Hebrews 7:18-22: A Better Testament
2023-01-14
Hebrews 7:18
The word for “disannulling” is translated elsewhere as “put away.” The Aaronic order and the law was put away because of its “weakness and unprofitableness.” This does not mean there is something intrinsically wrong with the Law; it is very much God’s Word. “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Romans 7:7). And again, “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin” (Romans 7:14). The Law gives us a standard of righteousness and therefore condemns us. There is nothing wrong with the Law; there is something wrong with us. It is weak and unprofitable for helping us.
Hebrews 7:19
The Law cannot make us perfect. It is a gauge that measures sinfulness. It does not impart righteousness. Because we are carnal and sold under sin, we need a change of nature. We need to be born again. We need a rescuing that exists outside of ourselves, and that rescuing came from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is that better hope. We now anticipate eternal life and not eternal death. Instead of being separated from God, we have drawn near to Him. Or rather, He drew us near to Himself. He is the priest who brought Himself as a sacrifice that ended sin forever.
Hebrews 7:20-21
Recall that Abraham’s covenant was made with an oath. Also, recall that God’s covenant with David was with a promise, and that Saul’s was not. This is why Saul was rejected as king when he sinned, and David was not rejected when he sinned. “And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent” (1 Samuel 15:29).
Jesus was made a priest forever with an oath: “The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever...”
It is here in this verse where we have the last reference to Melchisedec.
Hebrews 7:22
Jesus is the surety, or guarantor, of the new covenant. The word can mean a bondsman. He guarantees the new covenant on His own honor. Consider the following: “My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth” (Proverbs 6:1-2). It is a dangerous thing to make a pledge. But the Lord has made good and always will make good on His promises.
The new covenant is better than the old one. Putting it another way, the New Testament is better than the Old Testament. They are both equally God’s Word. However, as we have seen the Law, there is nothing but condemnation for us under the old covenant. The Lord, however, does not condemn us. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). In the Old Testament, there is only condemnation and a shadow of a promise of salvation. The New Testament explicitly tells us how to be saved, detailing what Jesus did for humankind.
What did the people say at Mount Sinai? “And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD” (Exodus 19:8). The Law is about performance. The Law taught us, with hundreds of years of history recorded, that nothing but condemnation comes from the Law. The Law says “do.” The Lord Jesus says, “Done.” “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30).