Useful Bible Studies > Hebrews Commentary > chapter 7
When there is a different kind of priest, God’s law changes too. That must be correct, because God’s law includes the arrangements for the priests. It explains how to appoint the priests. And it describes the work that the priests must do.
Such a change happened in the past, at the time of Moses and Aaron. When God gave the law to Israel, he also appointed Israel’s priests. Both events happened at about the same time.
That does not mean that the moral law had changed. The moral law means the law about what is good or bad. What God considers to be right and good is always right and good. That never changes.
What changed was the law about how people should worship (give honour to) God. God’s law taught the people to know God better. When people know God better, they should worship him in a better manner. People needed the priests in order to worship God in a proper manner. So when God gave them the law, he also gave them priests.
And now, a change has happened again. We have a new chief priest, Jesus Christ. He does not belong to the family of Aaron, like Israel’s priests. But God has appointed him by means of an even more ancient rule. Christ is a priest like Melchizedek, who served God on Abraham’s behalf.
And that means that there must be a change in the law. Christ has made it possible for us to worship God in a new and better way (Hebrews 7:19, Hebrews 10:19-20). We can come nearer to God than was ever possible before (Hebrews 10:22). God has forgiven our sins (the wrong things that we have done against him). And he has given us a right relationship with him.
Christ has done what Moses’ law could not do. And it is Christ who makes perfect our relationship with God (Hebrews 11:40; Hebrews 12:2).
Next part: Jesus, from the tribe of Judah (Hebrews 7:13-14)
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© 2014, Keith Simons.