And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever.’”
Hebrews 7:20,21
We make promises all the time. When we go to work for a company, both sides make promises. When we borrow a book from the library, we make a promise to return it on time and in good shape. When we go to the store and put things in the shopping cart, we promise to pay for them on the way out.
Some promises we take very seriously. Some we’re willing to stand behind with our word, reputation, and money. And then there are promises that some people really don’t care all that much about.
When we get our drivers license and get behind the wheel, we promise to obey the speed limit and obey the rules of the road.
When we buy something, we promise to pay for it. But the average credit card debt is $6,501[1] and the bankruptcy rate is up almost 17%[2].
When we commit to make a donation, more than three-quarters don’t follow through or are late[3].
Yesterday I had a call with a publisher, and the whole conversation was about promises. First of all, we agreed on a time to talk. That was a promise. When they called at the right time, that was a promise kept. They sent me a contract and I agreed to look it over before our next call. That was a promise. And the contract had lots and lots of promises in it.
When it comes to becoming a priest, it’s filled to overflowing with promises. The person has to promise that they believe certain things and that they’ll never change their mind about those beliefs. They have to promise to obey all the laws and rules that govern and guide their lives. And finally, they promise to always be faithful to all their promises before they become a priest.
The writer to the Hebrews is comparing two different kinds of priests. First, there’s everyone who’s ever been a priest and then there’s the one and only other kind of priest. The one who’s like Melchizedek. This one’s a priest, but the promises didn’t come from them. They came from someone else.
Instead of these priestly promises coming from a person, they came from the Lord God himself. And when he makes a promise, it has two sides.
Yes – Keeps. God always, always, always keeps his promises. He will make his promises happen. Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s word will never disappear. Not the smallest letter or the tiniest punctuation mark is ever going to change[4].
No – Change. God will never, never, never change his mind. Under no circumstances will have to clarify what he’s said or written. He doesn’t have to explain that he was misquoted. He’ll never need to walk back something he said. He’ll never send out a clarifying statement or memo.
And what’s the promise that the writer is reminding the Hebrews about? That he’s sending a priest. Another kind of priest. One who’s really different from all the other priests that they’ve ever known.
This priest will be different in that he’ll only offer one sacrifice for all sin. No more of this month after month, year after year sacrificing for sin. And no more different kind of sacrifices for different kinds of sin. This different kind of priest will offer one sacrifice for all time and for all sin. Period.
When the Hebrews honestly looked back at the old kind of sacrifices, they didn’t really change anything. After all, people kept sinning and had to keep making sacrifices. They were weak at best.
Looking into my own heart, I’m just like these old, weak priests. I make sacrifices that don’t change anything. I make promises that I can’t keep. I had to keep looking for forgiveness. Over and over sinning followed by sacrifices that just didn’t do it.
This is where Jesus comes in and just blows all other priests away. His once-and-for-all sacrifice for all sin is way above and beyond anything that any other priest could ever do. God put all the debt and punishment that we deserved. He is our substitute. The righteous for the unrighteous[5].
Isn’t that enough of a reason for us to run to Jesus? To put down our own failing attempts at being good. Being righteous all on our own. We give him all our sin and selfishness. We give him everything we are. Warts and all. Cracks and all. All our sin. The result is that we’re once and for all forgiven. Clean. God gives us the same righteousness that his son Jesus Christ has[6]. If that doesn’t excite you, I don’t know what will.
Noodling Questions
How are promises important to you and your life?
Because God never changes his mind, what does this do for your faith in him?
If Jesus promises to forgive sin, and he’s God, how can he change his mind?
[1] Experian.com, March 24, 2024
[2] Uscourts.gov, January 26, 2024
[3] Studyfinds.org, November 11, 2022
[4] Matthew 4:35
[5] 1 Peter 3:18
[6] Romans 3:22
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