 24th, Thurs, 6:28 am
