FOUR READINGS ON HEBREWS (4)
FOUR READINGS ON HEBREWS (4)
FER The epistle proper begins in this chapter; the previous chapters are introductory and bring into view the great principles of the world to come. Chapter 1 is the throne of God established in a Man; in chapter 2 we get the Head under whom all things are to be put; then in chapter 3 we get the house of God, over which He is as Son. In chapters 4, 5 and 6 we get the state of those to whom the epistle is spoken. In chapter 7 priesthood proper begins.
It is most important to see the relation of the church to the world to come; we get the object of entering in, and the great point is to enter in, so that we may be instructed in the mystery of Christ. No one can enter into the holiest without being in accord with Christ. The Melchisedec priesthood was first, not the Aaronic, and Christ comes in, in that connection, “a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec”. That order of priesthood would not fit in with the law, and the law would not fit in with that order of priesthood.
The great subject of the epistle is that of approach to God. A new system involves a new priest. If another priest is brought in, it means another system. Christ as Priest brings in the day of the Spirit — the law came in under the Aaronic priesthood; but the Spirit is given in connection with the Melchisedec priesthood, and it is by the Spirit we draw nigh to God. The “better hope” comes in in connection with Christ, but we have no link with Christ as Priest, save by the Spirit. You do not get the new covenant until chapter 8.
The point in chapter 7 is that the Priest determines the manner of approach to God. No one [p. 565] under the law could approach beyond Aaron, and approach to God now takes its character from Christ, who is Priest after the order of Melchisedec. The One who is made Priest is the One to whom God said, “Thou art my Son”. Then again at the end of this chapter we read, “... maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore”. There was a thought of approach under the Aaronic priesthood, but it was very limited. They went into the first tabernacle accomplishing the service of God. The brazen altar was God’s approach to the people, but it was no question of their approach to God. The law was only a shadow of good things to come, but though there was undoubtedly under the law the thought of approach to God, it was all ceremonial, not moral. The book of Leviticus is occupied with the subject of approach; the approach was accompanied by a great many difficulties, but the thought was there; for the law had a shadow of better things, but made nothing perfect.
The “better hope” is connected with the place Christ has taken up on high. Christ has taken up a place above, and God is bringing many sons to glory, and so we have a “better hope”.
Ques Why a “better hope”?
FER “Better” is an expression characteristic of Hebrews. We get better promises, a better covenant, and so on. It is all better — it is a comparative idea and it is in contrast to something else. If you get approach you get perfection. Perfection is brought in because approach is brought in. The hope is, I believe, Christ in heaven. The Hebrews had fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before them. Christ in glory is the full expression of God’s mind in regard to every man. When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth His Son. We are to hold fast the confession of the hope. It is the disposition of all [p. 566] of us to give up the hope. For the saint everything is bound up in Christ — Christ is our hope; we are looking for Christ to come in, and for all that is consequent upon this. Christ is the Centre, and Beginning, and Head of another system. You get the thought even at the end of the Old Testament: “shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings?” Malachi 4: 2. But then there is a great system connected with the Sun of righteousness. The saint comes into the shining of Christ, and so Christ is the hope of the believer.
Melchisedec is King of righteousness and King of peace. There are two things essential to the world to come: that is, the King and the Priest. In the time of David you get the king, and Zadok the priest. In the latter day the covenant is to be between both the King and the Priest. In the past God took great care to keep the king and priest separate and distinct; they could not be combined until Christ came in. Then you get the counsel of peace between them both, and He shall sit a Priest upon His throne, and in that way the world to come is brought into view. In the time of Uzziah the king, the priest withstood him when he attempted to offer sacrifice (2 Chronicles 26: 16 - 21). Christ will be a Priest upon His throne for Israel and the earth. The King is on behalf of God. He represents the power and authority of God, and the Priest is on behalf of man. You must have both for perfection. There must be a point of attachment for man in the establishment of the kingdom. For us the Priest is to carry the attachment of our hearts, and apart from that He is not of much avail to us. It is by the Priest we draw nigh to God. The Priest to us is the One who loved us, and gave Himself for us, and He has gone to the right hand of God to carry our affections there, and it is in that way that we draw nigh to God.
Ques Why is “saving” connected here with the Priest?
FER Because the intercession of the Priest may secure you the arm of the Lord. It is the result of intercession that we get support and succour, and therefore it is not difficult to trace the salvation to the Priest.
Ques. Saved by His life?
FER I should take it as the Priest. In John 4 you get the priesthood of Christ. The place which Christ has taken as Man at the right hand of God is connected with His imparting the Spirit. Salvation was connected with the advent of the Spirit; so we get, we are saved “by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour”, Titus 3: 5, 6.
It is proper to a believer to draw nigh to God: “By the which we draw nigh unto God”, Hebrews 7: 19. Drawing nigh to God is dependent upon our state, and our state is formed by the Spirit. The Spirit gives us the appreciation of Christ, and that is the Spirit’s work; it is by the appreciation of Christ that we draw nigh to God. Christ is the One who came out to bring us the light of God, and He has gone in as Priest, and as we appreciate Him we draw nigh to God. The thought of drawing nigh to God was in the law which was the “shadow of good things to come”, but now we can draw nigh. Christ has entered in as Forerunner, and thus, we draw nigh to God now by the Spirit. It is the knowledge that Christ is going to take us in there that gives us courage and confidence to draw nigh.
It is very important to apprehend that the great point of priesthood is the question of man’s approach to God; we draw nigh to God in proportion to our appreciation of the One who has gone in as our Forerunner. It is our appreciation of Christ that [p. 568] makes us acceptable to God. God measures every one of us by our appreciation of Christ. Drawing nigh is not a question of the Lord’s day morning, it is a question of the habit of a believer’s soul; it is individual. Every saint is a son, but to be a priest you must be qualified, and the qualification for drawing nigh now is our appreciation of Christ. The great point here is our entering in now.
Rem Drawing nigh to God is our enjoyment of the liberty we have with God.
FER Yes; that is it. We appreciate the One who brought us the light of God, and our appreciation is what makes us agreeable to God, and in virtue of which we draw nigh. If we come together as believers only, we may have a happy meeting, but we should come together as priests; priests are those that draw nigh to God. The idea in the Romish church is that the priests are those who perform the service of God. That is right in a formal way, but we want it in a spiritual way.
Appropriation follows appreciation, and assimilation follows on appropriation. The great point for me is that I have an effectual link with the One who is at the right hand of God, and that link is by the Spirit. The priesthood has been too much limited to the thought of succour and sympathy. Even in the Aaronic priesthood Aaron’s proper function was to attend upon the tabernacle; the great function of Christ as priest is to bring us into the sanctuary. Christ would liberate us from every influence and tie that we may be free to serve Him. “Let my son go, that he may serve me”. How could we get on unless we have a living link with One on high? Apart from that we drop down to a religion of the world. The truth is, we have received the Spirit, and the Spirit is the link between us and the One who brought the light of God.
[p. 569] Simeon appreciated Christ; he could have worshipped Him. We have Christ in our arms by the Spirit in a much more real way than Simeon had, and surely we can say, “Lord ... mine eyes have seen thy salvation”. We may not wish to depart, as Simeon did, but we would draw nigh to God. I think Simeon wanted to depart because he saw there was rejection here and no present glory. Is not Christ as real to us as He was to Simeon? Simeon had Him in his arms, but we have Him by the Spirit. I like wonderfully the thought of Simeon having the child in his arms.
Christ is the One who came out to make God known to us, and He went into death to make that revelation complete. Now He has gone to the right hand of God, and has sent down the Spirit; and by the Spirit we appreciate Christ, and so draw nigh to God. It affects me to see how little appreciation of Christ there is. When people appreciate things here, and say there is no harm in this and that, it only proves to me that there is little or no appreciation of Christ.