OCT 4

Hebrews 7:22-27
Memorise Hebrews 7:22
“Jesus made surety of a better testament”

The word “testament” (“diatheke”) is also translated “covenant”! Hebrews 7:22 tells us that our Lord Jesus is the surety (“guarantor”) of a better covenant! So we ask, in what way is this testament or covenant better than the one before?

The author of Hebrews makes a comparision in the following verses, of the priests of the Old Testament, with Jesus Christ as the great High Priest. He proves beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus is indeed far superior to them, and in so doing proving that the covenent that we exist in now is a much better one. There were many priests in the past, as the mantle passed from one generation to another, and each generation passed from life into death. All who went to the priests in the past did not have any hope in the priets themselves, for they too had to face death. Jesus on the other hand, even after his death he rose again and continues forever and has an unchangeable priesthood. He lives, is eternal and does not change. All who come to Him can therefore have hope in His resurrection and have the confidence that He interceeds for us.

Furthermore, Jesus was different from the priests in that he is holy, perfect and sinless. He did not have to offer sacrifices for himself first before he could enter into the most holy place, like the priests had to do in the past. As the perfect man, Jesus was fully qualified to offer himself once and for all, and thereby aquiring the perfect righteousness necessary for our salvation. We can all have hope in Him, and know that our hope is sure.

The role of the priests of the Old Testament was therefore only as a channel to point men to Christ. They themselves could never save. Through their sacrifices and offerings, they forshadowed the coming of the great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would one day come and offer himself once and for all. Therefore they had to continually offer up these sacrifices, both for themselves and for the people - what a chore! For us it is different. We have Christ who has paid it all! This is the better covenant that we are in right now, and for that we thank God!

Thought: Jesus is certainly better – he is “without sin” (Heb 4:15), and he had to offer the sacrifice (himself) only once! We need only look to Jesus for all our needs!
Prayer: Lord, help me to present my body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.