POST OVERVIEW. This post is a detailed study of Hebrews 5:5-6 where the author introduces the shadowy biblical figure of Melchizedek. This is the first in a series of posts entitled “Speaking of Melchizedek.” My intention is to self-publish a book of the same name in late summer 2023. [NOTE: This “Part 1” replaces a post done in September 2022 that also addressed these two verses in Hebrews 5.]

The objective of this series of posts is to explore and interpret Hebrews 7, which is devoted almost exclusively to a discussion about how Melchizedek relates to Jesus Christ. We will do a deep dive into that chapter, but before we turn to chapter 7 of Hebrews, I wanted to look at how the author brings Melchizedek and his priesthood into his overall argument. So, this post will focus on Hebrews 5:5-6.

HEBREWS 5:1-6 OVERVIEW

Hebrews 5:1-4 brings the focus of the “sermon” onto the high priests and their function in preparation for a much more detailed study later in the epistle. Then, in 5:5-6, the author takes a crucial turn in his flow of thought and in the direction of his sermon. He quotes two verses from the psalms, one from Psalm 2:7 and the other from Psalm 110:4.

⁵ So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him,

“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You;”

⁶ just as He says also in another passage,

“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.” – Hebrews 5:5-6

These quotes are not selected at random but are carefully chosen because of how they work together to move the author’s argument forward. Also, the verses are presented back-to-back for additional rhetorical effect. There is in these two verses much Holy Spirit-inspired rhetorical brilliance, so we should take a moment to observe what is taking place.

PSALM 2:7, AS QUOTED IN HEBREWS 5:5

First, let’s consider Psalm 2:7. Psalm 2 was a foundational psalm placed at the beginning of the psalter and was, therefore, a psalm that virtually every Jewish person knew. But not only was Psalm 2 familiar to many, but it was also well-understood. So, when the author of Hebrews states (Hebrews 5:5) that the phrase, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You,” is the LORD speaking to the Messiah (“Christ”), he is not making a radical new claim that only Jesus-followers would ever believe. Rather, he is simply stating what was generally accepted concerning Psalm 2:7; namely, that here the LORD was speaking to the Messiah and issuing Him an oath. The point here is that the quote in Hebrews 5:5 (from Psalm 2:7) was both familiar to many and its meaning was clear.

Before we look at the next quote from Psalm 110:4, we should note another piece of the author’s rhetorical artillery. Observe that the author has already quoted Psalm 2:7 in this epistle. In his opening teaching about Jesus being superior to angels, in Hebrews 1:5 the author also quoted Psalm 2:7. This repetition of a previous Scripture displays great skill in how to communicate effectively. The author quoted a familiar passage of Scripture early in his message (Hebrews 1:5) so that the readers (or hearers) would be able to understand his point (Jesus is superior to angels) and would understand how he reached that conclusion (a plain deduction from Psalm 2:7, which they know). So the readers are following the teacher. Now, in Hebrews 5:5, he again quotes from Psalm 2:7, but in this instance, he is not reaching a conclusion, but is using his previous conclusion as a launching pad to extend the meaning. So, having gained agreement earlier with his readers that Psalm 2:7 is all about Jesus the Messiah, he is now going to move from agreement on Psalm 2:7 to show that Psalm 110:4 is also all about Jesus, who is the Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

PSALM 110:4, AS QUOTED IN HEBREWS 5:6

We have seen that the author first quoted from Psalm 2:7 because that passage was familiar to many and because the passage’s meaning was understood. Psalm 110, by contrast, was unfamiliar to most and its meaning was mysterious. The psalm was generally avoided even by scholars because of its difficulties. The author of Hebrews, however, cannot neglect this psalm and its message because this psalm contains the key teaching in all the Old Testament about how Jesus the Messiah is the great High Priest of the new covenant. The author of Hebrews must, therefore, present the truth contained in Psalm 110:4, that Jesus “is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek,” so he must get his readers (or hearers) comfortable with considering this Scripture. To accomplish this, the author moves in two steps from a place where Psalm 110 is shrouded in obscurity to the place where Psalm 110:4 is accepted as solving the mysteries of Melchizedek. Let’s look at those two steps.

TWO STEPS TO MELCHIZEDEK

FIRST STEP. The first step involves getting the readers simply to accept Psalm 110 as a text to be considered. Groundwork has already been laid for this since the author has previously introduced a quote from Psalm 110 in chapter 1. To prove Jesus’ superiority to the angels, in 1:13 he quoted from Psalm 110:1.

¹³ But to which of the angels has He ever said,

“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES
A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET”?

This quote in Hebrews 1:13 thus serves two purposes. First, it clearly proves that Jesus is “much better than the angels” (1:4), but second, it brings Psalm 110 onto his readers’ radar screen so that another verse from Psalm 110 can be quoted later on. The first step, then, is to bring Psalm 110 out of obscurity and into the readers’ awareness, and this has been done.

SECOND STEP. With Psalm 110 now introduced (the first step), the goal of the second step is to bring the spotlight onto Psalm 110:4, which, as stated above, is the key Old Testament text declaring Jesus to be a priest. To accomplish this second step, in 5:5-6 the author again quotes (see 1:5) the familiar Psalm 2:7 and follows that quote with the quote of Psalm 110:4 and explicitly associates the two verses as being similar (“just as he says also in another passage”). By associating the unclear verse in Psalm 110:4 with the much clearer verse in Psalm 2:7, the writer achieves several teaching points simultaneously. First, it is obvious that “You are My Son” and “You are a priest forever” have the same form. Also, they are both in the form of oaths given by the LORD (YHWH) to the Son in eternity past. Finally, since these two verses are similar to one another, as we have accepted the teaching of the one, so we can accept the teaching of the other. This means that, as Psalm 2:7 presents an oath given by the LORD to the Son in eternity past, so Psalm 110:4 presents an oath given by the LORD to the Son in eternity past, and that oath declares that the Son is “a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Consider that, by itself, Psalm 110:4 was too obscure to be discussed, but by placing it on the “coattails” of the “friendly,” well-understood Psalm 2:7, 110:4 is admitted into the discussion. And with Psalm 110:4 admitted into the discussion, Melchizedek has also entered the picture. Thus we see that, by his skillful use of quotes from the psalms, the author has managed to bring Melchizedek into the middle of the conversation. This is necessary because Melchizedek and the priesthood he represents are going to prove crucial in the author’s theological argument about the obsolescence of the Levitical priesthood and the permanence and significance of Christ being a High Priest of the order of Melchizedek.

THE SON IS A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK

We must also point out that, since Psalm 110:4 has now entered the conversation, it is apparent that Jesus the Son has always been a priest. In eternity past, Jesus became a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek with the oath of the LORD. Throughout His earthly ministry, He was a priest. In making atonement, He was doing the work of our great High Priest, and now He continues His priesthood in the heavenly tabernacle. These are all ideas that the author of Hebrews will develop as he continues his discourse, but it is crucial that we understand the biblical truth presented by Psalm 110:4, that Jesus has always been a priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

SPEAKING OF MELCHIZEDEK

“Concerning him we have much to say” (Hebrews 5:11). Indeed, the author of Hebrews has much to say about Melchizedek, and in the next few posts we will attempt to understand the teaching of Hebrews 7 about him.

Soli Deo Gloria            rmb                 6/19/2023                   #661