Hebrews 8:7-13

⁷ For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. ⁸ Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—⁹ not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. ¹⁰ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ¹¹ None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. ¹² For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” ¹³ In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Commentary

Vs. 7 "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second."

The very fact that the first covenant failed to keep the Israelite's in a right relationship with God is the reason for God's Promises of bringing in a second. Now the "fault" with the first covenant is that it could do nothing about changing what was fundamentally wrong with the Old Covenant Israelite's, and all of us today, and that is our sin nature (and thus our Spiritually dead state because of it) that we have all inherited from Adam, and thus our separation from God because of it. For though the Law made temporary provisions for their sins, it did not provide a permanent solution for them (or us) to be reconciled back to God, and thus the Law did not resolve that fundamental problem of what was wrong with them and is wrong with us all and that is our sin nature and our inabilities to keep it.

Vs. 8  "Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—"

Therefore under the Old Covenant God could only find fault with them, because the Law required not just their obedience, but their ongoing blameless adherence to all of it's statutes, regulations, and commandments (consider Gal. 3:10-14; James 2:10), grace then is not something that comes to us through the Old Covenant, but only through the New Covenant do we find the grace of God (Rom 3:19-26; 4:4-8, 4:16; 5:1-2, 20-21; 6:14; 7:1-6; 11:5-6; Eph. 2:8-9 etc.).
It is clear then by the example of the Old Covenant Israelite's failures to keep His Covenant that God never intended for either them, or us, to be reconciled to Him by it, "but it was added because of transgressions until the Seed should come", that is the Promised Seed first spoken of in Genesis 3:15, prophesied in greater detail in Isaiah 7:14, and then fulfilled with the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 1:31-35; Gal. 3:19-25; 4:4-5). Who has by His own Sinless Life, Crucifixion death, and Resurrection from the dead not only made the everlasting atonement for all of our sins who believe in Him, but the Lord Jesus Christ has also paved the way for humanity to be reconciled back to God through Himself via the New Covenant by which God not only extends His grace to us, but He also by the regenerating work of His Holy Spirit gives us a new heart and mind, and thus sin and all of it's corrupting influence and power which has corrupted all of creation is no longer the dominating force in us who believe, but rather it is God's Spirit who not only sanctifies us, but He is the One who is also changing us from one glory to another, that is changing us from bearing the image of Adam to the image of Christ. Therefore the Law or Old Covenant by it's very nature does two very important things: First it shows us all our own sinful condition (Rom 7:7-12). And second it shows us all that there is absolutely nothing that we ourselves can do about it, to either change what is fundamentally wrong with ourselves and thus bring ourselves back into a reconciled relationship with God Himself. Something which every religion in the world seeks to do, and will always fail to do, because the only way to be reconciled to God and healed from the ravages of sin is through the work of God Himself through His own Son the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is what God in the Lord Jesus Christ through New Covenant promises to do, to first reconcile us to Himself by His grace alone, given to us all through His Son alone, the moment we believe in Him (Eph. 1:13-14; Titus 3:4-5). Then by His Spirit He regenerates us, bringing us to Spirit life and uniting us all who believe with the Lord Jesus Christ, giving us a new heart and new mind, and thus a new nature we are transformed from what we once were into a new creation, with new desires and new appetites (2 Cor 5:17). The Law then good in that it reveals to us God's Righteousness is often the means by which God brings us to Christ when we see ourselves as we really are, sinful and separated from God, and thus we see that there is nothing that we can do that would reconcile us back to God other then to repent and believe in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, who has already done everything that is necessary for us to be reconciled back to God the Father by faith in Himself. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Vs. 9 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord."

Therefore when God made His promises of a New Covenant by which He would bring the houses of Judah and Israel back to Himself, (a reference to the divided nation of Israel that had separated itself into two factions during King Solomon's reign), He did so not according to the Old Covenant that He made with their fathers when He took them by the hand and brought out of Egypt; because they did not continue in it, that is the very things God commanded them to do they did not keep doing and the very things He commanded them not to do those they did! Therefore God disregarded them according to it (Lev 18:1-5), for the Israelite's in breaking the Covenant God made with them when He brought them out of Egypt left Him with no other recourse other then to bring in a New Covenant through which He could restore not only the Israelite's to Himself (Jeremiah 31:31-34 Ezekiel 16:60-63), but also all of believing humanity back to Himself (Isaiah 42:6-9; 49:6), which He has done through His own Son the Lord Jesus Christ who is now the Covenant Bearer or Surety for us, and because He is the Covenant Bearer for us God has commanded our obedience to Him and Him alone (See Acts 3:11-26, vs. 23).  

Vs. 10 ¹⁰ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 

Whereas the Old Covenant (i.e. the Law) was righteous and holy and good, it gives us no inherent desires to want to keep it, but rather it only arouses and awakens the sin nature, and thus rather then defeating sin within us, sin is only made very real to us all through it (Rom 7:4-12). Therefore in the New Covenant God does something fundamentally different with us, and that is God puts His Laws in our minds and our hearts of us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now this He does by His Holy Spirit who again is the One who both seals us for all eternity, but also He is the One who is sanctifying us by God's Word, and thus is transforming us into Christ likeness through the same (John 17:17, 19). Therefore no one who claims to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and yet is hostile to God's Unchanging and Everlasting moral decrees has been born of God, for God's Spirit always works in accord with His Word to make us His sanctified people. 

Vs. 11 "None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them." 

In the Old Covenant economy people would like to say to each other, "Know the Lord" as an exhortation and appeal for people to keep God's commandments. However with the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilling the Old Covenant and ushering in the New, and thus with His Holy Spirit being poured out and into us all who believe in Him, there is no need for such exhortations amongst us who believe in Him. For we all Know Him, from the least of us to the greatest of us, for He by His Spirit indwells us all who believe in Him. And thus we all have a God given hunger for His Word, desiring to both here it, but also declare it, so that it might be obeyed by us, and by all. That is the state of every born again Christian. There is then only one kind of believing Christian and that is the one who knows God by God's grace alone through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, and thus having all our sins washed away by the blood of Lamb of God through faith in His death on the Cross we have the washing and renewing by the Holy Spirit by which we are given new hearts and new minds, and thus we can now see things not from the fleshes, or this world's unregenerate perspectives, but from God's (1 Cor 2:13-16).

Vs. 12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

The superiority then of the New Covenant to the Old is self evident, for God never said to the Israelite's through the Old Covenant that He would be merciful to their unrighteousness, and all their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more, rather these promises now come to us all through the New Covenant which the Lord Jesus Christ ushered in. And so the New Covenant is not based on being maintained by the works of man, as was the nature of the Old Covenant, but rather the Work of God. 

Vs. 13 In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Therefore with the New Covenant being ushered in God Himself has made the first Covenant obsolete. Thus the Old Covenant is no longer valid as a means for being in a Covenant relationship with God. We must all come to God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and not by "faith" in keeping or having kept some of the Old Covenant commandments, statutes, and or stipulations (Gal. 2:21). Therefore since God Himself has made the first Covenant obsolete, it is growing old and is ready to vanish away. Believers then must resist and reject every inclination or word of man which would seek to put them back under the Law, as the Apostle did for the Gentile believers and the early church in Acts 15.

Scripture Quotations 
The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Hebrews 8:1-6

¹ Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, ² a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. ³ For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. ⁴ For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; ⁵ who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” ⁶ But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.

Commentary

Vs. 1 "Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens"

If Jews thought that Christians were somehow lacking because they had the temple and the priesthood and all that was found and required in the Law, then sadly they were missing it all, because the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Law! And all that they were still holding onto was only a foreshadow of Christ Himself and His Ministry on our behalf. And so unlike Aaron and the earthly priesthood that came through him, which only served God in the earthly Tabernacle, then Temple, both of which were only made by human hands. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Everlasting High Priest of God who is now seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, and thus He alone intercedes for us from there. Something which Aaron and the high priests who followed him could never do, because of their sinful and mortal nature. For even here on earth they could only enter the holy of the holiness behind the veil only once a year, and only after going through great preparations to sanctify both the altar, the temple, the priests, the people, as well as themselves, so that their offering would be accepted, and they themselves would not be consumed by God's Holiness, for any sort of irreverence on their part (consider Lev. 10:1-3, 16:1-34). And so consider our Most Blessed State with God for we do not need an earthly priest to intercede for us, for we have Christ Himself as our High Priest before God who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. 

Vs. 2 "a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man."

The Lord Jesus Christ alone is the Minister of the heavenly sanctuary and the true tabernacle which the Lord erected and not man. A read of the Book of Revelations and the related passages of it will reveal that Christ's realm and Ministry is that of God's alone. All then that God commanded be done on earth was just types and figures, representations, of His own true heavenly Ministry (vs. 5). 

Vs. 3 "For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer." 

Following the model that God Himself ordained that the high priest would be the one to offer both the gifts, as well as the required sacrifices for sins, it was thus necessary that this One (a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ) also have something to offer. 
Vs. 4 "For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law;"

The Jesus the Messiah then did not serve as a priest on earth because there are priests who offer gifts and sacrifices according to the law, who were called by God through the tribe of Levi to serve Him there, to serve the copies and the shadow of the reality (vs. 5), all which is found fulfilled in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.  His high priestly service then is not that of the earthly sanctuary but rather the heavenly, where He serves God the Father as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek forever.

Vs. 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”

And so it would be impossible for the Lord Jesus Christ to serve on earth as a priest, because He would then only be serving the copy and shadow of what He Himself came to fulfill! And that was not His purpose for coming forth from God, rather that purpose was for those descended from Levi, to prepare the people for the coming and finial sacrifice of Christ Himself. Therefore when God commanded Moses to make the Tabernacle, God solemnly told him to make all things according to the pattern shown him on the mountain.  

Vs. 6 "But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises."

Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ has obtained a more excellent ministry, because His is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. The Lord Jesus Christ than is not a Minister of the Old Covenant, but of the New (2 Cor 3:5-11) which establishes for us eternal salvation because it was given through better promises which Christ Himself has fulfilled and will fulfill as He keeps us all who believe in Him secured in Himself for the day of redemption. Consider then that A Better Sanctuary, A Better Ministry, A Better Covenant, all equates with a better life both here and now and for eternity for us all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, because He is Ministering for us all who believe in Him through Better Promises. For that is what is the result of Christ's Sacrifice add Service on our behalf, not only the remission of all our sins and everlasting life the moment we believe in Him, but also abundant life here and now as we follow Him, all which culminates in an eternity with Him. Therefore if you have been seeking life and liberty and freedom and fulfillment and significance for yourself and have not found it, maybe it is because what you are doing and pursuing is not capable of doing that? For all the deepest longings of our souls are only satisfied when we are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, as Jesus Himself said: "I Am the bread of life, he who comes to Me shall never hunger, and He who believes in Me shall never thirst."  John 6:35 
The Lord Jesus Christ alone then can and satisfy all those God placed deep longings within you when you come home to God the Father by faith in Him, something that mere "religion" will never do (Luke 15:11-32). Therefore I urge you be reconciled to God today, by repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for then you will be not only be saved and satisfied from on High, but you will also be transformed by the renewing and the regeneration of the Holy Spirit which will bring Christ's life and purposes into you, and thus He will begin a new life in you and work out everlasting purposes through you, impacting lives all around you, therefore don't delay be reconciled to God today!  

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Additional Resources Consulted

Vs. 1. MacDonald, William. Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. Edited by Arthur Farstad. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995. 

Hebrews 7:20-28

²⁰ And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath ²¹ (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: “The Lord has sworn And will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek’ ”), ²² by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. ²³ Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. ²⁴ But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. ²⁶ For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; ²⁷ who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. ²⁸ For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

Commentary

Vs. 20-21 ²⁰ And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath ²¹ (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: “The Lord has sworn And will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek’ ”), 

The point being made here is that the Lord Jesus Christ, unlike Aaron and his priesthood, was made a Priest by an oath given by the Lord God. And so the oath being given by God the Father to Christ His Son is His own confirmation to Him (and us all) that His Priesthood is not only Superior to Aaron's but it will have no end, Therefore the Scripture again states: The Lord has sworn And will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek’ ” 

Vs. 22 "by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant." 

The New Covenant and Christ's Priesthood then is eminently Superior to the Old Covenant and Aaron's priesthood born out of it, because as previously stated both Aaron and the Old Covenant made nothing, or no one perfect (Heb. 7:11-19, vs. 11-12, 19). And so Jesus has become, by an oath made by God, a surety (i.e guarantor) of a better covenant, established on better promises (Heb 8:6). 

Vs. 23 "Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing." 

The Word of God continues on reasoning with us as to why both Jesus' Person and Priesthood is Superior to Aaron's. Under the Old Covenant both the high priest, and those priests who served with him were all temporary, their tenures were all limited by their own morality. And so with each and every generation there was always the need for a new high priest (and priests) who would officiate before God on behalf of the people. Now some of these men were Godly, like Samuel, and some were not, like Eli and his sons (see 1 Samuel 1-4). And so Aaron's priesthood by it's very nature had the fundamental flaw of lacking any sort of consistency or permanence, because not all men are holy, and not all men are just, and no man (whether just or not) is assured of life itself, only death itself. Therefore death always limited them all from continuing on in their service, (and thus their work on behalf of both the individual, as well as the nation of Israel was temporary) because theirs was not the eternal service for God, it was and will always be Jesus Christ's the Lord.  

Vs. 24 "But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood."

And so unlike them, the Lord Jesus Christ whose Person, Sacrifice, and now Intercession for us all who believe in Him continues forever, He has an Unchanging Priesthood via the New Covenant.

Vs. 25 "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." 

Since then Jesus Christ's Person and tenure as High Priest of God on our behalf will never end, "...He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." Now being saved to the uttermost (gr. παντελές) means not only completely, but also perpetually, forever. Thus with Christ's sacrifice for our sins completed; and thus forever satisfying the justice of God; the Lord Jesus Christ's intercession on our behalf is likewise forever interceding for us as need arises, being based solely upon His Atoning sacrifice at Calvary which is the means by which we as sinful men, woman, and children are reconciled to God the moment we believe in Him (Eph. 1:13-14). 

Vs. 26 "For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;" 

The point being made here is that there was but One Man, the Son of Man/Son of God the Lord Jesus Christ who alone could fulfill this unique Role as the Everlasting High Priest to God for us. 

Jesus Christ alone is holy, for He alone is the expressed Image of God (Col. 1:15).
Jesus Christ alone is harmless, (gr. ἄκακος, "guileless, without fault, upright, innocent"). And yet more than just being blameless or innocent in every sense, this word also indicates something that is exceedingly good in it's fundamental nature, and thus is the antithesis of every and any form of evil. In stark contrast to that then the devils fundamental nature is to kill, steal, and destroy in whatever ways he can, for that is what he is naturally, and so that is what he seeks to do too, and through men and woman's lives in this world of which He rules, and holds sway over. Therefore where such things take place you now the devil is at work deceiving and or swaying people to do his own evil will. Now the only reason I'm stating as much is so that you will understand the striking contrast between the Works of the Son of God the Lord Jesus Christ and the works of the devil, because the Lord Jesus Christ not only is Good, but He only seeks to do Good, and will do nothing but Good, which is in accord with the Will of God, and which is in accord with His own Fundamental Nature. 
Jesus Christ alone is undefiled, neither Aaron nor the priests descended from him were undefiled,
if they were God would not have required a sacrifice first for their own sins, before they could begin interceding on behalf of the people for theirs.
Jesus Christ alone is separate from sinners, now this does not mean that Jesus has nothing to do with sinners, for He was crucified with and for sinners (Isaiah 53). What it means is that as our Crucified, Resurrected, and now Ascended Lord and Savior seated at the right hand of God, Jesus Christ alone is both uniquely qualified, and in the position to intercede to God for us, because He alone is separate from sinners, because Jesus Christ alone has a Sinless Nature.

Vs. 27 "who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself."

Because of the Lord Jesus Christ's Sinless Person and Nature (as well as the Completeness and Sufficiency and Finality of His own Sacrifice) He does not need to offer up daily sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the peoples He is interceding for, because this He did once and for all time when He offered up Himself to God on the cross for us all. The Lord Jesus Christ's Sinless Person and Sacrifice then uniquely qualifies Him to serve as God's High Priest on our behalf. 

Vs. 28 "For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever."

 

Another failing of the Law is that it only appoints as high priests men who have weaknesses (gr. ἀσθένειαa: weakness, incapacity, limitation etc.). And so unlike the Lord Jesus Christ whose Divine Person and Nature has no weaknesses, and who alone was called by an oath given by God Himself, (referencing Psalm 110:4), the high priests the law appointed were all men bound with weaknesses, in that they all bore a sinful nature, and they all were subject to death. And so with the Lord Jesus Christ their is no weaknesses or limitations. For even as the Son of Man who once subjected Himself in the flesh to death (John 10:17-18), Jesus is no more subject to death, because He has by His own Resurrection from the dead been Perfected forever, when by laying down His own life on the Cross for us all, He three days later He took it up again on behalf of us all. The Lord Jesus Christ then is the first born of the Resurrection of the dead, and thus by doing so He alone has enacted God's Promise of everlasting life coming to one and all who repent and believe in Him crucified and Risen from the dead. Therefore unlike the mere mortal men whom the Law appointed as high priests, who only serve for a season, because they are all subject to sin and death, and thus they can by no means deliver themselves or anyone else from it's clutches, because of their own inherent weaknesses and mortality. The oath sworn by God the Father to His own Son Jesus Christ that He would be a Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, exceedingly surpasses and supplants everything that Aaron and the high priesthood that came through him did and could do. For apart from Christ and His ministry for us there is no escape from sin and ultimately death which it brings to bear on us all. The Superiority then of Christ's Person and Priesthood over Aaron and that which came through the Law then is self evident to one and all who repent and believe and thus trust not in Aaron and Law (and thus ones own righteousness according to it) but only in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Resources Consulted For Word Studies

Kittel, Gerhard, Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey William Bromiley. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1985.

Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996.

Hebrews 7:11–19

¹¹ Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? ¹² For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. ¹³ For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. ¹⁴ For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. ¹⁵ And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest ¹⁶ who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. ¹⁷ For He testifies: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” ¹⁸ For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, ¹⁹ for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

Commentary

Vs. 11 "Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron?"

Perfection could never come through the Levitical priesthood because both it's priests and it's service and sacrifices were all temporary. Therefore this verse begins one of strongest sections on the change of both the priesthood, but also the Covenant of which we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are now under. Therefore as the Word of God says, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law); of which we are not now under (Rom 6:14); what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood that came through Aaron was only given to minister the Law to the people under it, it was not given to minister the Gospel by which perfection ultimately comes to one and to all who repent and believe. Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ having provided the Atonement for all our sins and transgressions, because we are all transgressors according to the Law (Rom 3:19-26; James 2:10), being called to serve as God's High Priest (and thus having fulfilled the Law, the Old Covenant, before enacting the New Covenant) had to be called according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to Aaron's priesthood, which could never make anyone perfect through it's services and sacrifices. For like the Law which came through it, it was temporary, until both the Seed and His Sacrifice of Himself for us all was accomplished (Isaiah 53, vs. 10; Gal 3:19-25 etc.). 

Vs. 12 "For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law." 

And so with a change in priesthood, there is of necessity a change of the law (or covenant). There is than no clearer Scriptural statement of this than what is stated here. The New Covenant brought forth and enacted by the Lord Jesus Christ's shed blood and broken body than is how we draw near to God.

Vs. 13-14 ¹³ For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. ¹⁴ For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.

The Word of God now makes another point about the Lord Jesus Christ being called according to the order of Melchizedek and not according to Aaron, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ came through the tribe of Judah, (not Levi), from which no man has officiated at the altar. A tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. Now this is being stated to refute every and any notions that anyone may have about the Lord Jesus Christ and His High Priesthood for us all being an continuation on of Aaron's or anyone else's. 

Vs. 15-16 ¹⁵ And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest ¹⁶ who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.

Therefore Lord Jesus came in likeness of Melchizedek, but not as following a descendancy of Melchizedek or Aaron or anyone else in regards to His serving as High Priest. For the Lord Jesus Christ was not called as God's High Priest according to the law of a fleshly commandment (that is God did not call His own Son into His Service through a fleshly commandment given to a mortal man), but the Lord Jesus Christ has been called by God according to the power of an endless life, which is God's witness to us all that is His Son and His service for us all. The Superiority than of Christ's call over Aaron's is then the point being made here.  

Vs. 17  For He testifies: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

Therefore it is God who says to His Son, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4) Thus Jesus' Priesthood being established and sanctified from everlasting to everlasting is unique, and therefore must always be distinguished from Aaron's, because God our Father prepared it for Him alone. For the Lord Jesus Christ's ministry, unlike Aaron's, will never end. 

Vs. 18-19 ¹⁸ For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, ¹⁹ for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

The Word of God in verse eighteen makes it clear that there has been an annulling of the former commandment; literally then the ministry of Aaron has been done away with, because the law itself as a means by which men draw near to God (and thus as the means by which we are brought into a covenant relationship with Him) has been done away with. Now the reason the former commandment has been done away with was it's weakness and unprofitableness (vs. 18); that is it was weak and unprofitable in that it could not make perfect through it's ordinances and sacrifices (which needed to be repeated over and over again) those who were drawing near to God through it.
Therefore in verse nineteen the Word of God states: "the law made nothing perfect...", which is the indictment of it's weakness and unprofitableness, and thus it's inability to change anyone or anything, because all of creation is tainted by sin, ruled by death, and is swayed by Satan, therefore no one can be healed and made whole again by it. The Law simply doesn't have the power to do what only God can do for us all. In fact if you break this down to a personal level the Law will by no means strengthen you in your own resolve against sin, for the strength of sin is the Law (1 Cor 15:56), thus the sinful nature (or the flesh) is not held captive by the Law, it is only aroused by it (Rom 7:5-6). The Law then made nothing perfect, but only kept us under guard until God our Father provided through His own Son the Lord Jesus Christ the everlasting Atonement that would change everything and everyone who repents and believes in Him. Therefore through the Lord Jesus Christ and His Everlasting Sacrifice and Ministry there is the bringing in of a better hope through which we can all now draw near to God, not by mortal priests and their interceding for us, but directly through the Sacrifice and Ministry and Intercession of God's own Son. From the lowest of sinners to the most "refined" of men and women from every nation, of every language, of every generation, of every walk of life, there is now no one, or no place, which the Gospel cannot reach and thus is excluded from the redemption of Almighty God and having reconciliation with God Himself through Christ Himself. The day of salvation then is right here and right now for you, for me, and for everyone who repents and believes, therefore don't delay be reconciled too God today!

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Hebrews 7:1–10

¹ For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, ² to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” ³ without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. ⁴ Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. ⁵ And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; ⁶ but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. ⁷ Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. ⁸ Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. ⁹ Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, ¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Preamble: The mention of Melchizedek in the previous verse (Hebrews 6:20) begins again the Word of God's exposition of his priestly position and service, to now show the superiority of it to Aaron's. And so the Lord Jesus Christ as now the One and Only High Priest of God has been called according to it, and not according to the temporal priesthood that came through Aaron. And so in this section we are shown the marked distinctions between Melchizedek's priesthood and Aaron's. 

Commentary
Vs. 1 "For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,"

Unlike Aaron, Melchizedek bore two titles and served in two capacities. The first one mentioned is that of being king, specifically king of Salem, which means king of peace. Now Salem geographically corresponds with Jerusalem, and so in Melchizedek we clearly see the precursor for the Lord Jesus Christ's own Kingship, and thus His fulfilling this aspect of that office and service for God, and for us all who believe in Him. Now the second aspect of Melchizedek is that he alone in the days of Abraham was called the priest of the Most High God. This is very important because in being called according to the order of Melchizedek and not Aaron, the Lord Jesus Christ likewise is now the One and only High Priest before God, therefore we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ do not trace our spiritual beginnings to Aaron and Moses, but to Abraham who first believed God (consider Gal 3:5-9, 15-18, 19-25, 26-29 etc.), who was alone blessed by Melchizedek, which then set the stage for the Spiritual descendancy that followed, which we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ all belong too (1 Peter 2:9-10). And so when Melchizedek met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings (that is those kings who had first assailed and taken prisoner Abraham's nephew Lot and the people who dwelt with them (see Gen. 14, vs. 18-20), this Melchizedek, king of Salem, being priest of the Most High God, after Abraham had secured the victory then met Abraham and blessed him alone. Now the nature of this blessing will not be discussed here for the Word of God is not focusing on that, but rather on the importance of the position and person of Melchizedek (as a precursor to Christ) and thus Abraham's response to him as priest of God Most High. 

Vs. 2 ² to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” 

Abraham then upon this meeting then gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the spoils from the war. Now this is very significant because by doing so Abraham was acknowledging that Melchizedek was indeed priest of God Most High, and thus far greater than himself. And so imagine if you will that this great man Abraham (the father of the faith) whom God alone had called, by receiving and honoring Melchizedek's person and position did so as his willing subjection to God through God's priest Melchizedek, because his position as priest of God Most High was the precursor for Christ's. Therefore if Abraham received and honored God's priest Melchizedek who blessed him, how much more should we now likewise receive and be in subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ as God's High Priest alone. For the parallels between Melchizedek and the Lord Jesus Christ are so clear and are being shown us all by the Word of God so that no one in anyway would dare lesson Jesus Christ's Person or High Priesthood by seeking to return themselves (or others) to the Law and Aaron's. For again Melchizedek is the precursor of all that God intended to do through the Lord Jesus Christ's own Priesthood. For God's blessing on His people does not come upon us through Aaron and Moses and the Levitical priesthood that came through them, but only through the Lord Jesus Christ's. And so here it is also stated that Melchizedek was first called "king of righteousness" as well as "king of peace", two titles that could never be attributed to Aaron or his descendants and their priesthood, because Aaron was never called by God a king, nor did his person or his service as priest ever bring about a righteous standing with God, or peace with God, for anyone. Only the Lord Jesus Christ has done this for everyone who believes in Him crucified and risen from the dead for all their sins and transgressions, and thus now is subject to Him as God's One and only High Priest who is Lord of all.

Vs. 3 "without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually."

And so this Melchizedek as the precursor of all that God was going to do through His own Son the Lord Jesus Christ, also had to be without a father, and without mother, (that is genealogical parents), having neither beginning of days nor end of life, and thus being made like the Son of God (in regards to these things) remains a priest continually. Now this eternal aspect of Melchizedek's person and priesthood is the critical point being made here, because both Aaron's person and priesthood, and all the priest's, and specifically all the high priests who came through him, were all temporary, they began on earth, and thus their service ends on earth (Rev. 20:6). And so theirs is not the everlasting priesthood for God, theirs was the service that the Law required until the Seed should come through whom all of God's promises and provisions for us all who believe in Him would come to fruition.

Vs. 4  ⁴ Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. 

The significance of Abraham giving Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils should not then be lost on any of us, because Abraham here being called the patriarch (of our faith) in doing so was pointing us all through the person and service of Melchizedek to the Person and Priesthood of Christ, whom we are all to honor and be in subjection too (John 5:22-23).

Vs. 5-6 ⁵ And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; ⁶ but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.

And so now an analogy is being drawn between the sons of Levi who received the priesthood from God, and thus were commanded to receive tithes according to the Law from their brethren, who also came through the loins of Abraham, and so all of these who were commanded to receive tithes from the people under the Law first all paid tithes to Melchizedek through Abraham (vs. 9), and thus themselves are likewise subordinate to God's Priest Melchizedek, just as Abraham was, though that is not the whole point here, for though they all came through Abraham who himself paid tithes to Melchizedek, who again did not come from the tribe of Levi, or even through Abraham, but by God. Therefore since Abraham their (and our) father acknowledged and received and honored Melchizedek as being exceedingly greater then himself, received and honored him in anticipation of Christ fulfilling this service for him and for all. How much more then should Abraham's descendants do likewise and be in subjection to God  as Abraham was by receiving and honoring His High Priest the Lord Jesus Christ who was also sent to them. And so whether one is of Aaron or Levi or one of the other tribes of Israel is irrelevant, because Abraham their father in submitting himself to God through Melchizedek set the stage for all of his descendants (whether biological or Spiritual) to follow. Therefore if you believe in God then be in subjection to God as Abraham the Patriarch was by honoring and obeying God's High Priest who is not now Melchizedek, but the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Vs. 7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. 

Abraham being the lessor of these two great persons; Melchizedek and himself; is blessed by the better, something which Melchizedek did when he came out to meet Abraham after the slaughter of the kings (vs. 1). Again the point is that if Abraham who preceded Moses and Aaron, and thus is the patriarch to whom God gave the promises, in reverence received God's priest Melchizedek who was sent to bless him, how much more should his own descendants hold God's Son and Abraham's and our own High Priest the Lord Jesus Christ in reverence and thus be in subjection to Him. For Christ Jesus the Lord was sent as God's King and High Priest to bless and keep everyone who repents and believes in Him. 

Vs. 8 ⁸ Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. 

Here on earth mortal men receives tithes, the reference being to sons of Aaron, the priests appointed by God to administer the Law. And so their service was earthly, temporary, they only officiated while they lived and while the Law was governing, while Melchizedek's service did not begin on earth, nor does it end on earth, and thus it is a marvelous model for the Lord Jesus Christ's own High Priesthood which was foretold through it. And thus through Melchizedek's unending service we have the witness that he still lives, and thus if he still lives, so too does the Lord Jesus Christ as our High Priest before God (Heb. 4:14-16). For Melchizedek's service was not pointing to himself, but to Christ Himself.

Vs. 9-10 ⁹ Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, ¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Not only did Abraham pay tithes to Melchizedek, but so too did Levi, for as the Word of God makes clear here, when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, Levi his descendant also did because he was still in the loins of his father Abraham when Melchizedek met him. And so again the point is that Melchizedek's person and position is not only greater than Abraham's but it also preceded and excelled all that came through Aaron, because it was a precursor to Christ's. The next section of Scripture then will bring this truth to bear with even more compelling reasoning's so stay tuned.   

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Hebrews 6:13-20

¹³ For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, ¹⁴ saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” ¹⁵ And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. ¹⁶ For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. ¹⁷ Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, ¹⁸ that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. ¹⁹ This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, ²⁰ where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Commentary
Vs. 13-15 ¹³ For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, ¹⁴ saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” ¹⁵ And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

Carrying on from the exhortation that we should imitate the faith and patience of those who inherit God's promises, the Word of God now gives us the example of Abraham, the father of our faith, a man chosen by God, who believed God, and thus went onto obey God in offering up Issac, and so God promised him saying, "“Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” ¹⁵ And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise, (vs. 14-15, citing Gen. 22:16-17). Therefore though Abraham believed God he was not immediately rewarded with God's promise, he had to patiently endure many trials and tribulations before God's promise unfolded to him; some of which he saw in his own lifetime, some of which came much later too and through his own descendants, and now as God's Promise finds it's fulfillment In Christ, Abraham now observing from heaven is seeing the the innumerable multitudes who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ likewise fulfilling God's Word spoken to him, by having God's longstanding Promise and blessing coming to fruition in our own lives as well, in that we too have become apart of God's chosen people in fulfillment of His promise spoken to Abraham (1 Peter 2:9-10). And so the point that is being made is that trust in God's Promise spoken through His Word is the most assured place to have ones trust and hope, because what God promises He always fulfills. Therefore if you have not yet placed all your faith, hope and trust in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ for your own redemption from sin and death please do so now, because God's Promise in John 3:16 was given by Him for you. 

Vs. 16-18 ¹⁶ For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. ¹⁷ Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, ¹⁸ that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

If mortal men swear oaths by something or someone greater then themselves as a confirmation of their own words, and thus their word is believed and trusted, how much more should we trust God's Word (vs. 16). Because God in determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, also confirmed it by an oath, not that His own Word needs any such confirmation, but rather He wanted to show us all who are and will be the heirs of His promise the immutability of His counsel, that is the unchangeable nature of it (vs. 17). Therefore when God swore His Promise He also confirmed it by an oath. Now this He did, not that He needed to confirm His own Word, but rather He did this so that all of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to whom His Promise of becoming His people is given, and thus of having His eternal salvation is for, would have strong consolation in His Person, in His Word, and thus in His Promise. For it is impossible for God to lie, therefore we who believe have strong consolation in God's Person, Promise, Counsel and Word, because having fled to Him for refuge from the wrath to come we now have everlasting salvation through His Son, and thus we have now laid hold of all of God's Promises which are all bound up in Jesus Christ alone. 

Vs. 19-20  ¹⁹ This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, ²⁰ where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Therefore this hope of (eternal life by faith In the Lord Christ) we have as an anchor of our souls, for it is sure and it is steadfast, and it enters the Presence behind the veil; a reference to the holy Presence and sacred place of God, which the high priest once a year entered to make atonement and intercession for the people of God. And so just as this was once performed on earth in anticipation of God's Promises fulfillment, now this hope given us through God's Word's fulfillment In the Lord Jesus Christ likewise has now entered the Presence of God behind the veil in heaven, where Jesus the forerunner of us all who believe in Him has entered for us. Therefore in becoming the High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, Jesus has not only made the everlasting atonement for us all who believe in Him, but He has also established an everlasting and unchanging Priesthood of which He alone officiates in the Presence of God on our behalf (Heb. 4:14-16). 

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Hebrews 6:9-12

⁹ But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. ¹⁰ For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. ¹¹ And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Commentary

Vs. 9 "But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner."

The Word of God's tone now changes from a dire warning to a tone of much encouragement, because all that was previous stated was not an indictment of us who believe, but rather those who don't. Therefore He say's, "...we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner." 

Vs. 10 "For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister."  

Therefore God is active in preserving our faith in His Son (1 Sam. 2:9; Psalm 31:23; 37:28; 97:10 etc.). For He is not unjust, for He both remembers and rewards all that we do in our love and labor for His Name. And so all that we have done and do in love towards His people (i.e. ministering to the saints), God remembers and repays, just as He remembers and will repay all that is done in ministering to those who cannot minister to you (Luke 14:12-14; also consider Eph 6:5-8; Col 3:23-25, vs. 24 where we will be rewarded for our faithful service to others as done unto Christ). 

Vs. 11-12 ¹¹ And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

In light of such things everyone should be even more encouraged in their faith and labors of love, and thus show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end that saints of old did, because being sluggish in ones faith, love, and life is not the way of Jesus Christ, and neither anyone of us who truly believe in Him. Therefore let us all imitate the lives, faith, and patience of those who have inherited the promises, and will inherit the promises.

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Hebrews 6:1-8

¹ Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, ² of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. ³ And this we will do if God permits. ⁴ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. ⁷ For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; ⁸ but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, ² of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

It's important to note that what is being stated here is not abandoning the teachings of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. For these things are the foundations of a sound faith, and so forsaking them is not what is being stated here. What is being stated is that their should a progression in our faith and lives, and thus a moving on from the essentials of the faith and onto maturity. There is no need then to debate whether people are commanded to repent and believe, or be baptized upon their salvation, or of the validity of the laying on of hands, or of the ressurection of the dead and eternal judgment. These things have all been verified by the Life, Death and Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:11-16). Maturity then for us who believe is not found by us endlessly reiterating and or debating these to and amongst ourselves. Rather Spirit maturity requires our faith, and thus our living by faith in God through Christ, by which we must grow in both grace and truth if we are to attain to maturity (John 1:17; Gal 1:6-8; 2 Peter 3:18 etc.). 

Vs. 3 "And this we will do if God permits."

The thought here is that no one; whether an individual believer, or an assembly of believers grows apart from God. We are all dependent upon Him for our growth and our maturing. Yet God does not hinder our growth (only we do that) when we refuse to obey Him not only as the Author, but also the Perfecter of our faith (Heb 10:14). Lets us then work with Him in His grand designs to bring us all to maturity by our obeying the Biblical teachings of His Spirit gifted leaders, just as they rightly use His Word to instruct us and deliver us from every false way (consider Eph. 4:11-16). 

Vs. 4-6 ⁴ For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

The sin of apostasy is what is being warned about here, a sin of which there is no repentance from. Not that the original recipients of this epistle had done so, (for if they had there would be no need to write to them), but rather to warn them against the peril of not progressing in ones faith. Now there are several things to note about this, first is that these individuals were once enlightened, they had heard the Good News about God's salvation by God's grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and so they were enlightened, not only about their own sinful condition, but more importantly about the Lord Jesus Christ and His Crucifixion death and Resurrection from the dead which is the only remedy for them and for all. And so God's promise went out to them, just as it goes to all, offering and bringing new and everlasting life to everyone who repents and believes in Christ. And yet with their being enlightened this did equate with their salvation. For one can hear the Gospel and yet not receive it's promise of remission of sins and everlasting by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so though they were enlightened, they did not take the next step and make a positive move towards a definitive faith and trust in God through the Lord Jesus Christ. For the Gospel always demands a response from us, and not to respond is only to waste an opportunity for ones own redemption. For it also says that they tasted the heavenly gift, that is they found themselves in a situation or circumstance where the glory of God's salvation was clearly shown them, they thus tasted the heavenly gift, yet they did not partake of the heavenly gift, for Jesus Christ Himself clearly warns us all that, "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you" (see John 6:53-59). Therefore you cannot have just a little bit of the Lord Jesus Christ, you cannot accept and receive only those aspects of His Person or His teachings that you find agreeable or believable. Your must eat and feed on all of Him, or you will have none of Him. And so going to church, or an evangelist rally, and partaking in all of the praise and worship and Spirit born activity, and thus to become a partaker of the Holy Spirit and His work in and amongst God's people is not the same as being born again by the Holy Spirit which is a definitive work of God who does this and seals everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ for the day of redemption (Eph. 1:13-14). Therefore where there is a resistance in an individuals heart to receive the Lord Jesus Christ completely and unconditionally there He will not go (for the antithesis of that see Jesus' Promise in Rev. 3:20). And so though these people had all kinds of exposure to God's Son Person and His salvation and His working in and through His people, and thus they tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come (vs. 5), and yet it did not equate with their believing and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as their own. They may have gone to Bible studies and joined small groups etc. but at some point in their hearts they stalled out and instead of growing in faith until they came to a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ upon which the Holy Spirit would have entered them and thus begun His work of sanctifying them, they only gave up their pursuit of Him, and instead of believing in Him for eternal life they only fell away from Him, and thus all that God had done and planted in their hearts and lives in the hopes of redeeming them has been lost forever, since they themselves made in their hearts at some point a definitive rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ's Person. Therefore they cannot be renewed to repentance, since they would then crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame (vs. 6). Therefore there is no redemption for anyone who does so. This passage then is a dire warning for us all to heed because God will not endure anyone who does so (consider John 3:35-36).

Vs. 7-8 ⁷ For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; ⁸ but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

Now these verses metaphorically represent the life of the individual who has fallen away from Christ and thus whose unregenerate life now only bears the fruits of sin and death, and thus there is contained with them a warning about bearing the good fruits that God desires in all of our lives, because just as the earth is watered and nurtured by God so are we, and if we do not bear the good fruits of repentance in our own lives (Matt 3:8-10; Acts 26:20), then we too may be cursed and rejected and ultimately burned. For there is a ressurection of the just and the unjust and so the responsibility always lies with us to bring our faith and lives inline with God's (John 5:24-30). 
Therefore I urge you to take the Word of God deeply into heart and Person and life and let the Lord Jesus Christ deeply transform you. Because that is where everything Christian and life giving begins, with Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior indwelling you, for then you will have all of fruits of the Spirit of God within you, the love, the joy, the peace, the patience, the kindness, the goodness, the faithfulness, the self control all which makes for living a fruitful and satisfying and purpose filled life. Therefore don't delay receive the Lord Jesus Christ today!

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.

Hebrews 5:12-14

¹² For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. ¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Commentary 
Vs. 12 "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food." 

Continuing on from the rebuke of their being dull of hearing (see Heb 5:11) the Word of God now makes an appeal to their false sense of being mature in the faith. For not unlike today, there are always some who need to move beyond the essentials of the faith and move onto maturity. And so though they should have been teachers, both in terms of their knowledge and understanding, and even their lives, and thus they should have been well established in the faith. Instead they were still found to be in need of the first principles of the oracles of God, and thus like infants they were still needing and feeding on milk and not solid food. And so somewhere along the way they stalled in their faith, and instead of moving onto maturity they lost sight of the Way. Maybe they returned to Jewish legalism (Rom 10:3-4), or maybe they continued to emphasize Spiritual gifts and giftedness rather than moving onto love (1 Cor 13). Whatever it was, it was bad enough for the Word of God to need to rebuke their inattentiveness to His Word and His wanting to lead them onto maturity. And so before we go on we all need to examine ourselves and make sure that what we think is being mature really is! Because nothing stifles growth and maturity and unity more than clinging to and exalting those things that are meant to lead us into maturity, and not into their own exaltation and servitude. 

Vs. 13 "For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe."

For everyone (from the Pastor to the new born child of God) who partakes only of milk (a metaphor for beginning things of our faith, more on this in chapter 6) is only unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. Notice it is God's Word that is the standard of righteousness by which we discern both good and evil. And so like the machinist who calibrates his very precise measuring tools against a known and unchanging standard, so must we calibrate our faith and beliefs and lives by the Word of God, which is the unchanging and unalterable standard of God. For it is the only true standard and measure for us who believe of what is righteous and holy and just conduct in the sight of God and what is not. And so being well versed in God's Word, both in belief and practice, is how we learn and discern God's will for us and for all. 

Vs. 14 "But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

Therefore solid food belongs to those who are mature, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Spiritual discernment then is both a gift of the Spirit of God as well something that comes to us by our putting the Word of God in practice. Maturity then is linked to our obeying the Word of God and it's truths, as God by His Spirit reveals these things to us. For by doing so we not only mature in the faith, but we will also grow in our abilities to discern between good and evil. Something that is desperately needed as this world undoes all that is Godly and true and righteous and sound so as too leave no other standard then their own degenerating values for people to measure their lives and conduct by, and so rather than following that pathway of sin which leads to death (Rom 3:23), turn by faith too the Lord Jesus Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior not only for the remission of all your sins, but also for the regeneration, and thus transformation of your person and life! For it is Jesus Christ and Him alone who can and will bring you into a living and eternal relationship with God the Father Himself the moment you believe! Therefore be reconciled to God today, open your heart and mind and receive Jesus Christ so that you will have remission of all your sins and everlasting life united with God through Christ forever (Rev 3:20). 

Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.