Читать книгу Secret References to Christ In the Old testament Scriptures - Kenneth B. Alexander - Страница 15

Judaism was nothing more than anything a family. There were 12 tribes, the offspring of Jacob’s (Israel’s) family who were divided into 12 camps according to the names of the 12 sons of Jacob (Iseael) who were: Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Reuben, Simeon, Gad, Benjamin, Dan, Asher, Naphtali and Levi. The final tribe was composed of the sons of Joseph: Ephraim and Manasseh called half-tribes since the one portion that would have belonged to Joseph was divided between his sons. “The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ households; they shall camp around the tent of meeting at a distance [facing it] (Num 2:1-2). Moses took a census of all the people in the 12 tribes (Num 2:32). “The Levites, however, were not numbered among the sons of Israel, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. Thus the sons of Israel did; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, every one by his family according to his father’s household” (Num 2:33-34).

The Levites were given no land as they were to be the Priests to the Lord under the authority of Aaron the High Priest. They had various duties associated with only the temple. They were fed by the people sometimes from the meat of the sacrifices offered. The people tithed to the Lord a portion of which went to support the Levites. Their duties will be discussed in detail in a later portion of the Book. It should be noted here that Christ, although a prophet, king and priest did not derive His priesthood from the Levitical priesthood. He was from the tribe of Judah. Hebrews explains Christ’s priesthood: 

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“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? For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar [tribe of Judah did not perform any priestly functions] For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, [descended from Levi] but according to the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of Him, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” [Psalm 110:4]. For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness [the Mosaic Law] (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. And inasmuch as it was not without an oath (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, ‘You are a priest  forever’ ”); [Psalm 110:4] so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. The former priests, [the Levitical priests] on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; 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. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever” [forever (eis to diēnekes) occurs only in Hebrews (here and in 10:12, 14) and means “continuously” or “uninterruptedly.]” (Hebrews 7:11-28). The bottom line is that Christ was identified, not with the Levitical priesthood, but with an eternal priesthood more similar to the priesthood of Melchizedek.

Christ’s priesthood is likened to that of Melchizedek whose priesthood was designated as eternal. Christ’s physical lineage was through Judah and King David who never officiated as priests. It may seem unreasonable to compare Christ’s priesthood on the order of Melchizedek who seems to be an unusual figure at best. It seems more natural that the author meant that Melchizedek belonged to an order in which there was no end to the priesthood of those engaged in it. (He later said in 7:8 that Melchizedek “is declared to be living.”) If this is correct, Melchizedek may have been an angelic being who reigned for a time at Salem (i.e., Jerusalem). If so, the statement that he was “without beginning of days” would not mean that he was eternal, but simply that he had a pretemporal origin. Nor would this concept of Melchizedek as an angel elevate him to the same level as God’s Son, since the author painstakingly asserted the Son’s superiority to the angels (Heb. 1:5-14). There is indeed evidence that, at Qumran, [Dead Sea Scrolls] Melchizedek was regarded by them as an angelic personage. If this is the case in Hebrews, then the Son of God is the High Priest in an order in which Melchizedek is simply a priest (The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:798). Although the activities of the Levitical priesthood are riddled with references to Christ, the point here is that Christ’s ministry as the logos, Word of God and Son of God, was not derived from the Levitical priesthood. The Levitical or Mosaic Law in essence was replaced with the eternal priesthood of Christ at his appearing—The New Covenant.