Hebrews 7:4-6 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.
The author continues to show the superiority of Melchizedek, the priest king. This serves as a comparison to the even greater Priest King Jesus, the Son of God. Melchizedek was superior because he received tithes from Abraham. Tithing was a religious act of worship that showed the sincerity and gratitude of the tither. The tithe was used to support the ministry of the priests and tabernacle/temple. The Levitical priesthood received tithes from the people. Using the logic of v. 4, it might appear that the Levitical priests were superior to the people. But the author points out that even these priests came from the loins of Abraham. They were in essence also giving tithes to the priest king Melchizedek. So, even the Levitical priests were inferior to Melchizedek. Melchizedek obviously was not from the loins of Abraham because he had no father or mother (at least in the author’s argument). Therefore, everything associated with Abraham (the later Jewish faith of possibly some of the readers of this epistle) is also inferior to Melchizedek. Essentially, the author is showing that Melchizedek stands at a higher, superior level than Abraham because 1) he received tithes and 2) he blessed Abraham. This idea will set up for a further comparison with Jesus in the coming passage. The author is basically developing his argument and case in order to encourage the readers to put their faith in Jesus and move toward claiming the promises of God in obedience.
For older posts, click here.