Ruth 4:14-15. Kinsman Redeemer, part 17

Ruth 4:14-15. Kinsman Redeemer, part 17.

We complete our work in Heb 7 tonight.

Heb 7:1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,

Heb 7:2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace.

Heb 7:3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he abides a priest perpetually.

Heb 7:4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils.

Heb 7:5 And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest's office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham.

Heb 7:6 But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham, and blessed the one who had the promises.

Heb 7:7 But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.

Heb 7:8 And in this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on.

Heb 7:9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes,

Heb 7:10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Heb 7:11 Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?

Heb 7:12 For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also.

Heb 7:13 For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.

Heb 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.

Heb 7:15 And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek,

Heb 7:16 who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life.

Heb 7:17 For it is witnessed of Him,

"Thou art a priest forever

According to the order of Melchizedek."

Heb 7:18 For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness

Heb 7:19 (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

Heb 7:20 And inasmuch as it was not without an oath

Heb 7:21 (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him,

"The Lord has sworn

And will not change His mind,

'Thou art a priest forever'");

Heb 7:22 so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

Heb 7:23 And the former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers, because they were prevented by death from continuing,

Heb 7:24 but He, on the other hand, because He abides forever, holds His priesthood permanently.

Heb 7:25 Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

A better translation is “save to the utmost,” the Greek meaning of the word “forever” being “to arrive at a final destination with all things complete.”

That expanded translation comes from Wuest.

To the ones that He has saved to the utmost, He always lives to make intercession for them. We also saw this in Heb 2.

Heb 2:8 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.

Chapter 4 says that He can sympathize with our weakness. He is powerful to come to our aid. He always lives to make intercession for us. These are ongoing, every day, by the eternal Priest who is alive from the dead, your Kinsman Redeemer.

The conclusion is His perfection, His impeccability, and the finality of His sacrifice as well as its eternal ramifications.

Heb 7:26 For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;

Heb 7:27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

Heb 7:28 For the Law appoints [through birthright] men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect [complete] forever.

Jesus is not made perfect but complete, in other words, He completed the mission for which He came. The appointed Son, who took an oath, “I have come to do Your will, O God,” completed the work of salvation, redemption, reconciliation, and propitiation.

This is the last oath that needed to be fulfilled. Jesus instructed us to no longer make vows. The vow is only given when there is the possibility of lying. He removed these from us because He would make us complete. There is no longer a need (or so we think a need) to lie for there is no more to achieve outside of Jesus Christ, and so there is no need for vows. Jesus took the last oath, really the only oath.

Adam and the woman agreed that they would not eat of the fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil; they broke it. Cain agreed to glorify God and worship Him; he broke it. Noah’s children agreed to not shed man’s blood; they broke it. God vowed to them that He would not again flood the earth; He kept it. Abraham agreed to trust God for an heir; he broke it. God vowed that he would have one; He kept it. Moses agreed to take the people into the Promised Land; he broke it. God kept it. The people agreed to keep the Law; they broke it. God kept it. Saul agreed to submit his kingdom to the will of God; he broke it. David did the same; he broke it. God vowed that He would give them a King, a Son of David, who would be a High Priest of the Order of Melchizedek, a Priest forever, a perfect King, and God kept it.

Jesus fulfilled all of God’s covenants with man, even the Mosaic, and therefore took and completed the last oath. There is no need for another. We are complete in Him.

Believing the completeness of yourself as a believer now motivates you to trust and risk this truth on life, to know that you are fulfilled and to reject the flesh and the world’s search for fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and eyes. The temptations are strong for us to selfishly fulfil desires of the flesh, whether they be overt chemical, sexual, financial, powerful desires, or whether they be inward prideful, fearful, hateful desires.

The reality of being complete means that you do not need chemicals, sex, wealth, power, fame, or approbation to make you feel fulfilled or happy or satiated or anything. It means that you don’t have to fear, overcome people, be better than them, gain their devotion or their love in order to be fulfilled. The Lord Christ, the Perfect Savior, Priest, King, and Prophet has completed it. You are redeemed, full, complete, and righteously perfect. You need nothing else. The challenge to us, the good fight of faith, is to live our lives as just that, and it is not a fairy tale. As much as the cross of Christ is a historical reality, so is our position in Him.

This concludes our look at the second qualification of the Kinsman Redeemer which is His impeccability. We will return to price itself, which is the blood of Christ.

One of the most vital revelations concerning Christ was that He was Himself willing to redeem.

If a father forced his son to die for a cause, we would call it immoral and atrocious, but when the son is willing, it becomes a sacrifice. In this case, the sacrifice of the Son, willingly, is the most beautiful act in the history of the world by far.