Hebrews 7-- A Better Covenant

Scripture: Hebrews 7 (especially verses 22 to 28)

Friends, I really jumped the gun a few posts ago. The author of Hebrews had likened Jesus' priesthood to that of Melchizedek, and I couldn't help but write about it. You can read it here. I had forgotten how amazingly the author would return to this subject in chapter 7!!

Oh well. Just read the first half of Hebrews 7. The author explains it better than I could anyway. If your mind doesn't explode with joy upon reading it, then it's a stronger mind than mine.
The rest of Hebrews 7 is pretty cool, and so there we turn our attention now. The author starts in on what will be the major thrust of chapters 8-10: contrasting the sacrifice/priesthood/covenant of Jesus with those that came before in the Law.

In a very short span at the end of the chapter, the author crams in (at least) 6 contrasts between the two schemata:

1. The old priests kept dying and needing to be replaced, but Jesus never dies (v. 23-24).
2. Thus, His ministry, unlike theirs, is permanent and complete (v. 25).
3. Jesus' unique holiness and purity is what allows Him, unlike other priests, to actually meet our spiritual need of forgiveness (v. 26).
4. Because other priests are sinful, they have to offer sacrifices for themselves (v. 27).
5. Because other priests are powerless, they have to offer repetitive sacrifices (v. 27).
6. Other priests were chosen by Law (via birthright), but Jesus was declared a priest by God's oath (v. 28).

"Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant."