John 3:8
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.
So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Mary found Gabriel to be too way out, to hold on to in her day to day. I'm sure she "Believes God" and, yet, she wanted Jesus to come home to Nazareth and be quiet.
Abraham is found to be righteousness, a friend to God, for being credited for his Belief. And Abraham felt he needed to work God's plan for Him, to ensure God had not forgotten.
Joseph, the appointed earthly Father of Jesus Christ went home to Heaven after the Gospels record Joseph's Family was loving and seamless. Jesus wore a Chiton, a seamless Robe. Perhaps Joseph went Home to insure Joseph did not fight tooth and nail for His Son to Live.
G.K. Chesterton Quote:
“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”
To Read Hebrews 7 is to be filled with so many ideas - we are on the Roller Coaster.
Hebrews 7
For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem,
that is,
King of Peace.
3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.
4 See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! 5 And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. 6 But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham
and blessed him who had the promises.
7 It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. 8 In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives.
9 One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, 10 for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
Jesus frequently sat and thought and prayed with a lot of quiet. We can do this in our car, office or home. Like Psalm 23 studies the Blessings of Life, Psalm 24 studies God's abilities - creating and filling His Plan and all of earth.
Hebrews 7 is fleshing up, out and in Romans 3. God is doing something new. Moses has seen and witnessed from the Dead Sea Scrolls about Jesus. Jesus ideas take us from Abraham 2000 B.C. In two paragraphs - we have jumped 2000 Years - with a hop to 1500 B.C. Moses.
Paul, saying he travels with Timothy - the Author of Hebrews - says Paul believes like Jude, Brother of Jesus Christ - Jesus lived during the Exodus.
Jude 1:5
Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt
We are being told Jesus visited Abraham. As a Spirit living in the Priest.
Why would God do this? In Genesis - The Holy Spirit lived above the waters. God never leaves or forsakes US.
Hebrews 7 is the chaos of a very, very good and earnest conversation. Where we have to dart back and make another point from the conversation - oh 1,000 years ago. Like Good, Good Friends Do.
Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
It's too late when we die
To admit we don't see eye to eye
I wasn't there that morning when my father passed away
I didn't get to tell him all the things I had to say
I think I caught his spirit later that same year
I'm sure I heard his echo in my baby's new born tears
I just wish I could have told him in the living years
Say it loud, say it clear
You can listen as well as you hear
The Living Years
Mike + The Mechanics
We 'hear in Living Word' what Father God is saying.
11 Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law),
what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron?
12 For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. 13 For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement
concerning bodily descent,
but by the power of an indestructible life.
17 For it is witnessed of him,
“You are a priest forever,
after the order of Melchizedek.”
18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect);
On the other hand, a better hope is introduced,
through which we draw near to God.
I'm certain, inside of me, God intends life to find us out. Will we Pitch, HIT, Hail Mary, Pass, Play.
Why would God call us to Keep the Sabbath Holy? To find in Worship, our Beauty. The Absolutely Stellar Beauty of God living and moving and having our Being to walk with and be filled with the Purpose of God.
Living Memory. When you have children, eventually Christmas presents don't fit life. We carry them out. And Yet Making Memories becomes who we are. We find our lives are shining moments and moments of despair we need to find God to Lead us and Guide us. We are being filled with God, the Hear oh Israel, Jesus is God moment, making us Immortal and Eternal - to know God is Living in us. Not Forsaking us. Giving us Life.
20 And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, 21 but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him:
“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind,
‘You are a priest forever.’”
22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.
Matthew 3:17,Matthew 17:5,Mark 1:11,Mark 9:7,Luke 3:22 ...
23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office,
24 Jesus holds his priesthood permanently,
because he continues forever.
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost
those who draw near to God through him,
since he always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have
such a high priest,
holy,
innocent,
unstained,
separated from sinners,
and exalted above the heavens.
Papyrus 46, University of Michigan, c 60 A.D. to 125 A.D. Intact Hebrews Chapter 7
As Paul wrote Hebrews 7, The Temple of Jerusalem was doing daily sacrifices.
27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily,
first for his own sins and then for those of the people,
since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.
28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests,
The word of the oath, which came later than the law,
appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †