Hebrews 7 Commentary
In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. Verse 8. There are two sides to the tithe story. One end consists of an Old Testament law involving ancient people. It shouldn’t apply to us.
The other end consists of living entities. The receiving end of your tithe is the living Melchizedek – Jesus. The living you honor the living Jesus as you tithe. Ponder.
The tithe wasn’t meant to enrich the king of Salem (Melchizedek). As king, he probably had enough food at home! Abraham worshipped! Tithing can be exciting as the saint is given a chance to honor the LORD – Melchizedek – Jesus Christ.
No single symbolism matches the entire Jesus space. But Melchizedek covers a lot of ground! He is a king; king of Salem. Think of the Prince of Peace Isaiah 9. He is also a priest.
One strong thread that spans the entire scripture is the story of creation. God created man in His image. According to the gospel of John, Jesus is the Creator God. So how is the saint like Jesus in this respect? Peter in his first volume, chapter 2 verse 9, clearly talks about the royal priesthood of all believers – Like their Master, the King/Priest, believers are “a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
God’s desire to ‘duplicate’ Himself in creation, leave a mark, or have something of Himself in what He creates is very strong. A man who prays for a “change of heart” from “stone” to one like Jesus’ heart can always be answered. It is one prayer the LORD always answers. It is always within the will of the LORD! It’s the one prayer the LORD answers even before the prayer is said!
Jesus becomes a priest without the backing of the Law of Moses. It’s the story of God’s generosity. Those of us whose circumstances disqualify us from the commonwealth of God’s people have hope. This priest, Jesus, goes ahead and recruits priests from everyone: male and female, slave and free, rich and poor, young and old… everyone regardless of their race, color, body shape, language, or geographical location.
The recruitment notice is as follows: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
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