From Christ’s royal, superior, and permanent priesthood that resembles the priesthood of Melchizedek so long ago, we ought also to rejoice that Jesus’ priesthood is sufficient, which is clearly the glorious conclusion that the author wants us to behold: Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.
See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him,
“You are a priest forever,                        after the order of Melchizedek.”
            For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him:
“The Lord has sworn            and will not change his mind,‘You are a priest forever.’”
This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 7:1-25 ESV
Back in the first ten verses of chapter 5, the author of Hebrews began the central point of his sermon: the superior priesthood of Jesus. As we noted, through the linking of Psalm 2 and Psalm 110, the author transitioned from speaking primarily of Jesus’ Sonship to Jesus’ priesthood. Indeed, after quoting Psalm 110’s declaration from the Father to the Son, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek,” the author indicted his intention to explain the significance of that declaration in 5:10.
However, he suddenly broke away from this explanation to give an extended exhortation to his beloved readers. First, he rebuked them for being dull of hearing and falling backward into spiritual immaturity. Then he gave them a stern and fearful warning of falling away from the faith into apostasy. Finally, he changed his tone and encouraged them to remain steadfast in the promises of God, just like Abraham did so long ago.
After that extended exhortation from 5:11-6:20, the author skillfully set us back upon his original point with 6:19-20:
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
It is Melchizedek’s connection to Christ that is now unfolded for us in our present text.
A Royal Priesthood // Verses 1-3
As we noted previously, the identity and purpose of Melchizedek was surely one of the most perplexing pieces of the Old Testament. He appears abruptly and briefly in Genesis 14 and is then mentioned in connection with the Messiah, David’s Lord, in Psalm 110. Nothing else is said about this ancient priest-king, leaving him long shrouded in mystery. Verse 1 and the first part of verse 2 gives a succinct description of Melchizedek’s appearance in Genesis 14:
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything.
Of course, the actual text of Genesis 14:17-20 is not much longer:
After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,Possessor of heaven and earth;and blessed be God Most High,who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
Nothing else is said about Melchizedek. He brings Abraham (Abram at that time) bread and wine, blessed him, and received a tithe from the patriarch. Although that information is sparse, the author of Hebrews goes on to explain how each detail is significant.
First, he points out that Melchizedek’s name means king of righteousness, and he is the king of Salem, which means peace. Furthermore, he simply appears in the text without introduction or genealogy, which is particularly striking within Genesis, which is literally structured around genealogies. Finally, although he is a Gentile (Abraham being the first Hebrew), Melchizedek was a priest of the Most High God, which means that he worshiped the Yahweh, the Creator of heaven and earth, in midst of the world’s collapse into paganism.
The key phrase in these first three verses, indeed of this entire chapter, is: resembling the Son of God. Although many have speculated whether or not Melchizedek was a preincarnate appearance of Jesus, this phrase seems to give us a clear answer. Melchizedek was not an appearance of Jesus; instead, he was a real, godly king who resembles Jesus. Melchizedek was a type of Jesus, a prefiguring of the Christ.
He resembles Jesus in his name and title. Like Jesus, Melchizedek is both a priest and a king, which were offices that were rarely together in the same person. Although Melchizedek’s name means king of righteousness, Jesus is the actual king of righteousness. Being the eternal Son of God, Jesus is the King of kings, and He alone is perfectly and wholly righteousness. Also, although Melchizedek was the king of Salem (that is, peace), Jesus is the true King of peace or, as Isaiah calls Him, the Prince of Peace, for He came to make peace between God and man through the sacrifice of Himself. For yet another connection, many scholars believe Salem to be the former name of Jerusalem, which would later become the city of David and of God’s temple.
He resembles Jesus in His having neither beginning of days nor end of life. Of course, the author of Hebrews is not suggesting that Melchizedek was actually immortal; rather, he is pointing to his written appearance in the text. As Richard Phillips notes,
This statement leads many to suppose Melchizedek to be some sort of celestial being, or even the preincarnate Christ. But what is in view here is not Melchizedek himself being without beginning or end, but Melchizedek as presented in Scripture. Quite in contrast to nearly everybody else of consequence in the book of Genesis, Melchizedek is not accompanied by a genealogy, but appears without any introduction or conclusion. He has no mother or father. The writer of Hebrews, following a long rabbinic tradition of interpreting passages like this, sees as much significance in what the text omits as in what it says. A. W. Pink explains: “The silence of the Old Testament Scriptures concerning his parentage has a designed significance. The entire omission was ordered by the Holy Spirit… in order to present a perfect type of the Lord Jesus.” F. F. Bruce notes this about the biblical portrayal: “In the only record which Scripture provides of Melchizedek… he appears as a living man, king of Salem, priest of God Most High; and as such he disappears. In all this—in the silences as well as in the statements—he is a fitting type of Christ…Melchizedek remains a priest continually for the duration of his appearance in the biblical narrative.”[1]
Indeed, because we are not told any of these things about Melchizedek, his priesthood appears to be perpetual, remaining a priest forever. It is to that priesthood, which is the third resemblance that Melchizedek bears to Christ, that the remainder of the chapter focuses upon.
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Yes, the Father never stopped loving His Son on the cross. Yes, the Father was well pleased with Jesus on the cross. Yes, there was no break-up in the the eternal intratrinitarian relationship of the Father and the Son. But because Jesus, in His office as Mediator, was made sin on the cross – because all of His people’s sins were imputed to Him on that cross, the Father turned His face away and crushed His Son so that His people will never be crushed. This is the heart of the Gospel!

I had said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight.” Psalm 31:22

O LORD, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me? Psalm 88:14

How great the pain of searing loss –

The Father turns His face away,

As wounds which mar the Chosen One

Critics wrongly argue that the Father didn’t turn His face away. Let me use Jesus’ words: You are wrong, and you don’t know the Scriptures. Have you not read Psalm 31, Psalms 88 and 89, and all the Psalms?
If the Father didn’t turn His face away from Jesus on the cross, then we are dead in our sins and without hope in the world, and the Father will turn His face away from us in hell for all eternity. Our only hope is that the Father did turn His face away from Jesus on that cross so that He will never turn His face away from us forever in His presence where there’s fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore!
Yes, the Father never stopped loving His Son on the cross. Yes, the Father was well pleased with Jesus on the cross. Yes, there was no break-up in the the eternal intratrinitarian relationship of the Father and the Son. But because Jesus, in His office as Mediator, was made sin on the cross – because all of His people’s sins were imputed to Him on that cross, the Father turned His face away and crushed His Son so that His people will never be crushed. This is the heart of the Gospel!
The Psalms are About Jesus
Bruce Waltke and Fred Zaspel write about how the Psalms are about Jesus Christ:

The Psalms are about Jesus. The significance of this royal orientation goes further as we seek to understand the psalms in canonical perspective. We have it on Jesus’s authority (Luke 24:44) that the psalms are about him. Some of the psalms are more directly predictive, such as Psalm 2 and Psalm 110. In others David stands as a “type” or picture of Christ and is prospective of him in more subtle ways.

Commenting on how Psalm 89 is about Jesus Christ, Ligon Duncan writes:
The New Testament, on nearly every page, teaches that Jesus is the true and better David, the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant and the restorer of David’s throne. Consider, for instance, Peter’s sermon at Pentecost:

Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know – this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him,

“I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.”

Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Acts 2:22-32

As Peter explains, the psalms chronicling the suffering of David and his children are fully realized in the sufferings of Christ. David’s flesh did, in fact, see corruption – he is, after all, still dead in his tomb. So, Peter reasons, this psalm must refer to David’s greater son! Where did he get this idea? From the Lord Jesus himself. When Christ encountered the disciples on the road to Emmaus after his resurrection, he bemoaned that they did not see  in the Old Testament the many evidences that Christ would undergo death and exile to restore what Adam and Israel had lost:

And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:25-27

The suffering of David and the people of Israel – rejection, curse, and judgment – were ultimately and consummately experienced by David’s greater son, the servant of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus experienced Psalm 89:38-45. And by that suffering Jesus restored the throne of David and saved the people of God . . . Psalm 89 gives us hope ultimately because it points us to the one who endured a suffering far beyond anything we will ever know. He was mocked and shamed and forsaken of God, so that we might be God’s precious inheritance into eternity. (Pages 48-52)
Jesus is not only the Suffering Servant, He’s the Suffering Psalmist: “. . . everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Luke 24:44
Psalm 31

Like Jesus quoted from Psalm 22 on the cross: “My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?!”, when He died, He also quoted Psalm 31:5: “Into your hands I commit my spirit”

Later in Psalm 31:22, we read: “In my alarm I said, ‘I am cut off from your sight!’” This also describes what Jesus faced on the cross. The Father did turn His face away from His Son on the cross, so that He will never turn His face away from all who repent and believe in Him! And just like in Psalm 22 (Psalm 22:24: he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.), Psalm 31 ends in triumph, pointing us to the resurrection (Psalm 31:22: But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy when I cried to you for help.). God finally did hear Jesus’ cry – and answered! His face was no longer hidden from His Son! He raised Him up!

As Herman Bavinck wrote, the resurrection is the Father’s “Amen!” to Jesus’ “It is finished!”

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Psalm 88

I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care. You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths. Your anger lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves . . . Why, O LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me? . . . I have suffered your terrors and am in despair. Your anger has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me. Psalm 88:5-7, 14-16
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself . . . Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead . . . . Luke 24:25-27, 44-46
In his commentary on the Psalms, Bruce K. Waltke writes on Psalm 88:

Heman foreshadows the “Man of Sorrows” (Isa 53:3; see references to Mark 14–15 below). The psalm rightly belongs in the Good Friday liturgy and shows us God’s unconventional love.

Heman the Ezrahite prays to the Lord in Ps 88 as he endures God’s wrath, as he suffers alienation and abandonment, as he endures the rising waters and the breaking waves of God’s punishment. Through all of this, he maintains that Yahweh is his God, the God of his salvation. He further recognizes that God is everything he declared himself to be in Exod 34:6-7. The Lord’s lovingkindness has not ceased, nor has the Lord’s faithfulness come to an end. He still does wonders, and he is still righteous. Heman cries out for deliverance, that he might continue to enjoy God and praise him in this life.

The pattern of Heman’s experience was fulfilled in the one who was forsaken that his people might be comforted, who was made a curse that his people might be blessed, who bore the sins of his people in his body on the tree, who was baptized in the waters of wrath that his people might rise with him to newness of life, who suffered outside the camp to open the way to the holy places. (Page 130).

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John Owen on Communing with God in the Ordinances of Corporate Worship
John Owen (1616-1683) earned the title “Prince of Puritans” because of his influence as pastor, prolific author, theologian, academic administrator, biblical exegete, military chaplain, statesman, etc. However, his role as a pastor stands out. He demonstrates a pastoral heart and a desire to lead people into an authentic experiential relationship with God.
This authentic relationship, according to Owen, is initiated by God’s revelation, received through Christ, which then necessitates an affectionate response from believers by the Spirit. This covenantal revelation, redemptive reception, and appropriate response in worship is what Owen understood to actively enjoy communion with the triune God. This communicative relationship between God and His church is to be expressed through the ordinances of corporate worship.
There are at least three implications for the church today in the way Owen articulates how the church has communion with the triune God in and through the ordinances of corporate worship.
What is Communion with God?
Owen defines experiential communion with God as follows: “Our communion, then, with God consisteth in his communication of himself unto us, with our returnal unto him of that which he requireth and accepteth, flowing from that union which in Jesus Christ we have with him” (John Owen, The Works of John Owen, ed., William Goold, 16 vols. (Carlisle, Pa: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009), 2:8-9).
This communion with God consists of each person of the Godhead testifying about Himself in a special way without ever compromising the unified and inseparable activity of the Trinity. For example, the Father initiates the work of redemption from love, the Son accomplishes the work of redemption through His grace, and the Spirit applies the work of redemption by bringing comfort.
While the Father, Son, and Spirit distinctly testify about themselves, all three persons are at work in each person’s distinct revelation. The Father testifies about His love through the Son and by the Spirit. The Son testifies about His grace from the Father and by the Spirit. The Spirit testifies about His comfort from the Father and through the Son.
This communication from the Father, through the Son, and by the Spirit is received as one has union with Christ. In fact, communion with God centers on the person of Christ. Through Christ, the church receives the affectionate love of the Father. As Owen further explains, “The communion begun… between Christ and the soul, is in the next place carried on by suitable consequential affections, – affections suiting such a relation. Christ, having given himself to the soul, loves the soul; and the soul having given itself unto Christ, loveth him also” (Owen, Works, 2:117-18).
The only appropriate response the church can have as they receive the love from God is to then love God—to reciprocate their affections to Him in worship.
Reciprocating affections to God must be done through God. Owen understood this “returnal unto him” to be done according to, what Owen called, the “heavenly directory,” a concept he derived from Ephesians 2:18 (Owen, Works, 2:269). The heavenly directory is to worship by the Spirit, through the Son, and to the Father. It is one directional. It is how the church worships God through God.
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