Lesson 5…Mystery Man!
Melchizedek – Mystery Man of the Bible!
Didn’t the end of Hebrews 4 just make you have chill bumps? As believers in Jesus Christ, we have access to the very throne of God – a throne of grace – without the need of a human high priest. And aren’t you proud it is a throne of GRACE and not of condemnation?
Here are some things to do this week for Hebrews 5:
- Keep observing the text by marking key words.
- Last week, I suggested you begin making a list of what you learn about Jesus being our High Priest. Keep adding to that list this week.
- Verses 1-6 compares the Old Testament priest to Jesus. List some things you learn about earthy high priests…how are they similar and different to Jesus as our High Priest?
- The tribe of Levi (which includes Aaron and his sons) were appointed by God to be servants in the tabernacle. Aaron was a high priest. If you have time this week, read Numbers 18:1-7 for the background information.
- To fully understand the significance of the priestly duties, read Leviticus 9:7. What did Aaron have to do before he could make an offering of atonment for the people?
- Now here comes Melchizedek in verses 6-10. The main thing is not to let his mysterious nature get you bogged down. Besides, if we could understand EVERYTHING about God, He would not be a god worth worshiping, right? I do think you can learn a whole lot about Melchizedek just by observing the scriptures (try to stay away from commentaries at this point). Go to www.biblecommenter.com or www.blueletterbible.org and type in Melchizedek into the search box. There are just a handful of scriptures about him.
- Let’s try a new note taking method…write Melchizedek in the middle of a page and put a bubble or circle around it. Then jot the facts you learn about Melchizedek all around his name.
- Can you draw any conclusions about who he might be based on what you learn?
- Make sure you look at what Melchizedek’s name means…you can use one of the websites above or check it out in Hebrews 7: 2.
- Verses 12-14 describe mature and immature Christians. What are the characteristics of each?
