HEBREWS 7:11–28 — WHY DID GOD REPLACE THE OLD PRIESTHOOD?
If God established the priesthood of Aaron, why did He later appoint Jesus as a priest after the order of Melchizedek? Was something wrong with God's original plan?
Introduction: Why Was a Different Priesthood Necessary?
God established the Levitical priesthood through Moses.
Aaron and his descendants served as priests. They offered sacrifices, ministered at the sanctuary, and represented Israel before God.
This arrangement was not something people invented.
God Himself established it.
Yet Hebrews teaches that Jesus is our High Priest, not according to the order of Aaron, but according to the order of Melchizedek.
That raises an important question.
Why would God replace a priesthood He had established?
Did the first arrangement fail because God made a mistake?
Or did it accomplish the purpose for which He established it?
Hebrews 7:11–28 answers these questions by showing why Jesus' priesthood is greater.
1. Could the Levitical Priesthood Bring Perfection? — Hebrews 7:11
The writer begins with a question:
Hebrews 7:11
If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood ... what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
Notice the reasoning.
If the Levitical priesthood could accomplish everything necessary to bring people into a complete and lasting relationship with God, why would Scripture announce another priesthood?
Yet Psalm 110:4 had already declared:
Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
That declaration came long after God established the priesthood of Aaron.
The writer asks us to consider what it means.
The existence of a promised, different priesthood shows that the first priesthood was not intended to be the final arrangement.
The word perfection in this passage is important.
It does not simply mean that people under the Law sometimes behaved badly.
It concerns whether the priesthood could bring worshipers into the complete access to God that Christ would provide.
The Levitical priests could perform the duties God assigned them.
But their ministry could not accomplish what Jesus would accomplish.
The first priesthood served God's purpose, but it could not bring God's saving plan to completion.
2. A Change in Priesthood Means a Change in Law — Hebrews 7:12
The writer continues:
Hebrews 7:12
For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.
This is one of the most important statements in Hebrews.
Under the Law of Moses, the priesthood was not an independent institution.
It was part of the covenant arrangement God established with Israel.
The Law specified who could serve as priests, what sacrifices they offered, and how they were to carry out their duties.
Therefore, changing the priesthood was not merely replacing one priest with another.
It meant a fundamental change in the legal arrangement governing priesthood.
Jesus was not appointed to continue the Aaronic priesthood.
He was appointed to a different priesthood.
The writer's immediate argument concerns the laws governing priesthood. Later chapters will explain more fully how this change relates to the old covenant and the new covenant.
We should allow Hebrews to develop that explanation rather than assume the entire argument has been completed in one verse.
Jesus' priesthood represents a change in God's covenant arrangement, not merely a change in personnel.
3. Jesus Was Not From the Tribe of Levi — Hebrews 7:13–14
The writer now explains why Jesus could not serve as an Aaronic priest under the Law of Moses.
Hebrews 7:14
For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.
Jesus belonged to the tribe of Judah.
But the Law assigned the priesthood to Aaron and his descendants from the tribe of Levi.
Moses did not authorize men from Judah to serve as priests at the altar.
This presents a problem only if we assume that Jesus was supposed to become a priest under the old arrangement.
He was not.
His priesthood belongs to another order.
The writer has already introduced Melchizedek, who served as priest long before the Law of Moses.
Melchizedek's priesthood was not based upon descent from Aaron.
Neither is Christ's.
Jesus is not an exception improperly inserted into the Levitical priesthood. He belongs to a different priesthood established by God.
4. Jesus Became a Priest Through an Indestructible Life — Hebrews 7:15–17
The writer explains another difference.
Hebrews 7:16
Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.
The expression carnal commandment refers here to a requirement connected with physical descent.
The Aaronic priesthood depended upon belonging to the proper family.
But Jesus' priesthood rests upon something far greater.
The power of an indestructible life.
Jesus died, but death did not hold Him.
He rose from the dead and lives forever.
His priesthood is therefore not limited by mortality.
Psalm 110:4 had anticipated this:
Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
The word forever matters.
The Levitical priests died and had to be replaced.
Jesus lives forever.
His priesthood will never pass to a successor.
5. Why Was the Former Commandment Set Aside? — Hebrews 7:18–19
Now we come to a statement that requires careful explanation.
Hebrews 7:18–19
For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.
Does this mean God's Law was evil?
No.
Does it mean God made a mistake when He gave the Law?
No.
The writer is discussing what the former priestly arrangement could and could not accomplish.
The Law provided sacrifices, priests, and regulations for Israel's worship.
But that arrangement could not provide the complete and permanent access to God made possible through Jesus Christ.
The weakness was not a moral defect in God.
It was the limitation of an arrangement that was never intended to be the final means of redemption.
The writer then introduces something better.
A better hope, through which we draw near to God.
That is the heart of the argument.
The change in priesthood is not simply about replacing an institution.
It is about what Jesus makes possible.
Through Him, believers can approach God with confidence.
6. God Confirmed Jesus' Priesthood With an Oath — Hebrews 7:20–22
There is another difference between the two priesthoods.
The Levitical priests entered their office according to the regulations God had established.
But Jesus' priesthood was confirmed by a divine oath.
The writer again quotes Psalm 110:4:
Hebrews 7:21
The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
God swore an oath concerning the priesthood of His Son.
This connects directly with the discussion of God's oath in Hebrews 6:13–20.
There, God's oath confirmed His promise to Abraham.
Here, God's oath confirms the permanent priesthood of Jesus.
The writer concludes:
Hebrews 7:22
By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
The word surety refers to someone who guarantees an obligation.
Jesus is the guarantor of a better covenant.
Our confidence rests upon Him.
God's oath confirms that Christ's priesthood is permanent and trustworthy.
7. The Old Priests Died; Jesus Lives Forever — Hebrews 7:23–24
The writer now gives us a simple but powerful comparison.
Hebrews 7:23
And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death.
The Levitical priests were mortal.
No matter how faithfully a priest served, his ministry eventually ended.
Another priest had to take his place.
But Jesus is different.
Hebrews 7:24
But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Jesus lives forever.
He never needs to retire.
He never dies again.
He never needs someone to succeed Him.
The word translated unchangeable emphasizes that His priesthood is permanent.
This is why Christians do not need a continuing succession of priests to replace Jesus.
Our High Priest is still serving.
8. Jesus Is Able to Save Completely — Hebrews 7:25
This is one of the most encouraging verses in the chapter.
Hebrews 7:25
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
The expression to the uttermost communicates the completeness of Christ's saving ability.
Jesus is fully able to save those who approach God through Him.
Why?
Because He lives forever to intercede for them.
The writer does not present Jesus as a priest who performed a religious duty centuries ago and then ceased to be involved with His people.
He remains their living High Priest.
His sacrifice was offered once.
His priestly intercession continues.
These are related truths, but they are not identical.
Jesus does not repeatedly offer Himself as a sacrifice.
His sacrifice was sufficient.
Yet He continues to represent His people before God.
Notice also whom the verse describes:
Those who come to God through Him.
Hebrews is encouraging believers to continue approaching God through Christ.
The promise of complete salvation is not an invitation to abandon Him.
It is a reason to remain faithful to Him.
9. Jesus Is the High Priest We Need — Hebrews 7:26
The writer describes Jesus:
Hebrews 7:26
For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.
The phrase became us means that such a High Priest was fitting for our needs.
Jesus is holy.
He is innocent.
He is undefiled.
He is separated from sinners in the sense that He does not share their guilt or corruption.
This does not mean Jesus refused to associate with sinful people during His earthly ministry.
The Gospels repeatedly show Him eating with sinners, teaching them, and calling them to repentance.
The writer's point is that Jesus Himself was without sin.
He is therefore unlike the Levitical priests, who had to deal with their own sins as well as those of the people.
Jesus can represent us before God because He is completely holy.
10. One Sacrifice Was Enough — Hebrews 7:27
Now the writer explains another decisive difference.
Hebrews 7:27
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.
Under the old arrangement, sacrifices were offered repeatedly.
The priests themselves were sinners.
They needed atonement just as the people did.
But Jesus had no sins of His own.
He did not need to offer a sacrifice for Himself.
Instead, He offered Himself for others.
And He did so once.
We should notice that Hebrews brings together the daily repetition of priestly sacrifices and the high priest's need to offer sacrifices for sin. The writer's emphasis is the contrast between repeated sacrifices under the old arrangement and Christ's single, sufficient offering.
Jesus' sacrifice does not need to be repeated.
His work is sufficient.
Later, Hebrews 9 and 10 will explain this more fully.
The repeated sacrifices pointed toward a need that only Christ could finally meet.
11. The Son Is Perfect Forever — Hebrews 7:28
The chapter concludes:
Hebrews 7:28
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.
The Law appointed men who were subject to human weakness.
But God's oath appointed His Son.
Jesus is perfectly qualified to serve as our High Priest forever.
The writer has now brought together the major parts of his argument.
Jesus belongs to a different priesthood.
His appointment was confirmed by God's oath.
He lives forever.
He is without sin.
His sacrifice was sufficient.
And He continues to intercede for His people.
No Levitical priest could accomplish everything Jesus has accomplished.
12. Was the Old Priesthood a Failure?
We should return to our original question.
If God established the old priesthood, why did He replace it?
The answer is not that God made a mistake.
The old priesthood served a real purpose in God's dealings with Israel.
It provided a system of sacrifices and priestly service under the covenant established through Moses.
But it could not accomplish the complete redemption that would come through Christ.
The writer's argument is that God's plan was moving toward something greater.
Psalm 110 had already announced another priesthood.
Jesus fulfilled that promise.
The old arrangement was not God's final destination.
It was part of the preparation.
God did not replace the old priesthood because His plan failed. He replaced it because His greater purpose was being fulfilled.
13. Why Does This Matter Today?
Christians do not need to return to the Levitical priesthood.
We do not need another earthly priest to replace Jesus.
We do not need to restore the animal sacrifices of the Law of Moses.
We already have the High Priest God appointed forever.
Jesus is alive.
His sacrifice is sufficient.
His intercession continues.
Through Him, we can approach God.
This is particularly important when considering claims that the old temple sacrifices must be restored as part of God's final plan.
Hebrews directs our attention away from the limitations of the old priesthood and toward the complete sufficiency of Christ.
We should not treat a return to the old sacrificial system as though it would provide something missing from Jesus' work.
Christ is not an unfinished part of God's plan. He is the fulfillment toward which the former priesthood pointed.
Conclusion: Why Did God Replace the Old Priesthood?
Hebrews 7:11–28 gives us a clear answer.
The Levitical priesthood could not bring God's people into the complete relationship with Him that Jesus makes possible.
Its priests were mortal.
They were sinners.
Their sacrifices had to be repeated.
But Jesus is different.
He is without sin.
He offered Himself once.
He lives forever.
He continues to intercede for those who approach God through Him.
And His priesthood will never end.
God's promise in Psalm 110 was fulfilled when Jesus became our eternal High Priest.
The old priesthood was not God's mistake.
It was part of God's preparation.
Jesus Christ is the greater High Priest who brings God's purpose to fulfillment.
Questions for Personal Study
Why does Hebrews 7:11 ask whether perfection could come through the Levitical priesthood?
What does Hebrews 7:12 mean when it says that a change in priesthood requires a change in law?
Why could Jesus not serve as an Aaronic priest under the Law of Moses?
What does it mean that Jesus became a priest through the power of an indestructible life?
Why did God confirm Jesus' priesthood with an oath?
What makes Jesus' priesthood permanent?
What does Hebrews 7:25 teach about Christ's continuing intercession?
Why does Jesus not need to offer repeated sacrifices?
What does this passage teach about the relationship between the old covenant priesthood and Christ?
Continue Exploring Scripture
Psalm 110:1–4 — God's promise of an eternal priest.
Hebrews 6:19–20 — Jesus, our forerunner and High Priest.
Hebrews 7:1–10 — Melchizedek and the greater priesthood.
NEXT STUDY: HEBREWS 8 — WHAT IS THE NEW COVENANT?
Why does Hebrews quote Jeremiah 31, and what makes the new covenant better than the old?
TEXT B4 TRADITION
READ FIRST. CONCLUDE LATER.
Return to HOME page
Return to BOOKS page