Hebrews Lesson #6

RETURN TO SYLLABUS
HEBREWS 5:1-10
LESSON #6
THE PRIESTHOOD OF AARON

MEMORY VERSE: HEB 4:16

READ HEB 5:1-10 AARON AND THE OFFICE OF THE HIGH PRIEST

THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A HIGH PRIEST

AARON WAS THE FIRST HIGH PRIEST. WHO WAS HE?

HE WAS THE OLDER BROTHER OF MOSES. HE WAS FROM THE TRIBE OF LEVI. HE WAS APPOINTED BY GOD TO BE AN INTERPRETER OF MOSES WHO WAS SLOW OF SPEECH
(EXO 4:16). HE WAS CONSECRATED BY MOSES TO BE THE FIRST HIGH PRIEST (EXO 29:9). HE FAILED TO BE OBEDIENT TO GOD WHEN PEOPLE ASKED FOR IDOLS DURING THE TIME MOSES WAS IN THE MOUNTAIN GETTING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A HUMAN HIGH PRIEST

HE WAS A MAN SUBJECT TO SIN AND DEATH (1-2)

BUT WITHOUT PHYSICAL DEFORMITY (LEV 21:16-23)

HE WAS ORDAINED TO SERVE MEN FOR GOD (1)

HE MINISTERED IN THE TABERNACLE

HE OFFERED GIFTS AND SACRIFICES TO GOD FOR THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE AS WELL AS FOR HIMSELF (1,3)
HE WAS TO BE COMPASSIONATE FOR THE IGNORANT (2)

HE WAS TO OFFER SACRIFICE FOR THE SINS OF IGNORANCE.

HE WAS TO BE CALLED BY GOD (4)

EVERY PRIEST OF ISRAEL HAD TO BE FROM THE TRIBE OF LEVI. EVERY HIGH PRIEST HAD TO BE DESCENDED FROM AARON.

THE PRIESTHOOD OF AARON THE LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD
	LEVI
GERSHON	KOHATH			MERARI
	AMRAM
THESE PRIESTS HAD THE JOB OF CARRYING THE TAERNACLE CURTAINS	MIRIAM	MOSES	AARON THE FIRST-BORN WAS TO BE THE HIGH PRIEST	THESE PRIESTS HAD THE JOB OF CARRYING THE TABERNACLE BOARDS, SOCKETS, AND PINS
	THESE PRIESTS HAD THE JOB OF CARRYING THE TABERNACLE FURNITURE

LIFE OF THE PRIESTS:

LEVITES COULD NOT OWN LAND.

LEVITES WERE SUPPORTED BY THE TITHES OF THE PEOPLE

THE PRIESTS RECEIVED PARTS OF THE OFFERINGS NOT CONSUMED BY SACRIFICE.

DUTIES OF THE PRIESTHOOD
HIGH PRIEST	PRIESTS	OTHER LEVITES
OVERSEE AND ASSIST IN ALL PRIESTLY DUTIES OFFICIATE ON THE DAY OF ATONEMENT TAKING THE BLOOD OF SACRIFICE INTO THE HOLY OF HOLIES	TO KEEP FIRE ON THE BRAZEN ALTAR BURNING CONTINUALLY (LEV 6:12) TO TRIM THE GOLDEN LAMPSTAND TWICE A DAY (EXO 27:20-21) (LEV 24:2) LAY OUT NEW SHEWBREAD ONCE A WEEK (LEV 24:5-9) OFFER SACRIFICES MORNING AND EVENING (EXO 29:38-44) TEACH THE STATUTES OF THE LORD (LEV 10:11) COVER THE TABERNACLE FURNITURE WITH CLOTH BEFORE THE OTHER LEVITES COULD MOVE THEM (NUM 4:5-15 BLOW THE SILVER TRUMPETS TO BEGIN A DAY’S JOURNEY OR TO SOUND AN ALARM (NUM 10:1-8)	THE KOHATHITES: CARRY ALL THE TABERNACLE FURNITURE (NUM 4:1-15) THE GERSHONITES: CARE FOR ALL THE CURTAINS AND COVERINGS (NUM 4:21-28) THE MERARITES: CARE FOR THE PILLARS, THE BOARDS, THE POLES, THE ROPES, AND THE HOOKS (NUM 4:29-33)

AARON IS A PREFIGURE OF CHRIST AS A HIGH PRIEST

SCRIPTURE:	AARON’S PRIESTHOOD	JESUS CHRIST
HEB 5:1-10	A MAN EXPOSED TO SIN AND THEN DID SIN SUBJECT TO DEATH ORDAINED BY GOD TO SERVE MEN OFFERED SACRIFICES FOR SIN COMPASSIONATE TO PEOPLE	A MAN EXPOSED TO SIN BUT DID NOT SIN SUBJECT TO DEATH ORDAINED BY GOD TO SERVE MEN OFFERED HIMSELF AS A SACRIFICE FOR SIN COMPASSIONATE TO ALL PEOPLE
EXO 29:7-9	A DESCENDANT OF AARON	NOT A DESCENDANT OF AARON BUT OF THE ORDER OF MELCHISEDEK
EXO 29:10-25	MUST MAKE OFFERINGS FOR THEIR OWN SINS	HE WAS WITHOUT SIN AND NEEDED NO OFFERING FOR HIS OWN SIN

WHAT TWO PRIMARY DUTIES ARE EXPECTED OF EVERY HIGH PRIEST?

TO GIVE GIFTS AND TO GIVE SACRIFICES TO GOD ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE.

"COMPASSION ON THE IGNORANT" (2) =

THE ABILITY TO MODERATE ONE'S FEELINGS TO AVOID THE EXTREMES OF COLD INDIFFERENCE AND UNCONTROLLED SADNESS IN MINISTERING TO THOSE WHO GO ASTRAY BECAUSE OF IGNORANCE.

"FOR HE HIMSELF ALSO IS COMPASSED WITH INFIRMITY" (2) =

THIS REFERS TO THE HUMAN PRIESTS WHO DIED MAKING WAY FOR THE NEXT IN AARON'S LINE. HOWEVER, JESUS CHRIST WILL NEVER DIE AND WILL BE AN ETERNAL HIGH PRIEST, BUT HE WAS TOUCHED WITH FEELINGS OF OUR WEAKNESSES.

THE QUALIFICATIONS OF CHRIST AS HIGH PRIEST (5, 10)

CALLED BY GOD (5,10)

"TODAY HAVE I BEGOTTEN THEE…" (5)

THE DAY THAT IS REFERRED TO HERE IS THE DAY JESUS WAS RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD. IT IS THE DAY HE BECAME OUR HIGH PRIEST.

HE WAS IN EVERY WAY A MAN (7)

COMPASSIONATE (7)
OBEDIENT TO GOD (8)

GETHSEMANE WAS TO TEACH HIM OBEDIENCE

MADE PERFECT (COMPLETE)(9)

WITHOUT BLEMISH

THE AUTHOR OF ETERNAL SALVATION (9)
CALLED AFTER THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK

JESUS CHRIST WAS NOT FROM THE TRIBE OF LEVI, NOR WAS HE DESCENDED FROM AARON. HE, THEREFORE, DID NOT QUALIFY TO BE A HIGH PRIEST ACCORDING TO THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD. HOWEVER, HE WAS QUALIFIED AFTER THE ORDER OF THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD. (GEN 14:17-20

PSA 110:4). WE WILL LEARN MORE ABOUT HIM IN HEBREWS 7 AND DISCUSS HIM IN DETAIL THEN.
"THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK" SIGNIFIES THE ETERNAL QUALITY OF CHRIST'S PRIESTHOOD.

"SAVE HIM FROM DEATH" (7) =

SAVE HIM OUT OF DEATH. JESUS DIED BUT WAS RAISED OUT OF DEATH.

THIS VERSE PORTRAYS JESUS IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE BEFORE HE DIED ON THE CROSS.

READ MAT 26:36-46 "LET THIS CUP PASS FROM ME"

THERE ARE 3 INTERPRETATIONS OF THE AGONY JESUS WENT THROUGH IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE.

1. HE PRAYED NOT TO GO TO THE CROSS AND THAT GOD WOULD DELIVER HIM FROM DEATH ON THE CROSS. THEREFORE THE PRAYER IS AN AGONY BETWEEN HIS HUMAN AND HIS DIVINE NATURES.
2. WHEN JESUS TOOK THE SINS OF MANKIND ON HIMSELF, GOD TURNED HIS BACK ON JESUS FORSAKING HIM. (MAT 27:46) HE PRAYED THAT WHEN THAT WOULD HAPPEN, GOD WOULD NOT LEAVE HIM IN A SINFUL STATE, LEAVING HIS SOUL IN HELL, BUT THAT HE WOULD BE DELIVERED "OUT OF" DEATH.
*3. HE PRAYED GOD WOULD KEEP HIM FROM THE HANDS OF SATAN WHO SOUGHT TO KILL HIM PREMATURELY IN THE GARDEN SO THAT CHRIST WOULD NOT MAKE IT TO THE CROSS. TO DIE IN THE GARDEN WOULD HAVE BEEN EASIER THAN GOING TO THE CROSS. HE KNEW FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO DIE. (REV 13:8) HE ALSO KNEW GOD WOULD NOT LEAVE HIS SOUL IN HELL (ACT 2:27).

I PREFER INTERPRETATION #3 BECAUSE VS. 7 SAYS GOD HEARD HIS PRAYER. (THE IDEA IS THAT GOD HEARD AND ANSWERED IT.)

"HE FEARED" (7) =

JESUS POSSIBLY FEARED HE WOULD DIE PRE-MATURELY IN THE GARDEN BEFORE GOD'S PERFECT TIMING.

"MADE PERFECT" (9) =

THE IDEA IS TO BRING A PERSON TO THE GOAL FIXED BY GOD. IT IS USED OF JESUS IN THE SENSE OF COMPLETING THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR BECOMING AN ETERNAL HIGH PRIEST.

HOMEWORK FOR HEBREWS 5:11-6:20

THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION.

APPLICATION OF HEB 5:1-10:

WHICH CHARACTERISTIC ABOUT JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR HIGH PRIEST IS THE MOST IMPRESSIVE TO YOU? WHY?
IN PRAYER, PRAISE JESUS FOR BEING YOUR HIGH PRIEST.

PREPARATION OF HEB 5:11-6:20

READ HEB 5:11-14

WHAT ARE THE SPIRITUAL DEFICIENCIES OF THE HEBREW BELIEVERS?
WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY MARKS OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY?
HOW DOES A PERSON TRAIN HIMSELF TO DISTINGUISH GOOD FROM EVIL?

READ HEB 6:1-3

WHAT ARE THE BASIC FOUNDATIONS BEYOND WHICH THE HEBREW CHRISTIANS FAILED TO ADVANCE?

READ HEB 6:4-20

WHAT ARE THE FIVE EVIDENCES THAT PROVE THE AUTHOR IS TALKING TO BORN-AGAIN BELIEVERS?

QUESTION TO PONDER: CAN A BELIEVER LOSE HIS SALVATION?

IF SO, HOW?

MEMORY VERSE: HEB 5:9