The Ashes of an Heifer Sprinkling the Unclean

The Ashes of an Heifer Sprinkling the Unclean

Hebrews 9:13 and Numbers 19:1-3

A.J. Ison

            The ashes of a red heifer were used in the production of the waters of separation for those who were defiled by touching a dead body, or the bone of one dead or were defiled in some other way. The institution, use and end of that ordinance is set before us in Numbers chapter nineteen, and is an eminent type of the Lord Jesus Christ. (J. Owen)

            The heifer was to be red, without spot and without blemish,(Num.19:2). Red is the color of guilt, Isa.1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. One white spot, or hair ruined the heifer for this ordinance, the heifer must be red with no other color intermingled; this is to illustrate or is to type the Lord Jesus standing in the law place of sinners, …the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all, Isa. 53:6. For all who have interest in Jesus Christ as surety, their sins were laid on Christ the surety of the better testament (Heb.7:22) when he stood to make satisfaction for the sin debt of his elect. The sins of the heirs of the better testament were made to meet together on the head of the Lord Jesus Christ, Heb.9:15. The sins of his people were imputed to Jesus, the Christ of God; this is his being made to be sin for us who knew no sin, 2 Corinthians 5:21, and this is his being made a curse for us to redeem us from the curse of the law, Galatians 3:13, this is his own self bearing our sins in his own body on the tree, 1 Peter 2:24. This is his sinking in deep mire where is no standing, his coming into deep waters, where the floods overflow him, that is, the floods of the sins of his people poured out into his soul, laid to his account by God the father, Psalm 69:2. The sins of all the Old Testament and New Testament saints were laid on Christ, the guilt and filth, the shame and punishment was his to bear as the surety of his elect.

            The heifer was to be without blemish, there could be no deformity, of any kind, no malformation of any part, no asymmetry in its stature, it had to perfectly proportioned, and perfectly whole. This is to illustrate or type the perfect moral rectitude of the character of our Lord Jesus Christ, he was and is without sin of his own, he knew no sin, did no sin, had no sin, he is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens, Heb. 7:26. Though he stood before the law and justice of God as the guilty one, yet it was the guilt of others that was upon him, he had no guilt of his own by way of commission, but his guilt was by imputation the guilt of his spouse (the church) was laid to his charge, and he must answer for it. (At this juncture we should insist that justification is by imputation alone; as the sin of the elect was charged to the account of Christ, that is to say, the sin of the elect was imputed to the Lord Jesus; just so the righteousness of Christ is reckoned to the account of the elect, this truth is set before us in second Corinthians 5:21 “For he [God the father] hath made him [God the Son, Jesus Christ], who knew no sin, to be sin for us: that we [his elect, his members, his church and spouse] might be made the righteousness of God in him.) The reason of this (that is the reason that God the Father imputed the sin of the elect to Christ and also imputes the perfect righteousness of Christ to the elect) is federal union of Christ and his spouse, Christ had been one with his people since they were chosen in him and therefore chosen with him, at union with him, so that by that union it is fit that the head should suffer for the body or that the husband should accept the liabilities and pay the debts of the spouse. Christ Jesus in his person and in his moral character is without blemish, and so must the type be answerable to the antitype John 8:46; 1 Peter 2:22.

            The ceremonial and sacrificial heifer was to have never been under yoke, “…upon which never came yoke:” Num. 19:2. God the Son entered into covenant with God the Father, and with God the Holy Spirit, as a sovereign divine person. He as God entered into covenant; not under any constraint or “yoke” but with delight to do the will of God. And as the “Word made flesh” that is, as God man and mediator, he held this testimony “ I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart, Psalms 40:8. Though the cost to him as man was his agonies and blood unto death, even the horrid death of the cross yet as man standing in office for men and toward God he held this testimony “… my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” John 4:34. The zeal of Christ for the manifestation of the glory of the redemptive, immutable, sovereign, and eternal; counsel, will, decree, and covenant, of God, toward his elect, was the fire that burned in the heart of Christ to the offering up of himself as a sacrifice for sin.

            The red heifer was to be delivered to Moses and Aaron, at the common expense of the children of Israel, for it (the water of separation made from the ashes of her burnings) was for the common use of that people, Num.19:2. Moses and Aaron were to deliver the heifer to Eleazar the priest, “ that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face” Num.19:3. The heifer was delivered to Eleazar, who was Aaron’s son and his Sagan or deputy who was to bring the heifer without the camp. Once Eleazar had delivered the heifer without the gate, one who he had appointed was to kill the heifer before his face. Several things are to be noted in these events. Eleazar was not to kill the heifer, but one was to kill her before his face. This was a type of the death of Christ.  It was the Romans that crucified the Lord Jesus before the face of the priests of Israel. The Sanhedrin (with Caiaphas in office of high priest) delivered the Lord Jesus to Pontius Pilate the Roman governor, who found no fault in Christ. Yet Pilate at the insistence of the priests delivered the Lord Jesus to be crucified, and it was Roman soldiers that crucified the Lord Jesus, Matt. 27:41; Mark. 15:31. Aaron was to have nothing to do with the heifer after she was delivered to Eleazar, this was in order that he (Aaron) might remain ceremonially clean, for all who had to do with the heifer were by their dealing with her unclean, Num 19:7. Aaron must as much as possible remain ceremonially clean in order to officiate in his office of high priest. This may type or illustrate the horrible hypocrisy of Caiaphas and the major part the Sanhedrin, for when they delivered the Lord Christ to Pontius Pilate (for execution) they would not go into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled. The heifer was reputed, polluted and accursed, for the sin of the people which was upon her, and those who slew her, burned her, gathered the ashes of her burnings, or had anything to do with her were made thereby unclean until they were washed and evening fell.  She was led forth without the camp and slain, as accursed and polluted, though she was without spot or blemish. Just so the Lord Christ suffered without the gate in the place where malefactors were put to death, Lev.24:14. The death of the cross was for the worst sort of criminals, escaped slaves , thieves, etc. the Lord Jesus was numbered with these transgressors, and accounted accursed by God the Father for he hath made him to be sin for us, and cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree, 2 Cor.5:21 and Gal. 3:13. Yet the sin he bore in his own body on the tree was not of his commission but the Lord had laid on him the iniquity of us all, that is, all his people, those whose sin debt he came to pay. To be continued.

God's Command and Our Duty

God’s Command and Our Duty

Be Ye Therefore Perfect

Matthew 5:48

A.J. Ison

            It is true that whatsoever God is pleased to give us by way of command is ours in a way of duty. Whatsoever God commands, that is our duty toward God for we are his creatures. God has the right to command whatsoever he will, the will of God, made known to us by his command shows us our duty. God’s command shows us the revealed will of God, but the secret things belong to the Lord our God, Deut. 29:29.

                                    Man, in his created condition, or as he was when first created, had in himself abilities to comply with whatsoever God was pleased to command, Eccl. 7:29; Gen. 1:26- 31. Just how long man continued in his created condition is not known by the writer, it is clear that man fell into a ruinous, corrupt, evil, and totally depraved condition. God had warned man that, in the day that ye eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ye shall surely die. Now when the first man ate of the forbidden fruit the warning was fulfilled and man died spiritually, he was separated from God his creator by sin and an evil conscience, and fell into the likeness of Satan, with sin as his new inward ruling principle of life (Romans 7:14-25), and so had no ability in himself to comply with God’s command. Man being by the fall, conformed to the image of Satan, ruled by an inward principle of sin, and spiritually dead in sin and trespasses, had no desire nor ability to obey the command of God, But God still has the right to command whatsoever he will of all and every man without exception and without distinction; though we as we come into this world, have no ability nor any desire to obey God. That the natural man has no ability to come to God, in a way of faith, see the following proof texts: John.6:44, 65; 3:27; Romans 11: 35, 36; 8:7; 1 Corinthians 2; 14; 4:7; 2 Corinthians 3:5; Job.14:4; Jeremiah. 13:23; that the natural man has no desire to obey God, see the following proof texts: John. 5:40; Jeremiah.6:16, 17; 13:11, 27; 18:12; Ezekiel. 20:19-21; Hosea.5:4; Pslams.58:3, 5; Isaiah.48:4, 8; Job. 15:16; Luke 19:14.

            From what has been set before us in the scriptures it is evident that the natural man has the command and therefore the responsibility to perform whatsoever is commanded of God, which is his duty. We are also made aware that the natural man has not the ability to perform that to which he is bound by the command of God. It is therefore evident that God’s command shows us our duty without regard to our ability. 

            We may learn from this that God’s command shows our duty and not our ability, and from that we may conclude that whatsoever God requires of us in a way of duty he must freely give his elect in a way of grace, according to his covenant promise, (Jeremiah. 31:31-34).Those whom the Father has chosen in Christ from eternity, he has predestinated to be conformed to the image of Christ, Romans 8: 29. This confirmation to the image of Christ can only be found in Christ. Those who would be conformed to Christ must be in Christ. The Apostle Paul put it this way “…that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is by the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” Philippians 3:8,9.

            Now in the elect, God is pleased, for his own glory, to break up their hard and stony heart and to give them a heart of flesh; that is God freely gives them a heart which is capable of receiving the impress of the image of God. Flinty rock will shatter before it will receive the impression of any impressing stamp, warmed wax is easily stamped with the impression of some image. Just so, man’s flinty heart will not bow to the rule of God and so in the non-elect sinner his hard heart, and rebellion, his own sinful self will brings on his eternal damnation, and everlasting ruin. In the elect it is the sovereign grace of God that delivers the elect sinner from his or her own corrupt nature, Satan, the world, and it is the sovereign grace of God that gives a new heart, and new spirit, so that the elect sinner most freely comes to Christ for all salvation when God is pleased to give spiritual life. Now to say what has just been said another way; in the elect God is pleased in sovereign grace to break up the hard and stony heart and freely give a new heart which most freely comes to Christ for all salvation. In the non-elect his hard heart will never bow to the claims of God upon him. So that in the elect it is the sovereign grace of God that is to be thanked for salvation, in the non-elect it is his own hard heart, rebellion, self will, corrupt nature, in short it is his own sin that is at fault, and it is that sin that puts him in eternal contempt of, as well as before, God, Daniel 12:1-2; Ezekiel. 11:19-21; 36:25-27.

            God promised eternal life before the world began, Titus. 1:1-2. Since the reward of life is conditioned upon perfect obedience of God’s law, and since the law of God has proved that we in ourselves are incapable of that obedience, we are driven from hope of life based on our own personal obedience of that law, we are obliged to look to the only one who is able to fulfill the law as a federal and covenant head for others. The law kills by pronouncing sentence of death for sin, the Spirit freely gives life by the gospel, to those who by election of grace are in Christ. Both the law and the gospel demand perfection and both sentence to eternal ruin in case of failure. Since God requires unabated perfect righteousness, and because all our righteousnesses are filthy rags in God’s sight, it is evident that we must look outside ourselves and to Christ for that which satisfies the demand of God upon us. Christ’s perfect righteousness charged to the account of the sinner is that which is well pleasing to God, that righteousness was established by the Lord Jesus as he lived a representative person for others, he is the federal head, the representative, and substitute for his elect. As federal head the elect are his, they were given of his Father in eternity past, and in that unconditional election of grace they were chosen unto salvation in Christ and so, in federal union, by election, from all eternity. As representative of his elect, he fulfilled the law in absolute perfection, to the credit of the elect, and that perfect work is imputed to his spouse, the church of his elect. His entire sojourn on earth was as a representative person, living, dying, raising from the dead, ascending to glory, and setting at the right hand of God as the representative and federal head of his body, the church, and they considered as in him in all he does. As substitute he stood in our law place, he bore the sentence of law and justice against and in the place of the elect, he was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, 2 Cor. 5:21, he was made a curse for us to redeem the us from  the curse of the law, Gal. 3:13. That perfect righteousness which is our duty toward God by his command, and which was established by the Lord Christ in his sojourn on earth as our representative, is received by God given faith. In the order of nature, righteousness is imputed, the spirit of life is granted, and all the faculties of life ensue, as faith, repentance, seeking the Lord, prayer, and all things that are related to living unto God.

            Now all these gifts of God’s grace to the individual elect sinner are;” according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world”Eph.1:4 or because God chose the elect in Christ from all eternity. In their nature, election of grace is the first and greatest gift of God, for election of grace is unto salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ.

            None are commanded to discover their state with respect to election of grace; whether elect or non-elect. That is the God’s secrete, but it is manifest in this, that all the elect are infallibly given “the faith of God’s elect“ Titus 1:1. It is therefore incumbent upon that person who cares for his or her soul to find whether he or she is able to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not enough to go to church, profess faith, be baptized, be the model citizen, and do all the things that moral and religious people do. No you must hear and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. If what you believe is that your salvation is based on your choice, and not the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, confirming the covenant transactions between the three persons of God: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, then dear reader you have not believed the gospel. No, sadly what you have believed is a perversion of the gospel, Galatians 1:6-7, and that perverted gospel is based on another Jesus, 2 Corinthians 11:4. The Jesus that is currently as well as almost universally preached is a, want to be, Lord; who abandons his own prerogatives and advances man to the throne of master of his own destiny. The Jesus, who is another Jesus, wants to do many wonderful things for every man without distinction or exception, but in the frame of another gospel is unable to accomplish his desires. That Jesus who is the authentic word, wisdom, and power of God, quickens (gives spiritual life) to whom he will, John 5:21. For that Jesus who is the word, wisdom, and power of God, the authentic Christ of God, is Sovereign Lord of all, both elect men and elect angels owe their happiness to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear reader, as you care for your soul, pray that God will lead you to a place where the truth of the gospel is openly, and freely, believed and proclaimed, and set under the gospel, hear the gospel message, and ask God to give you a new heart to believe that, that is according to the word of God.

The Everlasting Covenant's Sacrifice and Alter

            In this article consideration will be given to items three and four sited earlier in this series. That is there must be a sacrifice that will be made to satisfy the justice of God, and there must be an alter on which the sacrifice will be offered.

            The Law of Moses had only a shadow of good things to come, and not the things themselves. These shadows were a preview of good things to come, since they were only shadows the view they afforded was shadowy and dark The shadows were of good things to come, they were shadows of Christ and  shadows of the his sufferings and death, and shadows of what was to be accomplished in his sufferings and death.

            The many sacrifices of the Old Testament were only shadows, pictures, types, and representations of the one and only sacrifice that put away sin forever. The rivers of blood on Jewish alters was witness and promise of him that was to come, and of what he would accomplish. This testimony is clearly set before us in the epistle to the Hebrews chapter ten verses one through eighteen, if it please the reader to turn to that portion of Holy writ and carefully study the things contained therein, please do so now, as it will prophet much the understanding of the following lines.

            The shadows of the Old Testament and the worship of God conducted there under could not make those who partook of that worship perfect in respect of the consciousness of sins. For if they could have made the conscience perfect by taking away sin forever they would not have ceased to be offered. Because the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins vs.2. But in those sacrifices which had to be offered every year, again and again, year after year, there is made a remembrance of those sins, because those sacrifices could not put away sin forever. The very sacrifices that were offered and the worship ceremonies that were conducted in the offerings were themselves a reminder of their sins. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should put away sins vs.4.

The Promised Messiah

           

Wherefore, when he cometh into the world he saith, sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body thou hast prepared me; In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure vs. 5&6. This is a quote of psalm 40:6. The reason that God had had no pleasure in the Old Testament sacrifices and offerings is that they could not put away sin and so could not perfect the children of God. The reason they were required is that they were “a figure for the time then present”, chap.9vs.9. The Old Testament church was the church in its infancy, the fullness of time not as yet having come that Messiah should be sent into the world Gal. 4:4.

Note carefully Dear reader the words of Messiah “ but a body thou hast prepared me” God had required the sacrifices of the Old Testament as a figure of Christ for the time then present, but had no pleasure in them as that which should take away sin. To take away sin required a sacrifice of infinite dignity and perfection a lamb without spot, the Lamb of God. That is the human nature of Jesus Christ. God required a perfect man to stand in the law place of fallen men and so prepared a body in the womb of the virgin. The Son of God took that human nature into union with himself “ the Word was made flesh” Jn.1:14 and thus was made the sacrifice that could and has put away sin forever.

In that body the God man died and thus standing in the law place of his elect, he satisfied the justice of God for them forever. The sins of all his elect were laid on him, Isa.53:6; Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree…1Pet.2:24. In so doing Christ Jesus put away the sin of the elect forever, as far as the east is from the west. For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified, Hebrews. 10:14.

            What ever the Lord Christ undertook, that he undertook in his whole person,  what ever he undertook in his person was attended by both natures. It was the human nature of the Lord Christ that was offered and it was offered through the eternal Spirit, Hebrews 9:14.  The debt for sin that was paid by the Lord Christ was the debt for sin owed by all the elect of God through all times; those persons are the sanctified that are referred to in Hebrews 10:14; they were sanctified in the decree of eternal unconditional election of God from all eternity. The Deity the Lord Christ upheld his humanity in his undertakings at mount Calvary, where he as the Great High Priest of the everlasting covenant offered the one and only sacrifice that was well pleasing to God for the expiation (taking away – removal) of the sin of his chosen people.

Christ the Alter

               It is clear from what has been said, that Jesus Christ the God man was the officiating Great High Priest, he was the sacrifice, he was the alter (which we have Hebrews 13:10).The Christian alter is not on earth made with hands, but is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high and he is our Sabbath (rest). He is our all in all, not pictures, not images, not statues of figures of angels and men, (Numbers 33:52) but the God man Christ the Lord. Believers worship God in spirit and in truth. The God man Christ Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, and he is God; he who in the beginning was with God is still with God and always has been, we worship him there by faith. Believers do not need objects, as statutes of angels and of Jesus; those things are obnoxious and abominable to God; Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image (any statute) or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, (Christ Jesus is in heaven above) or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; Exodus 20:4. Many religious societies claim to be of those who worship God in spirit and in truth, but when first you walk into their place of worship, the center attraction in front of your eyes is a picture of one who is supposed to be a representation of Jesus Christ. What do the holy scriptures teach us about those things?  “ Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images,(all their statues) and quite pluck down all their high places; Numbers 33:52.  See: Exodus 23:24,33; 34:13; Deuteronomy 7:5; 12;3; Joshua 11:12. Some may object; we are not under the law! that is true, we are not under the law as an instrument of justification, but God has not changed nor has his law though we are not under the law, the law teaches us the mind and will of God in such matters. This is the New Testament lawful use of the law, 1Timothy 1:8. “But we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully.”                       

It was the Son of God who up held and gave strength to the human nature of Jesus Christ while the billows of wrath from God the Father swept over him, It was the Holy Spirit of God that maintained the heart of him who died in a state of willing loving obedience to his Father while he was crushed to death for the sins of his elect. Thus it is the Deity of Christ that was the alter for his humanity while he paid the awful debt that he as surety of the New Testament paid for the elect of God. Ps. 42:7.                                                                                                    Those who would make use of the Christian alter must in truth and sincerity bow their heart and pray to him who is on the right hand of the throne of the majesty on high wherever and whenever they are given grace to approach the living God. For it is JesusChrist who ever lives to make intercession for his people, it is he who saves to the uttermost. Jesus Christ himself is the covenant of his people (Isaiah 42:6); he is the officiating Great High Priest of the everlasting covenant (Psalms 110:4); he is the sacrifice for (Hebrews 9:26) and he is the alter of his people (Hebrews 13:10).We (believers) have an alter, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

A.J. Ison

The Everlasting Covenant's Great High Priest : Part II

           In the most recent past article, this question was anticipated and posed; why was Melchizedek chosen to be a priest and to prefigure the Lord Jesus Christ? This is to be the subject of this article. I beg the reader’s patient indulgence as this important issue is addressed.

Why Melchizedek? Briefly it is because Melchizedek is in some respect better than Abraham. That principle is declared in Hebrews 7:7. There it is written” And without all contradiction the less (Abraham) is blessed of the better (Melchizedek)”. Now in Genesis 14:17-20 is the history of the event. “And the King of Sodom went out to meet him (Abram whose name was later changed to Abraham who is the patriarch of many nations including the nation of the Hebrews) after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the Kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the King’s dale. And Melchizedek King of Salem brought bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.” In the actions of both men (Melchizedek and Abraham) the superiority of Melchizedek to Abraham was acknowledged. Melchizedek acknowledged his superiority to Abraham when he blessed him. Abraham acknowledged his inferiority to Melchizedek when he received the blessing from Melchizedek and when he gave him tithes of all. Melchizedek was superior to Abraham in the office he held, he was the priest of the most high God. In the office of priest Melchizedek stood as intermediary between God and Abraham.

Abraham acknowledged the superiority of Melchizedek in his priesthood as he stood the patriarch and head of the Hebrew nation, and so as the father of the family of Levi from whom came the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood. In that relation the superiority of the priesthood of Melchizedek to the priesthood of Aaron was demonstrated. Since Melchizedek was the acknowledged superior of Abraham, and Abraham the acknowledged superior of Levi and Aaron because the father of their nation, then it is clear that Melchizedek is the superior of Levi and Aaron.   

             It is because of the demonstrated superiority of Melchizedek to Abraham, Levi, and Aaron that Melchizedek was chosen to be the old testament type of  Jesus Christ the Great High Priest of the everlasting covenant of grace. Now to summarize what has been said before; Abraham was the patriarch of the Hebrew nation, he was chosen of God to be the progenitor of that nation and so most highly revered by the Hebrews. Both in Melchizedek’s blessing Abraham, and in Abraham paying tithes to Melchizedek, in both actions, is shown the superiority of Melchizedek to Abraham, for the less is blessed of the better Hebrews 7:7. And that is not all, for Levi also paid tithes to Melchizedek while he was yet in the loins of Abraham, Hebrews7:10, so that the Levitical priesthood is shown to be inferior to the priesthood of Melchizedek.

Now the priesthood of Melchizedek was given to be a type of the everlasting priesthood of Christ, and the priesthood of Christ Jesus (who is the God-man) is infinitely more superior to the priesthood of Melchizedek than that of Melchizedek to the priesthood of the sons of Levi. For Melchizedek was a mere man and no more, Hebrews 5:1 “ For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer gifts and sacrifices for sins:” To officiate in the office of priest for men it is required that the candidate must be a man. In this it is certain that Melchizedek was a mere man and no more than a man. Now in the case of Our Lord Jesus Christ, He is one person who is God-man. This truth is made clear as we compare John1:1 with John1:14; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, John. 1:1. And the Word was made flesh, (and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth, John. 1:14. The Word being made flesh; is the act of The Son of God in taking the human nature prepared in the womb of the virgin into union with his divine person. In this act our Lord became man, antecedent to that he was God and remains God and as God-man is qualified to officiate in the office of the great high priest for men. The God-man is one person who has two natures, He is very God of very God, and he is very man of very man in one person. It is the person of Christ that is vested with priesthood as He is God-man; and in the person of Jesus Christ God purchased his church with his own blood. Acts 20:28 “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Now the time of reformation had come upon the Church of God, and that form of worship which was under the Old Testament was to be abolished, along with its priesthood and ceremonies. The Old Testament priesthood and form of worship had been God’s appointed way for fifteen hundred or more years, and now the time which was foretold in that testament was come upon the Church.

The Hebrew nation and that Church State was to abandon the mosaic institutions which they had followed for generations and worship God (the God of their fathers) according to the form of worship which should be declared by Messiah. This demanded alteration was far more extensive than we moderns can imagine, yet it was foretold in the Old Testament, they should have been aware of the change that was come upon them, and should have been willing to receive that which was ordained of God for the time to come. The Old Testament system of worship was “a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation, Hebrews 9:9,10.

The time of reformation was now come upon them, and now they must forsake the Old Testament institutions of divine worship, and worship God in spirit and in truth, which is the acknowledgement of the person and offices of Jesus Christ. They were called upon to forsake the weak and beggarly elements of the law and cleave to Christ alone for all of their salvation, Galatians 4:9.

To show the Hebrews the necessity of this change the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews points to the superiority of the priesthood of the New Testament as it is compared to the priesthood of the Old Testament. The Great High Priest of the New Testament is God in human flesh, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the high priests of the Old Testament were men, who were made priests by carnal ordinances of the law. In order to  show that superiority, the writer of the epistle lights upon Melchizedek and shows his superiority to Abraham, and his superiority to the  Levitical priesthood in Abraham (for Levi was in the loins of Abraham when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek) Hebrews 7:9,10. By showing the superiority of Melchizedek to Abraham and to Levi, and by stating that the Priesthood of Christ (by oath of God the Father) is after the order of Melchizedek, he proves the superiority of the priesthood of Christ to the Priesthood of Levi. This is easily understood when it is considered that Jesus Christ is the God of Melchizedek, Abraham, Moses, Aaron and Levi. It is also clear from this that the Son of God, Jesus Christ is the eternal Great High Priest of the everlasting covenant of Grace.

A.J. Ison

           

           

           

The Everlasting Covenant's Great High Priest : Part I

            In our last article it was stated that there are four things required in the new covenant in order that the worship of God should be conducted under that covenant, those four things are:

1. There must be a covenant prepared of God, in the hand of a mediator, who is accepted of God and the persons interested in the covenant.
2. There must be a priesthood ordained of God for the mediation of the covenant.
3. There must be a sacrifice that will be offered to satisfy the justice of God.
4. There must be an alter on which the sacrifice will be offered.

In this weeks article we will be concerned with the second requirement; there

must be a priesthood ordained of God for the mediation of the covenant. That great high priest along with the nature of his priesthood was promised in the in old testament, in Psalm  110:4; “The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”

After The Order of Melchizedek

            Now we must inquire; what is the meaning of: “after the order of Melchizedek?”

There are many particulars wherein the priesthood of Melchizedek and the priesthood of  Jesus Christ are similar. The similarities of the two make the one to be after the order of the other. The priesthood of Melchizedek was typical of the priesthood of Christ Jesus. In point of truth that was the greatest reason for the ministry of Melchizedek, that he should prefigure the Lord Christ as he is the great high priest of the everlasting covenant.

            There is that in Melchizedek (mystically) which is true in the person of Christ, in this Melchizedek is typical of Christ.

To begin our comparison let us look at the following verse. “To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that King of Salem, which is, King of peace;” Hebrews 7:2.

First: Melchizedek is typical of Christ in his name. The name, Melchizedek is by interpretation, King of righteousness, Hebrews 7:2. This name, King of Righteousness which is the interpreted meaning of the name Melchizedek, is in every way typical of Christ Jesus. For Jesus Christ is THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, Jeremiah 23:6.

It is Jesus Christ who has brought in everlasting righteousness for the church of God’ Daniel 9:24. Instances of this kind could be multiplied, but one more will be enough to show this typical connection. The church of God is made the righteousness of God in him (Christ), II Corinthians 5:21. That is the church of God is made perfectly righteous in God’s sight by the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to them.

 Second: After that also King of Salem, which is King of Peace; Hebrews 7:2. The order of the name and title of Melchizedek is here to be observed, He is first King of Righteousness and after that King of Peace, Isaiah 32:17, those who would approach God must approach in perfect righteousness and so shall find perfect peace, that is they must approach God in Christ. “For He is our peace who hath made both one” Ephesians 2:13-17.  “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross” Colossians 1:20. Our Lord Jesus is “THE PRINCE OF PEACE” Isaiah 9:6. The Lord Jesus is the author of our peace, it is he who maintains our peace with the Father, his kingdom abounds in peace, Psalm 72:3,7.

Third: Melchizedek was by the direct appointment of God, priest of the Most High God, Hebrews 7:1. That is God himself by direct and personal action had appointed Melchizedek to be Priest. This was before the levitical priesthood was established. By that action on the part of God the Hebrews could know that the levitical priesthood had had a predecessor and so might infer it was to have a successor. The superiority of the Melchizedekian priesthood to the levitical was demonstrated by the personal appointment of Melchizedek to that office by God himself: while the levitical priests came to office by the “law of a carnal commandment” Heb. 7:16.The importance of that personal appointment of Melchizedek to the office of priesthood by God himself is brought to light when it is considered that even in the appointment of Melchizedek it is not said that the Lord sware, or hath sworn. But in the appointment of Jesus Christ to the office of The Great High Priest it is said “The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”  The oath of God the Father in the appointment of his Son Jesus Christ to the office of priesthood shows the infinite superiority of the Priesthood of Jesus Christ to that of Melchizedek just as Melchizedeks direct appointment to the office of priesthood shows Melchizes superiority over that of the levitical priests who were vested with the office by natural generation being the sons of Aaron, that is being made priests by the law of a carnal commandment, Heb. 7:16.   

Forth: It is said of Melchizedek that he was without father, (Heb. 7:3) and so it is true of the Lord Jesus in his humanity, Our Lord Jesus had no earthly human father for God was his father.

Fifth: Melchizedek is said to be without mother, (Heb.7:3) so it is true of the Lord Jesus in his divinity, his divinity was from everlasting (in the beginning was the Word, John. 1:1) and so there was no place for a mother.

Sixth: Melchizedek is said to be without descent, (Heb.7:3) he had no recorded genealogy, that is Melchizedek had no successor nor had he any predecessor. This Melchizedek (in order to be the most accurate type of our Lord Jesus Christ) had no recorded beginning of his priesthood, nor had he any recorded ending to his priesthood, this was to type the eternity of the person and priesthood of Jesus Christ the Son of God, who is a priest forever.

Seveneth: Melchizedek is said to be made like unto the Son of God, Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Our Lord Jesus is the only begotten Son of God.

Eighth: It is said of Melchizedek that he abideth a priest continually, Jesus Christ is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and who has an unchangeable priesthood.

Now it is manifest in these things that what was mystically true in Melchizedek was presented to foreshadow or type the Lord Jesus in His office of the Great High Priest of the everlasting covenant. But why was this Melchizedek chosen to be a priest and prefigure the Lord Jesus. That question will be taken up in the next of this series of articles. 

A.J. Ison