Welcomed In by Our Forever Priest-King

A permanent doorway stands open, picturing our secure access to the Father through our forever Priest-King.

Devotional Credit: Grace and Truth Study Bible, Hebrews 7
Photo Credit: Unsplash

Hebrews 7 opens a door into one of the richest pictures in all of Scripture. The writer takes us back to the mysterious figure of Melchizedek, that priest-king who met Abraham in Genesis 14. By looking at him, the passage helps us see how completely unique Jesus is and how secure we are in His priestly ministry. The study note writer carefully shows that Melchizedek was a God-appointed king and priest who stood above Abraham, who received tithes and gave blessing, and who did not inherit his role from a line of priests. All of this was meant to prepare us for Someone greater, Someone permanent.

Under the old covenant, the law gave Israel a priesthood from Levi and a kingly line from Judah, separate offices with limited reach. Priests could not be kings, and kings could not be priests. Their ministry was real, but incomplete. They received tithes, offered sacrifices, and stood between the people and God, yet they themselves were sinful and mortal. They came and went. They pointed beyond themselves. The Levitical system was never meant to be the finish line, only a signpost.

Melchizedek appears in Scripture as a priest of God Most High and king of Salem. His name speaks of righteousness, his city speaks of peace. He blesses Abraham, and Abraham responds with a tithe. In that act, the whole priestly tribe that would come from Abraham is pictured as bowing before this earlier priest-king. The study note draws out this corporate picture. The later priests, in a sense, are kneeling in Abraham and acknowledging a greater priesthood. That greater pattern prepares the way for Jesus, the One who truly unites righteousness and peace, priesthood and kingship, sacrifice and throne.

The passage then shows that Jesus does not become priest because of the right tribe, since He comes from Judah. He becomes priest because of His indestructible life. Every Levite died. Their ministry ended. The law, while holy and good, could never bring anyone into perfection. It allowed Israel to draw near in a limited way, through repeated sacrifices, but it could not make the conscience clean forever. Jesus, however, is the priest who cannot die again. He has passed through death, risen in power, and now lives forever. He gives us a better hope by which we draw near to God. The study note reminds us that in Jesus, the old priesthood gives way to something eternal and beautiful, a better covenant that will never be replaced.

In this chapter, we are not just given theology to admire from a distance. We are shown a living Person, our Priest-King, who once for all offered Himself, and now forever represents us before the Father. Hebrews 7 is inviting us as a people united to Jesus, the true Melchizedek, to relax our grip on rule keeping as our security and rest instead in the permanent, unchanging, never failing priesthood of Jesus, who always lives to intercede for us.

Journal Entry: Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

I am the Spirit of the living God, and I delight to turn your eyes to Jesus, your priest and your king. When you read about Melchizedek, you are not meant to be lost in mystery. You are meant to see a shadow of the One who holds you now. Melchizedek arrived without recorded ancestry, without a listed beginning or end to his priestly service, so that you would glimpse a priesthood that does not depend on human lineage. I am showing you that Jesus is that greater priest, not bound by tribe or genealogy, but appointed by the Father with an oath.

The priests from Levi served for a time, then their work ended in death. They were many, and their sacrifices had to be repeated. Through them I showed Israel that sin is serious, that blood must be shed, and that distance still remained. They were like signposts on the road, real but temporary, directing your eyes forward. I never intended the law or the Levitical priesthood to be your final resting place. Their weakness was not a failure. Their weakness was a pointer, so that your heart would long for a priest who could truly bring you all the way in.

Jesus is that priest. He came in the likeness of Melchizedek, not because He is a riddle, but because He is your righteousness and your peace in one Person. He is your priest who never sins. He is your king who never abuses power. He holds His office by the power of an indestructible life. Death could not keep Him. The grave could not hold Him. Now He lives forever and never resigns His post. I am telling you with joy that there will never be a day, not in time or eternity, when you lack a faithful High Priest at the right hand of the Father.

You belong to Him. In Him you are part of a holy people, a priestly people, drawn into His own access to the Father. When the Father looks at you, He does not see a line of failing priests trying once more to cover their guilt. He sees His Son, your representative, your head, your priest-king. You have died with Him to the old way of law keeping as a means of life. You have been raised with Him into a new covenant where I write My laws on your heart and place My desires within you. You are no longer standing outside hoping to earn entry. You are already seated with Him in the heavenly places, welcomed, wanted, secure.

Because Jesus lives forever, His priesthood does not pass on to another. This means your access does not flicker in and out. It does not rise and fall with your moods, your performance, or your recent track record. Your access rests on His life, not your record. When your conscience accuses you, it is often still listening to the echo of the old covenant, the rhythm of repeated sacrifices that could never cleanse the inner man. I invite you to listen instead to the voice of your High Priest who sat down at My right hand because the work really is finished.

Draw near, then. Draw near when you feel hopeful and when you feel dry. Draw near when you have obeyed and when you have failed. Do not stay outside in the shadows, rehearsing your unworthiness as if that were humility. True humility is coming to Me on the basis of My Son alone, agreeing with Me that His priesthood is enough. I have joined you to Him. His life is now your life. As you abide in Him, I express His obedience, His compassion, His peace, and His boldness through you. You are not trying to imitate a distant priest. You are sharing in the life of a present Priest-King who lives in you.

I am the One who keeps your heart turned toward Him. I am the One who assures you that nothing can separate you from His love. When accusations rise, remember that you have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. When fear whispers that you might lose your place, remember that 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. Learn to rest in that word always. Let it become the atmosphere your soul inhales, the quiet certainty that carries you through your days. Your security is not your grip on Him. Your security is His hand on you.

Real-Life Analogy

Imagine you work in a large office building with tight security. To enter, you need a badge. Most badges are temporary. Contractors and visitors line up at the front desk, sign papers, show identification, and receive a pass that works only for a day. Each morning they repeat the process. Their access is real, but it is fragile and always up for review.

Now imagine you have a permanent badge issued directly from the owner of the company. Your name is encoded into it. This badge does not expire. You do not wake up wondering whether it will still open the doors. You do not need to stand in line to prove yourself again. The badge is not a reward for a perfect week. It is a sign that you belong there. As you walk up to the door, you tap the badge, hear the soft click of the lock, and step inside. The access is quiet, steady, and sure.

In Jesus, the Holy Spirit wants you to see that you no longer live on visitor passes. Under the law, sacrifices were like those temporary badges, giving limited access for a short time. In your union with Jesus, the true Priest-King, you share in His permanent access. He Himself is your badge, your welcome, your open door. The Spirit of Jesus lives in you to remind you that you are not a nervous guest, but a beloved child with full rights of entry.

So picture an ordinary moment. Perhaps you are driving home, replaying a failure in conversation that afternoon. Part of you wants to punish yourself with shame. Another part of you wants to promise that you will do better so you can feel worthy again. Instead, you remember Hebrews 7. You remember that your standing is not measured by that conversation, but by your High Priest who never loses His place before the Father. Right there, in the car, you can simply say, “Lord, You are my unfailing Priest and King. I yield this moment to You. Express Your peace and honesty through me as I think about this day.” That is not you climbing the stairs to earn access. That is you walking through the door that is already open, trusting the indwelling Spirit to live out what this chapter proclaims.

Prayer of Confidence

Lord, thank You that Jesus is my Priest-King forever. Thank You that His priesthood does not depend on my background, my efforts, or my consistency. You have grounded my access to You in His indestructible life, and that life never ends.

I praise You that the old way of trying to stay close through my performance has been set aside. The law did its work. It exposed my need and pointed me to Your Son. Now I rest in a better hope. I rejoice that in Him I can draw near to You with confidence, not as a visitor but as Your beloved child.

Thank You that every accusation that rises against me must pass by the One who intercedes for me. Thank You that He is able to save completely those who come to You through Him, and that includes me. Today I gladly agree with You that His priesthood is enough. I relax in Your presence, trusting that the Spirit of Jesus in me will express His life through me as I walk through the doors You have already opened.

Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section

Heb 7:1-28; Heb 4:14-16; Heb 8:1-2; Heb 10:11-22; Ps 110:1-4; Rom 5:17; Rom 6:1-11; Gal 2:20; Col 1:13-14; Col 3:1-4; John 1:16; John 10:27-30; John 14:16-20; John 17:24; Rom 8:1; Rom 8:31-39; 1 Pet 2:9; Rev 1:5-6