Brethren, when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore to himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
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Who is mightier or greater than God? An oath is a promise made to and under a higher authority. The highest authority that we have is God himself. God made a promise to Abraham. You will remember from Genesis chapter 12 the Lord said to Abraham: “go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.” (1 – 3)
Abraham as a result of the promise, left the land of Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. He undertook this great journey in the confidence of the promise given by God. But that journey took many twists and turns and eventually he ended up in Egypt where he passed off his wife as his sister so he wouldn’t be put to death. Eventually, Abraham came to his allotted land. In his later life the Lord again came to Abraham and declared “fear not, Abram (for he had yet to be given the name Abraham) I am your shield, your reward shall be very great”. Abraham responded: “O Lord God what would you give me, for I continue childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus”. He further said : “you have given me no offspring and a slave born in my house will be my heir.” The Lord said to him “ this man shall not be your heir,” and taking him outside, the Lord said: “look towards heaven, and number the stars if you’re able to number them.… So shall your descendants be.” That was God’s promise to Abraham – and what a promise it was.
Later, when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 the Lord kept his promise and gave to them a child and heir whom they named Issak. It can truly be said that Abraham had patiently waited and patiently endured for the promise of God. Yet, he was still tested. When Issak was a youth God said to Abraham: take your son, your only son Issak, whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you. Abraham and his son went by themselves for the last part of the journey. Issak carried the wood for the Holocaust. No doubt, Issak, would have been a strapping lad. His father on the other hand would have been over 110 years old. We are told that Abraham bound his son Issak. Issak would have had to be obedient for this to happen. No doubt Issak would have understood that there was no other sacrifice and yet he was obedient even to the point where he submitted to death. Issak was then laid on the altar upon the wood and as Abraham took the knife to slay his son God intervened and said do not lay a hand on the lad or do anything to him, for now I know you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from me.
As Abraham did not withhold his son the Lord said “by myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this, and you have not withheld your son, your only son. I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and the sand which is on the seashore and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Notice the similarity; Issak offered his son, his only son, whom he loved as sacrifice. Is this not redolent of God offering his son freely and willingly, just as Issak had freely and willingly been prepared to become the sacrifice. God loves his son, fully, unconditionally and without reservation. Abraham loves his son, fully, unconditionally and without reservation. Christ loves the father fully, unconditionally and without reservation. He loves the father so much that he is prepared to act as sacrifice and be the sacrificial lamb and offering to God. Issak loves Abraham so much that he is prepared to act as sacrifice and be the sacrificial lamb offered to God. However in the case of Christ, as God/man he had to die on the cross – an ignominious death, so that we may have the opportunity to be saved. Issak was spared so that the promise of God would be fulfilled.
This was so because God had made both the promise and an oath to Abraham that his son would be the descendant of many nations. Given that God cannot lie and that his word is always true we can have reliance and cleave to the promise of salvation made by the Lord Christ.
We all need hope and consolation. Without hope we are hopeless and without consolation we are inconsolable. Christ as high priest enters behind the veil and is in the presence of God always. Christ as high priest is a priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek. Notice the difference between the royal priesthood of Christ and the priesthood of Levi. Levitical priesthood was limited to the tribe of Levi. Whether they were good or bad or indifferent the priest had the come from that class. The blessing that they received at ordination came from God in its fullness however, as flawed men, their ordination was incomplete so they had to repeat their sacrifices on behalf of themselves and for the people. This sacrifice could not reconcile people to God. The Levites were less than perfect because they were men and men are subject to sin.
On the other hand of the priesthood of Melchizedek has no earthly genealogy. Christ by virtue of the virgin birth entered human history. He has no human genealogy other than his virgin mother whom he took flesh from. As God he is immortal and perfect. As man he is mortal and sinless. As God/man his priesthood transforms humanity. His priesthood is perfect. He sacrifice is offered once and for all and it is the Father himself that welcomes the son. As the priesthood of Melchizedek is without genealogy it only needs one eternal priest. The only eternal priest is Christ and as Christ, he is the son of God. What a great high priest we have indeed.
