A Hebraic Perspective on Hebrews

What is the meaning of the book of Hebrews? While there are many catchy verses in its 13 chapters that are inspirational on their own, there is little talk of its contents in their entirety. Many Biblical scholars, including Martin Luther, have questioned the inclusion of Hebrews in the Bible, because it was hard for them to make sense of what it was saying. It seems to contradict many parts of Scripture, sometimes in opposite ways! I think this scholarly questioning highlights the need for us to slow down and really study these passages to discern their true meaning. If someone like Luther, who was extremely well studied in Scripture and not adverse to questioning traditional translations and beliefs of the day, struggled with the meaning of Hebrews, is it reasonable to assume that I will understand it perfectly from pulling a few verses out now and then? 

Mainstream Christianity uses much of this book to preach that most of Scripture's instructions for how to live are done away with. As we will see, this is a sad misunderstanding because much of this book goes out of the way to point out that the commandments are still in effect! Looking at the verses below will demonstrate that the "change of the law" is actually talking about the changes of the priesthood going from the Levitical order into that of the Melchizedek.

A few pointers to reading the book of Hebrews:

-Like everything in the Bible, this is not meant to be read on its own. It is to be taken in context with the rest of Scripture. That means it all fits together and is cohesive.

-One of the main themes is the Melchizedek priesthood of the Messiah, and the transfer of the leadership of the Levitical priesthood to the Melchizedek. 

-In many places the author is not talking about every commandment or passage of Scripture predating the Messiah, but rather hones in on the Levitical priesthood and its regulations.

-Most translations completely fail to make a distinction between any commandment given by the Creator and specific rules regarding the sacrifice of animals by the Levites.

-Much of this book carries different meanings than we have been taught by mainstream Christianity. The author says specifically of the topic of Melchizedek that it will be hard to understand. Since our senses are dulled in this area, we need to intentionally slow down and ask the Holy Spirit for help in understanding this book, instead of just assuming we know everything. Study to see what it really says.

Key verses to understanding Hebrews:

You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. -Hebrews 1:9
Right off the bat we are reminded that YHWH loves when people walk in his ways of righteousness, following his commandments. What does he hate? When people disregard and violate his word. Why would the author start off with mentioning this if he or she is about to explain that the commandments no longer need to be followed and that lawlessness is now okay?

Do not harden your hearts as those who rebelled in the wilderness. -Hebrews 3:7
What was the rebellion in the wilderness? Part of it was rejecting the Melchizedek 'nation of priests' and asking for a different priesthood. We are literally told not to be like the Israelites who sinned against YHWH and called for the creation of the Levitical priesthood system. This speaks volumes!

"There remains a Sabbath keeping for the people of YHWH." -Hebrews 4:9
Here is a New Testament passage plainly telling us that commandments like honoring the Sabbath day are still in effect. The author does not say that the commandments for how we live are done away with.

"Let us do our utmost to rest." -Hebrews 4:11
This is a New Testament verse telling us to make an effort to keep this commandment of resting on the Sabbath day. The author is encouraging readers to make it a point to follow this commandment.

"The word of YHWH is living." -Hebrews 4:12
Yes, YHWH's word is alive even today. It's not something that is dead or no longer applicable to us. It's alive even in our day.

Levitical priests had to offer for themselves. -Hebrews 5:3
Priests of Levi had to offer sacrifices to atone for their own sins before they could do anything to help the rest of the people. This is one significant difference between their priesthood and the sinless Messiah's.

"You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." -Hebrews 5:6, 5:10, 6:20, 7:17, 7:21
This comes from Psalm 110 and is the passage of Scripture that the New Testament quotes the most. That tells us that New Testament believers and leaders understood that the Melchizedek priesthood is a foundational issue in faith.

"Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing." -Hebrews 5:11
Scripture tells us that this isn't the easiest subject matter to understand. Ask the Holy Spirit to sharpen your hearing and spend time searching out the truth on the Melchizedek priesthood and the book of Hebrews. 

Melchizedek was pre-Levitical. -Hebrews 7:1
It's important to know that the Melchizedek priesthood is ancient. Faith in the Messiah and his priesthood is not a new thing, but it is rooted in the Old Testament, even before YHWH made the Levites priests.

Melchizedek is greater than the Levitical priesthood. -Hebrews 7:7
This should be obvious, the Messiah's priesthood is greater than anyone else's. This doesn't mean that the Levitical priesthood didn't serve a purpose, but YHWH doesn't want us to stop with the lesser.

If perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, why did we still need another priest to rise from the order of Melchizedek? -Hebrews 7:11
This is not an insult to all the Torah commandments, but an admission that the system of animal sacrifice wasn't wholly sufficient. I believe this is a warning not to return to animal sacrifices, in addition to or instead of the Messiah. The Creator's perfect plan doesn't come through animal sacrifice.

"The priesthood being changed necessitates a change in law." -Hebrews 7:12
With such plain statements about the change in the priesthood it's hard to even remember the argument for why Messianic believers want to go back to animal sacrifices. This part of Scripture, according to Scripture, has changed. This doesn't mean that the law is done away with (change is not the same as deletion), but it means that the rules about the Levitical priesthood are no longer applicable under the leadership of the Messiah's Melchizedek priesthood. Please note that change in law regards the priesthood, not the rest of the commandments. Romans 7 gives us an example of married persons being bound to the laws regarding marriage while their spouse is living, but being free of them if they were to die. That doesn't mean they are no longer subject to any instructions, just the ones regarding a specific area. This verse emphasizes that the change is regarding the instructions for the Levitical priesthood.

There is a setting aside of the Levitical priesthood because it was weak and unprofitable. -Hebrews 7:18
Scripture reiterates itself to say the part of the law that has been set aside is in relation to the Levitical priesthood.

"He remains forever, and has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who draw near to YHWH through him." -Hebrews 7:24-25
Pause and appreciate the beauty of those words. Yahusha saves completely. He doesn't need the blood of goats or bulls, so his priesthood is different from the Levitical.

"He did this once and for all when he offered up himself." -Hebrews 7:27
His sacrifice was sufficient for all time. Animal sacrifices need to be performed over and over again, the job of the Levitical priesthood. Since the Messiah's death does not to be repeated, we no longer need priests to sacrifice animals.

The Levitical system is a copy and shadow of the heavenly, as Moses told us when he made the Tent of Meeting. -Hebrews 8:5
The Levitical system was a shadow, but it wasn't the full expression of YHWH's plan for restoring us. The Tent of Meeting was a visual parable into how things work in Heaven. Don't settle for the shadow when you can have the real thing!

"I shall make with the House of Israel and House of Judah a new covenant, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers when I lead them out of Egypt." -Hebrews 8:8-9
There is something different about these covenants if YHWH says they aren't the same. That doesn't mean every single detail is different, but it is important to discern the differences.

This is the covenant I shall make...I will put my Torah in their mind, and I shall write it on their hearts. -Hebrews 8:10
Before we jump to the conclusion that the covenants are completely different, and there's no more need to keep the Sabbath, eat clean, honor your parents, etc. (remember the author has already gone out of their way to point out that Sabbath keeping remains), take a look at this verse again. In the new covenant the Creator literally puts his words and instructions on our hearts and minds! And he's not putting them there for us to ignore.

What has become old and aged is close to disappearing. -Hebrews 8:13
In case it's not clear what the "old and aged" thing is the author provides an explanation in the very next verse, when they launch into a lengthy description of the Levitical priesthood system. Hebrews was written in 63 or 64 CE. Any guesses when the Levitical Temple was destroyed? Just a few years later in 70 CE. Scripture prophesied that this priesthood would disappear, which it has. It's been nearly 2,000 years since it was in effect. There is no talk of any other parts of Scripture's instructions disappearing.

Temple regulations were imposed until a time of setting things straight. -Hebrews 9:10
Imposed until a time. What could possibly set things straighter than the Messiah's sacrifice? If he has set things straight, then these Temple regulations are no longer imposed. Again, Scripture is talking about the Levitical priesthood and its regulations, not all instructions and commandments for how to live.

"He entered into the Most Set-apart place once and for all, not with the blood of goats and bulls, but with His own blood, obtaining everlasting redemption." -Hebrews 9:12
Again, the joy we should find in the statement that the Messiah's blood gives us everlasting redemption!

Messiah's blood is a better offering. -Hebrews 9:23
Animal sacrifices of the Levitical system simply are not the same as the Messiah's blood. Animal blood cannot give us everlasting redemption. Only Yahusha's can.

The Levitical priesthood was a shadow of the good things to come. -Hebrews 10:1
None of this is to say that the Levitical priesthood was somehow bad. YHWH did provide it and it did serve a purpose, but we shouldn't stop there when he has good things to come.

"It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." -Hebrews 10:4
The priesthood of Levi can't take away our sins. This is why we want and need the Melchizedek priesthood. Because the High Priest Yahusha can do what the Levites could not.

Sacrifice you did not desire... -Hebrews 10:5
Many people read about animal sacrifice and decide that God is mean and cruel. Let's take note: he did not want this. He gave the Israelites opportunity to be a nation of priests, not under the order or rules of what he later gave Levi when they turned their back on that opportunity. He had a better way and wasn't after dead animals.

"I will write my laws on their hearts and minds and I shall remember their lawlessness no more." -Hebrews 10:17
After all this talk of change in the priesthoods and things being different, we are reminded that his commandments are still so important that he will put them on our hearts, and not remember when we used to break them.

"Where there is forgiveness there is no longer sacrifice." -Hebrews 10:18
Have you been forgiven by our loving Father through his son the Messiah? Then there should no longer be animal sacrifice in your life.

"Let us lay aside sin." -Hebrews 12:1
What is sin? According to 1 John 3:4 it's not keeping the commandments. Here is a call for us to do away with disregarding the instructions of YHWH.

The Creator truly desires that we understand this part of Scripture. It goes with the rest of his Word seamlessly. By taking the time to study the Hebraic perspective of the writer we can see that this book doesn't tell us to throw away the commandments. Rather the author explains the logistics in the change from the priesthood of Levi to the Messiah's Melchizedek priesthood. Understanding it this way means that animal sacrifice is no longer needed for forgiveness of sins, and that all of the instructions and commandments are not done away with. Take time to study and understand this book!