By the eternal priesthood of Christ, the Levitical priesthood of Aaron is abolished; and the temporal covenant with the fathers, by the eternal covenant of the gospel.
Anno Domini 63.
THE apostle, in what goes before, having shewed that Jesus, as an High-priest is superior to all the Levitical high-priests, inasmuch as, like Melchisedec, he is a king as well as a priest; nay, an infinitely more righteous king than even Melchisedec, being absolutely free from sin,—he in this and in the following chapter, for the farther illustration of the glory of Jesus as an high-priest, compares his ministrations with the ministrations of the Levitical high-priests, both in respect of the place where he officiates, and in respect of the efficacy of his ministrations.
His discourse on these subjects the apostle begins with observing, that it is a point of infinite importance to mankind as sinners, that we have in Jesus such an High-priest as our sinful state requires, and as he had described, chap. Hebrews 7:26 namely, an High-priest absolutely sinless, and infinitely greater than all the angels; who having offered one effectual sacrifice for sin, even the sacrifice of himself, sat down in his glorified humanity at the right hand of the manifestation of the divine presence in heaven, Hebrews 8:1.—as the abiding minister, or High-priest of the true holy places which the Lord hath formed, and not man, Hebrews 8:2.—This sitting down of the Son of God our High-priest, at the right hand of theMajesty in the heavens, after offering the sacrifice of himself, the apostle had mentioned, chap. Hebrews 1:3. But it was only as a subject to be afterwards handled. He therefore introduces it in this place in order to a full discussion; and calls it the sum of all the things that he had hitherto mentioned, because it implied, First, that the sacrifice of himself which Jesus offered, on his entering heaven after his resurrection, was accepted of God the Father as a sufficient atonement for the sins of the world.— Secondly, the sitting of our great priest at the right hand of God implies, that he possesses all power in heaven and on earth. So that he is able to defend his faithful people from all their enemies, and to reward them at the judgment.—Thirdly, that our High-priest did not, like the Levitical high-priests, depart out of the most holy place after finishing the atonement, but abideth there always as the great minister or High-priest thereof, to open that holy place to the prayers, and other acts of worship performed by his faithful saints on earth, and to their persons after the general judgment; and to make intercession for the absolute security of their glory, notwithstanding their free agency, for ever and ever.
Of the first of these important matters implied in our High-priest's sitting down at the right hand of God, namely, that he offered the sacrifice of himself, and that that sacrifice was accepted by God the Father as a sufficient atonement for the sins of the world, the apostle treats in this chapter.—Of the second, namely, that he possesseth power as the great Governor and Ruler of all worlds, to save his faithful people, and to give them eternal life, he speaks, chap. Hebrews 9:28.—And of the third, that he is the abiding minister of the heavenly holy place, he discourses, chap. Hebrews 10:19-22.
That Christ has offered an effectual sacrifice for sin, the apostle proves in the following manner: Since every high-priest is constituted to offer both gifts and sacrifices, Messiah, who was constituted by the oath ofGod the Father an High-priest after the similitude of Melchisedec, must of necessity have had some sacrifice to offer, and (as is necessarily implied) did offer the sacrifice of himself, when he died upon the cross on Calvary, Hebrews 8:3.—And that he must have pleaded, and is now pleading, that sacrifice in heaven, is certain; because if the oath of God had respected his being a priest on earth, he could not have been a priest at all: for the only temple of God on earth where he could offer sacrifice, being occupied by priests who officiated according tothe law of Moses, which confined the priest's office to the sons of Aaron, Numbers 3:10 these priests would have hindered Messiah, who was of the tribe of Judah, from ministering as a priest among them, unless Omnipotence had interfered against a then existing law of his own. It is plain, therefore, that if Messiah was not appointed to exercise his priesthood in heaven, he never acted as a priest at all; and the oath of God, constituting him a priest, has not taken effect, Hebrews 8:4.—Farther, to prove that Messiah was to act as an High-priest in heaven, the apostle appealed to the services which the Levitical priests performed according to the law in the inward tabernacle, whose chief use, he tells us, was to be shadows or typical representations of the services to be performed by Christ in heaven. And this affirmation he founds on God's command to Moses, to make all things, not the tabernacles only with their furniture, but the services of the tabernacles also, exactly according to the pattern shewed him on the mount, Hebrews 8:5.
Next, with respect to the efficacy of Christ's ministrations as an High-priest, the apostle observes, that they are as much more excellent than the ministrations of the Levitical High-priests, as the covenant or dispensation of religion of which he is the Mediator or High-Priest, by its better promises, excels the covenant or dispensation of the law, Hebrews 8:6.—which the apostle proves to be not without fault from this circumstance, that if it had contained all the discoveries and promises which God judged necessary to the justification, sanctification, and salvation of sinners, he would not have introduced a second covenant or dispensation of religion, Hebrews 8:7.—Yet that a second covenant or dispensation was to be introduced, is evident from God's own words, Jeremiah 31:31-34 in which he promised a new covenant, Hebrews 8:8.—different from that which he made with the Israelites after bringing them out of Egypt, Hebrews 8:9.—For in the new covenant, Judah and Israel, typifying all the spiritual Israel, are to have the knowledge of God and of his will set forth, not by dark shadows, as in the old covenant, but in the clearest manner. And the pardon which the faithful saints are to receive under that covenant, is not a political but an eternal pardon. So that, as was observed, Hebrews 8:6 it is a covenant established on better promises than the law, Hebrews 8:10-12.—Lastly, the apostle observes, that by saying a new covenant, God has made the covenant of the law old; and thereby has insinuated, that, as a thing decayed and useless, it is to be put out of sight altogether, Hebrews 8:13.—Thus it appears, that the prophet Jeremiah, in the most express terms, has borne testimony to the superior excellence of the new covenant or dispensation of religion, of which Christ is the Minister, Mediator, and High-priest, and also to God's intention of abrogating the former covenant or dispensation, even the whole body of the law of Moses, with all its ineffectual, sacrifices and services.—An argument of this sort, founded on their own scriptures, being so cogent, could not fail to make an impression on the unbelieving Hebrews; and must through divine grace have reconciled such of them to the gospel, as retained any candour or love of truth.