Hebrews
The High Priest I
Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony
Subject: Conversations, Panels, and Sermons
Lesson: 8-33
Genre: Lecture
Track: 08
Dictation Name: RR198D8
Location/Venue:
Year:
Let us worship God. The hour cometh and now is when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. Let us pray.
Oh Lord our God, we give thanks unto thee that by Thy sovereign grace, Thou hast made us Thy people. Thou hast surrounded us with Thy mercies and Thy protecting care. Make us grateful, morning and night, joyful in thy providential care and in Thy grace. Take our eyes from our burdens and griefs, and grant that they be always fixed on Thy goodness, and Thy grace. Teach us this day and always the things we need to know, so that we may serve Thee with all our heart, mind, and being. In Christ’s name, amen.
We begin this morning our study of that section of Hebrews that centers on the doctrine of the high priest. As a result, we shall deal with the first 5 verses, both this Sunday and next. It is important for us to understand why this is important. We need also to understand why the writers of Hebrews so stressed this doctrine. They did not need to stress the kingship of Christ, because the people of Israel had no problem with accepting those who believed Jesus is Messiah. As High Priest, that was another matter. Hebrews 5:1-5.
“ 1For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
2Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
3And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
4And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
5So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.”
Our text here is concerned with the work of the High Priest. The basic task of the high priest in the laws in the Old Testament was atonement. This was an essential task, because without atonement there is no peace with God. Because man is a fallen creature, a sinner, he is under the death penalty. Nothing he can do can nullify that judgement because he is a tainted creature with tainted motives, and capable of no good thing. He needed a priest, a higher great priest, to be his mediator before God.
The death penalty requires the termination of life. The sacrificial system provided substitutes for the sinner, in the form of clean and unblemished animals. These typified the sacrifice to come. He had to be one like his brethren, his fellow men, yet without sin. Atonement cannot be costless. When David bought the threshing floor of Aruma, Aruma the Jebusite was told by David that he wanted to build there an altar. And Aruma offered it freely to David. But David refused it as a gift, and insisted on buying it saying: “Nay, but I will surely buy it of thee at a price, neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which cost me nothing.” Atonement requires a price. That is why even though fish and deer are clean animals, they could not be offered on the altar.
Because it cost the offerer nothing. A lamb, a kid, a calf, cost him effort in rearing it, or in buying it. But not so with some clean animals, therefore they could not be offered. Therefore David said, he could not receive it as a gift because it could not then be a gift of sacrifice. Because the true and great High Priest, Jesus Christ, would make the atonement for the sins of his people, the atonement could not be costless. It would require His life. The Hebrews had to realize that with Christ’s atonement, there nor longer existed any approach to God other than Jesus Christ, Gods high priest. They were willing to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, but not as the great High Priest. Therefore the necessity for the writing of Hebrews.
No High Priest, born of Aaron, was called to die for his peoples sins. This Jesus Christ came to do. In verse 5 we see that when Jesus was baptized, a voice from heaven had declared: “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” This is a citation from Psalm 2:7. The voice from heaven, according to Hebrews, declared Him to be Gods high priest, the High Priest pleasing to God.
Now, in verse 1 the purpose of the office of high priest is declared to be, to make sacrifice for sin. The two essential requirements here cited in verse 1 are first, he is taken from among men. But second, he is appointed by God. The office is not of man’s creation. The view of Jewish believers was that Jesus was the messiah, or the Christ. The two words, Christ and Messiah, are identical. And whatever new meaning had to be given to this calling, as messiah, it was the essential one. Hebrews insists that it is the High Priesthood of Jesus that is basic. Before the royal calling can be realized, the priestly function must prevail. Jesus Christ can be no man’s king if He is not their priest. And if he is their high priest, it must follow that He is their king and Law giver.
In verse two we are told that because he is chosen from among men, is truly incarnate, he can have compassion on those that sin ignorantly, and on those with infirmity. Because He is also very God of very God, He is able to be patient with us where other men would find our sins and short comings repulsive. In verse 3 we are reminded that all purely human high priests had to offer sacrifices for themselves and for their people, and their families. Up to this point the Hebrew believer would have trouble seeing Jesus as a valid High Priest, because he was not of the order of Aaron.
Hebrews lays the foundation for reminding one and all that God does have another priestly order. The order of Melchizedek. In verse four we are prepared for this when we are reminded the office was not of mans creation, but of Gods ordination. Like Aaron Jesus Christ has a divine calling and ordination. It was not self glorification on his part, but submission to the father. The use of Psalm 2:7 makes clear that Gods calling was ordained from of old, and was an aspect of His sovereign purpose. There is an aspect to this that men today miss, because to fully recognize Biblical pattern, separates the offices of King and high Priest. God did not permit these two offices to be confused on the human level, after the time of Aaron.
Gods judgement on such a confusion appears in the case of Uzziah, who when he sought greater power by usurping the office of the High Priest, was smitten by God with leprosy and died a leper. The separation of powers on the human level is a biblical doctrine. The Hebrew believers would find it difficult to see Jesus as both King and high Priest. The limitation on men however, does not apply to Jesus Christ.
He is both king and High Priest. The union of the two offices in Jesus Christ means that he is a high Priest who makes atonement for us, and He also regenerates us to make us a new creation, and his new human race he rules over as our second or last Adam. And as our king he then commissions us to disciple all nations.
This discipling is not for their conversion alone. To believe this is to have a man centered gospel, and to make man’s salvation the whole of the purpose of God. Our Lord plainly says that we are to seek first or above all, the Kingdom of God and His righteousness or justice.
In Hebrews, the purpose of the apostolic fellowship was to correct limited views of the gospel. We cannot understand Hebrews, except in terms of a broader purpose in Christ’s coming than saving souls, however necessary that is. An army called together for no other purpose than to express joy at being so called is a mockery and a futility. What point is there in an army if it sees the sum total of its duty to be called, to be mustered up? Or mustered up.
The goal is Gods Sabbath rest. Jesus Christ is Gods lawful High Priest, because he is Gods lawful king. What cannot be done lawfully by men, the union of the two callings of Priest and King, is Gods purpose and ordination for Jesus Christ. We receive atonement and regeneration to serve our king, not to retreat into a waiting for the end amidst a lot of pious gushings. Man’s fall led to sin and death, prevailing as the governing facts in man’s life and history. The purpose of the atonement is to undo the fall, empower man with grace and life to do Gods will, and to make this world into Gods kingdom. If you deny that fact, then you deny Gods purpose in the atonement.
Let us pray. Our father, teach us indeed to see Jesus Christ as priest, prophet and king. As our great high Priest, to make intercession with Thee. As our king to rule over us, and to give us His law. And as our prophet, to speak for Thee unto us. Teach us to cease from trusting in our word and in our way, and to acknowledge that our king, our high priest and our prophet must speak and be heard. Grant us hearing ears we beseech thee, in Christ’s name, amen.
Are there any comments now on our lesson? Yes?
[Audience Member] Would you comment on the Sabbath rest, or the rest that its speaking of here in Hebrews, as its related to the kingdom?
[Rushdoony] Yes, we are told the pattern is Gods rest, as in Genesis 2:2. His rest in surveying his accomplished work of creation, with a knowledge that his purpose for that creation will be accomplished. So that, our true rest comes when we do Gods will, when we are obedient to him and faithful to Him. Believing and obeying essentially mean the same thing in the Bible, we have separated the two with devastating results. But in the Bible to believe and to obey are one and the same thing, so that we are summoned by Hebrews to enter into Gods rest by obeying God, by doing what He requires of us. Then we have rest here, and our eternal rest is the perfection thereof.
Does that help explain it? Any other questions or comments? Yes.
[Audience Member] Would you discuss the meaning of the word begotten, begotten in verse 5. “Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee”.
[Rushdoony] Yes, in that it means of course that already Jesus was acknowledged as the very son of God, when he was born. And kings came from the east, wise men bearing gifts. They hailed him as the heaven born prince of peace. Now, what he is here saying, God is saying: “Thou art my son. Today have I begotten Thee.” So that, in a sense he is born afresh, this time as the High Priest.
Any other questions or comments?
This is why we are going to go over these first 5 verses again next time, they are very important, and they are basic to what follows. Jesus Christ as high Priest was an alien notion to most of the church, especially the Jewish or Hebrew believers, until this epistle was written. We will see why this was neglected, and what now is neglected that is also equally bad.
Any further comments?
If not, let us conclude with prayer. Our Father we give thanks that Jesus Christ is our high priest, that praying in His name, he makes intercession for us. And we have peace with Thee. We are heard at the throne of grace, and we are blessed and furthered in our service and in our lives. Make us ever instant in prayer, that we may cast our every care upon Thee who carest for us.
And now go in peace, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, Bless you and keep you, guide and protect you, this day and always, amen.