THE LORD IS GOOD

“Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: But thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back” (Isaiah 38:17).

King Hezekiah, upon his recovery from sickness and the point of death, wrote the above words. He stated that God had cast his sins behind His back. Setting forth the truth of God’s Word, that when God forgives, He forgets—that is He sees them no more. Jeremiah, prophesying of the new covenant God would make with His people, stated: Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, That I will make a new covenant. With the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers In the day that I took them by the hand To bring them out of the land of Egypt; Which my covenant they brake, Although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, And write it in their hearts; And will be their God, And they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: For they shall all know me, From the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: For I will forgive their iniquity, And I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

Notice, that this is the new covenant; God would remember their sin “no more.” The writer of Hebrews used this same passage in Hebrews 8:8-13. One difference between the Old and New covenants had to do with this very point—God forgiving and forgetting. To see this difference more clearly, we look at another passage in Hebrews. The writer wrote: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year” (Hebrews 10:1-3).

Once “our” sins are cast behind the back of God, He remembers them no more. What a great blessing for us today. Beloved, if there is sin in your life—take care of it now. And, if you can, once taken care of, let it go yourself. Do not carry the guilt of it, because as far as God is concerned—it never happened.

Jimmie Gribble

Hebrews

God has spoken by prophets of what He was doing and had done,

But in these last days He spoke in His only begotten Son,

And this book of Hebrews was to show the Jews of that day

That the Gospel of the grace of God was much better way.

 

Jesus Christ was better than angels, a more excellent name had He.

God never said to an angel, “My son, today I begot thee.”

But to the Son He said, “Thy Throne is forever and ever.

Sit on My right hand; I will make your enemies a footstool forever.”

 

The grace of God is much better than the Mosaic law.

The law made nothing perfect and that we clearly saw.

But a surer and much better covenant Jesus had made,

For what the law could not do about sin Jesus has paid.

 

The blood of animals was applied in the temple on earth.

But the blood of Christ in heaven’s temple is of eternal worth.

There is no need to repeat His sacrifice as the priest, from day to day.

Once for all He died for mankind to put their sins away.

 

And that once for all sacrifice made by God’s sinless Soon,

Is put to our credit by faith in the work He had done.

For faith gives evidence and substance of things yet unseen,

And we trust the blood of Jesus to wash our souls clean.

 

So let us lay aside all sin and every hindering weight,

And for the lame who are following let us make our path straight.

For we have a better covenant, a better hope, a better reward,

And we run our race with patience as we wait for our blessed Lord.

 

--from The Bible in Verse: from Genesis to Revelation by B. C. Jennings, 1986

 

The Christ and Melchizedek

Genesis 14:17-20; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:5-6,10; Hebrews 6:20-7:22

The type and anti-type principle found between Melchizedek [Melchisedec, KJV] and the Christ is clearly set forth by the inspired penman of the book of Hebrews, “If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedeck, and not be called after the order of Aaron,” (Hebrews 7:11).

The historical account of Melchizedek is recorded in Genesis 14:17-20. Abraham had fought and conquered the forces of Chedorlaomer, who had spoiled Sodom and Gomorrah and had abducted Lot and taken his goods [perhaps including family members and/or servants of Lot (Genesis14:12,16)]. Upon Abraham’s return with what had been stolen, he was met in the valley of Shaveh by the king of Sodom, (Genesis 14:17). Melchizedek also met Abraham, (Genesis 14:18). Melchizedek was the king of Salem and the priest of God; he brought to Abraham, bread and wine (Genesis 14:18). Abraham received a blessing from Melchizedek and he also blessed God Almighty, who had given victory to Abraham over the invading armies from the north, (Genesis 14:19-20). After being blessed, Abraham paid a tenth of the goods; or a tithe, to Melchizedek, (Genesis 14:20).

The next and only other Old Testament reference to Melchizedek is found in a psalm of David, “The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek,” (Psalm 10:4). David declares by inspiration that God has sworn that there is a priesthood, like unto Melchizedek’s, that is for ever.

The Hebrews writer clearly explains the correlation between Jesus and Melchizedek. The following is a brief look at those points:  

Melchizedek

  • King of Righteousness (Hebrews 7:2)
  • King of Salem or peace (Hebrews 7:2)
  • Priest of God (Hebrews 7:1)
  • Both king and priest (Hebrews 7:1-3)
  • No Biblical genealogical record (Hebrews 7:3)
  • No Biblical record of birth / death (Hebrews 7:3)
  • Not of the seed of Aaron (Hebrews 7:6)
  • Greater than Levite priests (Hebrews 7:6-9)
  • Continual priesthood (Hebrews 7:3)

Christ

  • Rules in righteousness (Hebrews 1:8)
  • Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6-7)
  • High priest of God (Hebrews 6:20; Hebrews 8:1)
  • King and Priest (Zechariah 6:12-13)
  • Divine, no human origin (John 1:1-3,14)
  • Eternal, no beginning or end (John 8:58; Revelation 1:8)
  • Born of the tribe of Judah (Hebrews 7:14)
  • Greater than Aaron and Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:26-28)
  • Unchanging and everlasting priesthood (Hebrews 7:24-25; Ephesians 3:11)

The priesthood of Melchizedek gave us a foreshadowing of the eternal priesthood of the Christ. Melchizedek was a great man, “Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils,” (Hebrews 7:4). Thanks be to God that our High Priest is so much, “better,” “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament…For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” (Hebrews 7:22, 26-28).

John Rose