Posted December 10, 2006; back-dated.
Today´s reading:
OT: Ezekiel 7-9
NT: Hebrews 5
Ps: Psalm 105:1-15
Pr: Proverbs 26:28
Today´s notable verse:
8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him
Heb 5:8-9 (NIV)
The One Year Bible Blog´s comments for today, which include:
Melchizedek was clearly important, as Abram gave him a tenth of everything. And Christ is a "High Priest in the line of Melchizedek." The thing to keep in mind is that Melchizedek is not Christ. So, for us today, it's fine history to know. But, Christ is our High Priest, as this chapter of Hebrews makes clear.
It is true, that Melchizedek is not Christ; however, the significance of Christ being "in the order of Melchizedek" is two-fold. One, in recorded history, Melchizedek is without beginning and without end - we do not know his ancestors nor his descendants, his birth nor his death; likewise, Christ is without beginning and without end - he is eternal: the first and the last. Two, the priesthood of the order of Melchizedek is mutually exclusive of the priesthood of the order of Aaron - and the priesthood of which Christ is High Priest is likewise mutually exclusive of the priesthood of the order of Aaron. The Aaronic priesthood, being human, was intrinsically flawed and ultimately failed. The priesthood of Christ is both pure and perfect.