here<\/a>)<\/p>\nHere\u2019s our last baby step in learning to hear God speak: We\u2019ve overheard God. We\u2019ve overheard the Trinity speaking in OT QUOTES. We know it\u2019s about salvation. The last step is to recognize that when God takes an oath, he really, really means it.<\/span><\/p>\nHebrews 7:17 tells us that the Father says to the Son, \u201cyou are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nBut look at 7:21, which zooms out and shows us some context:\u00a0 it was not without an oath: \u201cThe Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, you are a priest forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now why would God have to promise? Why would he make an oath? Why would he swear?\u00a0 If you know somebody who makes oaths, in human situations those are usually the people who you don\u2019t trust much. Think about someone who says, \u201cI will be there at noon\u201d versus somebody who says, \u201cI promise, I swear, I do hereby vow that on my word I will be there at noon.\u201d That\u2019s usually somebody whose word you don\u2019t trust unless it\u2019s backed up by some special oath. You\u2019re more inclined to believe the person who simply lets his yea be yea, and affirms, \u201cI will be there at noon.\u201d That is, you believe him if his proven character, based on previous performances, indicates that he is trustworthy.<\/span><\/p>\nBut when it comes to God, we know his character and we know he means every word he says. So when HE backs something up with an oath\u2026. well then, he MEANS it means it. Reallyo trulyo. All of the Bible is the perfect word of God, but what are we to say of the oath parts? If the words of Jesus sometimes get printed in red, maybe these should be printed in gold. Maybe we should double underline those. They\u2019re apparently MORE SO.<\/span><\/p>\nGod would take an oath, not because his word wouldn\u2019t be credible without one, but because an oath has the character of solemnity, of formality, of intimate commitment. Think of a wedding vow: it\u2019s an extremely intimate self-promising, and simultaneously an act of public accountability that we gather witnesses to hear. God\u2019s oaths have that private-public character.<\/span><\/p>\nThe Father has sworn to the Son: \u201cyou are a priest.\u201d Jesus is our priest. Forever.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\nA bit of a side point here: the priests of the Old Covenant were put in place by lineage, by descent, by being of the right tribe. Jesus is not from that tribe of Levi, he\u2019s from the tribe of Judah. Does that disqualify him from being our priest? No. It disqualifies him from being a Levitical priest. But he\u2019s not a Levitical priest, he\u2019s a Melchizedek priest.<\/span><\/p>\nIs that better or worse? It\u2019s better. Levitical priests have lineage. But Melchizedek priests have oaths. There are a lot of reasons why an oath is a better basis for priesthood, but just consider some of the disadvantages of a bloodline priesthood. After Israel returns from exile, in Nehemiah 7:63-5, some of the priests couldn\u2019t prove their lineage or their descent from their father\u2019s houses, so they were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. They were not allowed to partake of the priestly food \u201cuntil a priest with Urim and Thummim should arise.\u201d Now I\u2019m not going to go into detail about the Urim and Thummim here; I\u2019m already covering Melchizedek and am not trying to lead a tour through every weird topic in the Old Testament! But the basic idea is that some sort of special revelation, some way of knowing God\u2019s will for an immediate situation, would have to come to pass, to certify the lineage. Unless a word from God could vouch for them, who could be sure of their lineage? But Jesus has the word straight from God: You Are A Priest. Forever.<\/span><\/p>\nIt\u2019s all in Psalm 110, where the Father says to the Son, sit at my right hand\u2026 you are a priest forever. This is the main thing God has to say. But he says a little more\u2026 \u201cyou are a priest forever\u2026 according to the order of Melchizedek.\u201d About him, as Hebrews remarks, \u201cwe have much to say\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(For the sermon that this is an excerpt from, go here) Here\u2019s our last baby step in learning to hear God speak: We\u2019ve overheard God. We\u2019ve overheard the Trinity speaking in OT QUOTES. We know it\u2019s about salvation. The last step is to recognize that when God takes an oath, he really, really means it. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-theology"],"yoast_head":"\n
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