Hebrews 7:12 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

For the priesthood being changed,— Another priest arising, there must be a change of the priesthood; but how does it follow that there must be a change of the law? For though the priesthood admitted an alteration, might not the law, as to other points, have continued the same? The truth is, so much of the law concerns the priesthoodimmediately,—alltheirsacrifices,oblations,purifications,theirgreatday of atonement, and in short all their temple service,—that, supposing those to have been abolished or set aside, their law itself might properly be said to be changed. But there is a still juster reason for this inference of the apostle: the law had promised temporal blessings to its observers, and had denounced as severe curses on such as disobeyed it; and as there could not, in the nature of things, but be frequent lapses and deviations from obedience, a priesthood was appointed, and a method of expiation by means thereof, to restore the offenders to what they had no right to, but by obedience. If therefore the priesthood was changed, the means of atonement were taken away; and the promises annexed only to obedience, or to propitiation, were void, or of no effect at all; and in consequence, the law itself was insignificant and useless, and must be either changed or abolished quite, the end of it in this respect being wholly lost. See the next notes and on Hebrews 7:15-17.